Fanhouse UK Football - liverpool

Premier League Rankings: Manchester United Make Push for Return to Summit

Ian Whittell — 2010-09-02T12:02:00-05:00

Filed under: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton, Birmingham, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Stoke City, Sunderland, Tottenham, West Ham, Wigan, Wolverhampton, FanHouse Rankings, West Brom, Newcastle, Blackpool

Welcome back to our regular look at who's hot and who's not in the world's best football competition.

Three weeks in and things should be settling down in the Premier League, right? Wrong.

Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United may be making the pace but, beneath them, there are all sorts of funny goings-on ... as you will see from our FanHouse Rankings.

FanHouse UK has used the latest, most in-depth objective statistical data, balanced with the purely subjective views of our expert staff, to come up with the answers.

All this - and much more - is revealed below (please note that the form guide includes results from the 2009-10 season) ...

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Sign Here Please: The Perfect Time for Liverpool to Tie Down Jamie Carragher

Neil Johnston — 2010-09-02T06:00:00-05:00

by Neil Johnston

Filed under: Liverpool

Roy Hodgson's honeymoon period as Liverool manager may have ended with the dismal 3-0 defeat at Manchester City, the night wantaway Javier Mascherano 'refused' to play for his club.

But it is fair to say Hodgson's first two months at Anfield have generally been regarded as a case of so far, so good.

The Eastlands result aside, Liverpool have overcome two tricky qualifiers to progress to the group stages of the Europa League, have their first Premier League win under the new manager's reign while Hodgson has a squad capable of bettering last season seventh placed finish.

Hodgson's PR skills have been impressive.

Persuading Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to stay, together with the signing of Joe Cole, has filled Anfield with renewed optimism.

Hodgson's decision to re-sign Fabio Aurelio after the full back was released by the previous regime was another indication of the hard work the former Fulham manager is doing behind the scenes.

Yet Hodgson has scope to raise his popularity among supporters even further when more than 30,000 are expected to descend upon Anfield for Jamie Carragher's testimonial on Saturday.

More than 13 years after first making his first team appearance, Liverpool-born Carragher remains a mainstay at the heart of the team's defence. Only six players have made more appearances for Liverpool while Carragher, by some distance, holds the record for most outings in European competition.

He was part of that famous Champions League triumph in Istanbul in 2005 and has also helped Liverpool win two FA Cups, two League Cups, the Uefa Cup and two Uefa Super Cups.

Carragher might not be at the peak of his form any longer, but the 32-year-old still possesses the ablity to shine head and shoulders above younger defenders around him.

Along with pal Gerrard, Carragher wears the red shirt with pride like Robbie Fowler, Kenny Dalgish and Kevin Keegan before them. Having been raised on Merseyside, the pair have a close bond with supporters unlike many foreign signings who have come and gone over the years.

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Liverpool Should Have Few Regrets Over Breakdown of Carlton Cole Deal

Neil Johnston — 2010-09-01T06:00:00-05:00

by Neil Johnston

Filed under: Liverpool

Roy Hodgson failed to secure the signing of PSV Eindhoven's Swedish forward Ola Toivonen, but there was some good news for Liverpool fans as transfer deadline day came and went at Anfield.

Carlton Cole may do a fine job for West Ham to the extent where he has persuaded Fabio Capello to select him in his squad for the start of England's Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.

But one cannot help but wonder that the collapse of Cole's proposed move to Anfield is a lucky escape for Liverpool.

Hodgson has made some shrewd signings since breezing into Anfield at the beginning of July. The arrival of Joe Cole was seen as a masterstroke, although one red card and one missed penalty later has left the former Chelsea man with plenty to make up for when he returns from suspension.

In addition to persuading Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to give his management a try, the former Fulham manager has also re-signed Fabio Aurelio and negotiated the arrival of Portugal international midfielder Raul Meireles following the departure of 'selfish' Javier Mascherano.

Brad Jones and Christian Poulsen will add depth to the squad while the jury is out on two-cap England defender Paul Konchesky.

Liverpool were already courting Danny Wilson before Hodgson, arrived while Serbian international Milan Jovanovic, who has impressed in his wide role, had agreed a pre-contract move to Merseyside from Standard Liege in February.

There is no doubt that the breakdown of Cole's move has left Liverpool over reliant on the form and fitness of Torres, a striker who has suffered two injury-plagued campaigns and, as Hodgson has conceded recently, is not fully recovered from the knee injury that has such an impact on his World Cup displays.

But would Cole really have been a fitting stand-in for Torres? David Ngog, five years younger than the West Ham player, may be raw, but has greater potential.

