Fantasy Football 2011/12 - The npower Championship

The opening game of 'The Championship' football season kicks-off in just 48 hours, when Hull City host Blackpool, and I have decided to take part in the forthcoming Texaco sponsored Championship Fantasy Football league for the 2011/12 season.

In doing so I shall be pitting my wits against friends and football fans around the country in an attempt to gain some bragging rights, and similarly dent a few egos of those fans who 'believe' they know everything about the second tier of English football.

I shall attempt to keep you updated throughout the season on my progress, good or bad as I suffer like any football manager does by trying to select an initial starting eleven of the best players available, without exceeding my 'fictitious' set budget.

Then as every week passes I will have to cope with injuries, suspensions, players moving clubs, along with 'jettisoning my flops' - those players that promised so much but failed to deliver! Then as the manager of my team I will be responsible for any wheeling and dealing in the transfer market, whilst keeping within my financial means.

Click on this link for the rules on how to pick your team, score points and make transfers.

The 'Team of the Season' for 2010/11 in terms of top points scorers in their respective positions was as follows:

Goalkeeper: Paddy Kenny (QPR).

Defenders - Angel Rangel (Swansea), Ian Harte (Reading, pictured right), Clint Hill (QPR), Ashley Williams (Swansea).

Midfielders - Lewis McGugan (Nottm Forest), Max Gradel (Leeds), Andy King (Leicester), Adel Taarabt (QPR).

Strikers - Danny Graham (Watford), Grant Holt (Norwich).



Here is my team to start the 2011/12 campaign:

Goalkeeper:

Kelvin Davies (Southampton).

Defenders:

Ian Evatt (Blackpool, pictured right), Jose Fonte (Southampton), Anthony Gerrard (Cardiff), Sean St Ledger (Leicester).

Midfield:

Kevin Nolan (West Ham and Captain), George Boyd (Peterborough), Robert Snodgrass (Leeds), Lee Bowyer (Ipswich).

Strikers:

Rickie Lambert (Southampton, pictured right), Rob Earnshaw (Cardiff).


If you fancy playing and you want to prove you know the most about the beautiful game then go head-to-head with your friends, work colleagues or family by logging onto Texaco Fantasy Football and sign up right away.

It's free to play and there's plenty up for grabs including: npower Championship Play-off Final tickets, VIP 'behind the scenes' experiences at your favourite npower Championship club, Texaco fuel vouchers, signed shirts, mini-footballs, and even the chance to meet your club's manager!

If you miss the opening match deadline (the new season gets underway at 19:45 on Friday 5th August), don't worry just join the league as soon as you can. Remember the competition is not won in the first week of the season, but in May of next year.

Good Luck!

All The Latest Transfer Gossip

With the English Football League season kicking off a week today and the Premier League season in two weeks time, transfer speculation is rife in the UK and right across Europe at the moment. Some of the biggest names in world football, even at this late stage, do not know where they will be plying their trade this coming season, while many clubs are desperately trying to put the the final touches to their squads before the big kick-off. Although the transfer window remains open until the end of August, I am sure most clubs would like to have their squads in place sooner rather than later, as last minute signings can sometimes be seen as panic buys, often bought at over-inflated prices!

Tottenham, Arsenal, Valencia, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Chelsea, Manchester City, Juventus, AS Roma, Sao Paulo, Liverpol, Palermo, Manchester United, AIK Solna, Lazio, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Sporting Lisbon, Fiorentina, Inter Milan, Napoli, Genoa, Bayer Leverkusen, Sunderland, Wigan, Newcastle, Fulham, Liverpool, Bolton, Newcastle, Galatasaray, Blackburn, Everton, Stoke, Wolves, QPR, Birmingham, Lokomotiv Moscow, Marseille, West Ham, Leicester, Fulham, Bolton, Swansea and Nottingham Forest............are all currently caught up in transfer gossip.

Is your club involved?

