In the Premiership, although liverpool have spent big, they are not quite there yet and consequently are likely to fall short of Man Utd and chelsea again. The Blues will be keen to regain their crown, but United still appear to have the edge. arsenal are perhaps, one season away from being genuine challengers again; however, in Van Persie they do have a player capable giving the likes of Rooney, Ronaldo, Gerrard and Drogba a run for their money, with regards to player of the season. Spurs are getting closer to the big 4, but they are still not close enough and are more likely to be battling for the UEFA spots with Portsmouth, Villa, West Ham and Newcastle.

The likes of Reading, Everton, Sunderland and maybe surprisingly Derby can all make mid-table finishes. Most people will have the Rams as certainties to make an instant return to the Championship, but in Billy Davies they have a talented manager capable of keeping their heads above water. At the bottom Blackburn and Man City can stay out of trouble – just; with the rest in a real battle. Wigan have signed a lot of players, but too many of them have a lot to prove and Middlesbrough – with some un-inspiring signings – could join them in the bottom two. Of the remaining 3 teams, Bolton might struggle to cope post Allardyce and slip out at the death, leaving Birmingham and Fulham breathing huge sighs of relief.

Charlton, with a good manager and plenty of cash, are more than capable of jumping straight back up from the Championship and taking Wolves along with them. Last season will have been a good experience for the black country outfit. Sheff U have an impressive forward line, but defence is a worry and the play-off’s look a more likely option together with Watford, Cardiff and one from Norwich, Coventry and Southampton. West Brom may well suffer a Wembley hang over and just miss out. Mid-table is probably the best Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich and Palace; with Leicester, Hull and QPR improving on last term, but not significantly. Colchester did remarkably well in their first year up, but are likely to find it a great deal tougher second time around and Preston are likely to suffer from the loss of David Nugent. Bristol City and Blackpool are more than capable of consolidating, but the others look vulnerable. Barnsley can just about survive, likewise Plymouth; leaving Stoke Burnley and Scunthorpe fighting the drop.

In League One, Forest are everybody’s tip for promotion, but they look destined to miss out again. They have brought in Neil Lennon, but it’s a very tough division and you have to wonder about his legs. Tipped at the Post’s two for automatic promotion are Doncaster and Millwall. The Yorkshire club are very ambitious and James Hayter is a cracking signing at that level. The Lions young side finished well and Willie Donachie will have them spot on. Huddersfield, Oldham and Luton are taken to fill the play-off places with Forest; just ahead of Carlisle, Swansea, Yeovil and Southend. Bristol Rovers can have a brighter season than many are suggesting, as can Hartlepool and Walsall, all 3 coming up together. Brighton, Tranmere, Crewe and Port Vale seem set for pretty uninspiring seasons; and Gillingham and Leyton Orient look certain to be bottom half material. Leeds need some luck with their appeal against the 15 point penalty, otherwise they could slip straight through. Swindon can stay up at their expense, but Bournemouth, Northampton and Cheltenham look to have it all on to avoid the drop.

In League Two Paul Ince can get one over Fergie – Darren that is! MKD can just pip Peterborough at the top, with Shrewsbury joining them. Notts County, Darlington and Rotherham are taken to make the play-off’s along with surprise packages Bury. Chesterfield, Bradford and Rochdale should all go close; with Hereford, Wycombe and Mansfield not too far behind. Lincoln have probably missed their chances over the past 5 years and Terry Butcher will not find life easy at Brentford. The two newcomers can hold their own, but the rest might struggle with Chester and Accrington Stanley making way for the return of Torquay and Oxford, who are taken to make their League comebacks.

Mick Burrows writes for [http://www.fixed-odds-in-focus.com]

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And that’s where the problem lies. Not in the agonizing over the game England could so easily have won, but in England’s reliance on all varieties of imports. Many English football supporters make the mistake of thinking the rude good health of the English Premiership in some way proves the rude good health of English football in general. After all, England boasts the world’s richest football league, and the richest club in the world in the form of arsenal.

