Stoke City v West Bromwich Albion: Baggies hope to smash the Potters

Nobody likes playing Stoke City but that particularly applies to West Bromwich Albion as their record against the Potters is terrible. It’s been eight games since they last beat Tony Pulis’s side in league action and you have to go back to 1982 for the last time they won in Stoke. It’s hardly the ideal game for Roy Hodgson after seeing his side slip into the bottom three at the weekend but it is a great opportunity to get the fans on side.

Stoke are unbeaten at home during 2011 so far and victory tonight could see them climb back into the top half. The Baggies enter the game on the back of two draws and I think Hodgson would take that right now if it was offered to him. They have lost their past five away games without even hitting the back of the net while Stoke don’t concede too many sloppy goals in front of their own fans.

On paper it looks like a nailed on home win and the majority of the Panel is going along with that view.

Stoke City v West Bromwich Albion; Kick Off 8pm February 28 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	2	V	1
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	2	V	1
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	2	V	0
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	2	V	0
Blackpool	Phil Trow	2	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	2	V	0
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	2	V	3
Everton	Chris Goodwin	1	V	0
Fulham	Russell Goldman	1	V	0
Liverpool	Mark Williams	0	V	0
Man City	Callum Rothwell	0	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	2	V	1
Newcastle	Michael Stout	2	V	1
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	3	V	1
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	3	V	1
Tottenham	Dave Nash	1	V	0
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	0	V	1
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	TBA	V	TBA
Wigan	Alan Moore	2	V	0
Wolves	Chris Cox	1	V	0
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	2	V	1
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	1
Writer	Hugh Larkin	2	V	1
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	2	V	0
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	2	V	1
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	TBA	V	TBA
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	2	V	0

Panel Verdict

The Potters are tipped for the win.

Home: 21; Draw: 2; Away: 3.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

 

West Ham United v Liverpool: Hammers hope to leave the basement with win over King Kenny's men

The Hammers start the day at the foot of the table, thanks to Wolverhampton Wanderers’s emphatic win over Blackpool, but they could end the weekend out of the bottom three with a convincing win over Liverpool. Unfortunately history is not on their side.

Liverpool must love playing West Ham United. They have scored three past them in their past four meetings and haven’t lost to them since Mark Noble dispatched a late, late penalty to win 1-0 in January 2008. Kenny Dalglish has transformed the Reds’ fortunes in recent months and with the likes of Chelsea, Spurs and Manchester City dropping points, breaking into the top four remains a reality for the Anfield giants.

Upton Park will hold no fears for Liverpool but the Hammers know they only have 11 games left to save their Premier League status. Their 5-1 drubbing of Burnley in the FA Cup will have sent their confidence levels soaring and the Boleyn has been good to the Irons in recent months. Only Arsenal and Birmingham have left the East End with maximum points in 2011 and that run of form needs to continue if they are to beat the drop.

Liverpool start the game as hot favourites and the majority of the Panel agrees.

Liverpool v West Ham United; Kick Off 1.30pm February 27 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	1	V	3
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	1	V	0
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	0	V	2
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	1	V	1
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	1	V	2
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	0	V	2
Everton	Chris Goodwin	2	V	1
Fulham	Russell Goldman	0	V	2
Liverpool	Mark Williams	0	V	2
Man City	Callum Rothwell	1	V	3
Man Utd	Peter Lee	1	V	2
Newcastle	Michael Stout	0	V	1
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	0	V	2
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	1	V	2
Tottenham	Dave Nash	1	V	1
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	0	V	2
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	TBA	V	TBA
Wigan	Alan Moore	1	V	3
Wolves	Chris Cox	0	V	1
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	1	V	1
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	1
Writer	Hugh Larkin	1	V	2
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	1	V	2
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	1	V	4
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	TBA	V	TBA
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	2	V	2

Panel Verdict

Liverpool are favourites for the win.

Home: 3; Draw: 6; Away: 17.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

 

Manchester City v Fulham: Sparky aims to spoil the party

Manchester City defender Kolo Toure believes former boss Mark Hughes deserves huge credit for laying down the foundations at Eastlands if they go on to lift the title this season. But with Manchester United now 11 points clear of City, Roberto Mancini’s main aim must be to finish in the top four and avoid an embarrassment at home to Fulham this afternoon.

Sparky returns to Eastlands and I’m sure he will get a decent reception from the home fans. He enjoyed a decent time at the club and many were sorry to see him leave. However, Hughes is a proud man and will not have taken kindly to the way he was treated at the end by City and will be desperate to throw a spanner in their Champions League dreams.

City have kept clean sheets in each of their past three fixtures since going down 2-1 at Old Trafford and Fulham must do something that only one side (Wolves) has managed to do in the league in 2011 . . . score at Eastlands.

Fulham haven’t won away from the Cottage during 2011 but they have only lost at City once in the past seven seasons. Mark Hughes saw his FA Cup hopes dashed last weekend at home to Bolton and will want to see a positive response from his troops this afternoon. They are unbeaten in their past three league outings and will head up the M6 full of confidence.

City haven’t lost at home since Everton turned them over just before Christmas and the majority of the Panel can’t see that run ending this afternoon.

Manchester City v Fulham; Kick off 3pm February 27 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	1	V	1
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	1	V	1
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	2	V	1
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	2	V	0
Blackpool	Phil Trow	3	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	3	V	0
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	2	V	1
Everton	Chris Goodwin	0	V	0
Fulham	Russell Goldman	0	V	2
Liverpool	Mark Williams	1	V	0
Man City	Callum Rothwell	3	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	3	V	0
Newcastle	Michael Stout	0	V	0
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	4	V	0
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	2	V	0
Tottenham	Dave Nash	2	V	0
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	2	V	0
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	TBA	V	TBA
Wigan	Alan Moore	2	V	0
Wolves	Chris Cox	3	V	0
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	2	V	1
Writer	Colin Illingworth	3	V	1
Writer	Hugh Larkin	2	V	0
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	2	V	1
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	1	V	1
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	TBA	V	TBA
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	1	V	0

Panel Verdict

City are expected to stroll to victory over their former boss.

Home: 19; Draw: 6; Away: 1.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

 

Squarefootball’s Premier League quiz: Week 28

Welcome back to the toughest weekly football quiz on the planet. There's only eight fixtures in the Premier League this weekend because of the Carling Cup final so let's not waste any time. Let’s just get down to business!

Your challenge starts here.

 1. Aston Villa v Blackburn Rovers: Who was the last player to score a hat-trick between these two sides? Was it A – Kevin Gallacher, B – Chris Sutton or C – Alan Shearer?

2. Everton v Sunderland: The Black Cats haven’t won at Goodison Park since beating them 3-1 in 1996. Michael Bridges grabbed a brace in Sunderland’s win but who scored Everton’s only goal of the game? Was it A – Paul Rideout, B – Duncan Ferguson or C – Gary Speed?

3. Newcastle United v Bolton Wanderers: The Wanderers haven’t won at St James’ since beating them 2-1 back in 2006. Who grabbed a brace for the visitors that day? Was it A – Kevin Nolan, B – Kevin Davies or C – El Hadji Diouf?

4. Wigan Athletic v Manchester United: Wigan have managed to score just once past the leaders in their past seven games home and away. Who was that player? Was it A – Jimmy Bullard, B – Hugo Rodallega or C – Charles N’Zogbia?

5. Wolverhampton Wanderers v Blackpool: The Tangerines’ last win at Molineux was on September 19, 1964. Who was top of the UK singles chart that day? Was it A – The Kinks with You Really Got Me Going, B – Roy Orbison with Oh, Pretty Woman or C – The Supremes with Baby Love?

6. Liverpool v West Ham United: Who was the last player to score a hat-trick in this fixture? Was it A – Fernando Torres, B – Steven Gerrard or C – Ian Rush?

7. Manchester City v Fulham: The Cottagers beat City at Eastlands 3-1 in April 2009. Who scored City’s only goal of the game? Was it A – Robinho, B – Martin Petrov or C – Stephen Ireland?

8. Stoke City v West Bromwich Albion: The Baggies haven’t beaten Stoke City in the Potteries since September 8 1982 when they ran out 3-0 winners. But who was top of the pops in the UK that day? Was it A – Survivor with the Eye of the Tiger, B – Irene Cara with Fame or the Musical Youth with Pass the Dutchie?

 

To see how you got on please click here

0-2: You should try rugby

3-4: Carling Cup winner

5-6: FA Cup winner

7-8: Champions League winner

9-10: Premier League winner

 

Squarefootball’s Premier League Quiz: Week 28 – The Answers

So how did you get on?

 1. Aston Villa v Blackburn Rovers: Both Sutton and Gallacher both scored hat-tricks against Villa in the same season (1997/98) but Gallacher’s was the last player to grab the match ball in their 5-0 win at Ewood Park.

2. Everton v Sunderland: The answer is B, Duncan Ferguson.

3. Newcastle United v Bolton Wanderers: The answer is C, El Hadji Diouf.

4. Wigan Athletic v Manchester United: The answer is B, Rodallega. He scored in a 3-1 defeat at the DW Stadium in 2009.

5. Wolverhampton Wanderers v Blackpool: The answer is A, the Kinks with You Really Got Me Going.

6. Liverpool v West Ham United: The answer is A, Fernando Torres in 2008.

7. Manchester City v Fulham: The answer is C, Stephen Ireland.

8. Stoke City v West Bromwich Albion: The answer is A, Survivor with the Eye of the Tiger.

 

Scoring:

0-2: You should try rugby

3-4: Carling Cup winner

5-6: FA Cup winner

7-8: Champions League winner

9-10: Premier League winner

 

Newcastle United v Bolton Wanderers: Mags eye home win

Newcastle United fans were treated to arguably the greatest comeback English football has ever seen the last time they watched their heroes at St James' Park. At four-nil down, Alan Pardew was hoping for his players to show a bit of pride and passion. What we got though was one of the most exhilarating second halves in a long, long time. Arsenal left shellshocked and the former West Ham United boss was pleased to get a point from the game. However, he won't be so pleased with a point this afternoon.

Today's visitors gave Newcastle a real drubbing back in November, sending the Mags back to the north east with their tails between their legs after a 5-1 defeat. Pardew wasn't at the club that day but he will know that defeat will have hurt his players and will want revenge.

Only Fulham have beaten Newcastle in the league in 2011 and the Mags will be buoyed by their 2-0 win at Birmingham recently. However, Bolton are full of confidence themselves after recording back-to-back 1-0 away wins. Owen Coyle's men have their eyes set on Europe and Daniel Sturridge is bang on form in front of goal.

Both teams need the points for different reasons but the majority of the Panel believes this will end in a stalemate.

Newcastle United v Bolton Wanderers; Kick Off 3pm February 26 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	1	V	0
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	2	V	2
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	1	V	1
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	2	V	1
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	1	V	1
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	0	V	0
Everton	Chris Goodwin	1	V	0
Fulham	Russell Goldman	1	V	1
Liverpool	Mark Williams	1	V	1
Man City	Callum Rothwell	1	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	2	V	1
Newcastle	Michael Stout	1	V	1
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	1	V	1
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	3	V	1
Tottenham	Dave Nash	1	V	2
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	1	V	1
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	TBA	V	TBA
Wigan	Alan Moore	2	V	2
Wolves	Chris Cox	2	V	0
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	1	V	1
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	2
Writer	Hugh Larkin	2	V	2
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	2	V	2
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	3	V	1
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	TBA	V	TBA
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	2	V	2

 

Panel Verdict

A draw would be a fair result in our eyes.

Home: 7; Draw: 18; Away: 1.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

 

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Blackpool: Seasiders target Molineux success

Blackpool gave their survival hopes a massive boost in midweek with a surprise 3-1 win over AC Milan's conquerors Tottenham Hotspur but can they follow it up today with their first win at Molineux in decades? Thanks to Charlie Adam's suspension it looks highly unlikely.

The young Scot has been the main man for Blackpool since his arrival from Rangers and everything good about the Tangerines comes through him. If he was in Holloway's squad the outlook may look different but the smart money is definitely on a home win as Adams' influence will be sorely missed by the visitors.

Wolves almost moved out of the bottom three last weekend but for a late Carlos Vela goal at the Hawthorns. A comfortable win today would more than make up for that last-gasp heartache against their rivals as it could see Wolves jump out of the bottom three at the expense of the Baggies.

McCarthy's men have proved that they can beat the big boys but they have struggled against teams in and around them and the former Sunderland boss will be looking for them to put that right this afternoon. Unfortunately for him, only five of our pundits tip Wolves to be victorious.

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Blackpool; Kick Off 3pm February 26 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	0	V	0
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	2	V	2
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	1	V	1
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	1	V	1
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	2
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	2	V	2
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	0	V	1
Everton	Chris Goodwin	1	V	2
Fulham	Russell Goldman	0	V	1
Liverpool	Mark Williams	2	V	2
Man City	Callum Rothwell	1	V	0
Man Utd	Peter Lee	1	V	0
Newcastle	Michael Stout	2	V	3
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	2	V	1
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	2	V	2
Tottenham	Dave Nash	1	V	2
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	1	V	1
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	TBA	V	TBA
Wigan	Alan Moore	1	V	1
Wolves	Chris Cox	2	V	0
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	2	V	1
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	2
Writer	Hugh Larkin	1	V	1
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	2	V	2
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	0	V	2
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	TBA	V	TBA
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	1	V	2

 

Panel Verdict

The Panel is edging towards a draw.

Home: 5; Draw: 13; Away: 8.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

 

Wigan Athletic v Manchester United: Can the Latics give Arsenal a huge boost?

Wigan are in deep relegation trouble, so any kind of result against Manchester United will be a bonus.

Wigan will look at the example of Wolves - the bottom club but the only team to beat Manchester United this season - for inspiration.  But as Wolves tend to specialize in beating the top sides this might be a poor portent.  Wigan have struggled for a couple of years now but the potency of N'Zogbia and Rodallega has kept them afloat - their hopes lie on the break.

Manchester United will be looking to push back out to four points clear, with early goals to allow some rotation before the clash with Cheslea on Tuesday - a side thought that will inevitably eliminate any chance of early goals.  With the games coming so quickly now momentum is everything and United will have to shrug off the torpor of the last two toothless performances.