Tottenham have tabled a bid of around £22m for Arsenal target Juan Mata. The Valencia winger is open to a move to the Premier League and Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is a fan of the 23-year-old but he is yet to make a formal offer - Daily Mirror

Juventus have reached an agreement with AS Roma for forward Mirko Vucinic (right), La Gazzetta dello Sport has revealed. They have now agreed to pay Roma €15 million over the course of three years - soccernews.com & footballpress.net

Roma have also confirmed that Argentine defender Gabriel Heinze will join the club on a free transfer after the player left Marseille in June. Roma have signed the player on a one year deal - Internationalbusinesstimes.com

AC Milan chief Adriano Galliani has reiterated that neither Cesc Fabregas nor Kaka are on the Italian champions' radar this summer.

Arsenal captain Fabregas has been strongly linked with a £40million move to Barcelona this summer, but reports recently emerged that the Rossoneri had joined the hunt for his signature. Chelsea and Manchester City have previously been linked with Real Madrid striker Kaka this summer, while Tottenham are believed to have emerged as his latest suitors - skysports.com

Liverpool and Tottenham are set to go head-to-head for the signature of Sao Paulo midfielder Lucas, according to reports in Brazil - talkSPORT

Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini has revealed that Javier Pastore is on the verge of completing a move to Paris Saint-Germain for a fee in the region of €43m. Chelsea were thought to be chasing the talented youngster's signature, but it appears they have been beaten to the punch by the French Ligue 1 outfit - skysports.com & soccernews.com

Manchester United are tracking another teenage strker - Teteh Bangura (right) of Swedish side AIK Solna. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has sent brother and chief scout Martin to assess the Sierra Leone international - talkSPORT

After being frustrated in their rumoured £40m pursuit of Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder, Manchester United will switch their attentions to Lazio midfielder and Slovakia captain Marek Hamsik, who is available at a less costly £25m - fanatix.com/football

Despite recent rumours that Arsenal's Danish international Nicklas Bendtner (23) is about to join Sporting Lisbon, Leões chairman Carlos Freitas has reportedly denied it, calling it "just fictitious news" - footballpress.net

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has made a move for Fiorentina winger Alessio Cerci, according to reports in Italy - Gazzetta dello Sport

Meanwhile, Manchester City and Inter Milan will hold talks over a swap deal involving strikers Carlos Tevez and Samuel Eto'o this weekend - Daily Telegraph

The agent of Inter Milan forward Goran Pandev has hinted that his client would be interested in a move to Napoli. The FYR Macedonia international rejected a move to Genoa in exchange for Rodrigo Palacio, but his agent has now hinted that Naples is his preferred destination - soccernews.com & footballpress.net

AS Roma star Daniele De Rossi, who is a target from Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United will not be leaving the Stadio Olimpico this summer despite being out of contract in twelve months' time -Internationalbusinesstimes.com

Dimitar Berbatov's agent says the Manchester United striker will not be leaving the club, even if the Premier League champions sign another forward this summer - Inside Futbol

Several English clubs including Wigan, Sunderland and Newcastle are targeting Bayer Leverkusen's Swiss international winger Tranquillo Barnetta (right) - skysports.com

Everton are considering a move to sign Manchester City's Adam Johnson on a season-long loan. Johnson is behind midfielder David Silva in the City pecking order, and may feel he needs a move if he wants to keep his place in the England squad in the run-up to Euro 2012 - Daily Mirror

Having publicly declared he would not leave Tottenham for the northeast of England after Newcastle United showed interest, striker Jermain Defoe could be the subject of a bid by London neighbours Fulham - Footie Online

Liverpool are plotting a £15m double defender deal for Newcastle United's Jose Enrique and Birmingham City's Scott Dann - fanatix.com/football

Bolton Wanderers boss Owen Coyle has set a deadline of this weekend for the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs to come forward with an acceptable bid for defender Gary Cahill - Bolton News

