Week 7 : English Premier League Review, Fun Facts, Highlights and Transfer Rumours

This week kicked off with the well anticipated Merseyside derby where big money signings Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez scored for Liverpool as they help there team defeat there neighbours. There was great controversy in this game where Everton supporters where seen throwing coins at Liverpool players.  The Match review committee and the Football Association (FA) will take these matters in there hands. Aston Villa beat relegation favourites Wigan Athletic at Villa Park with first and second half goals Agbonlahor and Darren Bent. Villa are now sitting pretty in 7th place with great momentum. 

Manchester City sent Blackburn packing early at E'Wood park where they won convincingly 4-0 thanks to goals from Johnson, Balotelli, Nasri and Savic. They remain equal first with there local rivals Manchester United, who were too good at Old Trafford against the inexperienced Norwich City thanks to goals from the Brazilian Anderson and the youngster  Danny Wellbeck.

Surprisingly there was only one drawn game this whole week which would have kept punters happy. This was between mid table clubs Sunderland AFC and West Bromwich Albion(WBA) which ended up 2-2.  Two very early goals from WBA in the 4' and 5' minute looked to have secured there team a victory until late goals and equaliser from Bendtner and Egyptian International Al- Muhammady made things level. Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bolton both lost at home as there one goal each was not enough to secure victory. Newcastle United toppled Wolves thanks to goals from Ba and Argentinian Jonas Gutierrez, whilst a hat trick from Lampard and a double from Sturridge sealed the defeat to Bolton. 

Week 7 provided the biggest victory so far this EPL season with a 6-0 victory to Fulham as QPR where left humiliated. QPR fans were seen leaving as early as the 38th minute. This game also provided Andy Johnsons' first ever hat trick for Andy Johnson. 

The North London derby between Tottenham and Arsenal provided great entertainment as a Kyle Walker stunner gave Tottenham the lead, a coincidently the victory as Arsenal could not get the late equaliser. The final game between Swansea and stoke ended in a 2-0 victory to Swansea as they were too good at home thanks to a Sinclair penalty and a late Danny Graham goal. 

Highlights  - 

Fun facts : In the 2005/06 season Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 1000th goal for Manchester United in there entire Premier League history.  Before Barclays sponsored the EPL, it was sponsored by Carling. English International David James has played more games then any other player.  In 1995-1996 David Pleat was the manager of the now relegated Sheffield Wednesday.

Transfer Rumours:  Premier League new boys Queens Park Ranger are looking to purchase Gary Hooper for $7 mill next summer. Didier Drogba could be heading to the other side of London to join Wenger as he is yet to re-sign an extention with Chelsea.  Tottenham are looking to tempt English International Gabriel Agbonlahor next transfer window.  Finally AC Milan are interested in signing Gary  Cahill , although they will have a fight in there hands.

Week 6 : English Premier League Review, Fun Facts, Highlights and Transfer Rumours

This week in the English Premier League we witnessed many upsets, many stunning goals and as usual conuntless controversial decisions. The week kicked off on saturday night where goals from high earners Mario Balotelli and James Milner helped overcome Everton as they slump to a defeat.
Arsenal picked up some form as a double from Dutch International Robin Van Persie and a late goal from Alexander Song helped the Gunners defeat Bolton Wanderers as they were kept scoreless away from home. Chelsea piled on four goals to help rediscover there EPL dominance despite the fact Fernando Torres was sent off for indiscipline behaviour. Torres however did start the scoring followed by a double from the Brazilian Ramires and Didier Drogba.
Liverpool and Newcastle United both earned victories as they both remain in the top 6 of the Ladder. The two prominent clubs have showed others why they will be hard to beat at home. Demba Ba was man of the match in the Newcastle game as he scored his first EPL hat- trick. Suarez was given the match ball after his perfomance for Liverpool as his goal separated both teams.
There were two games this week which ended up in a 1-1 (all) draw where Stoke halted Manchester United win streak  thanks to an equaliser from Peter Crouch early in the second half. The other game being referred is the Aston Villa v Queens Park Rangers where Traore scored a last minute goal which earned his team a point.
The last two games of the round both provided 2-1 victories for Tottenham and Norwich City. Late goals from Diame and Kieran Richardson from the two teams couldn't provided a spirited comeback for there team or fans.

Highlights

Fun Facts: There were 1.2 million public internet sessions at EPL in 2011 which is a 14% increase from 2010. Wigan Athletics JJB stadium only holds 25,000 seats, however it is not as low as teams like Portsmouth FC and Blackpool who both had under 20,000 seats.

Transfer Rumours : The Gunners are looking to bring in Valencia's Pablo Hernandez in next summer. Arsenal are also looking to bring in Schalke's  Benedikt Howedes to partner Mertesacker. Liverpool are looking to bring in South Korean International Ki Seung- Yeung  who is looking to leave Celtic FC.
Paris Saint Germain and Valencia are in a two horse race for Manchester United Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov.

