Premiership Disciplinary Charts

Blackburn's Tugay is top of the player charts after his red card against Man City a few weeks back but the Turk has only one game to his name so we must focus our attentions elsewhere. One surprise is to see Aston Villa's John Carew with a huge 20 fouls committed - I guess he really is getting in the face of defenders but you don't really want a foul happy striker in your team do you? The usual hard men make up the rest of the positions - I can't imagine Shaun Wright-Phillips popping up anywhere. A small pattern I have noticed: There are no Liverpool players in the list, make of this what you want but I personally feel that it reflects the fact that they probably have the World's best possession winning midfield and they calmed down Momo Sissoko a bit.

Player Disciplinary Table

Player	Team	GP	Fouls	Yellows	Reds	Disc Points
Tugay	Blackburn Rovers	1	4	0	1	10.0
Diop	Portsmouth	1	4	1	0	7.0
Carvalho	Chelsea	2	4	2	0	5.0
Long	Reading	4	14	2	0	5.0
Savage	Blackburn Rovers	5	14	3	0	4.6
Carew	Aston Villa	5	20	1	0	4.6
Cisse	Reading	2	3	0	1	4.5
Kitson	Reading	2	3	0	1	4.5
Davis	Portsmouth	6	14	4	0	4.3
Zamora	West Ham United	3	13	0	0	4.3
Smith	Newcastle United	5	12	3	0	4.2
Pedersen	Blackburn Rovers	5	11	3	0	4.0
Howard	Derby County	6	18	2	0	4.0
Drogba	Chelsea	5	17	1	0	4.0
Gravesen	Everton	1	1	1	0	4.0
Shevchenko	Chelsea	1	4	0	0	4.0
Vassell	Manchester City	1	4	0	0	4.0
Etuhu	Sunderland	6	14	3	0	3.8
Butt	Newcastle United	5	13	2	0	3.8
Jaidi	Birmingham City	3	8	1	0	3.7
Barry	Aston Villa	5	12	2	0	3.6
Senderos	Arsenal	2	1	0	1	3.5
Bocanegra	Fulham	6	12	3	0	3.5
Wheater	Middlesbrough	6	15	2	0	3.5
Samba	Blackburn Rovers	5	8	3	0	3.4
Ronaldo	Manchester United	3	1	1	1	3.3
Kapo	Birmingham City	6	14	2	0	3.3
Rochemback	Middlesbrough	3	7	1	0	3.3
Sidwell	Chelsea	3	7	1	0	3.3
Muntari	Portsmouth	5	7	1	1	3.2
Hamann	Manchester City	6	10	3	0	3.2
Bentley	Blackburn Rovers	5	10	2	0	3.2
Reo-Coker	Aston Villa	5	10	2	0	3.2
Berbatov	Tottenham Hotspur	5	13	1	0	3.2
Kilbane	Wigan Athletic	5	6	1	1	3.0
Kamara	Fulham	6	9	3	0	3.0
Tuncay	Middlesbrough	6	9	3	0	3.0
Boateng	Middlesbrough	6	12	2	0	3.0
Brown	Wigan Athletic	4	6	2	0	3.0
Mido	Middlesbrough	4	6	2	0	3.0
Oakley	Derby County	6	12	2	0	3.0
Eduardo	Arsenal	3	6	1	0	3.0
Helguson	Bolton Wanderers	3	6	1	0	3.0
Jihai	Manchester City	1	0	1	0	3.0
Kanu	Portsmouth	5	12	1	0	3.0
Seol	Reading	3	6	1	0	3.0
Skoko	Wigan Athletic	2	3	1	0	3.0
Nelsen	Blackburn Rovers	4	5	0	1	2.8
Brown	Manchester United	6	11	2	0	2.8
Flamini	Arsenal	5	8	2	0	2.8
N'Zogbia	Newcastle United	5	8	2	0	2.8
Fagan	Derby County	5	11	1	0	2.8
Hunt	Bolton Wanderers	6	7	3	0	2.7
Jenas	Tottenham Hotspur	6	10	2	0	2.7
Ridgewell	Birmingham City	6	10	2	0	2.7
Larsson	Birmingham City	6	13	1	0	2.7
Huddlestone	Tottenham Hotspur	5	10	1	0	2.6

Team Disciplinary Charts
We can see from the team charts that Chelsea are kicking their way to the top whilst Arsenal have decided, as usual, to not get involved too much in the hacking game. Tottenham, menawhile, could be interpreted as not kicking enough crap...