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The Big Winners and Losers of Summer Transfer Deadline Day 2010

Matt Butler — 2010-08-31T15:00:00-05:00

by Matt Butler

Filed under: Arsenal, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Stoke City, Tottenham, West Ham, Wigan, Champions League, Blackpool

This summer's transfer window was the quietest in four years in terms of money spent, even with Manchester City's frantic activity. But there were still enough shrewd deals and dodgy signings to keep us entertained - and as the window slams shut, we present the FanHouse verdict on the best and worst from the final hours of the window.

WINNERS
Tottenham
Spurs eh? They get into one Champions League group stage and they think they are Real Madrid. In truth they went one better, by apparently signing someone from the Spanish giants: Rafael van der Vaart, who arrived on a season-long loan from Real just in the nick of time before the window slammed shut. (At the time of writing, Spurs were claiming publicly that the paperwork was complete although we still await confirmation from the Premier League). Assuming the deal was successful, whether or not the Dutch midfielder proves to be a worthwhile addition to Harry Redknapp's squad is irrelevant. Just the fact they managed to convince him to leave Jose Mourinho and the Bernabeu is reason enough for Tottenham fans to safely proclaim they are now dining at the top table.

Manchester City
For keeping Shay Given and Emmanuel Adebayor - and making the window exciting by spending over £120 million. City may have been like kids in a sweet shop as they snapped up the likes of Mario Balotelli, James Milner and David Silva for over £20 million each, but they have shown a willingness to play hard ball with their star-heavy squad. Just ask Craig Bellamy, who is being paid a reported £50,000 a week by City as part of his loan move to Cardiff. Effectively, the Premiership multi-billionaires are paying the dissident Welshman that amount not to play for them and to play in another division. Similarly, Roque Santa Cruz was not permitted to join Tottenham this week for fears he would harm City by playing for a rival. Thus, Adebayor and Given were left in no doubt that they will have to stay at Eastlands to provide cover in the club's chase for honours.

Wigan
For two deals which could prove to be key to their survival. Roberto Martinez signed two starlets - Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley on a season-long loan deal and Chelsea's Franco Di Santo on a three-year contract - which could prove to be the difference between them staying up or plummeting down to the Championship. Cleverley, a gifted attacking midfielder whom Sir Alex Ferguson has spoken about as a potential successor to Cristiano Ronaldo, spent last season at second-tier Watford and proved indispensable in their successful battle to stay in the division, while Argentinian Di Santo has shown flashes of potential both at Stamford Bridge and on loan at Blackburn.

Birmingham
For beating Liverpool and Tottenham to a transfer coup. It says something for Alex McLeish's work in raising the Blues' standing in the world that they not only attract ex-Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb from Barcelona, but they can outdo Liverpool and Tottenham in getting their man. As a deadline-day bonus they managed to get rid of the less-than prolific Marcus Bent to Midlands rivals Wolves on loan - and also secured the signing of Chile winger Jean Beausejour, who turned heads in South Africa at the 2010 World Cup.

West Ham
For hanging on to Scott Parker. They might not have much cause for celebration this season, but co-chairman David Sullivan won the hearts of fans by staying true to his word in refusing to entertain any bids for star man Parker. The easy option would have been to sell him, especially given the club's debts. And Tottenham did their best to test his resolve by tabling two offers - and the player himself looked to be weighing up his options by stalling on a new deal - but Sullivan stood firm.

Stoke
For making the Potteries attractive. Manager Tony Pulis would have been well within his rights to rest on his laurels after Stoke City's 11th-place finish last term. But he has embarked on a busy strengthening spree this summer, culminating in the deadline-day acquisitions of ex-Barcelona and Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen from Monaco, former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant from Real Zaragoza and Portsmouth's Marc Wilson. This trio arrived after the record-breaking purchase of Kenwyne Jones from Sunderland and the arrival of Carlo Nash from Everton, among others - but the best bit of business was to refuse to give into Asmir Begovic's demands for a move, even when the petulant goalkeeper refused to play.

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Premier League Transfer Deadline Day As It Happened

Scott Murray — 2010-08-31T05:30:00-05:00

by Scott Murray

Text commentary of transfer deadline day in the Premier League.

Click here for club-by-club listing of summer's ins and outs.

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Transfer Window Latest: The Definitive Guide to Your Club's Ins and Outs

Ian Whittell — 2010-08-31T05:30:00-05:00

by Ian Whittell

Filed under: Transfer News, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton, Birmingham, Burnley, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Hull City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Portsmouth, Stoke City, Sunderland, Tottenham, West Ham, Wigan, Wolverhampton, West Brom, Newcastle, Blackpool

A feverish summer of transfer activity is winding down to a juddering halt.