Wigan Athletic v Manchester United; Kick Off 3pm February 26 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	0	V	2
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	0	V	2
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	0	V	2
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	1	V	2
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	2
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	1	V	3
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	2	V	2
Everton	Chris Goodwin	1	V	2
Fulham	Russell Goldman	0	V	3
Liverpool	Mark Williams	1	V	1
Man City	Callum Rothwell	1	V	2
Man Utd	Peter Lee	0	V	3
Newcastle	Michael Stout	0	V	2
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	1	V	3
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	1	V	3
Tottenham	Dave Nash	0	V	2
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	0	V	2
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	TBA	V	TBA
Wigan	Alan Moore	0	V	4
Wolves	Chris Cox	0	V	4
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	0	V	2
Writer	Colin Illingworth	1	V	1
Writer	Hugh Larkin	0	V	2
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	0	V	1
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	0	V	2
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	TBA	V	TBA
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	0	V	3

Panel Verdict

The leaders are expected to wipe the floor with Wigan.

Home: 0; Draw: 4; Away: 22.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

 

Everton v Sunderland: Toffees target home win

Everton face Sunderland with both clubs looking to build up momentum.

Everton are still too close to the relegation zone, but with just two defeats since new years day Everton will be pushing into the top half of the table as soon as a few clean sheets turn those pesky draws into wins.  The striking problems are well documented - but as Everton have only achieved one shut out in the last four months (at home to Wigan) so the defence is pretty culpable too.

The loss of Darren Bent hasn't stopped the goals flowing for Sunderland - but the results have certainly suffered and after three consecutive defeats Steve Bruce's new contract was probably as big a statement of intent by the board as is possible.  Sunderland have scored in every game they've played in 2011 - but have lost four times out of eight.

Everton v Sunderland; Kick Off 3pm February 26 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	2	V	0
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	2	V	2
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	2	V	1
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	2	V	1
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	2	V	1
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	2	V	1
Everton	Chris Goodwin	1	V	1
Fulham	Russell Goldman	0	V	1
Liverpool	Mark Williams	2	V	1
Man City	Callum Rothwell	1	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	1	V	0
Newcastle	Michael Stout	2	V	2
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	2	V	1
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	1	V	1
Tottenham	Dave Nash	1	V	0
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	1	V	1
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	TBA	V	TBA
Wigan	Alan Moore	2	V	1
Wolves	Chris Cox	2	V	1
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	2	V	1
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	2
Writer	Hugh Larkin	1	V	1
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	3	V	2
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	1	V	0
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	TBA	V	TBA
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	3	V	1

Panel Verdict

Everton are tipped for all three points here.

Home: 15; Draw: 10; Away: 1.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

 

Aston Villa v Blackburn Rovers: Another away defeat for Rovers on cards

Aston Villa are still in relegation trouble as they take on a Blackburn side that has struggled in recent weeks.

Aston Villa are surely too good to go down, the squad has been strengthened since Martin O'Neill's departure and, in Darrent Bent, it boasts a striker with the best domestic goalscoring record of any Englishman in recent years - 131 league goals a couple of weeks after his 27th birthday.  But the fact is if results go badly this weekend Villa will slip into the bottom three on Monday night with only ten games of the season left.  Blackburn will need to be careful of Ashley Young who is in prime form and has won more penalties than any other top flight players this season.

Steve Kean started his tenure well, with Blackburn pushing up to seventh but a recent slide into the bottom half sees them just two points better off than Villa - and with 32 points the club is not out of relegation danger to date.  Three defeats and a draw in the last four games is not good form to travel to Villa with - especially as the home team dumped Blackburn out of the FA Cup 3-1 at the end of January.

Aston Villa v Blackburn Rovers; Kick Off 3pm February 26 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	2	V	1
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	2	V	1
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	2	V	0
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	2	V	0
Blackpool	Phil Trow	2	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	2	V	0
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	1	V	0
Everton	Chris Goodwin	2	V	1
Fulham	Russell Goldman	2	V	1
Liverpool	Mark Williams	2	V	0
Man City	Callum Rothwell	2	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	1	V	0
Newcastle	Michael Stout	2	V	1
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	3	V	1
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	2	V	1
Tottenham	Dave Nash	1	V	0
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	2	V	0
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	TBA	V	TBA
Wigan	Alan Moore	0	V	0
Wolves	Chris Cox	2	V	0
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	2	V	0
Writer	Colin Illingworth	3	V	2
Writer	Hugh Larkin	1	V	0
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	2	V	1
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	2	V	0
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	TBA	V	TBA
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	2	V	0

Panel Verdict

Villa are tipped to claim all three points.

Home: 24; Draw: 2; Away: 0.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

 

Arsenal v Stoke City: Can Stoke do what Barca couldn’t and beat the Gunners?

Seven days ago Arsenal beat arguably the best team in the world right now, Barcelona. Tonight they take on Stoke City looking to keep their pursuit of all four trophies on track, but Tony Pulis’s men may have other plans.

Many critics believe the Gunners’ first ever win over the Catalan giants is the moment Arsenal’s youngsters finally came of age – certainly Jack Wilshere and Koscielny came out of the game with their reputation enhanced – but they can’t dine out on that win forever. The fans want silverware and the Premier League title is within touching distance.

The Potters will be well up for this game, even though they have failed to beat Arsenal in north London for 30 years. They have won their past two away games in the FA Cup but you have to go back to Boxing Day for the last time they won on their travels in the league. They will have seen the likes of West Brom and Newcastle leave the Emirates with maximum points already this season and will fancy their chances of completing an unlikely hat-trick.

Arsenal start the game as red-hot favourites and it’s easy to see why. They have lost just once in the past 15 league and cup meetings and they will all be fighting for a starting place at Wembley against Birmingham on Sunday. Victory tonight against the Potters will see Arsenal climb to within a point of the leaders Manchester United.

A win for Stoke though would be a real hammer blow for the Gunners’ title hopes and could send the Potters up to the dizzy heights of eighth in the table, boosting their European aspirations in the process.

Unfortunately for the visitors, the majority of the Panel believes Arsenal will do to Stoke what they did to Barca . . . win.

Arsenal v Stoke City; Kick Off 7.45pm February 23 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	2	V	0
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	3	V	0
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	2	V	0
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	2	V	0
Blackpool	Phil Trow	2	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	3	V	0
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	3	V	1
Everton	Chris Goodwin	3	V	2
Fulham	Russell Goldman	1	V	1
Liverpool	Mark Williams	2	V	1
Man City	Callum Rothwell	2	V	0
Man Utd	Peter Lee	2	V	0
Newcastle	Michael Stout	2	V	1
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	2	V	2
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	2	V	1
Tottenham	Dave Nash	2	V	0
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	2	V	0
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	2	V	1
Wigan	Alan Moore	2	V	1
Wolves	Chris Cox	3	V	0
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	3	V	0
Writer	Colin Illingworth	3	V	1
Writer	Hugh Larkin	1	V	0
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	3	V	2
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	2	V	2
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	2	V	0
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	2	V	0

Panel Verdict

Arsenal are hot favourites for the win.

Home: 24; Draw: 4; Away: 0.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

 

Premier League Predictions Table: Bolton have United in their sights at the top

It’s been a good few days to be a Bolton fan. Firstly, Owen Coyle’s men beat Everton at home in the Premier League to pick up three priceless points, then they knocked Fulham out of the FA Cup to book a quarter-final date with Birmingham City. However, the good news doesn’t stop there for Bolton fan Dave Blackburn. Our Wanderers’ Premier League pundit was the top scorer over the past fortnight with an impressive 13 points and is now just six points off the summit.

Dave’s tally included correct scores at Manchester United, Blackpool and Sunderland along with correct results at Arsenal, Bolton, Fulham and West Bromwich Albion.

Closely behind Dave in the weekly chart is Liverpool’s Mark Williams. He dragged himself into the comfort of mid-table with a score of 12, thanks to three scores bang on – Arsenal, Birmingham and Fulham – and right results at Blackburn, Blackpool and Bolton. And just behind him were Squarefootball editor Antony Melvin and Newcastle United’s Michael Stout on 11 points. Both pundits have slipped down the table in recent weeks but their hopes of clinching the Premier League Prediction Panel title have been given a real boost.

However, the team to beat remains Manchester United’s Peter Lee. The leader scored nine points over the period but his lead has been cut to just five points by his nearest challenger and main rival Phil Trow of Blackpool. Former league leader Phil bagged 10 points to end a run of poor form to give his title hopes a lift.

West Ham United’s Nigel Telfer is another pundit with lots to be happy about. He’s just seen his side book their place in the quarter-final of the FA Cup and has climbed off the foot of the table again, this time at the expense of Chelsea. Nigel only managed four points but that was three more than his capital counterpart. The Hammer will now be hoping both he and his beloved Hammers can continue the climb away from the basement.

Special mentions this time must go to Stoke’s Phil Eccleston, who was the only pundit to correctly tip Bolton would beat Everton 2-0 at the Reebok, and Wigan’s Alan Moore, who predicted Newcastle United would beat Birmingham City at St Andrews 2-0.

Only six pundits, myself included, failed to predict a single correct result, which isn’t bad out of a total of 28 pundits.

Blackpool’s Phil Trow remains on top of the correct scores chart. He is still out in front on 33, two ahead of Manchester United’s Peter Lee on 31. We then have a four-way tie between Arsenal’s Don McMahon, Bolton’s Dave Blackburn, Blackburn’s Terry Kennedy and Newcastle’s Mick Stout, all on 28.

Bolton’s Dave Blackburn remains at the helm of the correct results chart with 99. He is sure to break through the 100 point barrier this weekend. But could anyone else join him? Manchester United’s Peter Lee and Sunderland’s Tony Ratton are both on 96 and Squarefootball’s Hugh Larkin is on 95.

Here are the scores from the past fortnight:

	Player	Correct scores	Correct results	Points
BOLTON	Dave Blackburn	3	4	13
LIVERPOOL	Mark Williams	3	3	12
NEWCASTLE	Michael Stout	3	2	11
SQF EDITOR	Antony Melvin	2	5	11
BLACKPOOL	Phil Trow	2	4	10
STOKE CITY	Philip Eccleston	2	4	10
SQF WRITER	Paul Grech	2	4	10
BIRMINGHAM	Steve Coulter	1	6	9
MAN UTD	Peter Lee	2	3	9
SPURS	Dave Nash	2	3	9
BLACKBURN	Terry Kennedy	2	2	8
EVERTON	Chris Goodwin	1	5	8
FULHAM	Russell Goldman	2	2	8
WIGAN	Alan Moore	1	5	8
SUNDERLAND	Tony Ratton	1	4	7
WEST BROM	Andy Wakeman	2	1	7
SQF ACE POMPEY	Peter Rendle	1	3	6
SQF ACE POMPEY	Dan Taylor	1	3	6
MAN CITY	Callum Rothwell	1	2	5
WEST HAM	Nigel Telfer	1	1	4
WOLVES	Chris Cox	1	1	4
SQF WRITER	Hugh Larkin	0	3	3
SQF WRITER	Colin Illingworth	0	3	3
SQF EXP BORO	Sue Gardener	0	3	3
ARSENAL	Don McMahon	0	2	2
ASTON VILLA	Lynette Ranson	0	1	1
CHELSEA	Joe Tyler	0	1	1
SQF EXP WHAM	Matthew Beeby	0	1	1

 

(The Panellists get three points for each correct score and one point for each correct result they predict)

 

Here is how the overall table currently stands.

	TEAM	Player	Crrct scores	Crrct results	Pts
↔	MAN UTD	Peter Lee	31	96	189
↔	BLACKPOOL	Phil Trow	33	84	184
↔	BOLTON	Dave Blackburn	28	99	183
↔	SUNDERLAND	Tony Ratton	27	96	177
↑	SQF EDITOR	Antony Melvin	27	92	173
↑	NEWCASTLE	Michael Stout	28	86	170
↓	MAN CITY	Callum Rothwell	26	91	169
↑	BLACKBURN	Terry Kennedy	28	84	168
↓	WEST BROM	Andy Wakeman	26	90	168
↓	WIGAN	Alan Moore	26	90	168
↑	STOKE CITY	Philip Eccleston	25	91	166
↓	SQF WRITER	Colin Illingworth	27	85	166
↓	ARSENAL	Don McMahon	28	78	162
↑	LIVERPOOL	Mark Williams	24	89	161
↓	FULHAM	Russell Goldman	26	79	157
↔	WOLVES	Chris Cox	26	78	156
↔	SQF WRITER	Hugh Larkin	20	95	155
↓	SQF ACE POMPEY	Dan Taylor	24	81	153
↑	EVERTON	Chris Goodwin	23	83	152
↓	SQF EXP WHAM	Matthew Beeby	20	91	151
↑	SQF WRITER	Paul Grech	26	71	149
↓	SQF ACE POMPEY	Peter Rendle	19	91	148
↑	BIRMINGHAM	Steve Coulter	18	88	142
↑	SPURS	Dave Nash	23	71	140
↓	ASTON VILLA	Lynette Ranson	15	93	138
↔	SQF EXP BORO	Sue Gardener	18	80	134
↑	WEST HAM	Nigel Telfer	19	76	133
↓	CHELSEA	Joe Tyler	19	74	131

 

Predictions and previews for all of this weekend’s games will be available to view on Squarefootball from noon GMT on Friday.

An updated league table should be published every Wednesday.

 

 

Blackpool v Tottenham Hotspur: Holloway targets AC Milan’s conquerors

Last week Tottenham were beating the giants of Italian football AC Milan in their own backyard in the Champions League. Tonight they take on Ian Holloway’s Blackpool in a match that could go some way to establishing themselves as a regular in Europe’s elite competition.

Tottenham are high on confidence just now and victory tonight will see them leapfrog Manchester City into third place. Not bad for a team that managed only one league win during January and were tipped to drop out of the top four! Last Tuesday’s remarkable performance at the San Siro has made everyone stand up and take Harry Redknapp’s men seriously. Their disciplined, calculated and assured display in Milan has changed many neutrals opinions of the boys from the Lane and they are now expected to go on and clinch a place in the top four at the expense of Chelsea or Manchester City.

Blackpool won’t be too bothered by Tottenham’s arrival. After all they are sure to play their usual game and attack straight from the off. That could fall into Tottenham’s hands though, but I can’t see Holloway changing the system that has served him so well and won him an army of followers.

Tottenham shouldn’t have any fears of the seaside. Their last defeat at Bloomfield Road was back in 1956! They may have lost four times on their travels in the Premier League this season but Blackpool have only managed three wins at home, so Spurs will start as favourites.