Team	GP	Fouls	Yellows	Reds	Disc Pts	Disc Pts/game
Blackburn Rovers	5	96	15	2	153	30.6
Chelsea	6	95	15	0	140	23.3
Aston Villa	5	77	12	0	113	22.6
Middlesbrough	6	87	16	0	135	22.5
Reading	6	88	10	2	130	21.7
Fulham	6	92	10	1	128	21.3
Birmingham City	6	95	11	0	128	21.3
Portsmouth	6	89	10	1	125	20.8
Newcastle United	5	72	9	0	99	19.8
Derby County	6	86	9	0	113	18.8
Liverpool	5	63	9	0	90	18.0
Bolton Wanderers	6	77	10	0	107	17.8
Wigan Athletic	6	79	7	1	106	17.7
West Ham United	5	70	6	0	88	17.6
Sunderland	6	78	8	0	102	17.0
Everton	6	78	7	0	99	16.5
Manchester United	6	68	8	1	98	16.3
Manchester City	6	59	11	1	98	16.3
Arsenal	5	51	8	1	81	16.2
Tottenham Hotspur	6	71	8	0	95	15.8

OPTA Team of the Week

There are some interesting players featuring in OPTA's team of the week as well as some you would expect. Man Utd's Nemanja Vidic partners John Terry at the back after his late winning goal against the impressing and very resilient Everton team. Man of the moment Cesc Fabregas gets a spot in midfield after a wonderful display vs his North London counterparts this weekend. What is interesting to note is the inclusion of West Ham's Lee Bowyer who put in an impressive display against Middlesbrough and helped West Ham to quietly move up the table.

	Brad Friedel
	Blackburn Rovers
	(v Chelsea)
Wes Brown	Nemanja Vidic	John Terry	Javier Garrido
Manchester United	Manchester United	Chelsea	Manchester City
(v Everton)	(v Everton)	(v Blackburn Rovers)	(v Aston Villa)
Lee Bowyer	Cesc Fabregas	Michael Johnson	Olivier Kapo
West Ham United	Arsenal	Manchester City	Birmingham City
(v Middlesbrough)	(v Tottenham Hotspur)	(v Aston Villa)	(v Bolton Wanderers)
	Emmanuel Adebayor	Clint Dempsey
	Arsenal	Fulham
	(v Tottenham Hotspur)	(v Wigan Athletic)

Discipline Tables - Round 1 & 2

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Everton maybe top of the Premiership today but they currently lie last in the disciplinary charts with an average of 8.5 negative points a game. Aston Villa are top of the pile after hacking their way into Liverpool (with little success I may point out). A flurry of red cards has certainly made for interesting reading with, er, Reading heading the cards table with 5 yellows and 2 reds - suspensions will take their toll sooner or later... Meanwhile, the players table is shaping up nicely with a mixture of Reading, Fulham, Aston Villa and Boro' players occupying this weeks top 20. Readings Kalifa Cisse tops the chart but he will get some time to think about his lack of discipline due to his suspension. As with the teams you will find Everton players at the bottom of the rankings with Yobo, Hibbert and Lescott all with only 0.5 points each and Stubbs on zero. If you don't want to lose points in fantasy then these are your men. Other notables with good records include Man City's Corluka, Sunderland's McShane and Wigan's Granqvist who are also just on 0.5 pts after two games.


Team Disciplinary Points

Team	MP	Fouls	Yellows	Reds	Disciplinary Points	Disc. Points/Match
Aston Villa	1	20	4	0	32	32.0
Fulham	2	41	7	0	62	31.0
Blackburn Rovers	1	18	4	0	30	30.0
Reading	2	32	5	2	59	29.5
Middlesbrough	2	41	6	0	59	29.5
Chelsea	2	31	7	0	52	26.0
Manchester City	2	27	7	0	48	24.0
Portsmouth	2	30	3	1	45	22.5
Birmingham City	2	35	2	0	41	20.5
Liverpool	1	14	2	0	20	20.0
Tottenham Hotspur	2	30	3	0	39	19.5
Derby County	2	31	2	0	37	18.5
Newcastle United	1	15	1	0	18	18.0
Bolton Wanderers	2	28	2	0	34	17.0
Sunderland	2	25	2	0	31	15.5
West Ham United	1	15	0	0	15	15.0
Wigan Athletic	2	26	1	0	29	14.5
Manchester United	2	14	1	1	23	11.5
Arsenal	1	7	1	0	10	10.0
Everton	2	17	0	0	17	8.5

Player Disciplinary Points (Top 20)

Player	Team	Games	Fouls	Yellow Cards	Red Cards	Disciplinary Points
Cissé	Reading	1	2	0	1	8.0
Bocanegra	Fulham	2	8	2	0	7.0
Long	Reading	1	4	1	0	7.0
Savage	Blackburn	1	4	1	0	7.0
Zamora	West Ham	1	7	0	0	7.0
Barry	Aston Villa	1	3	1	0	6.0
Oakley	Derby County	2	9	1	0	6.0
Samba	Blackburn	1	3	1	0	6.0
Muntari	Portsmouth	2	4	0	1	5.0
Boateng	Middlesbrough	2	7	1	0	5.0
Davis	Fulham	2	7	1	0	5.0
Howard	Derby County	2	7	1	0	5.0
Larsson	Birmingham City	2	7	1	0	5.0
Carew	Aston Villa	1	5	0	0	5.0
Etuhu	Sunderland	2	6	1	0	4.5
Tuncay	Middlesbrough	2	6	1	0	4.5
Wheater	Middlesbrough	2	6	1	0	4.5
Arca	Middlesbrough	2	5	1	0	4.0
Bouma	Aston Villa	1	1	1	0	4.0

Premiership Preview - Week 1

Arsenal (home vs. Fulham)

Subs: Almunia, Denilson, Song. Senderos, Walcott, Bendtner
Injured: Adebayor, Gilberto
Suspended: None

Team News:
Summer signings Eduardo and Sagna are set to make their debuts although Eduardo will have a late fitness test on Saturday morning due to a minor ankle problem. Meanwhile, Adebayor is definitely out with a groin injury and captain Gilberto is given extra time to rest from his exerts in the Copa America.