Here is your complete club-by-club guide to the comings and goings through August 30.

For live commentary of transfer deadline day as it happened, see the FanHouse UK minute-by-minute report.

ARSENAL
IN: Laurent Koscielny (Lorient) £8.5m, Sebastien Squillaci (Sevilla) £3.2m, Marouane Chamakh (Bordeaux) Free, Kyle Ebecillo (Feyenoord) Free, Phil Roberts (Norwich City) Free.

OUT: Eduardo (Shakhtar Donetsk) £6m, Jay Simpson (Hull City) £1.2m, Luke Ayling (Yeovil Town) Free, Sol Campbell (Newcastle United) Free, William Gallas (Tottenham Hotspur) Free, Fran Merida (Atletico Madrid) Free, Philippe Senderos (Fulham) Free, Alie Sesay (Leicester City) Free, Mikael Silvestre (Werder Bremen) Free, Kyle Bartley (Sheffield United) Season Loan, Pedro Botelho (Catragena) Season Loan, Francis Coquelin (Lorient) Season Loan, Sanchez Watt (Leeds United) Season Loan, Luke Freeman (Yeovil Town) Six Month Loan, Armand Traore (Juventus) Loan, Nacer Barazite (Vitesse Arnhem) Loan.

ASTON VILLA
IN: Stephen Ireland (Manchester City) Part-exchange.

OUT: James Milner (Manchester City) £26m + part-exchange, Nicky Shorey (West Bromwich Albion) £1.5m, David Bevan (Walsall) Free, Jack Dyer (Burton Albion) Free, Marlon Harewood (Blackpool) Free, Stephen O'Halloran (Coventry City) Free, Harry Forrester (Kilmarnock) Five Month Loan.

BIRMINGHAM CITY
IN: Ben Foster (Manchester United) £6m, Nikola Zigic (Valencia) £6m, Enric Valles (NAC Breda) Free, Matt Derbyshire (Olympiakos) Season Loan, Jean Beausejour (Club America) Undisclosed, Alexander Hleb (Barcelona) Loan, Martin Jiranek (Spartak Moscow) Undisclosed.

OUT: Lee Carsley (Coventry City) Free, Artur Krysiak (Exeter City) Free, Franck Queudrue (Panionios) Free, Gary McSheffrey (Coventry City) Free, Jake Jervis (Notts County) Six Month Loan, Robin Shroot (Cheltenham Town) Six Month Loan, Luke Hibbins (Notts County) Five Month Loan, Colin Doyle (Coventry City) One Month Loan, Jordan Mutch (Watford) One Month Loan Marcus Bent (Wolves) Loan.

BLACKBURN ROVERS
IN: Hugo Fernandez (Union Deportiva Cornella) Nominal Fee, Benjani Mwaruwari (Manchester City) Free, Mame Biram Diouf (Manchester United) Season Loan.

OUT: Michael Hall (Accrington Stanley) Free, Andrew Howarth (Bury) Free, Marcus Marshall (Rotherham United) Free, Steven Reid (West Bromwich Albion) Free, Nick Blackman (Motherwell) Five Month Loan, Alex Marrow (Crystal Palace) Five Month Loan, Zurab Khizanishvili (Reading) Loan.

BLACKPOOL
IN: Chris Basham (Bolton Wanderers) £500,000 rising to £1m, Craig Cathcart (Manchester United) £500,000, Elliot Grandin (CSKA Sofia) Undisclosed, Ludovic Sylvestre (Mlada Boleslav) Undisclosed, Marlon Harewood (Aston Villa) Free, Dekel Keinan (Maccabi Haifa) Free, Malaury Martin (Monaco) Free, Luke Varney (Derby County) Season Loan, DJ Campbell (Leicester) Undisclosed, Matt Phillips (Wycombe) £325,000.

OUT: Al Bangura (Mersin idmanyurdu) Free, Hameur Bouazza (Arles-Avignon) Free, Ben Burgess (Notts County) Free, Daniel Nardiello (Exeter City) Free

BOLTON WANDERERS
IN: Marco Alonso (Real Madrid) £1.6m, Tom Eaves (Oldham Athletic) £350,000, Robbie Blake (Burnley) Free, Ivan Klasnic (Nantes) Free, Martin Petrov (Manchester City) Free, Rodrigo Moreno (Benfica) Loan.