The Tangerines have slowly slipped down the table following a brilliant start to life in the top flight and they face an anxious end to the season to see if they can retain their top flight status. Victory tonight could see them climb up to 12^th but the majority of the Panel can only see this going one way, Tottenham’s.

Blackpool v Tottenham Hotspur; Kick Off 8pm February 22 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	0	V	1
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	0	V	2
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	0	V	2
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	1	V	2
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	1	V	2
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	1	V	0
Everton	Chris Goodwin	1	V	1
Fulham	Russell Goldman	2	V	2
Liverpool	Mark Williams	3	V	2
Man City	Callum Rothwell	0	V	2
Man Utd	Peter Lee	0	V	1
Newcastle	Michael Stout	2	V	2
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	2	V	3
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	1	V	4
Tottenham	Dave Nash	1	V	2
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	1	V	2
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	0	V	1
Wigan	Alan Moore	1	V	3
Wolves	Chris Cox	0	V	2
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	2	V	2
Writer	Colin Illingworth	1	V	3
Writer	Hugh Larkin	1	V	2
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	2	V	1
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	3	V	2
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	1	V	3
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	3	V	1

Panel Verdict

The visitors are tipped to build on their victory at the San Siro.

Home: 5; Draw: 6; Away: 17.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

 

West Bromwich Albion v Wolverhampton Wanderers: Black Country pride at stake

Forget the Glasgow derby, for the millions of people residing in the heart of the Midlands, this is the fiercest derby in world football. West Brom take on bitter rivals Wolves and Roy Hodgson will be keen to mark his first official game with a win.

The former Fulham and Liverpool boss will be itching to restore his credibility following a sorry time at Anfield. In my eyes it was the right man at the wrong time for Liverpool, but the Reds’ loss will hopefully be the Baggies’ gain. The Albion go into the lunchtime kick-off desperate to appease the fans following last weekend’s sensational second half collapse at home to West Ham United. Victory for the Baggies would see them climb up to 15^th and three points clear of the drop zone.

Wolves are currently bottom of the table but a 2-0 victory for them would not only see them leapfrog their hosts it would see the Baggies slip into danger in the process. Unfortunately for Mick McCarthy’s men, they haven’t won at the Hawthorns since 1996 and their recent away form doesn’t bode well. They have picked up just four points on the road this season but they will be really up for this one. After all, it was their shock victory at Anfield that cost Roy Hodgson his job on Merseyside.

Passions will be running high and the result will have a huge say on who will remain in the top flight next season. If you are to believe our pundits then West Brom will be the ones breathing easier and supporting the biggest grins come the final whistle.

West Bromwich Albion v Wolverhampton Wanderers; Kick Off 12pm February 20 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	0	V	1
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	1	V	2
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	1	V	1
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	1	V	0
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	0	V	0
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	2	V	0
Everton	Chris Goodwin	0	V	2
Fulham	Russell Goldman	0	V	0
Liverpool	Mark Williams	2	V	1
Man City	Callum Rothwell	1	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	2	V	1
Newcastle	Michael Stout	1	V	1
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	2	V	2
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	2	V	1
Tottenham	Dave Nash	1	V	0
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	2	V	1
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	2	V	1
Wigan	Alan Moore	0	V	0
Wolves	Chris Cox	0	V	2
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	1	V	1
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	1
Writer	Hugh Larkin	0	V	1
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	1	V	1
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	3	V	1
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	2	V	0
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	2	V	1

Panel Verdict

The Baggies just edge it.

Home: 12; Draw: 11; Away: 5.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

 

Birmingham City v Newcastle United: Blues aim to shoot down the Mags

Birmingham grabbed all three points at the death on Saturday and another win this evening will see the Blues leapfrog their visitors in the league. Not bad for a team that was in dire trouble only a few weeks ago. However, they should not take Newcastle lightly.

After their phenomenal comeback against Arsenal, Newcastle ended their barren run against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday by leaving Ewood Park with a point. Alan Pardew may not have been the fans’ choice to replace Chris Hughton but he is doing a fine job at St James’.

Newcastle may have lost their Premier League status in Birmingham in 2009 but they seem to love St Andrews. They haven’t lost in league action on the blue half of England’s second city for 33 years and Pardew will be keen to keep that run going.

The Blues have only lost at home twice this season, less than Arsenal, but Newcastle have won four times on their travels, more than the leaders Manchester United, so it should be an intriguing game. But who will be victorious come the final whistle? The Panel believes the honours will be even.

 

Birmingham City v Newcastle United; Kick Off 7.45pm February 15 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	2	V	0
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	2	V	0
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	3	V	1
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	2	V	1
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	1	V	0
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	2	V	1
Everton	Chris Goodwin	1	V	2
Fulham	Russell Goldman	1	V	1
Liverpool	Mark Williams	1	V	1
Man City	Callum Rothwell	0	V	0
Man Utd	Peter Lee	0	V	1
Newcastle	Michael Stout	1	V	0
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	1	V	1
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	2	V	2
Tottenham	Dave Nash	0	V	1
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	1	V	0
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	1	V	1
Wigan	Alan Moore	0	V	2
Wolves	Chris Cox	1	V	0
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	0	V	0
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	2
Writer	Hugh Larkin	1	V	1
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	2	V	2
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	2	V	1
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	2	V	2
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	1	V	1

Panel Verdict

The Mags will be lucky to leave St Andrews with a draw.

Home: 10; Draw: 14; Away: 4.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

 

Fulham v Chelsea: There will be no love-in at the Cottage

Surely there's no better way to spend Valentine's Day than watching the west London derby! It may be the season of love but there will be no kissing between these two teams as they both need points for their different causes.

Chelsea need to bounce back from their shock defeat at home against Liverpool last weekend and Fernando Torres will be eager to get his Chelsea career off with a goal. Meanwhile, Fulham and Mark Hughes hope to build on their recent turnaround that has seen them lose just twice in 2011. Victory tonight for the Cottagers will see them climb into the top half - not bad for a team that was languishing in the bottom three over Christmas.

All the pressure will be on Chelsea and Carlo Ancelotti though. It looked as though they had overcome their bad run before they splashed the cash on Torres and Luiz. The front three of Torres, Anelka and Drogba didn't click against Liverpool and it will be interesting to see if the Italian sticks with that formation.

Fulham have defeated Chelsea just once in the Premier League and the majority of the Panel sees that run extending tonight.

 

Fulham v Chelsea; Kick Off 8pm February 14 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	1	V	2
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	1	V	1
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	1	V	1
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	2	V	2
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	2
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	1	V	1
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	0	V	2
Everton	Chris Goodwin	1	V	3
Fulham	Russell Goldman	2	V	1
Liverpool	Mark Williams	0	V	0
Man City	Callum Rothwell	1	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	0	V	2
Newcastle	Michael Stout	0	V	2
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	1	V	3
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	1	V	1
Tottenham	Dave Nash	0	V	1
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	1	V	2
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	1	V	3
Wigan	Alan Moore	1	V	3
Wolves	Chris Cox	0	V	2
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	1	V	2
Writer	Colin Illingworth	1	V	3
Writer	Hugh Larkin	0	V	2
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	1	V	2
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	1	V	2
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	0	V	2
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	0	V	2

Panel Verdict

Chelsea are tipped to feel the love on Valentine’s Day.

Home: 1; Draw: 8; Away: 19.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

 

Sunderland v Tottenham Hotspur: Can Spurs end their barren run on Wearside?

January was a pretty poor month for Tottenham but they have got February off to a flying start with two wins under their belts. Can they make it a third at the Stadium of Light where they haven't won in almost a decade?

Spurs will be hoping to leave for Milan with a morale-boosting win and looking to follow in the footsteps of Blackpool and Chelsea who have recently won at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland go into the game on the back of two defeats and Steve Bruce will not want to see his players lose for a third time on the bounce. The majority of the Panel thinks this will end as a draw.

Sunderland v Wolverhampton Wanderers; Kick Off 5.30pm February 12 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	1	V	1
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	1	V	1
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	1	V	1
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	1	V	1
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	2
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	1	V	2
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	0	V	2
Everton	Chris Goodwin	1	V	2
Fulham	Russell Goldman	1	V	1
Liverpool	Mark Williams	1	V	1
Man City	Callum Rothwell	1	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	1	V	2
Newcastle	Michael Stout	2	V	1
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	1	V	2
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	1	V	1
Tottenham	Dave Nash	1	V	1
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	1	V	2
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	2	V	1
Wigan	Alan Moore	2	V	2
Wolves	Chris Cox	2	V	1
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	1	V	1
Writer	Colin Illingworth	3	V	1
Writer	Hugh Larkin	1	V	1
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	2	V	2
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	1	V	1
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	1	V	2
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	2	V	1

Panel Verdict

Sunderland may well thwart Tottenham's top four challenge.

Home: 5; Draw: 15; Away: 8.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

 

Bolton Wanderers v Everton: Points at a premium for both sides

Just three points separate the two sides going in to this afternoon's game and both Owen Coyle and David Moyes will be desperate to pick up maximum points.

After a disappointing run, Bolton have slipped down the league but Coyle still has designs on capping his first full season in charge at the Reebok with European football. A win today would put them right back in contention for that.

However, on the blue half of Merseyside, Moyes will equally be as keen to pick up a win to move his side further away from the relegation dog fight. But they haven't triumphed away from Goodison Park in the league since beating Manchester City before Christmas.

With young Daniel Sturridge finding goals easy to come by for Bolton, the Wanderers could well move six points clear of the Toffees.

 

Bolton Wanderers v Everton; Kick Off 4pm February 13 2011

Prediction Panel        

Arsenal	Don McMahon	2	V	2
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	0	V	2
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	0	V	1
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	1	V	1
Blackpool	Phil Trow	2	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	2	V	1
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	0	V	1
Everton	Chris Goodwin	2	V	2
Fulham	Russell Goldman	2	V	2
Liverpool	Mark Williams	1	V	0
Man City	Callum Rothwell	0	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	1	V	2
Newcastle	Michael Stout	1	V	2
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	2	V	0
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	1	V	2
Tottenham	Dave Nash	2	V	1
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	1	V	1
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	1	V	0
Wigan	Alan Moore	1	V	1
Wolves	Chris Cox	0	V	1
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	2	V	1
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	1
Writer	Hugh Larkin	0	V	0
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	1	V	0
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	3	V	2
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	1	V	0
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	0	V	0

Panel Verdict

It’s too close to call.

Home: 11; Draw: 9; Away: 8.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

 

Blackpool v Aston Villa: Houllier tipped to win big at the seaside

Ian Holloway is surely going to get some stick from the visiting fans after his comments about Villa recently. However, I'm sure the former QPR and Leicester City boss won't mind as long as his players can pick up a priceless win.

Blackpool head into the game on the back of a five-game losing run and the Tangerines must stop the rot to halt their slide down the table.

Aston Villa's recent revival has hit the skids in recent weeks with a defeat at Old Trafford and a draw against Fulham but Houllier's men will fancy their chances by the seaside and so do the Panel.

 

Blackpool v Aston Villa; Kick Off 3pm February 12 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	0	V	2
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	1	V	3
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	0	V	2
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	1	V	1
Blackpool	Phil Trow	2	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	1	V	1
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	0	V	2
Everton	Chris Goodwin	1	V	0
Fulham	Russell Goldman	2	V	0
Liverpool	Mark Williams	2	V	2
Man City	Callum Rothwell	1	V	2
Man Utd	Peter Lee	1	V	2
Newcastle	Michael Stout	3	V	2
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	1	V	2
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	1	V	3
Tottenham	Dave Nash	2	V	3
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	1	V	2
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	1	V	0
Wigan	Alan Moore	2	V	3
Wolves	Chris Cox	0	V	1
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	1	V	1
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	1
Writer	Hugh Larkin	2	V	1
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	1	V	1
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	1	V	2
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	1	V	1
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	0	V	1

 

Panel Verdict

Villa are tipped to leave Blackpool with maximum points.

Home: 7; Draw: 7; Away: 14.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

 

Birmingham City v Stoke City: Which City will come out on top?

Birmingham haven't lost at home to Stoke City for 22 years. Will that run end this afternoon? Probably not. Alex McLeish's men are unbeaten in four and the players are fighting to feature in the Carling Cup Final against Arsenal. But I wouldn't rule out Stoke nicking a win either. They have beaten Blackburn, Cardiff and Stoke on their travels since Boxing Day and they will always give you a hard-fought game.

The Blues need the points to move further away from danger at the foot of the table while Tony Pulis would love the points to keep their European aspirations alive. Unfortunately, the majority of the Panel can't see Stoke winning at St Andrews. 

 

Birmingham City v Stoke City; Kick Off 3pm February 12 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	2	V	0
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	0	V	0
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	2	V	1
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	1	V	0
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	0	V	0
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	1	V	1
Everton	Chris Goodwin	1	V	2
Fulham	Russell Goldman	1	V	0
Liverpool	Mark Williams	1	V	1
Man City	Callum Rothwell	1	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	1	V	1
Newcastle	Michael Stout	0	V	1
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	1	V	2
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	2	V	0
Tottenham	Dave Nash	1	V	1
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	1	V	1
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	1	V	1
Wigan	Alan Moore	0	V	0
Wolves	Chris Cox	0	V	1
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	2	V	1
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	0
Writer	Hugh Larkin	1	V	1
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	2	V	1
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	3	V	2
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	1	V	1
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	1	V	2

Panel Verdict

The Panel doesn’t expect the visitors to leave with anything more than a point.

Home: 9; Draw: 14; Away: 5.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

 

West Bromwich Albion v West Ham United: Hammers hope to leapfrog the Albion

On Sunday West Brom sacked Roberto Di Matteo. Yesterday they unveiled former Liverpool and Fulham boss Roy Hodgson as manager. You can say what you want about Jeremy Peace but you can't call him a slacker!

Di Matteo's dismissal came as a bit of a shock to the football community. Sure, his side were edging ever closer to the drop zone but the Italian has been immense during his time at the Hawthorns. Only time will tell if Mr Peace was right to axe Di Matteo or not and replace him with Hodgson.

For now the Baggies have a crunch relegation clash against West Ham United to contend with. The Albion have won only one of their past six meetings with the Hammers and have only recorded one win in the league since costing Chris Hughton his job at Newcastle more than two months ago! Hodgson won't be in the dugout at the Hawthorns today but his presence should inspire the players to perform.

