Four of the top five battle it out with each other this week while Man City travel to bottom of the table West Ham. Arsenal could end gameweek 17 in fourth position, having started it Top of the table. Chances are it will be as you were. It has been such an unpredictable season that […]

So the Londoner is off to Merseyside. In what has been a stale post-World Cup transfer cycle, where hearsay reigns supreme over any actual movement, this week saw the first eyebrow-raising move: Joe Cole to Liverpool. Eyebrow-raising because all summer it seemed that most of the major English power players were in for Cole EXCEPT […]

I am fully aware that I am late to the why-England-were-eliminated-party here, but as I've pored over the litany of explanations on the web, I've found that there is an unfair discrepancy of player blame vs. manager blame. Sure, the England stars appeared lackadaisical and short on ideas, but these are the same players that […]

As England approach their last chance to qualify for the round of sixteen, the avoidance of certain embarrassment and arguably this generation's most important make or break match, John Terry and the England squad have voiced their concerns over a beer with Fabio Capello resulting in the request to include Joe Cole (among other things) in the starting line up […]

It was often said through out much of the last ten years that England's midfield was its strongest point. With Beckham in his pomp and Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard ably assisted by a constant rotation of players wedged in to the left midfield position, it often felt a little hollow. In the big games, […]

Authors note: As this is the first of many in an ongoing series I'll attempt to keep some form of continuity throughout the end of the season but am sure to change aspects of the column to fit mine and readers needs. It'll be difficult deciding what defines a week as various Premier League teams are […]

With Joe Cole out of contract at Chelsea in the summer, there's no surprise in there being a few Premiership Clubs 'poking their noses' into the status of the current situation regarding the player at the moment. Negotiations are currently under way between Joe Cole and Chelsea, with Cole wanting around £50,000 extra on top […]

When the final whistle went and those West Ham fans who'd spent most of Saturdays game against Chelsea abusing former old boys, Frank Lampard and John Terry, had disappeared to the pubs around and about, I bet they never thought they'd ever see either player back at Upton Park that soon. Obviously they were unaware […]

I’ve wondered for a long time what it is that managers see in Stewart Downing, particularly England managers. Since his first call up in February 2005, Downing has been pretty much been a regular in the England squad, but why? I don’t understand how one player can have gained 22 caps without ever making an […]

Well the rumblings of yesterday have come to fruition today, on two counts. The first happening in South America, the other happening at the Riverside. I can understand Carlos Tevez wanting his future sorted. But the situation with Manchester United seems to get crazier by the day. After firing back at Ferguson's claims of rejecting […]

Champions League debutants CFR 1907 Cluj came from behind to beat Roma and record a stunning 2-1 victory at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Beyond the absence of Totti, Roma had a strong squad out on the field and will be disappointed with their performance. There has been a bit of turmoil off the field […]

In less than three weeks, my wife and I have a new arrival planned for our household: our first baby boy. So while my wife was enjoying her baby shower yesterday, I ended up watching our three other children. Needless to say, I didn't get a chance to watch as much live football as I […]

The Daily Telegraph must have been so mesmerized by Joe Cole's performance on Sunday that it forgot what the Chelsea winger's name was.See the screenshot above from the online version of the newspaper tonight, and don't be surprised if the headline is fixed by the time you read the article.