Aston Villa (home vs. Liverpool)

Subs: Bevan, Cahill, Maloney, Osbourne, Moore, Harewood, Berger.
Injured: Delaney, Hughes, Sorensen
Suspended: None

Team News:
Villa have now signed keeper Scott Carson but he won't be available until the Newcastle fixture which means that Taylor must deputise in place of the injured Sorensen. Striker Carew has shaken off an injury and should partner Agbonlahor upfront.

Birmingham (away vs. Chelsea)

Subs: Doyle, Kelly, Martin Taylor, Djourou, Nafti, Forssell, Jerome, Danns, Vine, Tebily.
Injured: Johnson, Schmitz, Sadler
Suspended: None

Team News:
Birmingham have a tough first game away to Chelsea but have new Arsenal signing Djourou to call on. The Swiss defender has signed on a six-month loan and could replace Jaidi in defence at Stamford Bridge. New signing O'Connor will compete with Forssell for a starting spot upfront.

Blackburn (away vs. Middlesbrough)

Subs: Enckelman, Olsson, Ooijer, Mokoena, Dunn, Santa Cruz, Rigters, Derbyshire
Injured: Berner, Steven Reid
Suspended: None

Team News:
Robbie Savage returns to Blackburn side after a long absence with a broken leg, he should partner Tugay in midfield. There is a toss up at right-back between Emerton and Ooijer, as the Dutchman played most of preseason in this spot while Emerton was international duty. New signing Santa Cruz could start alongside McCarthy but Roberts is marginally preferred as he already competitive competition under his belt from the Intertoto cup games.








Bolton (home vs. Newcastle)

Subs: Faye, Michalik, Alonso, Guthrie, Campo, Helguson, Vaz Te, Al Habsi.
Injured: Gardner, Stelios
Suspended: None

Team News:
New signings McCann and Cid are set to make their league debuts for the club today. Bolton have been playing a 4-4-2 formation in preseason and could revert to it as Big Sam will surely know how to cope with his favourite 4-3-3. Helguson could be inline to get his first start but preferences are still for Anelka, Davies and Diouf who proved so affective in the second-half of last season. Swede Wilhemsson and Braaten have not reached full match fitness and won't be considered.











Chelsea (home vs. Birmingham)








Team News: To follow











Derby (home vs Portsmouth)








Team News: To follow









Everton (home vs. Wigan)








Team News: To follow









Fulham (away vs Arsenal)







Team News: To follow










Liverpool (away vs. Aston Villa)








Team News: To follow









Man City (away vs. West Ham)









Team News: To follow








Man Utd (home vs. Reading)







Team News: To follow










Middlesbrough (home vs.Blackburn)







Team News: To follow










Newcastle (away vs. Bolton)







Team News: To follow










Portsmouth (away vs. Derby)







Team News: To follow










Reading (away vs. Man Utd)







Team News: To follow










Sunderland (home vs. Tottenham)







Team News: To follow










Tottenham (away vs. Sunderland)







Team News: To follow










West Ham (home vs. Man City)








Team News: To follow









Wigan (away vs. Wigan)






Team News: To follow

Live Scores

Daily Transfer News - 24th May 2007

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Brazilian Julio Baptista will return Real Madrid after Arsenal ruled out bringing him to the Emirates on a permanent deal - something to cheer about if you are a fantasy player or Arsenal fan. Over at Portsmouth Harry Redknapp has launched a spending spree. I personally think he should save up and get some plastic surgery.

ETO'O STILL DREAMS OF HENRY CAPTURE Samuel Eto'o hopes Arsenal forward Thierry Henry will sign for Barcelona this summer.

MUNTARI POISED FOR POMPEY DEAL Udinese have confirmed Sulley Muntari has travelled to England to complete a move to Portsmouth.

BAPTISTA HEADING BACK TO REAL Julio Baptista is set to return to Spain following his season with Arsenal.

REDKNAPP LAUNCHES SPENDING SPREE Harry Redknapp insists Sylvain Distin is the first arrival of many at Portsmouth this summer.

RUTHLESS RAFA STARTS PURGE Rafa Benitez is ready to start his summer clearout after Liverpool's Champions League defeat.

SOUTHGATE CONTEMPLATES SUMMER SALES Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate may consider selling in order to land his summer transfer targets.