West Ham United lost a six-pointer against Birmingham last weekend and Avram Grant's men can ill-afford another slip-up against a fellow relegation-threatened side in their battle to beat the drop. The owners will have been thrilled to have beaten Tottenham in the fight to win the Olympic Stadium, but what will be the point of having a world class stadium if they were playing in the Championship?

A win for the visitors would see them leapfrog the Albion and possibly send the home side into the bottom three. The Panel believes that is a distinct possibility as well, despite Robbie Keane's absence through injury.

West Bromwich Albion v West Ham United; Kick off 3pm February 12 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	2	V	1
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	2	V	1
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	1	V	1
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	1	V	0
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	2	V	0
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	0	V	1
Everton	Chris Goodwin	0	V	0
Fulham	Russell Goldman	0	V	1
Liverpool	Mark Williams	0	V	1
Man City	Callum Rothwell	0	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	1	V	1
Newcastle	Michael Stout	1	V	1
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	2	V	2
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	1	V	1
Tottenham	Dave Nash	1	V	1
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	2	V	1
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	1	V	2
Wigan	Alan Moore	0	V	0
Wolves	Chris Cox	0	V	1
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	1	V	1
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	3
Writer	Hugh Larkin	2	V	2
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	2	V	3
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	2	V	1
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	0	V	1
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	1	V	3

Panel Verdict

The Hammers are strongly fancied to get something from the Hawthorns.

Home: 6; Draw: 12; Away: 10.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

 

Blackburn Rovers v Newcastle United: Pardew and Kean lock horns for precious three points

Blackburn have won their past six meetings with Newcastle in the Premier League. Today they go in search of the magnificent seven but the Toon Army will still be buzzing from their incredible comeback against the Arsenal last weekend. Alan Pardew's men will really fancy their chances of ending their barren run this afternoon against the boys from Ewood Park.

The visitors stunned the football world earlier in the season when they beat Arsenal at the Emirates, but since that victory they have only managed one win on the road - v Wigan. Blackburn are usually strong at home but they have lost two of their past four games at Ewood Park and go into today's game on the back of three league defeats on the bounce.

Both sides start the day on 31 points but Blackburn will be the team more in need of a result. Steve Kean has done a fine job but he must end his side's run of defeats. Newcastle haven't won in the league for more than a month, but given their terrible record against the Rovers I'm sure they'd more than accept a point right now. 

Blackburn Rovers v Newcastle United; Kick Off 3pm February 12 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	1	V	2
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	1	V	0
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	1	V	1
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	2	V	1
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	2	V	0
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	0	V	1
Everton	Chris Goodwin	1	V	1
Fulham	Russell Goldman	0	V	0
Liverpool	Mark Williams	1	V	1
Man City	Callum Rothwell	1	V	0
Man Utd	Peter Lee	2	V	1
Newcastle	Michael Stout	2	V	2
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	2	V	2
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	1	V	2
Tottenham	Dave Nash	0	V	0
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	1	V	0
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	2	V	1
Wigan	Alan Moore	2	V	2
Wolves	Chris Cox	0	V	0
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	1	V	1
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	1
Writer	Hugh Larkin	1	V	1
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	1	V	2
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	2	V	4
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	1	V	1
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	1	V	3

Panel Verdict

The Panel is split.

Home: 8; Draw: 14; Away: 6.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

 

Liverpool v Wigan Athletic: The King's winning spell set to continue

King Kenny inspired his Liverpool players to a shock win at Stamford Bridge last weekend and ruined Fernando Torres' debut for his new side in the process. That win was the Anfield giants fourth in a row. Today they aim to make it a high five and nobody can see Wigan halting the Dalglish juggernuant.

Wigan have only beaten the Reds once in their history and haven't won on their travels since beaten Wolves at Molineux on Boxing Day. However, they will have been boosted by their 4-3 win over Blackburn last weekend and Roberto Martinez will be hoping that will have given his players the courage to take the game to Liverpool.

Kenny Dalglish can seemingly do no wrong at Anfield and the players are visibly playing for him. Liverpool fans feel confident under his guidance and the club is certainly heading in the right direction under the wiley Scot.

European football appeared to be a pipe dream for Liverpool fans under Roy Hodgson. Now instead of just trying to make the Europa League, the fans believe they can regain their place among the top four. They are only six points off Chelsea and with the Blues playing on Monday, Liverpool have a great chance of putting the champions under real pressure.

With the attacking talent of Rodallega, N'Zogbia and McCarthy in their squad, Wigan shouldn't be lightly, but the majority of the Panel see this as a home banker.

Liverpool v Wigan Athletic; Kick Off 3pm February 12 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	3	V	1
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	4	V	1
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	4	V	0
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	2	V	0
Blackpool	Phil Trow	2	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	3	V	0
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	1	V	2
Everton	Chris Goodwin	2	V	0
Fulham	Russell Goldman	2	V	0
Liverpool	Mark Williams	3	V	0
Man City	Callum Rothwell	2	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	2	V	0
Newcastle	Michael Stout	2	V	0
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	3	V	0
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	4	V	1
Tottenham	Dave Nash	2	V	0
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	2	V	0
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	2	V	0
Wigan	Alan Moore	2	V	0
Wolves	Chris Cox	4	V	0
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	3	V	0
Writer	Colin Illingworth	3	V	1
Writer	Hugh Larkin	2	V	0
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	1	V	0
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	2	V	0
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	3	V	0
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	3	V	0

Panel Verdict

Home banker.

Home: 26; Draw: 2; Away: 0.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

 

Squarefootball’s Premier League quiz: Week 27

Welcome back to the toughest weekly football quiz on the planet. No time for pleasantries again. Let’s just get down to business!

Your challenge starts here.

 1. Manchester United v Manchester City: Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez are both class players who give everything when they step over the white line, but which of them has scored the most goals in Manchester derbies? (We are including league and cup matches here)

2. Arsenal v Wolverhampton Wanderers: The visitors haven’t scored at Arsenal in the league since going down 4-1 in 1984, but they did manage a goal in the Carling Cup tie in 2003 when they lost 5-1. But can you tell me who scored that goal? Was it A – Kenny Miller, B – Alex Rae or C – Paul Ince?

3. Birmingham City v Stoke City: Who was the last player to score a hat-trick in this fixture? Was it A – Peter Ndlovu, B – Graham Kavanagh or C – Paul Furlong?

4. Blackburn Rovers v Newcastle United: Blackburn have won the past six fixtures again Newcastle United. The visitors’ last win at Ewood Park came in December 2006 3-1. But can you tell me who was red carded for Blackburn that day? Was it A – Stephane Henchoz, B – Lucas Neill or C – Andre Oiijer?

5. Blackpool v Aston Villa: Who started last week’s league games with the most Englishmen in their starting line-ups, Blackpool or Aston Villa?

6. Liverpool v Wigan Athletic: The Latics have only beaten Liverpool once in their history, but which Reds striker has scored the most Premier League goals against them? Is it A – Fernando Torres, B – Peter Crouch or C – Dirk Kuyt?

7. West Bromwich Albion v West Ham United: The Baggies haven’t beaten the Hammers at the Hawthorns since May 4, 1985. They sent John Lyall’s team home with their tails between their legs after a 5-1 thrashing. But who was top of the UK singles chart that day? Was it A, Nena with 99 Red Balloons, B – Lionel Richie and Hello or C – Duran Duran and The Reflex?

8. Sunderland v Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs haven’t won on Wearside for almost a decade. Their last success came in September 2001 in a 2-1 win, but who scored? Was it A – Christian Ziege and Teddy Sheringham, B – Christian Ziege and Les Ferdinand or C – Les Ferdinand and Teddy Sheringham?

9. Bolton Wanderers v Everton: Everton Louis Saha has scored eight times for the Toffees in 2011. How many times has he scored against Bolton in his career? Is it A – Two, B – Four or C – Six?

10. Fulham v Chelsea: The Cottagers haven’t beaten Chelsea in the top flight since Luis Boa Morte scored the only goal of the game in March 2006. Chelsea had a player sent off that day, can you tell me who it was? Was it A – John Terry, B – Robert Huth or C – William Gallas?

   

To see how you got on please click here

 0-2: You should try rugby

3-4: Carling Cup winner

5-6: FA Cup winner

7-8: Champions League winner

9-10: Premier League winner

 

Squarefootball’s Premier League Quiz: Week 27 – The Answers

So how did you get on?

 1. Manchester United v Manchester City: Carlos Tevez has scored four goals in Manchester derbies – three for City one for United – but Rooney has netted five times in the big game.

2. Arsenal v Wolverhampton Wanderers: The answer was B, Alex Rae.

3. Birmingham City v Stoke City: The answer is C, Paul Furlong in a 7-0 win at Stoke in 1998.

4. Blackburn Rovers v Newcastle United: The answer is A, Stephane Henchoz.

5. Blackpool v Aston Villa: Ian Holloway sent out five English players to face Everton last week – Alex Baptiste, Ian Evatt, Jason Puncheon, James Beattie and DJ Campbell – but Gerard Houllier started with six – Kyle Walker, Ciaran Clark, Stewart Downing, Ashley Young, Darren Bent and Gabriel Agbonlahor.

6. Liverpool v Wigan Athletic: The answer is C, Dirk Kuyt. The Dutchman has scored five times against the Latics compared to three time for Torres and twice for Crouch.

7. West Bromwich v West Ham United: The answer is B, Lionel Richie with Hello. Duran Duran replaced him at the top the following day.

8. Sunderland v Tottenham Hotspur: The answer is A, Christian Ziege and Teddy Sheringham.

9. Bolton Wanderers v Everton: The answer is B, Four. Twice for Manchester United, once for Fulham and once for Everton last season at the Reebok.

10. Fulham v Chelsea: The answer is C, William Gallas. He was sent packing in the final minutes.

 

Scoring:

0-2: You should try rugby

3-4: Carling Cup winner

5-6: FA Cup winner

7-8: Champions League winner

9-10: Premier League winner

 

Arsenal v Wolverhampton Wanderers: Gunners aim to forget St James' Park shocker

Arsenal fans are still feeling numb after watching their side lose a four-goal lead at St James' Park last weekend. After 30 minutes the points were already making their way south but then Diaby received a straight red card and the rest, as they say, is history. That's certainly what Arsene Wenger will have been telling his players this week. 

The Gunners host Wolverhampton Wanderers this weekend and Mick McCarthy's men will be full of beans after ending Manchester United's proud unbeaten record. The Molineux side are fighting for thier lives at the bottom and always seem to raise their game against the big boys. They've already beaten Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United this season. Can they complete the list by adding Arsenal's scalp to the list? The stats say no. Wolves' last win at Arsenal came in 1979 but they gave the Gunners a real scare last season.

Nicklas Bendtner was Arsenal's saviour that day with a last-gasp winner against the 10-men of Wolves after Karl Henry had been sent off. The visitors made life hard for the hosts 10 months ago and, with Arsenal preparing for the visit of Barcelona in midweek, you can be guaranteed that Wolves will go their with the same game plan and aim to hit them on the break.

Both sides are desperate for the points but for different reasons. Arsenal, unsurprisingly, start the game as favourites but that will suit McCarthy down to the ground. The Gunners need to bounce back from their St James' Park hell to show their title winning credentials while a win for Wolves could see them leave the relegation zone. Unfortunately for the visitors, the majority of the Panel see the points remaining in north London.

Arsenal v Wolverhampton Wanderers; Kick Off 3pm February 12 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	3	V	1
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	1	V	2
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	3	V	1
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	3	V	1
Blackpool	Phil Trow	2	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	3	V	0
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	1	V	1
Everton	Chris Goodwin	4	V	0
Fulham	Russell Goldman	1	V	0
Liverpool	Mark Williams	2	V	0
Man City	Callum Rothwell	2	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	3	V	0
Newcastle	Michael Stout	2	V	0
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	3	V	0
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	3	V	1
Tottenham	Dave Nash	2	V	0
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	3	V	0
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	2	V	0
Wigan	Alan Moore	3	V	1
Wolves	Chris Cox	2	V	1
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	2	V	1
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	1
Writer	Hugh Larkin	3	V	1
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	1	V	1
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	3	V	1
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	3	V	0
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	4	V	1

Panel Verdict

Arsenal are tipped to get back to winning ways.

Home: 24; Draw: 3; Away: 1.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

Manchester United v Manchester City: Can Mancini lead City to derby success?

Last weekend was a good one for City fans - Mancini's men beat West Brom at home 3-0 while Manchester United lost their proud unbeaten record at Wolverhampton Wanderers - but everyone knows that victory this weekend over their city rivals would eclipse that by miles.

The Citizens make the short trip to Old Trafford desperate to consign United to back-to-back defeats and boost their own title chances in the process. Mancini's men are only five points behind the leaders, although they have played a game more, and victory here would give them a huge confidence boost going into the final quarter of the season.

United were never going to go all season without losing a game. They haven't played well away from home all season and it was only a matter of time before their luck ran out. However, at home, they have been superb. Only West Bromwich Albion have managed to leave the Theatre of Dreams with a point and Fergie will be keen to see his side return to winning ways as soon as possible.

It's almost three years to the day that City last won at Old Trafford, thanks to goals by Darius Vassell and Benjani, but they haven't won away from Eastlands since beating Newcastle United on Boxing Day.

Michael Owen broke City hearts in a seven-goal classic last season. The Panellists believe there will be goals at Old Trafford but the majority are going for a draw. 

Manchester United v Manchester City; Kick Off 12.45pm February 12 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	2	V	2
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	1	V	1
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	2	V	0
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	2	V	2
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	2	V	1
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	1	V	1
Everton	Chris Goodwin	2	V	0
Fulham	Russell Goldman	1	V	2
Liverpool	Mark Williams	2	V	2
Man City	Callum Rothwell	2	V	2
Man Utd	Peter Lee	2	V	1
Newcastle	Michael Stout	2	V	1
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	2	V	2
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	2	V	1
Tottenham	Dave Nash	2	V	0
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	2	V	1
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	2	V	2
Wigan	Alan Moore	2	V	0
Wolves	Chris Cox	1	V	2
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	2	V	2
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	3
Writer	Hugh Larkin	2	V	2
Writer	Paul Grech	0	V	0
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	2	V	2
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	3	V	3
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	2	V	2
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	2	V	2

Panel Verdict

The Panel is favouring a draw.