OUT: Chris Basham (Blackpool) £500,000 rising to £1m, Ali Al-Habsi (Wigan Athletic) Season Loan, Zoltán Harsányi (Dunajská Streda) Free, Nicky Hunt (Bristol City) Free, Ricardo Vaz Te (Panionios) Free

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Why Raul Meireles Symbolises Roy Hodgson's Shrewd Work at Liverpool

Graham Chase — 2010-08-30T07:43:00-05:00

by Graham Chase

Filed under: Transfer News, Liverpool

Such was the low-key nature of the arrival of Raul Meireles that Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson told the media to wait and watch the player themselves, rather than describe the new arrival.

Meireles became the 11th £10 million-plus signing in Liverpool's history when he arrived in a £11.5 million deal from Porto as Javier Mascherano's replacement, but rarely has a deal of such magnitude created less of a stir.

The Portuguese midfielder's transfer was announced just before midnight on Saturday and he was briefly paraded on the pitch before the 1-0 win over West Brom, having to be encouraged to wander on to the pitch.

It was a subdued introduction that hardly created the fanfare of a "missing piece in the jigsaw" signing, with emphasis at Anfield now on rebuilding rather than tweaking ahead of a title challenge.

But it could turn out to be a shrewd piece of business by Hodgson, who did not want to lose Mascherano, he has brought in a player to fill the void, while banking £6 million.

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Liverpool 1 West Brom 0: Fernando Torres Earns First League Victory

Graham Chase — 2010-08-29T12:06:00-05:00

by Graham Chase

Filed under: Liverpool, Match Reports, West Brom

Fernando Torres finally gave Roy Hodgson his first Premier League win as Liverpool's manager, but they toiled for long periods against West Brom.

Albion coped well for three quarters of the game at Anfield but were undone by a volley from Torres - his first competitive goal since April - before James Morrison's late red card ended their resistance.

The hosts began strongly and, with their fine record against the Baggies, felt it was only a matter of time before they opened them up.

Steven Gerrard and Torres combined in the first couple of minutes, with the Spanish striker forcing a decent save from Scott Carson.

But, with Roberto Di Matteo's side continuing to defend well from set pieces and blocking the supply line to Torres, they were able to contain the Reds in the opening period.

They even threatened themselves, when Marc-Antoine Fortune's drive was held by Pepe Reina fter Liverpool failed to clear Morrison's corner, while Milan Jovanovic failed to make the most of a quick counter attack by the Reds.

Morrison tried his luck twice more from distance and Graham Dorrans also went close from outside the area as West Brom grew in confidence.

Gerrard's corner caused problems and, after Chris Brunt's desperate clearance from Dirk Kuyt, Martin Skrtel drove high and wide.

Gonzalo Jara claimed his shot was blocked by Daniel Agger's arm and then hit his follow-up straight at Pepe Reina.

But Liverpol broke straightaway, with Kuyt tearing clear down the left and clipping across for Torres to volley in from just outside the area.

Morrison was sent off with just a couple of minutes remaining for a clumsy lunge at Torres.

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Liverpool v West Brom Preview: Important Task for Jamie Carragher

Neil Johnston — 2010-08-28T04:26:00-05:00

by Neil Johnston

Filed under: Liverpool, Match Previews, West Brom

PREMIER LEAGUE: ANFIELD, SUNDAY AUGUST 29, 2010. KICK-OFF: 1500 BST

Can a week that started on a low end in a high for Roy Hodgson?

The Liverpool manager has endured a roller coaster few days which has seen him lose Javier Mascherano to Barcelona and suffer fresh injury worries regarding Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.

In addition, he also saw his team struggle in Europe before a strong finish against Trabzonspor in Turkey provided Hodgson's men with a spring in their step ahead of the visit of newly-promoted West Brom.

This ought to be the game that brings Hodgson his first three points as Liverpool manager. But having seen his side demolished 3-0 by Manchester City last Monday, Hodgson is taking nothing for granted.

And nor should he because West Brom start the day two points better off than their hosts after Peter Odemwingie's goal against Sunderland saw them record a first Premier League win since May 2009.

West Brom's record at Anfield is abysmal. They have not won at the famous venue since 1967 and have yet to score in eight league meetings with Liverpool.

But Hodgson is not fooled. The former Fulham manager is old enough to realise that there are no easy games at this level - not even for Liverpool.

Key Match-Up: Jamie Carragher v Peter Odemwingie. Anfield stages Carragher's testimonial game next week but there is little danger of the former England defender fading away. If anything, Carragher is as important to Hodgson as anyone else because of his vast experience. Carragher will be hoping for a quieter 90 minutes against West Brom than he endured earlier in the week against City. But Odemwingie will have other ideas after marking his West Brom debut with the winner against Sunderland following his arrival from Lokomotiv Moscow.