Stoke, Wolves and top-flight newcomers QPR are all thought to be interested in the former Republic of Ireland international Birmingham right-back Stephen Carr - skysports.com

Queens Park Rangers manager Neil Warnock is lining up a loan deal for Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha - Daily Mail

Warnock also plans to make Tottenham striker Robbie Keane, 31, his last signing of the summer - The Sun

Real Madrid's, French international defender Lassana Diarra (26), has been targeted by Galatasaray, who are ready to offer €8m for him - footballpress.net

Argentinian striker Mariano Pavone, who is a free agent after buying out the remaining year of his contract at Real Betis, has confirmed that talks with Blackburn over a potential move have completely broken down. The 29-year-old had agreed a three-year deal contract at Ewood Park but the Premier League side were unable to finalise the deal - skysports.com

Blackburn are in talks to sign Romania striker Ciprian Marica (right) on a free transfer, having moved ahead of Marseille and Lokomotiv Moscow in the race for his services, after he left German side Stuttgart -Daily Mirror

West Ham have confirmed the signing of midfielder Joey O'Brien on a free transfer after he was released by Bolton earlier this summer - skysports.com

Birmingham City are closing in on the signing of former West Ham United utility player Jonathan Spector. The 25-year-old is available on a free transfer after his contract at West Ham expired - skysports.com

Big-spending Championship side Leicester are to bid £4m-plus for Birmingham striker Cameron Jerome, who is also a target for Premier League sides Stoke, Fulham and Bolton - Daily Mirror

Swansea City have had a third bid of £1.8million turned down by Nottingham Forest for goalkeeper Lee Camp - skysports.com

All The Latest Transfer Gossip

Transfer speculation is rife as we approach the beginning of July. It looks like some of the 'bigger' domestic and European clubs are going to have to pay top dollar to secure the services of some of the players they feel will help them land trophies next season.

On the flip of the coin a lot of players will become free agents on the 1st July.
A free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired, and who is thus eligible to sign for another club. In some instances this gives some of the less affluent clubs the chance to pick up some experienced players without the initial expense of a transfer fee, before personal terms are agreed. However the power is with the players as they use the fact that there is no transfer fee involved to often negotiate a financial package including wages, in excess of what they were earning at their previous club.

Expect some major financial wheeling and dealing to take place in July, as clubs fight it out to lure the most sought after players to 'their' club. Meanwhile many of the free agents will more often than not find they have more than one club to choose from, and it may well all boil down to which club can afford to offer the player the most money!
It is at this time of year in the world of football that the infamous phrase "show me the money," which first came to prominence in the 1996 movie 'Jerry Maguire' seems most apt.

Chelsea, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Barcelona, Manchester United, Valencia, Manchester City, Porto, Fiorentina, Partizan Belgrade, AZ Alkmaar, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Liverpool, Blackpool, Bayer Leverkusen, Wigan, Sochaux, Galatasaray, West Brom, Stoke, Birmingham, Monaco, West Ham, Newcastle, Bolton, Crystal Palace, Leicester, Peterborough, Reading, Sunderland, Derby, Barnsley, Dundee United, Cardiff and Tranmere......................are all currently caught up in transfer gossip.

Is your club involved?

Chelsea's Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essien is for sale and already attracting interest from various clubs. Bayern Munich have now joined AC Milan and Real Madrid in the chase to sign the 28-year-old, who is worth at least 28 million Euros - footballpress.net

Manchester United are confident of being able to sign Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri, 23, for £20m - caughtoffside.com

Barcelona have turned down a £15million offer from Manchester United for Spanish Euro Under-21 Championships star Thiago Alcântara (right) - footballpress.net

Alcântara may in fact end up at Arsenal as a makeweight in the Cesc Fábregas deal, though other sources believe that Barcelona are preparing a £31m straight-cash offer for the Arsenal midfielder that should land on a desk in north London sometime today - The Guardian