Home: 9; Draw: 16; Away: 3.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

 

Premier League Predictions Table: United extend their lead over the Tangerines

Before we get under way I must ask; have you recovered yet? What an absolute belter of a weekend that was in the Premier League. It had everything, goals, comebacks, red cards, shocks and unrivalled excitement. No wonder the Premier League is hailed as the most exciting league in the world . . . nobody knows what is going to happen!

The fact that the league is so competitive and unpredictable makes trying to predict the results that much harder. The highest scoring pundit this weekend was, well how can I say this without sounding smug, me. I picked up an impressive nine points through two correct scores – Tottenham 2-1 and Wolves 2-1 – along with three correct results in Stoke beating Sunderland, Manchester City thrashing West Bromwich Albion and Wigan seeing off Blackburn. I wonder how young Matthew Beeby is feeling after mocking my Wolves prediction?!

It was also a good weekend for two of the Midland sides. Wolves fan Chris Cox had two things to celebrate. Not only did he watch his side beat the leaders at Molineux, the current Predictions League champion also recorded a decent score of seven. His points tally included correct results at Stoke, Everton, Tottenham and Wigan and a bang on score of 3-0 at the City of Manchester Stadium.

Chris was joined on seven points by Aston Villa’s Lynette Ranson. She achieved her score by correctly predicting Gerard Houllier’s side would draw at home against Fulham 2-2 and that Stoke, Spurs and Liverpool would win their respective games.

There was no change at the top of the table with Manchester United fan Peter Lee extended his lead by a point. He racked up five points compared to his nearest challenger’s haul of four. Blackpool’s Phil Trow now stands six points off the summit.

In fact there was no change in the top five at all with Bolton’s Dave Blackburn, Sunderland’s Tony Ratton and Manchester City’s Callum Rothwell remaining third, fourth and fifth respectively.

It was a different story at the bottom though as West Ham United, who sunk to a 1-0 defeat at home to Birmingham at the weekend, slumped back to the foot of the table. Nigel Telfer could only manage one point – Manchester City’s win over West Brom – and is following in Avram Grant’s footsteps.

Chelsea’s Joe Tyler jumped off the bottom with his haul of four points. He is now one point off the bottom and one point off fourth from bottom. The pressure is really mounting on Middlesbrough’s Sue Gardener and Tottenham’s Dave Nash though with both of them just two points off the basement.

Special mentions this week must go to Squarefootball’s Hugh Larkin who was the only pundit to correctly predict Birmingham would beat West Ham 1-0 at Upton Park, West Brom’s Andy Wakeman for getting six out of 10 results correct and myself for being the only panellist to tip Wolves to end United’s unbeaten record.

Blackpool’s Phil Trow may be losing his grip on the top spot in the Predictions League but he remains the man to beat when it comes to predicting correct scores. He is still out in front on 31, two ahead of Manchester United’s Peter Lee on 29 and three clear of Arsenal’s Don McMahon.

Bolton’s Dave Blackburn remains at the helm of the correct results chart with 95. He is closely followed by Manchester United’s Peter Lee and Aston Villa’s Lynette Ranson on 93 with Squarefootball’s Hugh Larkin on 92.

Here are the scores from the final week of fixtures of 2010:

	Player	Correct scores	Correct results	Points
SQF WRITER	Colin Illingworth	2	3	9
WOLVES	Chris Cox	1	4	7
ASTON VILLA	Lynette Ranson	1	4	7
ARSENAL	Don McMahon	1	3	6
FULHAM	Russell Goldman	1	3	6
LIVERPOOL	Mark Williams	1	3	6
STOKE CITY	Philip Eccleston	1	3	6
WEST BROM	Andy Wakeman	0	6	6
SQF EDITOR	Antony Melvin	1	3	6
SQF WRITER	Hugh Larkin	1	3	6
BLACKBURN	Terry Kennedy	1	2	5
BOLTON	Dave Blackburn	1	2	5
MAN CITY	Callum Rothwell	1	2	5
MAN UTD	Peter Lee	1	2	5
SUNDERLAND	Tony Ratton	1	2	5
BLACKPOOL	Phil Trow	1	1	4
CHELSEA	Joe Tyler	0	4	4
SQF ACE POMPEY	Peter Rendle	0	4	4
SQF ACE POMPEY	Dan Taylor	0	4	4
BIRMINGHAM	Steve Coulter	0	3	3
WIGAN	Alan Moore	0	3	3
SQF EXP WHAM	Matthew Beeby	0	3	3
EVERTON	Chris Goodwin	0	2	2
NEWCASTLE	Michael Stout	0	2	2
SPURS	Dave Nash	0	2	2
SQF EXP BORO	Sue Gardener	0	2	2
SQF WRITER	Paul Grech	0	2	2
WEST HAM	Nigel Telfer	0	1	1

 

(The Panellists get three points for each correct score and one point for each correct result they predict)

 

Here is how the overall table currently stands.

	TEAM	Player	Crrct scores	Crrct results	Pts
↔	MAN UTD	Peter Lee	29	93	180
↔	BLACKPOOL	Phil Trow	31	80	174
↔	BOLTON	Dave Blackburn	25	95	169
↔	SUNDERLAND	Tony Ratton	26	91	169
↔	MAN CITY	Callum Rothwell	25	89	164
↑	SQF WRITER	Colin Illingworth	27	82	163
↓	WIGAN	Alan Moore	25	85	162
↓	SQF EDITOR	Antony Melvin	25	87	162
↔	WEST BROM	Andy Wakeman	24	89	161
↔	ARSENAL	Don McMahon	28	76	160
↓	BLACKBURN	Terry Kennedy	26	82	160
↓	NEWCASTLE	Michael Stout	25	84	159
↔	STOKE CITY	Philip Eccleston	23	87	156
↑	WOLVES	Chris Cox	25	77	152
↔	SQF WRITER	Hugh Larkin	20	92	152
↔	SQF EXP WHAM	Matthew Beeby	20	91	151
↑	FULHAM	Russell Goldman	24	77	149
↓	LIVERPOOL	Mark Williams	21	86	149
↓	SQF ACE POMPEY	Dan Taylor	23	78	147
↓	EVERTON	Chris Goodwin	22	79	145
↔	SQF ACE POMPEY	Peter Rendle	18	88	142
↔	SQF WRITER	Paul Grech	24	67	139
↔	ASTON VILLA	Lynette Ranson	15	93	138
↔	BIRMINGHAM	Steve Coulter	17	82	133
↔	SPURS	Dave Nash	21	68	131
↑	SQF EXP BORO	Sue Gardener	18	77	131
↑	CHELSEA	Joe Tyler	19	73	130
↓	WEST HAM	Nigel Telfer	18	75	129

 

Predictions and previews for all of this weekend’s games will be available to view on Squarefootball from noon GMT on Friday.

An updated league table will be published every Wednesday.

 

 

 

Torres Deal Takes The Eye Off The Prize

With the hyperbole surrounding the British record-breaking transfer of Fernando Torres from Liverpool to Chelsea, it is easy to forget that a week before the crazy events of transfer deadline day, Chelsea were offering the relatively small sum of £3 million to capture Steven Pienaar's services.

After losing out on Pienaar's signature to Spurs for less money, coupled with Sunday's impotent display against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, the question should be asked why Chelsea didn't try harder to secure the creative midfielder's services. Or did Pienaar read the current situation and realise that Spurs were in better shape than the current blues squad?

Liverpool numbed the Chelsea attack on Sunday, Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Fernando Torres were completely ineffective. Taking the multi-million pound forward line out of the equation, Chelsea's midfield also struggled to break down Liverpool's defensive and midfield lines. Frank Lampard, who is still trying to find his form after a long lay-off, looked the most likely to thread passes through Carragher et al, however the forwards never quite got away from their markers.

Michael Essein, after a bright start to the season , has become subdued and his bursts forward have lost the verve and raw power of a few seasons ago. John Obi Mikel has not progressed as was once expected as a teenager. His limited qualities defensively and a lack of attacking spirit mean that he brings very little imagintion to the midfield. Florent Malouda has also burnt himself out after such an impressive start to the season. France's World Cup campaign can't be blamed for his drop off in form, he was probably in South Africa less than most other Premier League players.

With Ramires still finding his feet in English football, Josh Mceachran at the beginning of his football apprenticeship, Yuri Zhirkov and Yossi Benayoun injured at various times this season, Chelsea's midfield lacks variety. The loss of Michael Ballack and Deco may have had more of an impact than first expected. 

The other question that will be asked about the Torres deal is were Chelsea so desperate to land that marquee signing, they totally missed out on what was required to challenge for the title. In the lead up to the closure of the transfer window, Chelsea had begun to find the sort of form they displayed at the beginning of the season. Goal scoring didn't seem to be a problem, netting 8 goals in 2 games and all of Chelsea's main strike force, including Salomon Kalou, found the net.

After Sunday's abysmal performance, maybe Carlo Ancelotti regrets throwing Torres into first team action so early and against his old club. The weight of expectation surely had an effect on his performance as well as the teams balance.

In hindsight, would Steven Peinaar have made the difference for Chelsea on Sunday? Unlikely. Too many players had off days to make that team effective, Liverpool's game plan also worked a treat. With Roman Abramovich spending the rubles once again and his willingness to spend astronomical amounts of money on an injury-prone, out of form striker, maybe Peinaar would have complemented the abundance of riches up front. It would have given another option in an otherwise stagnant midfield.

Chelsea v Liverpool: All eyes are on Torres as he makes his Chelsea bow

What a game this will be to cap off a glorious weekend of football in the Barclays Premier League. The £50 million man Fernando Torres is expected to make his Chelsea debut this afternoon against the club he left just six days ago in acrimonious circumstances. All the attention will be on the Spanish World Cup winner but Carlo Ancelotti and Kenny Dalglish know there's something much more important up for grabs . . . three points!

Liverpool's new hero Suarez got his Anfield account off the mark in midweek against Stoke City and Dalglish will be hoping he can fill the void left by Torres quickly. The fans will certainly embrace him to their souls if he hits the winner at the Bridge this afternoon.

Chelsea look to have turned the corner following their terrible dip in form and were on top form against Sunderland in midweek. With the addition of Torres and Luiz, the players have raised their game and that can only be a good thing for Ancelotti.

The Reds completed the double over the Blues in 2009 and on course to repeat that feat again today. They are playing with much more passion and intensity under Dalglish and everyone is feeling confident of the future. But Chelsea are the current league champions. They will not want to relinquish that without a fight. With Manchester United and Arsenal dropping points yesterday, Chelsea have the perfect opportunity to drag themselves back into the title race.

Torres left Liverpool because he wants to be winning trophies. A Liverpool win here will be a real sickener for the Spaniard and almost certainly write off the champions' title hopes. Fortunately for him the majority of the Panel feels he will get off to a winning start.

 

Chelsea v Liverpool; Kick Off 4pm February 6 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	1	V	1
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	2	V	3
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	2	V	2
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	2	V	1
Blackpool	Phil Trow	2	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	2	V	0
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	3	V	1
Everton	Chris Goodwin	2	V	0
Fulham	Russell Goldman	2	V	2
Liverpool	Mark Williams	1	V	1
Man City	Callum Rothwell	2	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	2	V	0
Newcastle	Michael Stout	2	V	0
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	3	V	1
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	2	V	1
Tottenham	Dave Nash	TBC	V	TBC
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	1	V	2
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	2	V	0
Wigan	Alan Moore	2	V	1
Wolves	Chris Cox	3	V	0
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	2	V	2
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	0
Writer	Hugh Larkin	2	V	1
Writer	Paul Grech	TBC	V	TBC
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	2	V	1
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	3	V	1
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	1	V	1
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	1	V	0

Panel Verdict

Chelsea are expected to justify Torres’ decision to leave Anfield.

Home: 18; Draw: 6; Away: 2.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

West Ham United v Birmingham City: Hammers seek revenge on the Blues

What a weekend of football it has been so far in the Barclays Premier League. Goals, comebacks, shocks - Saturday had it all. But with two more games today, the fun and excitement is far from over.

Kicking off Sunday's fixtures is a crunch six-pointer at Upton Park between West Ham United and Birmingham City. Alex McLeish's men got the better of the Hammers a few days ago in the Carling Cup to book a date with Arsenal in the final, but Avram Grant's men would love to exact their revenge on the Blues this afternoon.

Birmingham slipped into the bottom three yesterday following Wigan's remarkable 4-3 win over Blackburn Rovers but they can escape the drop zone with a win gained in the capital. West Ham have been in the bottom three for the majority of the season but they are far from being down and out. Victory today would see them climb to 16th in the league and above West Brom who they face next week. Six points out of six would see the Hammers in easy street.

The Blues haven't won at the Boleyn Ground since 2002 but Alex McLeish's men are unbeaten in their past three league and cup games. They will head to the capital full of confidence, but the Hammers will also be buoyant ahead of kick-off, having only lost two of their previous nine league games. 

If this game is anything like Saturday's Premier League encounters then we should be in for a real treat. However, the Panel is split on where the points will be heading.  

West Ham: Green, Jacobsen, Reid, Tomkins, Bridge, O'Neil, Parker, Noble, Obinna, Piquionne, Keane. Subs: Boffin, Cole, Kovac, Upson, Sears, Ba, da Costa.
Birmingham: Foster, Carr, Johnson, Jiranek, Ridgewell, Bentley, Ferguson, Gardner, Bowyer, Jerome, Zigic. Subs: Doyle, Murphy, Larsson, Phillips, Fahey, Beausejour, Davies.
Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside) 

West Ham United v Birmingham City; Kick Off 1.30pm February 6 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	0	V	2
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	1	V	0
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	1	V	1
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	1	V	0
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	2	V	1
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	0	V	2
Everton	Chris Goodwin	0	V	0
Fulham	Russell Goldman	1	V	1
Liverpool	Mark Williams	2	V	1
Man City	Callum Rothwell	1	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	1	V	0
Newcastle	Michael Stout	2	V	1
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	2	V	2
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	1	V	1
Tottenham	Dave Nash	TBC	V	TBC
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	1	V	2
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	1	V	1
Wigan	Alan Moore	1	V	0
Wolves	Chris Cox	2	V	1
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	1	V	1
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	1
Writer	Hugh Larkin	0	V	1
Writer	Paul Grech	TBC	V	TBC
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	2	V	2
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	0	V	2
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	2	V	1
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	3	V	1

Panel Verdict

It’s too close to call.