TAYLOR PONDERS TEDDY MOVE Crystal Palace boss Peter Taylor has revealed he is considering a move for veteran striker Teddy Sheringham.

GARCIA TALKS ON HOLD Colchester have put Richard Garcia's contract talks on hold after he flew to Australia to be with his ill father.

BERLUSCONI EYES RONALDINHO MOVE After Champions League glory, AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi wants to sign Ronaldinho.

JACKSON JOINS HORNETS Matt Jackson has joined Watford on a two-year deal after rejecting the chance to stay at Wigan.

SOUTHGATE - YAK NOT FOR SALE Gareth Southgate has dismissed suggestions Yakubu is unsettled at Middlesbrough.

Tabloid Headlines - Thursday 24th May 2007

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All the talk is about Southampton's Gareth Bale this morning. Will the teenager go to Tottenham or Manchester United? Having seen him against Man City in the FA Cup this season I have to say that he certainly shouldn't be rated as a £10 million defender. English players being overpriced again? You bet!

THE SUN:

Liverpool failed with a last-ditch bid to snatch defender Sylvain Distin from under the noses of Portsmouth.

Ryan Giggs is trying to convince highly-rated Southampton left-back Gareth Bale to join him at Manchester United rather than sign for Tottenham.

DAILY MIRROR:

Gabriel Heinze could be on his way to Spain after Villarreal entered the race for the Manchester United defender.

Tony Adams has revealed he is desperate to manage old club Arsenal.

DAILY STAR:

Real Madrid are lining up a £20million bid for Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas.

Claude Makelele has threatened to quit Chelsea for Spanish club Villarreal this summer unless he gets a new contract.

Blackburn's Andy Todd is poised to follow in his father's footsteps by signing for Sunderland.

Premiership newcomers Birmingham are lining up a £3million bid for West Ham left-back Paul Konchesky.

Southampton have turned down a £6million bid from Spurs for left-back Bale.

Bryan Robson wants to make Manchester United's Kieran Richardson his first signing as Sheffield United boss.

DAILY MAIL:

Tottenham are confident of signing Bale in a £10million deal, but Saints boss George Burley denies anything has been agreed.

Aston Villa defender Jlloyd Samuel is on the verge of joining Bolton on a free transfer.

Watford have agreed a £500,000 deal for Crystal Palace winger Jobi McAnuff.

DAILY EXPRESS:

Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd was stunned when given the news of the attempted takeover of his club while he lay sick in a hospital bed.

Bale is certain to leave Southampton this summer, but the Saints want to flush out other potential suitors after Tottenham made a bid worth a total of £10million.

Lee McCulloch has told new Wigan boss Chris Hutchings he still has his heart set on a move to Rangers.

THE GUARDIAN:

Tottenham will sign Bale for £10million today.

Sylvain Distin left Manchester City because of their lack of ambition in the transfer market.

DAILY RECORD:

Aberdeen boss Jimmy Calderwood fears losing skipper Russell Anderson, a target for Middlesbrough, Everton and Sunderland.

Maurice Malpas has admitted defeat in his attempts to keep Kevin McBride at Motherwell.

Craig Gordon may be a summer target for a host of Premiership clubs, but the keeper insists he is happy to stay at Hearts and laughed off suggestions he's worth £10million.

Daily Transfer News - 23rd May 2007

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DISTIN SIGNS FOR POMPEY Portsmouth have signed former Manchester City captain Sylvain Distin on a free transfer.

MUNTARI CLOSE TO POMPEY DEAL Harry Redknapp admits midfielder Sulley Muntari is very close to signing for Portsmouth.

SAINTS DENY BALE REPORTS Southampton have denied reports suggesting Tottenham have agreed a deal for Gareth Bale.

TODD OUT AT BLACKBURN Andy Todd is on his way out of Blackburn after he was told the club are willing to sell him.

MAKELELE CHELSEA FUTURE IN DOUBT Claude Makelele wants Chelsea to decide if he still has a future at Stamford Bridge.

CHELSEA LINKED WITH TEVEZ DEAL West Ham's Carlos Tevez has been reportedly offered to Chelsea for £35million.

BAYERN EYE VAN PERSIE RAID Bayern Munich have reportedly targeted Arsenal's Robin van Persie for a £8million summer move.

PIZARRO OFFER NOT ENOUGH - REPORTS Rangers fear they could miss out to Juventus in the race to sign Bayern Munich's Claudio Pizarro.

RAFA HAS GOOD ENOUGH DEAL - HICKS Rafael Benitez won't be awarded a new contract for winning the Champions League.

ETO'O DISMISSES PREMIERSHIP LINK Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o dismissed speculation linking him with a move to the Premiership.

RAMS EXPECT DAVIES TO STAY Derby chairman Peter Gadsby is confident manager Billy Davies will stay at Pride Park.

POMPEY SET FOR DOUBLE SIGNING Portsmouth are expected to confirm the signings of Sylvain Distin and Sulley Muntari on Wednesday.

SIDWELL SEALS BLUES DEAL Jose Mourinho now wants a striker and defender after signing Steve Sidwell.