However the strength of the English premier league is probably the main source of the rot in English football. To prove this point all we need to do is turn back the clocks to the 1960s and investigate the state of English club football.

During the 1960s English clubs began participating regularly in an array of new European club competitions. England’s top clubs achieved excellent results in Europe, with West Ham United claiming the Cup Winners Cup whilst arsenal, Leeds United and Newcastle United lifted the Inter Cities Fairs Cup. Then in 1968 Manchester United became the first English club to lift the European Cup.

During this golden age of English club football, Bobby Moore became the first Englishman to hold football’s greatest prize aloft as England won the 1966 FIFA World Cup. What is interesting to note is that whilst English clubs have gone from strength to strength in European club competition, the England football side has since failed to achieve any sort of success on the global or European stage.

The reasons for this become apparent when one takes a look at the makeup of the teams that won the various European trophies in the golden World Cup winning era. Without exception all of these teams featured a majority of English players, with the odd import from Ireland, Wales or Scotland. Manchester United’s European Cup winning team of 1968, for instance, featured 8 Englishmen, two Irishmen and a Scotsman.

The team structures of England’s biggest clubs today paints a strikingly different picture. Once again using Manchester United as an example, one finds only four Englishmen in the side that lifted the Champions League Trophy in 1999. The remainder of the players hail from all corners of the globe.

Given this evidence it becomes difficult to dismiss the notion that the reason why England won the 1966 FIFA World Cup was because English clubs at the time actually allowed Englishmen to play at the top level. Today it seems as if English football has literally been invaded by foreign players, not to mention coaches and owners, meaning far fewer Englishmen are ever exposed to the highest levels of club football.

What this means, in turn is that the pool of players hardened by European club competition has dwindled, leaving a doomed England national coach with only a small core of talented players to choose from. In contrast coaches in Brazil, Argentina and Spain not only have domestic leagues packed with local talent to choose from, but also a host of top players enjoying exposure to top class club competition in the English Premier league.

With foreign owners taking the reins of an increasing number of England’s biggest clubs it is difficult to see how the problem will be rectified. In fact the domination of English football by foreign players, management and owners barely conceals a distressing fact – the reason why the English football team may never again win a trophy of any importance is that much of English club football, whilst taking place in England and funded by English football fans, is no longer English at all.

Whilst England may not be competing in the UEFA European Championships, up-to-date information on the event, Football Betting Odds and much more are available freely to anyone wishing to follow this monumental event.

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Embrace an outdoor summer and support England from the comfort of your own garden with Great Universal’s Football Fever promotion. Discover everything you need to turn your garden into a dedicated ‘Football Fever Zone’ under one roof at unbeatable prices.

Invest in a petrol lawnmower or Flymo to get your lawn and garden looking great. Gather family, friends and fellow football enthusiasts for a barbecue before England take the field. Many pundits have been labelling this as England’s best chance to win the tournament for a second time. With a talented and experienced side training at what has been voted the best facility in the country, this could well be stacking up to be England’s year.

The Royal Bafokeng Campus is ultra modern and provides the additional advantage of high altitude. High altitude training could prove invaluable because it takes time to acclimatise to the lower oxygen levels in the atmosphere. The side trained in such conditions in Austria as part of their preparations for the tournament during the last few weeks. The selection of their ‘home base’ at high altitude was another masterstroke by coach Fabio Capello. By acclimatising to the conditions quicker, the England side will be guaranteed to give 100% for the full 90 minutes of every game.

Wayne Rooney leads the attack and will receive plenty of support from the midfield. Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Ashley Young and James Milner will undoubtedly supply Rooney with quality possession and could collectively out-play any team in the world. John Terry and Rio Ferdinand add solidity to the England backline, allowing Ashley Cole and Glen Johnson to play the attacking style of football they excel at. With such a talented side it is easy to see why England is being hailed as one of the favourites to clinch this year’s football showcase.