Home: 9; Draw: 10; Away: 7.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

Squarefootball’s Premier League quiz: Week 26

Welcome back to the toughest weekly football quiz on the planet. No time for pleasantries today. Let’s just get down to business!

Your challenge starts here.

1. Stoke City v Sunderland: The Black Cats last win at the Britannia in November 2004 by a solitary goal. Can you tell me who scored? Was it A – Liam Lawrence, B – Dean Whitehead or C – Michael Bridges? 

2. Aston Villa v Fulham: Steven Sidwell makes a swift return to Aston Villa this weekend, but how many goals did he score for the Villains? Was it A – 0, B – 2 or C – 4?

3. Everton v Blackpool: The Toffees are managed by David Moyes. This weekend they welcome Ian Holloway to Goodison Park. But out of the two managers who is the oldest?

4. Manchester City v West Bromwich: Chris Brunt grabbed a brace on his last visit to Eastlands. But how many has he scored this season for the Baggies? Is it A – 2, B – 4 or C – 6?

5. Newcastle United v Arsenal: It’s been five years since Newcastle last sent Arsenal home empty-handed. That game ended 1-0. Who scored for the Mags? Was it A – Alan Shearer, B – Nobby Solano or C – Michael Owen?

6. Tottenham Hotspur v Bolton Wanderers: The Wanderers haven’t won at White Hart Lane since October 2004. They won the game 2-1, but can you tell me who the scorers were? Was it A – Radhi Jaidi and Henrik Pedersen, B – Kevin Nolan and Kevin Davies or C – Jay Jay Okocha and Gary Speed?

7. Wigan Athletic v Blackburn Rovers: The Rovers played their first top flight game at the DW Stadium in December 2005 and won 3-0. Only two players who featured that day are still at Ewood Park, can you name them?

8. Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United: Sir Alex Ferguson’s men just shaded it at Molineux last season thanks to a solitary goal, but who scored it? Was it A – Ryan Giggs, B – Wayne Rooney or C – Paul Scholes?

9. West Ham United v Birmingham City: The Blues haven’t won at Upton Park since running out 2-1 winners in October 2002. Can you name the player who bagged a brace that day? Was it A – Stern John, B – Clinton Morrison or C – Stan Lazaridis?

10. Chelsea v Liverpool: How many goals did Fernando Torres score for Liverpool against Chelsea? Was it A – 6, B – 7 or C – 8?

 

To see how you got on please click here

0-2: You should try rugby

3-4: Carling Cup winner

5-6: FA Cup winner

7-8: Champions League winner

9-10: Premier League winner

Squarefootball’s Premier League Quiz: Week 26 – The Answers

So how did you get on?

1. Stoke City v Sunderland: The answer is C, Michael Bridges.

2. Aston Villa v Fulham: The answer is C, Four.

3. Everton v Blackpool: Both managers are 47 but David Moyes’s birthday is on April 25 while Holloway’s is on March 12, making the Everton boss the oldest.

4. Manchester City v West Bromwich: The answer is A, Two.

5. Newcastle United v Arsenal: The answer is B – Nobby Solano.

6. Tottenham Hotspur v Bolton Wanderers: The answer is A, Jaidi and Pedersen.

7. Wigan Athletic v Blackburn Rovers: The players we were looking for are Morten Gamst Pedersen and Brett Emerton.

8. Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United: The answer is C, Paul Scholes.

9. West Ham United v Birmingham City: The answer is C, Stan Lazaridis.

10. Chelsea v Liverpool: The answer is C, Seven.

 

Scoring:

0-2: You should try rugby

3-4: Carling Cup winner

5-6: FA Cup winner

7-8: Champions League winner

9-10: Premier League winner

Tottenham Hotspur v Bolton Wanderers: Trotters target capital gains

Much has been made of Tottenham’s inability to win at Bolton but did you know that the Wanderers have only managed two wins in the past 50 years at White Hart Lane? That’s the obstacle facing Owen Coyle this weekend, but the man once dubbed God by the Burnley fans will relish the challenge to end that run.

Spurs returned to winning ways in midweek against Blackburn and Harry Redknapp will have been overjoyed with Peter Crouch ending his goal drought. It was only Tottenham’s second league win of 2011 and they will be hoping that’s the catalyst to see them mount a sustained bid for a top four place.

Bolton recorded their first league win of 2011 thanks to an awful back pass from Wolves defender Zubur which was calmly slotted away by Chelsea’s onloan striker Daniel Sturridge. Like Redknapp, Coyle will be hoping that can spur his Wanderers on.

Tottenham have lost only once at home all season – Wigan Athletic – and conceded just nine goals in the process. However, Harry faces a number of defensive problems and Coyle will be hoping the attacking threat of Davies, Elmander, Sturridge and co can give the former Portsmouth boss a real headache.

Unfortunately for the visitors, nobody can see Bolton getting the better of Spurs this weekend.

Tottenham Hotspur v Bolton Wanderers; Kick Off 3pm February 5 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	2	V	1
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	1	V	0
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	2	V	0
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	2	V	0
Blackpool	Phil Trow	2	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	3	V	0
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	2	V	0
Everton	Chris Goodwin	2	V	0
Fulham	Russell Goldman	3	V	0
Liverpool	Mark Williams	3	V	1
Man City	Callum Rothwell	2	V	0
Man Utd	Peter Lee	2	V	0
Newcastle	Michael Stout	1	V	1
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	2	V	0
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	2	V	1
Tottenham	Dave Nash	TBC	V	TBC
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	2	V	0
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	1	V	1
Wigan	Alan Moore	2	V	0
Wolves	Chris Cox	2	V	0
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	2	V	0
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	1
Writer	Hugh Larkin	2	V	0
Writer	Paul Grech	TBC	V	TBC
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	3	V	1
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	3	V	0
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	3	V	1
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	1	V	1

Panel Verdict

Spurs are tipped to send the Trotters packing.

Home: 23; Draw: 3; Away: 0.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

Newcastle United v Arsenal: Pardew to revive rivalry with Wenger

Alan Pardew and Arsene Wenger had an ugly confrontation on the sidelines during a hotly contested match at Upton Park in 2006 and you can guarantee that tensions will be close to boiling over again as the two lock horns at St James’ this weekend.

Newcastle United have to prove that there is life without Andy Carroll and that they will not be dragged into a relegation dogfight. However, Arsenal are desperate to prove that they are the only serious challengers to Manchester United and avenge their shock 1-0 defeat at home to the Mags earlier in the season.

Arsenal put four past Newcastle in the Carling Cup and Wenger knows that only a win will do to keep the pressure on the leaders.

Newcastle’s midweek defeat at Fulham was only their second league defeat of 2011 but they haven’t beaten the Gunners at home since 2005 and Arsenal appear to have the stomach for a fight this season.

The Gunners have won their past six league and cup games in a row, have the league’s best away record and haven’t lost in the league since Manchester United beat them at the Emirates at the beginning of December. They will have been boosted by Andrei Arshavin’s return to the scoresheet but know they can ill-afford any slip ups in the north east. Unsurprisingly, the majority of the Panel is going for an away win.

Newcastle United v Arsenal; Kick Off 3pm February 5 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	1	V	3
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	1	V	3
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	0	V	2
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	1	V	2
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	2
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	1	V	2
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	0	V	1
Everton	Chris Goodwin	0	V	2
Fulham	Russell Goldman	0	V	2
Liverpool	Mark Williams	0	V	1
Man City	Callum Rothwell	1	V	2
Man Utd	Peter Lee	1	V	2
Newcastle	Michael Stout	0	V	1
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	1	V	2
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	1	V	1
Tottenham	Dave Nash	TBC	V	TBC
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	1	V	3
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	1	V	2
Wigan	Alan Moore	1	V	2
Wolves	Chris Cox	1	V	1
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	1	V	2
Writer	Colin Illingworth	1	V	3
Writer	Hugh Larkin	0	V	1
Writer	Paul Grech	TBC	V	TBC
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	2	V	1
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	2	V	4
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	0	V	1
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	1	V	1

 

Panel Verdict

Arsenal are set to get revenge on the Geordies.

Home: 1; Draw: 3; Away: 22.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

Everton v Blackpool: Tough clash in store at Goodison Park

Both Everton and Blackpool lost in midweek and three points are vital for both David Moyes and Ian Holloway. The Toffees, as you’d expect, made life hard for Arsenal at the Emirates but fell to goals from Andrei Arshavin and Laurent Koscielny while Blackpool lost at home to strugglers West Ham United 3-1. With jsut three and four points separating the two sides respectively from the bottom three, both will be going out for a win here.

With just one win in eight, the Tangerines are desperate to end their losing streak. They held the Toffees to a draw earlier in the season at Bloomfield Road but they haven’t won at Goodison Park since 1966 – although they have only played them twice during that period!

Everton have only won once in the league since beating Manchester City just before Christmas so David Moyes needs three points to ease their relegation fears. Can they do that here against one of the best sides on the road? The Panel certainly thinks so.

Everton v Blackpool; Kick Off 3pm February 5 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	1	V	0
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	1	V	2
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	1	V	1
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	2	V	1
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	1	V	0
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	2	V	0
Everton	Chris Goodwin	1	V	1
Fulham	Russell Goldman	1	V	0
Liverpool	Mark Williams	1	V	2
Man City	Callum Rothwell	2	V	0
Man Utd	Peter Lee	2	V	1
Newcastle	Michael Stout	2	V	2
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	2	V	1
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	2	V	0
Tottenham	Dave Nash	TBC	V	TBC
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	2	V	1
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	2	V	2
Wigan	Alan Moore	3	V	2
Wolves	Chris Cox	3	V	2
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	2	V	0
Writer	Colin Illingworth	1	V	2
Writer	Hugh Larkin	2	V	0
Writer	Paul Grech	TBC	V	TBC
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	1	V	2
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	2	V	2
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	1	V	0
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	2	V	2

Panel Verdict

Everton are tipped for all three points.

Home: 15; Draw: 7; Away: 4.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

Stoke City v Sunderland: Potters and Black Cats seek return to winning ways

Both teams lost in midweek and Tony Pulis and Steve Bruce will be hoping their sides can bounce back with a win here at the Britannia in the weekend’s early kick-off.

Sunderland have failed to score at the home of the Potters in the Premier League and haven’t won at Stoke since 2004. However, they have lost just four times on the road this season and will head to Staffordshire in confident mood, especially as they chase a third away win on the trot after beating Aston Villa and Blackpool.

The Potters have lost their last two away fixtures 2-0 but they will be pleased to back in front of their home fans. They haven’t lost at home in 2011 and Tony Pulis will believe that record will still be standing come the final whistle.

It should prove to be a fascinating clash but the majority of the Panel feel the best the Black Cats can hope for is a point.

Stoke City v Sunderland; Kick Off 12.45pm February 5 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	1	V	1
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	2	V	1
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	2	V	1
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	1	V	1
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	0	V	0
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	1	V	1
Everton	Chris Goodwin	1	V	2
Fulham	Russell Goldman	1	V	2
Liverpool	Mark Williams	1	V	0
Man City	Callum Rothwell	1	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	1	V	1
Newcastle	Michael Stout	1	V	1
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	3	V	1
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	1	V	1
Tottenham	Dave Nash	TBC	V	TBC
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	1	V	0
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	1	V	1
Wigan	Alan Moore	0	V	0
Wolves	Chris Cox	3	V	1
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	1	V	1
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	1
Writer	Hugh Larkin	1	V	1
Writer	Paul Grech	TBC	V	TBC
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	2	V	1
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	1	V	3
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	2	V	1
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	1	V	2

Panel Verdict

The Panel is favouring a draw.

Home: 9; Draw: 13; Away: 4.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United: Can the basement boys savage the leaders?

Wolves slumped to the foot of the table in midweek thanks to an awful back pass by Ronald Zubar that was calmly dispatched by Chelsea’s onloan striker Daniel Sturridge at Bolton. As if things couldn’t get any worse for the men from Molineux, the leaders Manchester United are up next.

Mick McCarthy couldn’t believe Wayne Hennesey’s heroics at the Reebok had been undone by one moment of madness from his defender but that’s been the story of Wolves’ season. They’ve been playing really well but have been unable to see team’s off.

There’s no good time to play Manchester United but especially not when Wayne Rooney seems to have dug out his scoring boots again. The leaders are five points clear of their nearest challengers Arsenal and show no sign of losing their proud unbeaten record. At home they are awesome, but away from Old Trafford they still look a bit suspect.

Wolves haven’t won in the league since beating Chelsea 1-0 at home. Can they claim their second win bonus of the year by beating the champions elect? The majority of the Panel doesn’t think so. They have only beaten the leaders once in the past 13 meetings and that was back in 2004 thanks to Kenny Miller. However, this season has produced so many twists and turns that you can’t rule Wolves out completely, but if McCarthy’s men can do the business it will undoubtedly be the biggest shock of the season to date.

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United; Kick Off 5.30pm February 5 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	0	V	1
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	0	V	2
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	1	V	1
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	1	V	2
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	2
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	0	V	2
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	0	V	1
Everton	Chris Goodwin	1	V	2
Fulham	Russell Goldman	0	V	3
Liverpool	Mark Williams	1	V	1
Man City	Callum Rothwell	0	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	0	V	2
Newcastle	Michael Stout	1	V	2
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	1	V	4
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	1	V	2
Tottenham	Dave Nash	TBC	V	TBC
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	0	V	3
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	1	V	2
Wigan	Alan Moore	1	V	4
Wolves	Chris Cox	0	V	1
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	1	V	3
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	1
Writer	Hugh Larkin	0	V	2
Writer	Paul Grech	TBC	V	TBC
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	1	V	2
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	1	V	5
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	0	V	3
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	0	V	5

Panel Verdict

The leaders are tipped to take Wolves to the cleaners.

Home: 1; Draw: 2; Away: 23.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

Wigan Athletic v Blackburn Rovers: Blackburn bid to end away day blues

Blackburn have lost their past three away fixtures in the Premier League but Steve Kean will be looking to end that run against a side that they have only lost to twice in their history.

Wigan Athletic drew with West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday night but West Ham’s unexpected win at Blackpool on Wednesday saw the Hammers leap off the foot of the table and put Wigan even nearer to the basement.