Arsenal have made Valencia midfielder Juan Mata, another star of Spain's U21 side, their top summer transfer target. The Gunners have offered £18m for the 23-year-old - Daily Mail

Barcelona star David Villa has quashed rumours linking him to Chelsea and Manchester City, claiming he wants to end his career at Barcelona. The 29-year-old joined the Catalans last summer for €40 million and went on to score 23 goals in all competitions as the Spanish giants claimed the double with the Primera Liga and the Champions League - Internationalbusinesstimes.com

Manchester City are lining up a triple swoop for Fiorentina midfielder Alessio Cerci, 23 (right), Partizan Belgrade defender Stefan Savic, 20, and 24-year-old Argentina international keeper Sergio Romero from AZ Alkmaar - The Sun & The Guardian

Manchester City will need to spend a club record £36m if they want to land Brazilian forward Givanildo Vieira de Souza aka 'Hulk' from Porto - Daily Star & The Guardian

Bayern Munich are interested in Manchester United winger and Portugal international Nani. An attempt to sign him will be made if Franck Ribery is sold - footballpress.net

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas will make a double raid on Tottenham with a £60m bid for midfielder Luka Modric and the left-sided Gareth Bale - caughtoffside.com

Bayern Munich admit they are waiting on news in their bids for Manchester City's Jerome Boateng and Bayer Leverkusen's Arturo Vidal. Boateng has already revealed that he has agreed terms with Bayern, but as yet they cannot agree a fee with Manchester City - skysports.com

Liverpool are close to completing the signing of Charlie Adam, the Blackpool midfielder, with Jonjo Shelvey moving in the opposite direction on a season-long loan. The Anfield club are also set to sign Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing (right) - The Independent

If Downing leaves, then Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish plans to spend half of the estimated £18m asking price on Wigan's Charles N'Zogbia as a direct replacement - Daily Mail

Aston Villa are also interested in signing Stoke winger Matthew Etherington as a replacement for Ashley Young - Daily Mail

Aston Villa are plotting an audacious £14million bid to bring James Milner back from Manchester City - The Mirror

Chelsea have been told they can have Arda Turan (right) from Galatasaray, but only if the Turks get £7m and Didier Drogba in return - The Sun & The Guardian

West Brom have joined the race to sign Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge, along with Newcastle, Stoke and Bolton, where he scored eight goals on loan last season - The Sun & The Guardian

Stoke will make a joint bid in the region of £8m for Birmingham duo Scott Dann and Cameron Jerome. Stoke are also keen on £4m-rated Monaco defender Cédric Mongongu. Meanwhile Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen could be on his way to West Ham - Daily Mirror & The Guardian

Peterborough United's director of football Barry Fry has confirmed the club have accepted an offer from Leicester City for Craig Mackail-Smith - skysports.com

Sochaux starlet Ryad Boudebouz claims Liverpool have expressed an interest in acquiring his services. That has opened the door for Liverpool to make an approach, with tentative discussions regarding a possible move to Anfield already underway - skysports.com

Leicester City are set to win the race to sign Neil Danns (right). The 28-year-old is available on a Bosman transfer as his contract with Crystal Palace is set to expire and he has decided to leave Selhurst Park. A host of clubs have been chasing the midfielder, with both of the Old Firm, Celtic and Rangers, holding talks, and the likes of Bolton, Hull City and Southampton are all understood to have made moves for him - skysports.com

Newcastle are interested in Manchester United midfielder Darron Gibson (23), and will try to hijack his planned move to Sunderland - footballpress.net

Sunderland are also preparing a £7m bid for Reading's Shane Long - The Guardian

Dundee United manager Peter Houston has confirmed talks have been held with several clubs regarding in-demand striker David Goodwillie. SPL champions Rangers have made an approach along with Championship clubs Blackpool and Cardiff. Cardiff are rumoured to be favourites to win the chase - skysports.com