Daily Update

So, Sylvain Distin has finally had enough of Premiership strugglers Man City and is hoping to ply his trade at Portsmouth next season. The Frenchman was a huge part of the Manchester outfit and will be hugely missed at Eastland’s. But what is Man City’s loss can now be Portsmouth’s gain. The South coast team are lining up a formidable defence for the start of next year with Distin moving to be alongside former England and Arsenal man Sol Campbell. Distin statistically is one of the best central defenders in the Premiership and, in my opinion, is the best defender in the air in the English top flight. His clearance and aerial prowess is almost unrivalled and he has coped well against the likes of Peter Crouch and Didier Drogba this season. He will certainly be an excellent addition to Portsmouth and will definitely be one to keep an eye out for at the start of next season.

Live Scores

Seasonal Round-Up

So, we draw close to the end of the season and without an International Summer tournament most fantasy players will get a prolonged break from the weekly agonies of picking the "perfect" team. But it is not all done and dusted just yet, we still have a few more games left to enjoy and sneak a few more places up the ranking table.

Top Players - David James the Comeback Kid
Ronaldo surely takes the top prize as the fantasy mangers MVP of the season. His consistency, attacking attributes and clinical finishes may have been lacking in the European Cup but he has certainly delivered in style for the Premiership. He has been a thorn in the side of most Premiership defenders and managers will have him labelled in as next years first draft pick into their squads. Moving away from, perhaps, the overrated we come to the underrated players of this season. In the goalkeeping department I have been very impressed with resurgence of David James. The Portsmouth keeper has possibly had one of his best seasons this year (probably due to not having the pressure of playing for England) and has looked mature and comfortable at his new home on the South coast. Another player that I have admired between the sticks this season is Readings Hahnemann. The American, who loves to collect rifles, has been pretty good as shot stopper himself this season. He has racked up the most amount of saves for a keeper this season (161 so far) and when you look at Reading's high position in the league table it is obvious to assume that Hahnemann is their best defender. In other areas I have enjoyed picking Matthew Taylor (POR) and Nicky Shorey (REA) in defence, David Bentley (BLA) and Cesc Fabregas (ARS) in midfield and Dimitar Berbatov (TOT) in attack.

My performance - fantasy mediocrity?
Using these players this year has been a mixed bag for me fantasy football wise. I am doing well in the Daily Mail game (top 200) after a fairly decent run; I am also in the top 100 of the SkySports fantasy game, I actually notched up the highest score for one game week which I am pleased about. Over in the Premierleague.com game I have currently accrued a respectable 1791pts, which was not good enough to disturb the top players but has helped me to lead my private league for most of the season. Finally Yahoo. Oh Yahoo, how I love to hate thee... In my opinion it is by far one of the most intense, skilful and fun games on the market but it still suffers from many flaws and I have made some cardinal sins this year. On no less than FIVE, yes FIVE, occasions I have missed the lockdown time with an illegible team. This has lead to a mediocre season for myself this year. I know, schoolboy error but sometimes you just can't help being stuck up a mountain at 10am on a Saturday without WiFi. Yahoo should seriously look into remedying this setup as I feel it happens to many players and once it does happen, your interest tends to wane in the competition. Saying that though I still somehow managed to scrap into the top 97%.

The Ugly - Fantasy Tripe
There are a few games that I have not enjoyed this season, one is the Sportinglife/Silent Manager fantasy game. The prize money is negligible, £10k, compared to say The Daily Mail's £60k and you have to pay for all transfers bar four, again in The Daily Mail you get five free every quarter. The simplistic scoring system, lack of transfers and long waits for points updates certainly makes this one of the bogey games of the season.

The future - Man City Champions of Europe????
What about my performance? Well, I have tried my best this season to publish as many weekly line-up reviews as possible but it certainly has become a time strain. I have identified five different articles that I hope to make permanent fixtures for next season: EPL Preview (Saturday AM/Friday PM), EPL Review (Tuesday AM), General Weekly Fantasy Article (Wednesday) and finally a Team of the Week/Pick of the Week (Friday).

I hope everyone has had good fortune so far!

Live Scores

Israel v England Preview - Euro 2008

England need nothing short of a victory against Israel on Saturday night and much maligned Steve McClaren will be hoping that his team can produce the goods that will propel them one step closer to the European Championship.

Team News
England will stick to their tried and tested 4-4-2 formation with Aaron Lennon appearing on the left of midfield and Steven Gerrard being utilised on the right, where his club boss Rafa Benitez has tended to implement him this season. Owen Hargreaves returns to the pack after a lengthy absence due to a broken leg and will accompany Frank Lampard in the centre. Steve McClaren's problems come in the full back positions as first-choice picks Ashley Cole and Gary Neville are sidelined due to suspension and injury, so this means that Liverpool's Jamie Carragher and Everton's Phil Neville will slot in.

Israel have even more team selection problems as both first-choice strikers Colautti and Yaniv Katan are unavailable. Bolton's Idan Tal is also suspended which means that Israel will have to draft in some inexperience upfront in the shape of Ben Shushan and Tamuz.