Week 5 : English Premier League Review, Fun Facts, Highlights and Transfer Rumours

Another week of EPL, another week of controversy, heartbreak, joy and new heroes.  The week began in the Liverpool v Tottenham game, where 2 red cards to Skrtel and Charlie Adam gave the Yiddo Army plenty of Joy as Tottenham scored 4 goals to move into the top half of the ladder.  Newcastle United drew to Aston Villa as Agbonlahor and Leon Best continue to score for there clubs.
Norwich City scored two goals in the first half, and their job was made even easier when Croatian International Ivan Klasnic was sent off as Bolton continued to struggle as they lost the game at home. There fans booed them off the pitch, as their manager was left speechless. Arsenal thought they would breeze home after an early goal to Gervinho who was back from his 3 match suspension. They were wrong they slumped to Blackburn who piled on 4 goals as Arsenal lost 4-3 which left there coach Wenger fuming.
The battle of the blues provided 4 goals as Everton defeated Wigan Athletic 3-1 as Royston Drenthe sealed all three points with his stoppage time stunner.  Wolverhampton started the season on a high, but now there have lost there second successive game as there opponents blew them off the park thanks to goals from new boy Joey Barton, Faurlin and Campbell.  Wolves Midlands neighbours West Browmich Albion also lost 3 nil thanks to first half goals from Sinclair and Leroy Lita. The game was all but over few minutes after the break as Dyer completed the rout.
Fulham made a sensational comeback at the Cottage thanks to two late goals from Bobby Zamora and Danny Murphy. Manchester City were helpless and are now two points of the top of the table and will now find it hard to gain top spot.
Sunderland Manager Steve Bruce spent heavily in the off season and it proved successful as goals from Craig Gardner and the Swedish maestro Sebastian Larrson helped the wearsiders to score 4 un-answered goals to help them move up the rankings.
The Game of the week between Manchester United and Chelsea provided the 75,000 Old Trafford faithful great entertainment. Chris Smalling scored an unlikely goal at the 8th minute which kicked things off for the home team. Nani and Rooney continued to give there home supporters more to smile about as they piled on two more goals. The game however wasn't done yet as Chelseas big purchase signing Torres scored a cracker of a goal shortly after the interval. However he missed an easy opportunity later on after he scored which would have had his rivals nervous, as Manchester United went on to win the game and re-claim top spot.

Highlights - Week 5 

Fun Facts: Thierry Henry holds the most assist in a season with 35 in the 02/03 season. What makes this statistic even more impressive, he even scored 25 goals that season. Only 2 of Dwight Yorkes 122 goals has been outside the 18 yard box. Gary Speed has played over 500 games and not one of them he spent on the bench.

Transfer Rumours:  North East Rivals Sunderland and Newcastle are said to be in a bidding war for the African striker Modibo Maiga.  AC Milan are  expecting to bid $12 million for Tottenham Midfielder Van Der Vaart in the January Transfer season, even though Redknapp has stated on many occassions him and Modric are not for sale.  Paco Alacer is a young hot prospect who is attracting great interest from Arsenal and Liverpool. Valencia are trying to hold him down long term before rival teams purchase him.

Week 4 : English Premier League Review, Fun Facts, Highlights and Transfer Rumours

The English Premier League kicked off with a bang again, with no less than 8 teams providing there opponents scoreless. Andrey Arshavin was the difference between the two teams as Arsenal held off Swansea City at the Emirates as he helped his struggling club to climb the table.  Walters didn't have the best day at the office as his own goal separated the two sides with Stoke City holding on to beat there Merseyside opponents.

Everton were held at home to Aston Villa, thanks to a late equaliser from the English International Gabriel Agbonlahor.  Sergio Aguero continues to shine in the blue and white strip as his hat trick sent Wigan Athletic home looking for answers. 

The two London teams Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea both won away from home as Bolton Wanderers moved down to rock bottom, as well as Wolverhampton Wanderers began to lose form. Manchester United continued to challenge there neighbours, as they thumped there opponents 5-0 thanks to a stunning hat trick from Wayne Rooney. 

Peter Odemwingie scored the only goal against Norwich City as his team earned three points and proved to there opponents they are not relegation contenders. 

The final two games of the English Premier League resulted in draws as Newcastle continued there great streak , as they are yet to be defeated in all of there games whilst blackburn and Fulham both were not able to come home with a respectable results for their fans. 

Highlights -  Week 4

Fun Facts: The English Premier League is extremely popular in Asia. There is a $2.9 billion budget in England alone, and $2.3 billion outside England alone. 