Dale Jennings has signalled his intention to sign for one of the biggest clubs in the world as negotiations with his club Tranmere Rovers and Bayern Munich reached a critical stage last night. Tranmere are understood to have negotiated a package of around £500,000 up front for the 18-year-old striker in a deal that could rise to £1.5 million - The Independent

Derby County defender Miles Addison has agreed to join Barnsley on a six-month loan deal - skysports.com

Sven has a point to prove to City - FA Cup Betting News with Betfred

versus

Sven Göran-Eriksson welcomes his former club Manchester City to the Walkers Stadium for an FA Cup third round tie this weekend, looking to get one over on the team that sacked him.

The Swede was the last manager to lead City to the top of the Premier League during his one season in charge at Eastlands. The club cruelly axed him and that was followed by ill-fated stints at Mexico and Notts County before he arrived at Championship side Leicester City earlier this season.

The Premier League club will undoubtedly go into this FA Cup clash as favourites, and are 4/6 in the football betting to get the victory, but Eriksson has yet to taste defeat at the Walkers Stadium during his time in charge.

He has worked to bring in some experienced Premier League performers to Leicester, with striker Darius Vassell (8/1 to score the first goal) also set to line-up against his former employers on Saturday.

City's millionaires are riding high in the Premier League but there are certainly tensions bubbling under the surface at Eastlands and Roberto Mancini has to work very hard to keep tensions under wraps and the training ground a happy place.

Silverware would be welcomed with open arms at Eastlands this season and the club's hierarchy may see the FA Cup as a great chance for the club to get some glory. But it will be interesting to see what side Mancini puts out at Leicester, with the Championship side priced as 9/2 outsiders with Betfred.

The football predictions suggest the home side don't stand a chance, but City have already suffered something of an upset at the hands of West Brom in the Carling Cup this season.

That said even a City reserve side would be expected to steamroller over their Championship opposition. However Leicester are a transformed side under Eriksson, and the Swede will certainly be looking to prove a point to his former employers, who dismissed him in June 2008.

My Tip of the Weekend:

Leicester are a dangerous force at Walkers Stadium and 11/4 for the Championship side to shock their Premier League opponents and get a draw looks a real prospect.
The 6/1 on offer with Betfred that the game ends 1-1 looks appealing.
Also Foxes' top scorer Andy King is a tasty 11/1 to open the scoring on Sunday, and add to the nine goals he has already netted this season.

Sunday 9th January: Leicester City v Manchester City, kick-off 4pm, live on ESPN.

By Drew Swainston
(Guest writer from Betfred on behalf of Beer Footy and Birds!)

A History of Idiosyncratic Events in Football – Part Two

-----Player Goal Droughts-----

The former Liverpool full-back Rob Jones (right) is often cited as a player who couldn't score.

While it's certainly true that the England international never once found the back of the net in 243 appearances for Liverpool between 1991 and 1999, it is fair to say that he was particularly unlucky, as he had an uncanny knack of hitting the woodwork with agonising regularity.

I would like to point out in defence of Rob that before joining 'The Reds' from Crewe Alexandra, where he started his professional career, he did score on two occasions for 'The Railwaymen.'

Goal-shyness is by no means uncommon in professional football, and the name of one other - now retired - player comes to mind as a long term sufferer.


Respect, please, though to Steve Whitworth, the stalwart defender who played 399 times for Leicester City between 1969 and 1979.

In all those matches Steve (back row,extreme left) scored just the once, although it was certainly a good 'un, and will stay in the memory of Leicester City fans forever!
He scored the only goal in the 1971 Charity Shield win over Liverpool, giving the City backroom staff a rare opportunity to break out the Brasso.





Whitworth did did not have to wait as long as Francis Benali (right) who scored his one and only goal for Southampton in his 11th season with the club - in the 1997/98 season.




Still, better late than never!