Form Guide: The honeymoon period is over for Hodgson - the comprehensive defeat at City saw to that. But that result aside, Liverpool have won four and drawn one of their six games under the new manager, the comeback victory in Turkey arguably the most encouraging win to date. West Brom have recovered well since suffering a six goal hammering at Chelsea on the opening day, a 2-0 Carling Cup win at Leyton Orient in midweek adding to the confidence gained from defeating Sunderland.

Odds: Liverpool 1/5, West Brom 14/1, Draw 5/1

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Trabzonspor 1 Liverpool 2: Dirk Kuyt Caps Great Comeback From Liverpool

Graham Chase — 2010-08-26T15:08:00-05:00

by Graham Chase

Filed under: Liverpool, Europa League (UEFA), Match Reports

An own goal from Giray Cacar and Dirk Kuyt's late strike saw patched-up Liverpool come behind on the night to reach the Europa League group stages.

Teofilo Gutierrez's early strike cancelled out Roy Hodgson's side's advantage from the fist leg but Glen Johnson forced Cacar to put into his own net seven minutes from time before Kuyt added a second.

The Reds had to scrap all the way but were clinical when they had to be and Kuyt was able to ride out the storm surrounding Inter Milan's continuing interest in the striker to cap a spirited performance.

Liverpool had an early opportunity when a header from Sotirios Kyrgiakos from Fabio Aurelio's corner was pushed away by goalkeeper Onur Kivrak.

But with just three minutes gone, the advantage they worked so hard for last week was erased when Kuyt was robbed by Gustavo Colman, whose scuffed shot was turned in from six yards out by Gutierrez.

Ibrahima Yattara had a thumping drive blocked by Jamie Carragher and also glanced a header wide from five yards as the Turks came close to taking control of the tie while hopeful efforts from distance from Lucas and Aurelio were all the Reds had to offer in attack before the break.

Liverpool had struggled to get the ball to Joe Cole all night but shortly after the restart the former Chelsea man clipped in a wonderful cross that David Ngog somehow glanced wide at the far post.

Ngog almost made up for that by wriggling away from a crowd of Trabzonspor defenders before sending a shot narrowly wide of goal.

Aurelio also saw a free kick fly wide after a deflection from the wall but Liverpol did make the breakthrough they had threatened with eight minutes left.

Johnson made a rare break forward and his low cross was turned in at the near post by Kacar under pressure from Ngog to give the hosts a mountain to climb.

And five minutes later, Daniel Pacheco's drive was spilled by Kivrak for Kuyt to roll in Liverpool's second.

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Europa League: Trabzonspor v Liverpool Minute-By-Minute Report

Howard Swains — 2010-08-26T13:00:00-05:00

by Howard Swains

Filed under: Liverpool, Europa League (UEFA), Min-By-Min Reports

Minute-by-minute commentary from Huseyin Avni Aker Stadium.

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Bet Against Wayne Rooney Becoming the Gary Birtles of His Generation

JP Shaw — 2010-08-26T11:26:00-05:00

by JP Shaw

Filed under: Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, West Ham, Betting, Blackpool

Just when it's raining everywhere else Wayne Rooney is enduring a goal drought.

I refused to believe the men from the Met when they promised us a barbecue summer. I don't even have a barbecue. And I refuse to believe Rooney will not score against West Ham this weekend, in fact I wouldn't rule out any United player scoring, that's Manchester United player or West Ham United player via an own goal.

Last season Rooney scored 34 goals, with own goals chipping in for United from various sources, usually in the guise of opposition players. Aside from Rooney last season only the laid back Bulgarian (Dimitar Berbatov with 12) mustered more than the opposition's helping hand (10 ogs) proving that if Rooney isn't on form then neither are United.

Our quick-tempered World Cup flop is currently suffering from a crisis of confidence. You have to go back to March to find the last time he hit the net. His confidence is so low right now that he won't take yes for an answer.

Back in the 1980s Gary Birtles, arriving at Old Trafford as a Nottingham Forest European Cup winner with a £1.25 million price tag on his head, endured an 11-month goalless run. About that time the Mary Rose, a 16th-century English battleship was raised from the sea, the joke doing the rounds mentioned that a survivor was found. His first words were: "Has Gary Birtles scored for United yet?"

Eleven months without a goal for a striker is the sort of form that would destroy most players, or if you're Emile Heskey, seal your place in the England set up.

Stan James quote Rooney at 8-13 to end his drought against West Ham on Saturday, which, unlike his recent attempts, can't be missed. Other firms go just 4-7.