Even though every club has a massive revenue coming in, there is an $800 million loss between all the clubs

Transfer Rumours:  James Mcfadden is said to have had a successful trial with Wolves and will sign on the dotted line in the coming weeks. Harry Redknapp is keen to sign Spanish sensation Anderr Herrera for $20 million

Week 3 : English Premier League Review, Fun Facts, Highlights and Transfer Rumours

The third week of the Premier League was immense with many upsets and ridiculous score lines that surprised many fans. The game of the week between Manchester United and Arsenal provided us with a 10 goal thriller where United trounced Arsenal, as there season of misery continues. Wayne Rooney bagged a hat trick and remains top goalscorer. This scoreline did has put great pressure on Wenger who has yet to win a trophy in the last six seasons.
The battle of the birmingham clubs Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers ended in a  stalemate with many missed opportunities by both sets of strikers who failed to capitalise. The same scoreline was also seen in the Swansea City and Sunderland game, where the wearsiders had majority of position but could not put there name on the scoresheet.
Manchester City and Chelsea both showed on the field that money talks as they both beat there rivals convincingly, with an impressive tally notched up by Edin Dzeko. Fernando Torres is still yet to score this season and has not lived up to his $50 million price tag.
The Toon where highly impressive and remain in the top 4 as a Leon Best double secured all three points for the Tynesiders.  Liverpool , Wigan Athletic and Everton where all courageous on the field and it showed on the scorelines as they all narrowly scraped home and lifted there teams morales and more importantly there position on the table.

Highlights  - Week 3

Fun Facts:  The very first goal scored in The EPL was scored by Brian Deane from Sheffield United.  Ryan Giggs' father was also an International Footballer who represented Wales and finally Alan Shearer is still the Top Goalscorer in the EPL

Transfer Rumours
New Russian Club Anzhi Mackhachkala are rumoured to be offering English duo Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard contracts paying $13 million a year over two years.  Chelsea have their eyes on Borussia Dortmund wiz kid Ilkay Gundongan and are looking to open negotiations with him.  Roberto Mancini is looking to re-bid for Danielle De Rossi with an expected $8 million bid in the January transfers.

Week 2 : English Premier League Review, Fun Facts, Highlights and Transfer Rumours

Week two kicked off with the Tyne-Wear derby where Newcastle united upset there local rivals Sunderland with a fabulous set piece from Ryan Taylor who curled the ball in the top right corner which left Mignolet helpless in the 1-0 defeat.  Arsenals performance didn't change as they still struggle with there main playmaker Fabregas leaving to sign with FC Barcelona as they dumped to a two nil defeat to there long time rivals liverpool. Swansea City and Wigan Athletic game provided little attack , which was proven with zero goals between both teams.
Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester City continued with there winning start with both winning comprehensively seeing them both equal first. Aston Villa and Chelsea were also on the winning sheet as they aim to show other teams that they are the real deal this campaign and that outgoing transfers and new managers will not have a slow and long impact as expected.
The most hyped game of the week between Manchester United and Tottenham provided entertainment to the 75,000 Old Trafford faithful who saw there team triumph in a 3 -0 victory where Rooney, Wellbeck and Anderson are now beginning to form a goal tally for the season. Manchester United are the best team in the EPL at home and didn't look like they were in trouble at any point, especially when arguebly Tottenham's best player Luka Modric didnt play as he aims to leave the club to sign with South London Rivals Chelsea

Highlights - Week 2 

Fun Facts :  Newcastle has not won a trophy since the 1969 Fairs Cup Final. Rooney at the Age of 24 has recently had a hair transplant.


Transfer Rumours: Luka Modric is aiming to force his way to Chelsea alongside Juan Mata.  Manchester City tycoons have not thought about stopping their spending anytime soon with a bid for Samir Nasri likely to be accepted by Arsenal. Bolton aim to tie up three players this week Ngog for 4 mill alongside Shaun Wright Phillips for 2 mill as well as Boyata.  Wolves will offer Jimmy Bullard a contract after Hull City sacked after in the pre season because of his antics.

Here We Go - The Season Begins

Its that time of the year again, where millions of people unite together to watch The World Game, also known as Football. As usual the Premier League started off with controversy in the Newcastle Arsenal Game, where bad boy Joey once again caused controversy in the scoreless game.

Week One and already the prominent group known as the 'Top 4' Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal have already dropped points, with 2 games ending in a scoreless draw and Liverpool failing to contain there lead against Sunderland AFC. 

Queens Park Rangers, Norwich City were two teams who were promoted in this years EPL 11/12 season. They continued the trend from recent years where promoted teams struggled in the more intense and physical premier league. QPR lost convincingly to Bolton, whilst Norwich drew to relegation favourites Wigan Athletic. 

The London riots in North london seem to be ongoing still, therefore has the Tottenham Swansea game was postponed. Its a shame that politics can at times affect football, but this is not new as many hooligans have tried to ruin the number one played game in South America , Australasia and Europe. 

The 'World Game' Blog will be here weekly previewing and analysing all the latest football games and results; as well as aiming to answer all your questions and suggestions.


Highlights - Week 1

Fun Facts: Samuel Eto'o is the highest paid player, estimated to be on $500,000 AUD a week. Even though Kevin Prince Boateng and George Boateng are brothers they both respectively represent different countries.


Transfer Rumours: Everton are on high alert after $7mill defender Liam Ridgwell efforts to sign with West Ham broke down. Marseille coach Desailly claims Arsenal are looking to have Lucho Gonzalez on  loan. Tottenham are chasing $9mill superstar Hugo Rodallega and are the front runners as Wigan manager Martinez knows his playmaker is keen to move to a bigger club.