England Over Jew a Win
McClaren has decided to add an injection of pace to England team having decided to use Johnson and Lennon in attack and, alongside Rooney, should cause the relatively poor Israeli defence undue problems. Israel have conceded six goals in their four qualifications games, albeit four were against Croatia, and they have shown signs that they are vulnerable to pacey players. Gerrard, Lampard and Hargreaves will try and dominate the midfield and will dictate England's flow of play. Gerrard is certainly the key man for England today. Israel will come out and may try to play an offside trap against England's strikers, which means that Gerrard could be the main outlet of play, with the Liverpool man looking to use his excellent through ball passing ability to open up the Israeli defence and send the quick footed Rooney and Johnson through on goal. Israel, meanwhile, will try and pack out the midfield to stifle any English creativity and attempt to use the counter-attack, with West Ham's Yossi Benayoun dictating the fast breakaways.

Fantasy Insider's Star Man - Steven Gerrard
England boss Steve McClaren looks like he will try to free up Steven Gerrard in order for the Liverpool man to use his passing range to deliver timely balls to Rooney and Johnson. Gerrard has had a relatively quiet domestic season, by his standards, but the midfielder is one true tactician that McClaren call upon to control the ebb and flow of the game.

The Other Side of the Fantasy Pond

So, we get a break from fantasy football for a few weeks thanks to England's participation in the Euro 2008 qualifiers. By the way things have gone so far under Steve (I only finished 7th in the Premiership) McClaren I may have preferred to have watched Malta's Eurovision qualifiers come the 90th minute on Saturday. But, while everyone in the UK moans and groans about the death of football/cricket/cricket coaches, wait let's just say sport in general, I have decided to look across the pond to the good ol' US of A to see how fantasy sports is coming along stateside.

Zodiac Stat Attack
Have you ever thought that fantasy sports could be attributed to a higher force? Well, they have in America. A radio station called Karma Air - Karma Ball recently launched a weekly radio show where it's resident spiritual, Reverend Halofan, will use zodiac charts and astrology to predict the injuries and form of baseball players selected in your fantasy team. Perhaps we could all give it a try; wait i'm picking something up yes, I feel it, Louis Saha will be injured for most of next year...

FHM Style Fantasy
Every smart business person knows that sex sells and some bright spark in America put the idea of sad, lonely, sex maniac fantasy players, like myself, together with semi-clad naked chicks - primo! Mensfantasysports.com has come with an FHM style site where the," ...objective is to deliver the best in fantasy sports insight, while at the same time providing the intimate feel of a private club". Sticky keyboards are never a good idea when picking a fantasy team is what I think. Imagine, you might be so distracting by boobs that you convince yourself that Man City's Georgios Samaras will finally score a goal. Tissue please, obviously to wipe away the tears of Samaras' lame efforts.

A Nation of Fantasy Gamblers
With legislation coming down hard on internet gambling in America, fantasy sports have found a loophole which allows them make revenue from, what is in every respect, gambling. Many different operators from Fanball.com to Rotohog.com are battling it out to get your fantasy buck with the offer of grand prizes of up to $100,000. Fantasy Sports in America has morphed into a monetarily driven skill gaming industry to fill the void left by the crippling anti-internet gambling laws. The UK fantasy market has not had the same scope to grow in the way that its American counterpart has because UK laws on gambling are still relatively relaxed. The UK fantasy scene should continue to grow but operators must look towards more dynamic ways of grabbing fantasy players attention. I think two separate forms of fantasy games should grow: a gambling orientated fantasy game, which doesn't hide its intentions, and the more recreational version. At the moment there are a few too many games on the market that merge the two elements together and it is diluting the effectiveness of fantasy sports products on its customers.

Well, that's enough of America for this week and now back to dreaming of England winning the World Cup at Wembley in 2018. The FA should have stopped paying Sven's wages by then...

Live Scores

EPL Preview - Week 31

Click here for all major live football scores!

Arsenal (away vs. Everton)
Starting XI: (4-4-2) Lehmann - Djourou, Toure, Hoyte, Gallas- Ljungberg, Fabregas, Rosicky, Gilberto Silva – Aliadiere, Baptista
Subs: Almunia, Denilson,Traore. Senderos, Flamini, Hleb, Diaby
Injured: Henry, Walcott, Van Persie.
Suspended: Adebayor (4 of 4), Eboue (3 of 3)

Team News: Arsenal only have the Champions League spot to play for after a couple of bad weeks. To add to that both Henry and Walcott are out for the remainder of the season. Henry has a groin problem, while Wenger has decided to let Walcott have his long awaited operation on his shoulder. Adebayor and Eboue are both still suspended but Toure is back in the side which means that Gilberto will resume in his normal midfield spot today.
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Aston Villa (home vs. Liverpool)
Starting XI: (4-4-2) Sorensen – Bouma, Mellberg, Cahill, Bardsley - Barry, McCann, Petrov – Agbonlahor - Carew, Young.
Subs: Taylor, Hughes, Ridgewell, Samuel, S. Davis, Angel, Berger, Gardner, Osbourne, Moore, Maloney.
Injured: Delaney, Laursen, Sutton.
Suspended: None