United's neighbours City are now 13-2 to win the Premier League title - and 11-8 to finish above United, after swatting Liverpool aside with surprising ease on Monday.

It's amazing how much a team can improve with a cash injection of £400 million.

My pick of the coupon this weekend has to be Fulham after their impressive display against United last week in what turned out to be a hugely entertaining encounter.

The Cottagers travel to Bloomfield Road, scene of Blackpool's triumphant 4-0 win over Wigan on the opening day of the season.

The Latics disastrous start has seen them ship ten goals in two Premier League games. Someone asked me when Wigan kick off this weekend. The answer is, about every 10 minutes.

Blackpool's match last weekend, a chastening 6-0 thrashing by Arsenal, is a score more indicative of what's in store for them in the future.

For this season at least.

The Tangerines have hardly taken the transfer market by storm. They haven't so much as made a dent on the money they've pocketed for joining the Premier League. Such a windfall sets newly promoted teams a poser. Should they decide to hold on to the money, which would mean they will be down by Christmas. Or they could use, say, £30 million of it to strengthen the squad, which would mean they will stay up until Easter.

Blackpool are 16-1 with Hills to finish in the top half of the Premier League table, no great bet considering they only just finished in the top half of the Championship table.

I used to get a tangerine at the bottom of my bed on Christmas morning. Nothing else, just a tangerine. Ian Holloway's Tangerines are evens to be bottom of the table on Christmas Day and evens to be bottom on the last day of the season with Coral.

Despite my cynicism I have to say well done to Holloway's boys for reaching the Promised Land. For Didier Drogba and the rest of the Premier League hot-shots, Bloomfield Road this season will be Pleasureland.

Fulham are 11-8 with Boylesports to return to London with all three points.

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Premier League Rankings: Arsenal Fired Up by Demolition of Blackpool

Ian Whittell — 2010-08-26T07:52:00-05:00

by Ian Whittell

Welcome back to our regular look at who's hot and who's not in the world's best football competition.

6-0, 6-0, 6-0 ... the Premier League had one of its most incredible goal-scoring weekends which had us wondering if we had tuned into a re-hash of Wimbledon fortnight instead of the weekend footy results.

Those six-goal wins - for Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle - are bound to have a big impact on this week's FanHouse UK Rankings, both at the top and the bottom of the charts.

FanHouse UK has used the latest, most in-depth objective statistical data, balanced with the purely subjective views of our expert staff, to come up with the answers.

All this - and much more - is revealed below (please note that results in the form guide include the 2009-10 season) ...

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Roberto Mancini and Manchester City May Yet Miss Craig Bellamy's Pace

Brian Glanville — 2010-08-26T06:16:00-05:00

by Brian Glanville

Filed under: Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City

On the basis of their impressive win at home to Liverpool with Fernando Torres triumphant I suppose you could say that Manchester City are hardly missing Craig Bellamy. Though they may do. On this positive occasion they were also without their £23 million 20-year-old Italian attacker Mario Balotelli, who was injured. A couple of days earlier Bellamy, surely one of the top attackers in English soccer, was making his debut a division down for Cardiff City. Actually his local club which he once told me he rejected as a youngster feeling it wasn't the right place to be. By sharp contrast, he exulted in his belated debut for them, stressing how happy he was, not least because he was only ten minutes away from home.

Cardiff beat Doncaster 4-0 and Bellamy, though not at his best, drove home the fourth goal from his powerful free kick. It was a little like having Pavarotti singing karaoke. Bellamy had an excellent last season at City exploiting his speed, control and finishing powers on the left flank though you can put him anywhere in attack. He and manager Roberto Mancini however were at daggers drawn and Mancini whose ideas of training were greatly opposed to those of the Wales international excluded him from City's European squad. But City would not let him go to any rival Premier League club. Hence his loan to Cardiff, where the huge enthusiasm he brought to the club, may help them to wipe out their alarming debts.

Always something of a stormy petrel, Bellamy has played for a catalogue of clubs, among them Newcastle, Celtic, West Ham and Liverpool (whose manager Rafa Benitez, inexplicably failed to use him and his electric pace against an aging AC Milan defence in Liverpool's second European Cup final).

An altogether more tranquil personality though just as fast or faster on the field is Arsenal's young right winger Theo Walcott. I wish his carping critics would get off his back. He had a devastating game at home against Blackpool last Saturday yet on BBC television that complacent pundit Alan Hansen, once a polished but vulnerable centre back for Liverpool and Scotland was still harping on the theme that Walcott hasn't got a "football brain". A charge also levelled at him by the ex-England winger and failed World Cup penalty taker Chris Waddle.