Roberto Martinez’s men played well and looked threatening going forward but they just couldn’t hold out against a determined Baggies side. However, they will fancy their chances of beating Blackburn this weekend. Their two wins over Rovers have both come at the DW Stadium and Blackburn have found the back of the net just once in their past three away fixtures. However, Wigan haven’t won a league game since beating Wolves on Boxing Day. This is one of the hardest fixtures to predict. No wonder the majority of the Panel is going for a draw.

Wigan Athletic v Blackburn Rovers; Kick off 3pm February 5 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	1	V	1
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	0	V	0
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	1	V	1
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	1	V	2
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	1	V	1
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	1	V	1
Everton	Chris Goodwin	1	V	0
Fulham	Russell Goldman	0	V	0
Liverpool	Mark Williams	1	V	1
Man City	Callum Rothwell	0	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	0	V	1
Newcastle	Michael Stout	2	V	1
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	1	V	1
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	2	V	2
Tottenham	Dave Nash	TBC	V	TBC
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	1	V	1
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	0	V	1
Wigan	Alan Moore	0	V	0
Wolves	Chris Cox	2	V	1
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	2	V	1
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	1
Writer	Hugh Larkin	0	V	0
Writer	Paul Grech	TBC	V	TBC
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	1	V	2
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	1	V	1
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	0	V	0
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	1	V	0

Panel Verdict

The Panel is going for a draw.

Home: 6; Draw: 15; Away: 5.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

Manchester City v West Bromwich Albion: City to vent their frustration at the Baggies

Manchester City’s title chances drifted to 28/1 following their midweek draw at St Andrews but Manchester United could only manage a draw there and let’s not forget that the champions Chelsea went down 1-0, so it may not be a bad result in the long run.

Of course Manchester City should be beating teams like Birmingham but St Andrews is always a tricky place to get a result. This weekend though City are expected to take their anger out on a West Bromwich Albion side that hasn’t won away since November and haven’t won at Eastlands for eight years.

The Baggies salvaged a point at home to Wigan in midweek in a game which they should have won but nobody is giving them much hope of recording an upset here.

City haven’t lost at home since Everton turned them over just before Christmas but they have only recorded two league wins since the turn of the year. Has the arrival of Edin Dzeko upset the balance of the team?

West Brom will be hoping to give City a going over similar to what their Black Country rivals Wolves did recently, but the majority of the Panel believe the three points are City’s.

 

Manchester City v West Bromwich Albion; Kick Off 3pm February 5 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	2	V	1
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	4	V	0
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	3	V	1
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	3	V	0
Blackpool	Phil Trow	2	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	3	V	0
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	3	V	1
Everton	Chris Goodwin	1	V	1
Fulham	Russell Goldman	2	V	0
Liverpool	Mark Williams	3	V	0
Man City	Callum Rothwell	3	V	0
Man Utd	Peter Lee	3	V	0
Newcastle	Michael Stout	3	V	1
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	3	V	0
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	3	V	1
Tottenham	Dave Nash	TBC	V	TBC
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	2	V	0
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	2	V	0
Wigan	Alan Moore	3	V	1
Wolves	Chris Cox	3	V	0
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	3	V	0
Writer	Colin Illingworth	3	V	1
Writer	Hugh Larkin	2	V	0
Writer	Paul Grech	TBC	V	TBC
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	3	V	1
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	4	V	2
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	2	V	0
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	3	V	1

Panel Verdict

Home banker.

Home: 25; Draw: 1; Away: 0.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

Aston Villa v Fulham: Houllier tipped to be a happy man come final whistle

Fulham eased their relegation fears with victory over Newcastle United in midweek while Villa remain just four points off the trapdoor following their 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford. With just one point separating them ahead of this weekend’s clash who will be the happier of the two sides come 5pm?

There has been a marked improvement in Villa’s play in recent weeks and losing at the home of the leaders Manchester United should not derail their revival. That was only their second loss of 2011 and the fans appear to be right behind the gaffer Gerard Houllier.

Villa have lost at home just three times this season – Sunderland, Tottenham and Arsenal – so they will be confident of stopping Fulham from joining that list, especially as the Cottagers have only managed one win on their travels all season.

Fulham, like Villa, appear to have turned the corner of their season but it’s still way too tight at the bottom to start becoming complacent now. A win for Mark Hughes’s side could see them climb to the dizzy heights of ninth. Victory for the hosts though will see them leapfrog the Londoners.

The Cottagers haven’t won a league fixture at Villa Park since 1973 and with the attacking threat of Darren Bent leading Villa’s attack the majority of the Panel can’t see that stat ending this weekend.

Aston Villa v Fulham; Kick Off 3pm February 5 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	2	V	1
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	2	V	2
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	2	V	0
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	2	V	0
Blackpool	Phil Trow	2	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	1	V	0
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	0	V	1
Everton	Chris Goodwin	2	V	1
Fulham	Russell Goldman	2	V	2
Liverpool	Mark Williams	0	V	0
Man City	Callum Rothwell	2	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	2	V	0
Newcastle	Michael Stout	2	V	1
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	2	V	0
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	2	V	1
Tottenham	Dave Nash	TBC	V	TBC
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	2	V	0
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	2	V	1
Wigan	Alan Moore	1	V	0
Wolves	Chris Cox	2	V	0
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	2	V	0
Writer	Colin Illingworth	3	V	1
Writer	Hugh Larkin	3	V	1
Writer	Paul Grech	TBC	V	TBC
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	2	V	1
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	3	V	1
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	2	V	0
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	2	V	1

Panel Verdict

Villa are tipped for all three points.

Home: 22; Draw: 3; Away: 1.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

Premier League Predictions Table: Chelsea crash to the bottom as United extend their lead

Chelsea were the talk of transfer deadline day and it appears that Stamford Bridge foot soldier Joe Tyler took his eye off the ball as he has crashed to the foot of the Squarefootball Premier League Predictions Table.

While Roman Abramovich was splashing out £70 million on Fernando Torres and David Luiz, Joe, chairman of the Eastern Blues Official Chelsea Supporters Club, managed to pull in just three points this week. Combined with brilliant scores for strugglers Sue Gardner, Squarefootball’s Middlesbrough fan, and West Ham’s Nigel Telfer, Joe now finds himself two points adrift at the bottom.

Sue, chairman of the official Middlesbrough Supporters Club, pulled in an impressive 11 points to climb off the bottom thanks to correct scores at Arsenal and Liverpool and five correct results at Sunderland, Manchester United, West Brom, Blackburn and Bolton. Hammers’ fan Nigel recorded 10 points almost mirroring Sue’s results exactly although he tipped Blackburn to beat Tottenham.

With five points separating six teams at the bottom it is now becoming fascinating. The same can't really be said at the top though as Manchester United keep picking up a decent score every week and Blackpool begin to show signs of tiredness. Red Devil Peter Lee extended his lead over Seasider Phil Trow to five points thanks to an 11-point haul. He picked up maximum points at Blackburn and Liverpool and single points at Arsenal, Sunderland, Manchester United, Birmingham City and Bolton. In return Phil could only manage eight points, including just one score bang on – Arsenal 2 Everton 1.

However, the biggest movers of the week were Sunderland’s Tony Ratton, Fulham’s Russell Goldman and Squarefootball’s Hugh Larkin. They all achieved the highest score of the period, 13. Tony pulled in maximum points at Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool, and topped that up with correct results at West Brom, Blackburn, Blackpool and Bolton.

Russell got nine points from correctly predicting the scores at Arsenal, Bolton and Liverpool, that Chelsea, Manchester United and Fulham would win and West Brom would draw at home to Wigan.

Hugh also managed to get three scores correct – West Brom, Bolton and Liverpool – and tipped Chelsea, Manchester United and Fulham would win and that Birmingham City would thwart Roberto Mancini’s title hopes.

It was also a good midweek for Wolves fan Chris Cox and Squarefootball’s Portsmouth fan down under Peter Rendle, who both scored 11. However, Peter deserves special credit this week for correctly predicting the results in nine out of 10 of the midweek fixtures. The only result that let him down from recording a maximum 10 was Blackpool’s defeat to West Ham. Peter predicted a draw.

Blackpool’s Phil Trow may be five points off the summit but he remains at the top in the correct scores league having smashed into the 30 barrier. He is however now just two scores ahead of Manchester United’s Peter Lee.

Bolton’s Dave Blackburn remains at the helm of the correct results chart with 93. He is closely followed by Manchester United’s Peter Lee on 91 and Villa’s Lynette Ranson, Sunderland’s Tony Ratton and Squarefootball’s Hugh Larkin all on 89.

Here are the scores from the final week of fixtures of 2010:

	Player	Correct scores	Correct results	Points
FULHAM	Russell Goldman	3	4	13
SUNDERLAND	Tony Ratton	3	4	13
SQF WRITER	Hugh Larkin	3	4	13
MAN UTD	Peter Lee	2	5	11
WOLVES	Chris Cox	2	5	11
SQF EXP BORO	Sue Gardener	2	5	11
SQF ACE POMPEY	Peter Rendle	1	8	11
WEST HAM	Nigel Telfer	2	4	10
BLACKBURN	Terry Kennedy	2	3	9
BOLTON	Dave Blackburn	1	6	9
WIGAN	Alan Moore	1	6	9
BLACKPOOL	Phil Trow	1	5	8
SQF ACE POMPEY	Dan Taylor	1	5	8
SQF WRITER	Colin Illingworth	1	5	8
WEST BROM	Andy Wakeman	0	5	5
MAN CITY	Callum Rothwell	1	4	7
SQF EXP WHAM	Matthew Beeby	0	7	7
SQF EDITOR	Antony Melvin	0	7	7
LIVERPOOL	Mark Williams	0	6	6
STOKE CITY	Philip Eccleston	1	3	6
ARSENAL	Don McMahon	1	2	5
BIRMINGHAM	Steve Coulter	0	5	5
NEWCASTLE	Michael Stout	1	2	5
EVERTON	Chris Goodwin	0	4	4
ASTON VILLA	Lynette Ranson	0	3	3
CHELSEA	Joe Tyler	0	3	3
SPURS	Dave Nash	0	2	2
SQF WRITER	Paul Grech	0	2	2

 

(The Panellists get three points for each correct score and one point for each correct result they predict)

 

Here is how the overall table currently stands.

	TEAM	Player	Crrct scores	Crrct results	Pts
↔	MAN UTD	Peter Lee	28	91	175
↔	BLACKPOOL	Phil Trow	30	79	170
↔	BOLTON	Dave Blackburn	24	93	164
↑	SUNDERLAND	Tony Ratton	25	89	164
↓	MAN CITY	Callum Rothwell	24	87	159
↑	WIGAN	Alan Moore	25	82	159
↓	NEWCASTLE	Michael Stout	25	82	157
↓	SQF EDITOR	Antony Melvin	24	85	157
↑	BLACKBURN	Terry Kennedy	25	80	155
↓	WEST BROM	Andy Wakeman	24	83	155
↓	ARSENAL	Don McMahon	27	73	154
↔	SQF WRITER	Colin Illingworth	25	79	154
↔	STOKE CITY	Philip Eccleston	22	84	150
↔	SQF EXP WHAM	Matthew Beeby	20	88	148
↑	SQF WRITER	Hugh Larkin	19	89	146
↑	WOLVES	Chris Cox	24	73	145
↓	EVERTON	Chris Goodwin	22	77	143
↑	FULHAM	Russell Goldman	23	74	143
↓	LIVERPOOL	Mark Williams	20	83	143
↓	SQF ACE POMPEY	Dan Taylor	23	74	143
↑	SQF ACE POMPEY	Peter Rendle	18	84	138
↓	SQF WRITER	Paul Grech	24	65	137
↓	ASTON VILLA	Lynette Ranson	14	89	131
↑	BIRMINGHAM	Steve Coulter	17	79	130
↓	SPURS	Dave Nash	21	66	129
↑	WEST HAM	Nigel Telfer	18	74	128
↑	SQF EXP BORO	Sue Gardener	18	74	128
↓	CHELSEA	Joe Tyler	19	69	126

 

Predictions and previews for all of this weekend’s games will be available to view on Squarefootball from noon GMT on Friday.

An updated league table will be published every Wednesday.

 

 

 

Liverpool v Stoke City: Forget Torres, Suarez is the new king in town

Kenny Dalglish was the busiest man in football on transfer deadline day. He let Fernando Torres leave for Chelsea but not before he completed the signing of Luis Suarez and Newcastle’s Andy Carroll. Some may feel that the former Newcastle number nine doesn’t warrant a fee of £35 million but if he can get the Reds back into the Champions League then it will prove to be money well spent.

The Anfield giants have looked a different force under King Kenny and the Scot now has back-to-back wins under his belt. Tonight he welcomes the resilient Stoke City to Anfield and the Reds start the game as red-hot favourites for all three points.

The Potters haven’t won at Anfield since 1959, when they edged a seven-goal thriller, and they haven’t scored on the red half of Merseyside in the league for 28 years. Can they break their barren run tonight? It looks unlikely. Stoke haven’t won away in the Premier League since Boxing Day but Tony Pulis will head north looking to cause an upset.

Liverpool haven’t lost at home this calendar year and the fans will be hoping Suarez will make them forget all about a certain Fernando Torres.

Liverpool v Stoke City; Kick Off 8pm February 2 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	2	V	0
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	1	V	1
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	1	V	0
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	2	V	0
Blackpool	Phil Trow	2	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	2	V	0
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	1	V	2
Everton	Chris Goodwin	1	V	1
Fulham	Russell Goldman	2	V	0
Liverpool	Mark Williams	3	V	0
Man City	Callum Rothwell	3	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	2	V	0
Newcastle	Michael Stout	1	V	0
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	2	V	2
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	2	V	0
Tottenham	Dave Nash	TBC	V	TBC
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	2	V	1
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	2	V	0
Wigan	Alan Moore	2	V	0
Wolves	Chris Cox	2	V	0
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	2	V	1
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	0
Writer	Hugh Larkin	2	V	0
Writer	Paul Grech	TBC	V	TBC
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	1	V	1
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	2	V	0
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	3	V	0
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	3	V	1

Panel Verdict

Liverpool are expected to make light work of the Potters.

Home: 21; Draw: 4; Away: 1.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

Blackburn Rovers v Tottenham Hotspur: Redknapp targets away day success

 

Spurs were unceremoniously dumped out of the FA Cup at the hands of Fulham on Sunday but they will be hoping to put that to the back of their minds as they travel to Ewood Park tonight.