Team News: Laursen will miss out the Liverpool clash with a hamstring problem; therefore Cahill should step in for the Danish international. Agbonlahor should still be preferred on the right as Maloney has been suffering from a virus all week. Can Carew keep up his excellent fantasy form?
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Blackburn (home vs. West Ham)
Starting XI: (4-4-2) Friedel - Samba, Khizanashvili, Emerton, Warnock - Dunn, Bentley, Tugay, Pedersen – Derbyshire, McCarthy.
Subs: Enkelmann, Nonda, Gallagher, Jeffers, Peter, Berner, Henchoz, Nelson.
Injured: Savage, Ooijer, Reid, Todd,
Suspended: Mokoena (1 of 1)

Team News: Centre-back Nelson is a major doubt for Blackburn with a hamstring problem so Khizanashvili is poised to take over alongside the impressive Samba at the back. Mokoena is suspended after his sending off against Man City in the FA Cup so Dunn should get a rare start in the centre of midfield.

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Bolton (away vs Man Utd)
Starting XI: (4-3-3) Jaaskelainen - Faye, Ben Haim, Meite, Gardner– Campo, Nolan, Speed, Stelios - Diouf, Anelka
Subs: Walker, Tal, Fojut, Teymourian, Thompson, Davies, Pederson, Hunt.
Injured: Q. Fortune, O’Brien.
Suspended: None.

Team News: Davies has returned from a six-week absence after recovering from a chipped bone in his foot, but this game may come too soon for the striker. Meite seems to have overcome a toe problem and will start for Bolton on Saturday.
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Charlton (home vs Newcastle)
Starting XI: (4-5-1) Carson – Sankofa, El Kakouri, Hreidarsson, Young - Holland, Ambrose, Song, Thomas, Zheng-Zhi - M. Bent
Subs: Myhre, Randolph, Diawara, Fortune, Kishishev, Faye, Lisbie, D. Bent
Injured: Gibbs, Young, Reid, Bougherra, Hasselbaink, Thatcher
Suspended: None

Team News: Charlton manager Pardew ruled out Thatcher from the Newcastle game on Friday. The left-back was expected to return but he has still not recovered from his hamstring problem. Striker Darren Bent is also expected to be rested after Pardew hinted that the England international is not 100% to continue. This means that Chinese international Zheng-Zhi, who has been getting a lot of pitch time lately, could get a start, or perhaps a rare foray into attack for Lisbie.
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Chelsea (home vs. Sheffield Utd)
Starting XI: (4-1-3-2) Cech - Diarra, Carvalho, Terry, A. Cole – Makelele – Lampard, Robben, Ballack - Shevchenko, Drogba.
Subs: Cudicini, Ferreira, Wright-Phillips, Kalou, Sahar, Boulahrouz, Geremi
Injured: J. Cole, Bridge, Essien.
Suspended: Mikel (4 of 4)

Team News: Mourinho will be without Essien for the Sheffield clash after the Ghanian suffered a knee injury during the Tottenham FA Cup game. Ukrainian international Shevchenko has recovered from an injury and is in contention to reclaim his spot from Kalou, although the youngster is in a good vain of form having scored and won a crucial penalty in his last two games.
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Everton (home vs. Arsenal)
Starting XI: (4-4-2) Howard – Naysmith, Lescott, Yobo, P. Neville – Carsley, Arteta, Osman, Fernandes – Johnson, Beattie.
Subs: Wright, Hibbert, Stubbs, Anichebe, Pistone, De Silva, Vaughan.
Injured: McFadden, Cahill, Valente, Van der Meyde.
Suspended: None

Team News: Everton will be without Australian Cahill with the midfielder now sidelined until August with a broken metatarsal. Osman should come into the side to replace him.
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Fulham (away vs. Wigan)
Starting XI: (4-5-1) Niemi - Queudrue, Bocanegra, Christanval, Rosenior – Davies, Smertin, M. Brown, Diop, Radzinksi – McBride
Subs: Lastuvka, Knight, Pearce, Routledge, Dempsey,Helguson, John, Volz.
Injured: Bullard, Elliott.
Suspended: Montella (3 of 3)

Team News: To follow…
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Liverpool (away vs. Aston Villa)
Starting XI: (4-4-2) Reina – Finnan, Agger, Carragher, Arbeloa - Gerrard, Alonso, Riise, Sissoko – Kuyt, Bellamy
Subs: Dudek, Hyypia, Aurelio, Fowler, Zenden, Pennant, Mascherano, Gonzalez.
Injured: Kewell, Crouch, Garcia.
Suspended: None

Team News: To follow…
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Man City (away vs. Middlesbrough)
Starting XI: (4-5-1) Isaksson - Richards, Dunne, Distin, Ball – Ireland, Hamann, Barton, Sun Jihai, Vassell - Mpenza
Subs: Weaver, Jordan, Dabo, Beasley, Johnson, Miller, Abdoun, Samaras, Corradi, Dickov.
Injured: Onouha, Sinclair, D. Mills.
Suspended: None