This of the player who scored a spectacular hat trick in Zagreb in a World Cup qualifier where England thrashed a Croatia team which had humiliated them in the previous set of qualifiers. Hansen's somewhat grudging point is that when Walcott has time to think he tends to err. So what?

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Trabzonspor v Liverpool Preview: Tough Task Ahead Without Top Players

Jeremy Cross — 2010-08-25T08:30:00-05:00

by Jeremy Cross

Filed under: Liverpool, Europa League (UEFA), Match Previews

EUROPA LEAGUE: HUSEYIN AVNI AKER STADIUM, THURSDAY AUGUST 26, 2010. KICK OFF: 1830 BST

Much is riding on the outcome of this contest for Liverpool and new manager Roy Hodgson.

The players are already facing an early and stern test of their character in the wake of this week's comprehensive drubbing at Manchester City, which put their domestic ambitions firmly into perspective.

What Hodgson can ill-afford is for Liverpool to find themselves out of Europe altogether, but the notion is not that far-fetched considering the fact the Premier League outfit travel to Trabzonspor with just the slender advantage of a one goal lead.

To make matters worse Hodgson is without his two most influential players in Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. Gerrard, the captain and talisman, has a back problem while Hodgson believes Torres's fragile fitness is not strong enough for him to play his third game in succession.

Key Match-up: Jaja v Jamie Carragher: Jaja has the pace to trouble most defences and will be a major threat. Carragher's experience will be vital to the outcome and he will need to be on top of his game to try and guide Liverpool through.

Form Guide: Liverpool were delighted to glean a point from their opening fixture against Arsenal considering they played more than half the game with just 10 men. The chastening defeat at Eastlands, however has left them smarting and in need of producing a positive response. Trabzonspor remain unbeaten in Turkey this season and find themselves top of their respective league.

Odds: Trabzonspor 7/5, Liverpool 11/5, Draw 7/5.

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Man City 3 Liverpool 0: Carlos Tevez At the Double In Front of Delighted Owner

Neil Johnston — 2010-08-23T16:53:00-05:00

by Neil Johnston

Filed under: Liverpool, Manchester City, Match Reports

City's multi-billionaire owner Sheikh Mansour attended Eastlands for the first time as goals from Gareth Barry and Carlos Tevez, with two, marked the occasion with an emphatic victory.

An unproductive night for Liverpool was made worse for Roy Hodgson's side with the pre-match decision to leave out Javier Mascherano, the unsettled midfield player who was the subject of a formal bid from Barcelona earlier in the day.

Mascherano would appear to have played his last game for the club although free-spending City have no such personnel problems and they marked their first home game of the campaign with three points.

Barry ensured there would be no early nerves as he capitalised on a lively start from winger Adam Johnson.

The winger's neat ball put debutant James Milner beyond the Liverpool backline and the England international picked out his former Aston Villa team mate Barry to convert clinically from a dozen yards.

Liverpool had little to offer in response and the only surprise was that it took City until seven minutes into the second half to extend their lead and hand the home supporters some breathing space.

Milner's right-wing corner led to the goal although it took a superb towering header for defender Micah Richards to set it up as his goalward attempt was turned into the net from point-blank range by new City captain Tevez.

Liverpool, with Fernando Torres still looking well below his lethal sharpest needed a swift response and almost got it in the 57th minute when Steven Gerrard's terrific long-range strike hit the foot of the City post, struck keeper Joe Hart and rebounded into the area.

That attempt led to chances for David Ngog and Torres but the pair were each denied by Hart, carrying on where he left off with his superb display at Tottenham last week.

Any lingering hopes Liverpool may have entertained of an unlikely comeback were removed when Martin Skrtel tripped Johnson in the area after 67 minutes and presented Tevez with a penalty kick which was converted with the minimum of fuss.

Torres flashed a shot across goal and Hart saved well, yet again, from substitute Ryan Babel as City coasted to the finish.

TO COME: ALL THE POST-MATCH REACTION

REACTION:
Liverpool manager Hodgson confirmed he had left Mascerano out of the line-up due to the player's state of mind:
"He wasn't here tonight because there is obviously some speculation about his future and at the moment his mind isn't right, so it wasn't correct to select him.

"Hopefully, matters will get resolved, certainly before the end of the transfer window and I'll have a chance to pick him again, but tonight would not have been a good time to select him.

"We are under pressure from another club who wants to buy him, but we are in good company as it has happened to a lot of clubs during this period of time. It will happen, I guess, a day when the offer for him matches our valuation,
but until that day he stays with us."