Chelsea’s sensational transfer deadline day dealings have put them in the box seat to guarantee Champions League football next season but a number of Tottenham fans are fearful that it could be at their expense. A win at Blackburn tonight would go some way to easing those fears.

Spurs won their first game at Ewood Park in five attempts last season thanks to a brace from Peter Crouch. Harry Redknapp would love to see the former Liverpool striker’s name on the score sheet again, as he hasn’t registered for the club in the league since beating Blackburn 4-2 back in November!

However, Blackburn will be no pushovers. They’ve lost just one of their previous eight home matches and they will be buoyed with the arrival of Barcelona striker Ruben Rochina and midfielder Mauro Formica from Newell’s Old Boys.

Tottenham haven’t won away from the Lane since Boxing Day and are set to be without the attacking threat of Gareth Bale. They also haven’t picked up a win bonus since beating Fulham on New Year’s Day. Can they get back to winning ways and keep their top four hopes alive? The Panel thinks so.

Blackburn Rovers v Tottenham Hotspur; Kick Off 8pm February 2 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	1	V	1
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	1	V	3
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	0	V	2
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	1	V	1
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	2
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	0	V	0
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	1	V	2
Everton	Chris Goodwin	2	V	1
Fulham	Russell Goldman	2	V	2
Liverpool	Mark Williams	1	V	1
Man City	Callum Rothwell	1	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	0	V	1
Newcastle	Michael Stout	1	V	1
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	1	V	1
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	1	V	2
Tottenham	Dave Nash	TBC	V	TBC
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	1	V	2
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	2	V	1
Wigan	Alan Moore	0	V	3
Wolves	Chris Cox	0	V	2
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	1	V	2
Writer	Colin Illingworth	1	V	2
Writer	Hugh Larkin	2	V	2
Writer	Paul Grech	TBC	V	TBC
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	1	V	2
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	2	V	3
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	0	V	2
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	1	V	0

Panel Verdict

Tottenham are tipped to keep the pressure on the top four.

Home: 3; Draw: 9; Away: 14.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

Fulham v Newcastle United: Mags tipped to start life without Carroll with a defeat

Andy Carroll is no longer Newcastle’s number nine and many fear the Geordies may now struggle to stay in the Premier League. However, the stats fail to back that up. The Mags have lost just once since Carroll was forced on to the sidelines through injury and that was in the FA Cup away at Stevenage. They have beaten Wigan, thrashed West Ham and drew with high-flying Sunderland and Tottenham. Sure Carroll will be a huge loss to the team but they should have enough about them to retain their top flight status under Alan Pardew.

Victory tonight for the visitors will certainly see the fans say “Andy who?” However, Mark Hughes’s men seem to have turned the corner. They put Tottenham to the sword in the FA Cup on Sunday and have picked up 10 points from a possible 18. The Cottagers have put clear distance between themselves and the bottom three and haven’t lost at home since Boxing Day.

Newcastle have only lost once in the capital so far this season – v Spurs – and will head south with nothing to fear. Everybody will be looking to see how they cope without Andy Carroll but, as I’ve already pointed out, they seem to be doing ok. Can they register their first win at Craven Cottage though since 2007? The Panel doesn’t think so.

Fulham v Newcastle United; Kick Off 8pm February 2 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	2	V	2
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	2	V	0
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	0	V	0
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	2	V	1
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	2	V	0
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	2	V	0
Everton	Chris Goodwin	1	V	1
Fulham	Russell Goldman	2	V	0
Liverpool	Mark Williams	2	V	0
Man City	Callum Rothwell	2	V	0
Man Utd	Peter Lee	1	V	1
Newcastle	Michael Stout	0	V	0
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	1	V	1
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	1	V	1
Tottenham	Dave Nash	TBC	V	TBC
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	1	V	1
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	1	V	1
Wigan	Alan Moore	2	V	1
Wolves	Chris Cox	2	V	1
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	2	V	1
Writer	Colin Illingworth	1	V	2
Writer	Hugh Larkin	2	V	0
Writer	Paul Grech	TBC	V	TBC
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	2	V	2
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	1	V	2
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	2	V	0
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	2	V	0

Panel Verdict

Newcastle will be lucky to leave the capital with a point, according to the Panel.

Home: 13; Draw: 11; Away: 2.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

Bolton Wanderers v Wolverhampton Wanderers: Can Coyle rediscover his winning touch?

The wheels seem to be coming off the Bolton Wanderers juggernaut. The Trotters haven’t won in the league since beating West Brom on Boxing Day and haven’t scored in their past three league outings. Once tipped for European football, could Owen Coyle’s men be the side that slips into the relegation dog fight? Not if the big Scot has anything to do with it.

Chelsea and Liverpool may have dominated the transfer day but Bolton managed to acquire the services of one of England’s hottest young strikers, Daniel Sturridge. The former Manchester City marksman is full of running, has an eye for goal and is desperate to fulfil his potential. His addition to the Bolton squad could see their goal drought end tonight.

Wolverhampton Wanderers head north with fresh blood in their ranks too. Tottenham’s Jamie O’Hara has made the move to the Midlands looking to kickstart his career following injury and he will add some bite and creativity into the Wolves’ team.

The visitors haven’t won in the league since beating Chelsea a month ago and have failed to score since putting five past Doncaster in an FA Cup replay. Can they turn their fortunes around with a win at the Reebok? History says no. Their last win on Bolton soil came in 1994 and the majority of the Panel doesn’t see that changing tonight.

Bolton Wanderers v Wolverhampton Wanderers; Kick Off 8pm February 22 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	1	V	2
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	0	V	2
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	1	V	1
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	2	V	0
Blackpool	Phil Trow	2	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	2	V	1
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	1	V	1
Everton	Chris Goodwin	0	V	2
Fulham	Russell Goldman	1	V	0
Liverpool	Mark Williams	2	V	0
Man City	Callum Rothwell	0	V	0
Man Utd	Peter Lee	2	V	0
Newcastle	Michael Stout	1	V	0
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	3	V	0
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	2	V	1
Tottenham	Dave Nash	TBC	V	TBC
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	2	V	0
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	3	V	2
Wigan	Alan Moore	0	V	0
Wolves	Chris Cox	2	V	0
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	2	V	1
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	2
Writer	Hugh Larkin	1	V	0
Writer	Paul Grech	TBC	V	TBC
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	2	V	0
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	2	V	0
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	2	V	1
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	3	V	0

Panel Verdict

Bolton are tipped to send Stoke home empty-handed.

Home: 18; Draw: 5; Away: 3.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

Blackpool v West Ham United: Hammers eye points at the Seaside

West Ham return to Bloomfield Road for the first time in 40 years and Avram Grant will be Keane for his new loan signing to shoot them off the foot of the table. In Robbie Keane West Ham have a proven Premier League striker, one who will be itching to get back on the score sheet after a frustrating spell at White Hart Lane. He claims he has three or four years left in him at the top. If he can keep the Hammers up he may well end up ending his career in the East End.

The Hammers bounced back from their Carling Cup exit in fine style at the weekend by seeing off a battling Nottingham Forest side to secure a home tie against Burnley in the next round, but it’s their league form which the fans care about the most.

Grant’s men have lost just two of their past seven league clashes and are within touching distance of safety. Despite Blackpool’s stunning campaign, the Irons will view this as a winnable game.

Ian Holloway will be overjoyed by keeping hold of his play maker Charlie Adam and the loan signings of James Beattie, Andy Reid, Jason Puncheon and Sergei Kornilenko will really freshen things up for the all-important run-in.

Blackpool have lost three of their past four home encounters but they will fancy their chances of seeing off the basement boys tonight, and the Panel agrees with them.

 

Blackpool v West Ham United; Kick off 8pm February 2 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	2	V	0
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	1	V	0
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	2	V	0
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	2	V	1
Blackpool	Phil Trow	2	V	1
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	2	V	1
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	0	V	0
Everton	Chris Goodwin	1	V	1
Fulham	Russell Goldman	1	V	1
Liverpool	Mark Williams	2	V	1
Man City	Callum Rothwell	1	V	2
Man Utd	Peter Lee	1	V	0
Newcastle	Michael Stout	3	V	2
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	2	V	1
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	1	V	2
Tottenham	Dave Nash	TBC	V	TBC
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	1	V	0
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	1	V	1
Wigan	Alan Moore	2	V	1
Wolves	Chris Cox	1	V	1
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	2	V	1
Writer	Colin Illingworth	2	V	3
Writer	Hugh Larkin	2	V	1
Writer	Paul Grech	TBC	V	TBC
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	3	V	2
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	3	V	2
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	1	V	1
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	2	V	4

Panel Verdict

The Tangerines are tipped to beat the Hammers.

Home: 16; Draw: 6; Away: 4.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

Birmingham City v Manchester City: Mancini seeks winning start to the month

There were calls for Roberto Mancini’s head after Birmingham held them to a goalless draw at Eastlands in November. The Italian has since weathered the storm and City are currently just six points off the summit. However, those calls for Mancini to go will surely arise again if they produce another poor performance against Alex McLeish’s men tonight.

Manchester City’s last visit to the country’s second city didn’t exactly go to plan, going down 1-0 to Aston Villa, and they haven’t won on their travels since beating Newcastle United 3-1 on Boxing Day.

Birmingham meanwhile are on a high after coming back to beat West Ham to reach the Carling Cup final and fighting back from two goals behind to see off Coventry in the FA Cup.

Both teams are desperate for the points for different reasons. Last season’s fixture at St Andrews ended in a goalless draw but Birmingham have won three of the previous six clashes in their backyard. Will they derail Mancini’s title charge? The Panel doesn’t believe so.

 

Birmingham City v Manchester City; Kick Off 7.45pm February 2 2011

Prediction Panel

Arsenal	Don McMahon	1	V	2
Aston Villa	Lynette Ranson	0	V	1
Birmingham	Steve Coulter	2	V	0
Blackburn	Terry Kennedy	1	V	2
Blackpool	Phil Trow	1	V	2
Bolton	Dave Blackburn	1	V	1
Chelsea	Joe Tyler	0	V	1
Everton	Chris Goodwin	0	V	1
Fulham	Russell Goldman	1	V	2
Liverpool	Mark Williams	1	V	1
Man City	Callum Rothwell	0	V	1
Man Utd	Peter Lee	1	V	1
Newcastle	Michael Stout	1	V	2
Stoke City	Philip Eccleston	2	V	2
Sunderland	Tony Ratton	1	V	2
Tottenham	Dave Nash	TBC	V	TBC
West Brom	Andy Wakeman	1	V	2
West Ham	Nigel Telfer	1	V	2
Wigan	Alan Moore	0	V	2
Wolves	Chris Cox	0	V	2
OUR EXPERTS
Editor	Antony Melvin	1	V	2
Writer	Colin Illingworth	1	V	2
Writer	Hugh Larkin	1	V	1
Writer	Paul Grech	TBC	V	TBC
Pompey fan	Dan Taylor	2	V	3
Boro fan	Sue Gardener	2	V	1
Pompey fan	Peter Rendle	1	V	1
West Ham fan	Matthew Beeby	0	V	1

 

Panel Verdict

Mancini’s men are tipped to pick up the three points.

Home: 2; Draw: 6; Away: 18.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!

Squarefootball’s Premier League quiz: Week 25

Welcome back to the toughest weekly football quiz on the planet. This week is for all you proper anoraks out there as we are going to be focusing on people’s middle names. So if you think you know everything about everyone in the Premier League then here’s your chance to prove it.

Your challenge starts here. All the best!

1. Arsenal v Everton: What is Theo Walcott’s middle name? Is it A – John, B – James or C – George? 

2. Sunderland v Chelsea: Steve Bruce has been in the news a lot over the past few weeks, but what is his middle name? Is it A – Roger, B – Alan or C – Jackie?

3. Manchester United v Aston Villa: What is Sir Alex Ferguson’s middle name? Is it A – Jimmy, B – Rab or C – Chapman?

4. West Bromwich Albion v Wigan Athletic: The Baggies’ Peter Odemwingie’s middle name is Osaze, but what does it stand for? Is it A – God Chooses (for you), B – Great skill or C – Patience is a virtue?

5. Birmingham City v Manchester City: We all know Carlos Tevez as Carlos Tevez but what was his full birth name? Was it A – Carlos Alberto Tevez, B – Carlos Alberto Martinez or C – Carlos Diego Martinez?

6. Blackburn Rovers v Tottenham Hotspur: What is Harry Redknapp’s middle name? Is it A – James, B – Bobby or C – John?

7. Blackpool v West Ham United: Ian Holloway has taken to life in the Premier League like a duck to water, but what is his middle name? Is it A – Peter, B – Simon or C – Scott?

8. Bolton Wanderers v Wolverhampton Wanderers: Johan Elmander has scored ... times in the Premier League this season for Bolton, but what are his middle names? Are they A – Erik Morecambe, B – Erik Calvin or C – Erik Ernie?

9. Fulham v Newcastle United: Alan Pardew believes Kevin Nolan deserves an England recall due to his performances this season, but what are his middle names? Are they A – Anthony Jance, B – Anthony Jim or C – Anthony John?

10. Liverpool v Stoke City: This should be the easy of the lot. What is King Kenny’s middle name? Is it A – Matthew, B – Michael or C – Mathieson?

To see how you got on please click here

0-2: You should try rugby

3-4: Carling Cup winner

5-6: FA Cup winner

7-8: Champions League winner

9-10: Premier League winner

Squarefootball’s Premier League Quiz: Week 25 – The Answers

So how did you get on?

1. Arsenal v Everton: The answer is B, James.

2. Sunderland v Chelsea: The answer is A, Roger.

3. Manchester United v Aston Villa: The answer is C, Chapman.

4. West Bromwich Albion v Wigan Athletic: The answer is A, God Chooses (for you).

5. Birmingham City v Manchester City: The answer is B, Carlos Alberto Martinez.

6. Blackburn Rovers v Tottenham Hotspur: The answer is A, James.

7. Blackpool v West Ham United: The answer is C, Scott.

8. Bolton Wanderers v Wolverhampton Wanderers: The answer is B, Erik Calvin.

9. Fulham v Newcastle United: The answer is A, Anthony Jance.

10. Liverpool v Stoke City: The answer is C, Mathieson.

 

Scoring:

0-2: You should try rugby

3-4: Carling Cup winner

5-6: FA Cup winner

7-8: Champions League winner

9-10: Premier League winner