Team News: To follow…
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Man Utd (home vs. Bolton)
Starting XI: (4-4-1-1) Kuszczak - R. Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, G. Neville - Giggs, Carrick, Park, O’Shea - Ronaldo - Rooney.
Subs: Heaton, W. Brown, Heinze, Richardson, Dong, Eagles, Smith.
Injured: Van der Sar, Silvestre, Fletcher, Solskjaer, Saha.
Suspended: Scholes (2 of 3)

Team News: To follow…
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Middlesbrough (home vs. Man City)
Starting XI: (4-4-2) Schwarzer – Parnaby, Taylor, Pogatetz, Woodgate – Downing, Arca, Boateng, Cattermole – Yakubu, Lee.
Subs: Jones, Davies, Christie, Johnson, J. Euell, Rochemback, Viduka.
Injured: Bates, Riggott, Parlour, McMahon, Huth,
Suspended: None

Team News: To follow…
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Newcastle (away vs. Charlton)
Starting XI: (4-4-1-1) Given –Taylor, Onyewu, Bramble, Solano – Duff, Parker, Emre, Milner – Dyer - Martins
Subs: Srnicek, Carroll, Huntington, Edgar, N’Zogbia, Pattison, O’Brien, Luque, Sibierski.
Injured: Owen, Krul, Moore, Ameobi, Harper, Carr, Bernard, Babayaro, Ramage.
Suspended: Butt (1 of 1)

Team News: To follow…
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Porstmouth (away vs. Reading)
Starting XI: (4-4-2) James – Johnson, Primus, Campbell, Traore, - Taylor, Kranjcar, O’Neill, Hughes – LuaLua Kanu
Subs: Ashdown, Stefanovic, Douala, Hughes, O’Brien, Mvuemba, Benjani, Todorov, A. Cole.
Injured: Mendes, Lauren, Pamarot.
Suspended: Davis (1 of 1)

Team News: To follow…
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Reading (home vs. Portsmouth)
Starting XI: (4-4-2) Hahnemann – Murty, Bikey, Ingmarrson, Shorey – Little, Harper, Sidwell, Hunt – Lita, Doyle.
Subs: Federici, Convey, De la Cruz, Gunnarsson, Duberry, Sodje, Oster, Halford, Long, Pearce, Kitson.
Injured: Mate, Halls, Sonko.
Suspended: None

Team News: To follow…
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Sheffield Utd (away vs. Chelsea)
Starting XI: (4-5-1) Kenny – Geary, Davis, Morgan, Armstrong – S. Quinn, Montgomery, Tonge, Kazim-Richards, Jagielka – Hulse.
Subs: Bennett, Bromby, Sommeil, Law, Kozluk, A. Quinn, Seck, Fathi, Morgan, Webber, Nade, Stead.
Injured: Li Tie, Kilgallon, Leigertwood, Shelton, Lucketti.
Suspended: None

Team News: To follow…
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Tottenham (home vs. Watford)
Starting XI: (4-4-2) Robinson – Chimbonda, Dawson, Rocha, Lee – Huddleston, Jenas Malbranque, Ghaly – Mido, Defoe.
Subs: Cerny, Alnwick, Keane, Taarbat, Lennon, Zokora, Stalteri.
Injured: King, Tainio, Murphy, Gardner, Assou-Ekotto.
Suspended: None

Team News: To follow…
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Watford (away vs. Tottenham)
Starting XI: (4-4-2) Foster –Marriapa, Shittu, DeMerit, Powell – Smith, Mahon, Francis, Bouazza – Kabba, Priskin.
Subs: Lee, McNamee, Doyley, Henderson, Williamson, Bangura, Hoskins, Rinaldi, Cavalli, Williams, Mackay.
Injured: King, Stewart
Suspended: None

Team News: To follow…
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West Ham (away vs.Blackburn)
Starting XI: (4-4-2) Green – McCartney, Davenport, A. Ferdinand, Neill – Quashie, Reo-Coker, Benayoun, Boa Morte – Tevez, Harewood
Subs: Carroll, Pantsil, Mullins, Bowyer, Kepa, Konchesky, Sheringham, Newton, Cole, Zamora.
Injured: Ashton, Gabbidon, Upson
Suspended: None

Team News: To follow…
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Wigan (home vs. Fulham)
Starting XI: (4-4-2) Filan – De Zeeuw, Jackson, Taylor, Boyce – Kilbane, Landzaat, Scharner, Valencia – Heskey, Folan.
Subs: Nash, Unsworth, Cotterill, Johansson, Granqvisst, Haestad, Camara, Cwyka, Aghahowa, Skoko.
Injured: Kirkland
Suspended: Hall (3 of 3), McCulloch (1 of 1), Baines (1 of 1)

Team News: To follow…

Note: Those denoted in red indicates doubts