On the team's performance without Mascherano:
"Did we miss Mascherano? I thought Lucas played very well. We defended poorly for the goals. We haven't done well tonight."

On Thursday's Europa League game in Turkey:
"We need a reaction from this and we need it quickly. We can play better, a lot better."

Was Torres a disappointment?
"Yes, I agree. He needs more games and it shouldn't be too long before we see him back to what we know he can do."

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini was delighted with his side's performance in front of the club's owner Sheikh Mansour:
"We are at the beginning of a new season and there are some strange results. We need to improve and work well. I hope the Sheikh comes every week from now on after that. Will I celebrate with the owner? No, I don't have time and I'm very tired at this moment in time. It was important the players played very well. We needed to win and believe in ourselves."

On the absent striker Mario Balotelli, missing with a knee injury:
"It would have been too much of a risk to play him tonight but I'm very hopeful that he will be able to play on Sunday."

On growing optimism at City:
"It was very important that we played well, we needed this win, we have to believe in ourselves. But I'm not getting carried away."

WHAT IT MEANS:
For those EPL fans who may have been hibernating in a cave for the past 12 months, what this means is confirmation of the new world order in English football. Liverpool finished seventh last season, a couple of places beneath City, and, on the evidence of this game at least, the two clubs will continue heading in those opposite directions. Are City championship material? Based on this 90 minutes, and this 90 minutes alone, yes. Are Liverpool capable of retaining a place in the top four? Again, on this limited sample size, absolutely not.

City's main concerns, as critics have been quick to comment, lie in how Roberto Mancini juggles his stable of over-paid, over-priced superstars. Nice problem to have. For Hodgson, there is not only to Mascherano issue to resolve but, also, Torres looked far from fit, and far from impressed, as he came off towards the end of a dismal night. Without him buying into Hodgson's plans, things really are looking bad.

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Manchester City - Liverpool Minute-By-Minute Report

Rob Smyth — 2010-08-23T13:02:00-05:00

by Rob Smyth

Filed under: Liverpool, Manchester City, Min-By-Min Reports

Minute-by-minute commentary from the City of Manchester Stadium.

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Man City v Liverpool Preview: Carlos Tevez Hungry for First Goal of Season

Graham Chase — 2010-08-22T04:19:00-05:00

by Graham Chase

Filed under: Liverpool, Manchester City, Match Previews

PREMIER LEAGUE: EASTLANDS, MONDAY AUGUST 23, 2010. KICK-OFF 2000 BST

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Liverpool 1 Trabzonspor 0: Ryan Babel Goal Followed by Costly Penalty Miss

Graham Chase — 2010-08-19T16:45:00-05:00

by Graham Chase

Filed under: Liverpool, Europa League (UEFA), Match Reports

Ryan Babel's goal gave Liverpool a slender advantage before Joe Cole's failure to score from a second half penalty left this Europa League qualifier wide open.

Dutchman Babel scored to give Liverpool the edge shortly before being replaced by Fernando Torres at half-time, but Cole's penalty miss means there will be plenty of life in the return leg in Turkey next week.

It had all gone according to plan for Liverpool in the early stages. With less than five minutes on the clock, a header from Sotirios Kyrgiakos from Maxi Rodriguez was palmed away by goalkeper Onur Kivrak before the hosts had a couple of worrying moments from set pieces.

Liverpool continued to dominate possession but were finding it hard to cause problems in the final third and Selcuk Inan threatened with a deflected drive for the visitors.

Debutant Christian Poulsen was struggling to get to grips with the soaked playing surface and Fabio Aurelio lifted a free kick well over the bar as Liverpool remained ineffective in attack. Burak Yilmaz also fired over with a free kick but the hosts grabbed the lead in first-half stoppage time.

Cole carried the ball from half way and slid a pass through for Babel, who took his time to lift the ball over Kivrak.

Five minutes after the break, a drive into the area from Lucas was halted by a clumsy challenge from Serkan Balci only for Cole's penalty to be swatted away by Kivrak.

Umut Bulut had a powerful effort pushed away by Pepe Reina before Aurelio saw another free kick drop just wide of the post and Torres had a header held by Kivrak.

Poulsen also had a late effort ruled out for a foul on the goalkeeper, leaving the Reds to settle or a one-goal lead which leaves the tie evenly-balanced before the second leg.

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Liverpool - Trabzonspor Minute-By-Minute Report

Evan Fanning — 2010-08-19T13:00:00-05:00

by Evan Fanning

Filed under: Liverpool, Europa League (UEFA), Min-By-Min Reports

Minute-by-minute text commentary from Anfield.

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