Watching the games is not optional for those unable to make the journey to South Africa. Take advantage of the summer by investing in some new garden furniture, garden accessories and a big barbecue before inviting everyone round to support the team in true English style. The side will receive great support in South Africa as a result of the Barclays English Premier League’s immense popularity in the country. The crowd will be awash with manchester united, liverpool, chelsea and arsenal shirts as the fans get a rare live glimpse of their heroes in the flesh.

Get behind your country – Great Universal’s Football Fever promotion provides everything you’ll need to be a star supporter from the comfort of your home. From big screen televisions to all of the outdoor furniture you could possibly need, Great Universal has it all. Visit their Football Fever promotion at http://www.greatuniversal.com/.

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The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be held in South Africa on Friday June 11 to Sunday July 11, 2010. The opening match will be held in Johannesburg with South Africa playing Mexico.

There will be 32 countries representing 6 soccer confederations in this 2010 year final. Countries in the World Cup divided into 8 groups are:

Group A – South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, and France;

Group B – Argentina, Nigeria, Korea Republic, and Greece;

Group C – England, United States, Algeria, and Slovenia;

Group D – Germany, Australia, Serbia, and Ghana;

Group E – Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, and Cameroon;

Group F – Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, and Slovakia;

Group G – Brazil, Korean DPR, Cote d’Ivoire, and Portugal;

Group H – Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, and Chile.

The teams in each group play one another, with the top two teams from each group proceeding to the final 16 knockout phase to determine the finalists. Games are played over 10 venues in 9 cities being Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Polokwane, Nelspruit, and Rustenburg. This is the first time the tournament is held in the African continent after South Africa beat Morocco and Egypt in the bid to host the 2010 World Cup.

The official mascot of the 2010 cup is Zakumi, a leopard with green hair and wearing green and yellow, the national colours of South Africa. The ball manufactured by Adidas and used in this tournament is called “Jabulani”, meaning ‘joy to everyone’ in Zulu.

Italy won the last FIFA tournament in 1996. Who do you think will win 2010 FIFA World Cup?

Further information and schedule of games on the 2010 FIFA World Cup may be obtained from:

http://www.worldcupsoccersite.info

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London has 13 professional football teams at present, with 5 of those teams competing at the top level in the English Premier League. Of these top flight teams, arsenal and chelsea hold the most prestige in terms of recent honours, but on their day Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham and Fulham are all capable of troubling even the best at their respective home grounds.

For visiting fans, getting to most of London’s football stadia is relatively straight forward given the city’s comprehensive public transport network. In fact, as most of the Premier League grounds are serviced by either a regular bus route or are in close proximity to an underground station, this means the car can be left at home.

Ticket prices vary depending on the stadium of choice, your seat and the opponents on the day. It’s not surprising that tickets to watch arsenal and chelsea are amongst the more expensive in the Premier League, whilst the general availability of tickets – particularly for the big matches – can often be scarce. But a bit of forward planning will pay dividends, especially if you get to see the top teams battle it out in front of a packed stadium.

Indeed, just being in the stadium and taking in the atmosphere is worth the entry fee alone. London derbies always provide fanatical support, and the same can be said when other big teams such as manchester united or liverpool come to town. The average capacity of Premier League grounds in London is around 40,000 supporters, with arsenal’s newly built Emirates Stadium being the exception at over 60,000; however, plans to build a new stadium for Tottenham Hotspur are well under way.

Of course, the ultimate football experience in London is to watch a game at the new 90,000 capacity Wembley Stadium. The stadium is famed for its history, as well as the striking tall Arch that spans high above the stadium, which can be seen from across London. Some of the most important matches in the football calendar are played out at Wembley, so if you get the chance be sure to purchase a ticket.

A visit to London has much to offer, but as you can see it is far from complete without taking in the city’s favoured sport. But is important to plan your journey in advance if you wish to experience a football game on your visit, as match tickets to the top games – as well as the availability of the London hotels – can book up fast.

Andrew Regan writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

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