It's a day of goodbyes today on the final day of the 2012-13 Premier League season. Farewell to Sir Alex Ferguson, Paul Scholes, Jamie Carragher, Wigan Athletic, Reading and Queens Park Rangers.
It's also a goodbye to FOX Soccer, who'll be televising their final Premier League games today on US television before they shut down in late July or early August.
Wayne Rooney will not play in today's match against West Bromwich Albion, the final game of Sir Alex Ferguson's managerial career.
While Rooney was benched for last week's game against Swansea, today he has been excused from traveling with United because his wife is in labor. Colleen is due to give birth to their second child.
This time last year BR was up a mountain in Italy getting SMS's from Peaches. It was in the middle of a huge thunderstorm when I received her final celebratory text. Today I will be watching from a joyous and hung-over Denmark.
I have stated often my belief that luck and referees will decide our fate whether it be a dodgy penalty given to Spurs or a vicious deflected goal for Sunderland (I cannot put a bok on our team).
For the last couple of seasons Arsenal have started off very sluggishly and have had to spend the second half of the campaign playing catchup to retain their position as a Top Four club. Arsene Wenger believes that this is because of the seemingly endless cycle of selling our best players and then having to help their replacements settle into the squad.
If you could bottle what it is that makes Arsenal put in a storming run at the end of the season, you would be a rich man. While Tottenham generally choke at the end to leave them disappointed and out of the Champions League, the Gunners come good and get the results we need, despite a mountain of pressure.
And so the end has come once again, the moment every ardent soccer fan dreads; the final kick of the ball, the last high-pitched call of the whistle, and the customary sign-off from FOX Soccer and ESPN (in the States) and Gary Lineker and the boys (in the UK).
It has been a long and eventful season in the Barclays Premier League, a mixed bag of triumphs and tumult, and once again the red side of Manchester is caught up in jubilant victory songs.
That's what this game is all about. The last game of the season before the boys head off for their holidays and us on the other side of the white line, scour the inter-web in hope that we've signed someone spectacular. One last effort is needed for the boys. Our record since the 2nd week of March stands at 8 wins and 2 draws in all competitions.
Arsenal head up north tomorrow needing a win to secure a top four finish, while Newcastle have nothing much to play for, although this and other results could see them finish anywhere from 10th to 17th. Alan Pardew will try to upset Arsene Wenger and Arsenal and give the home fans something to cheer about.
No matter whether you support Arsenal, Tottenham or any other club, here's a poll we can all participate in... who do we want to see finish in fourth place?
We're not asking who you think will finish in fourth. Arsenal have their destiny in their own hands, and all they need is a win to guarantee fourth.
Could Arsenal make a shock move for 33 year old Wigan defender Emerson Boyce? by SS
Arsene Wenger would hope to get Boyce cheap and use him as cover in a variety of defensive positions and to act as an experienced leader within the defence. Bacary Sagna looks set to leave the club this summer with Russian giants Anzhi and newly crowned French champions PSG interested.
Wayne Rooney and Sir Alex Ferguson embrace (Image via MUFC official website)
Transfer rumors continue to fly hot and fast for Manchester United star striker Wayne Rooney. As of May 18, 2013, the want-away forward has been linked all over Europe and continues to increase the amount of speculation around his future in England.
It has been very impressive the way Arsenal have handled the pressure on them this season. From a morale sapping defeat to the hated spuds, Arsenal were left seven points adrift and it seemed like this would be the year Tottenham finally finished above us.
Maybe we should thank AVB, because the spuds' croaky voiced manager's gloating claims of a downward spiral for Arsenal had the opposite effect and we are now back in the driving seat.
There is a growing buzz and expectation among the Arsenal players and fans that next season could be the start of a new period for the club. All the timings seem to be going our way, after eight years without a trophy. Arsene Wenger has worked miracles to keep the Gunners within the top four while having to sell the best players and pay off the debt from building the Emirates stadium.
Arsenal forward Theo Walcott (Google Creative Commons)
Arsenal have one last chance to try and guarantee their place in the UEFA Champions League next season, and a final chance to try and force a third-place playoff with Chelsea if they can be level on terms with the Blues thanks to a win at Newcastle United providing the right numbers to be level in all categories.
Olivier Giroud is almost certain to be back in the Arsenal starting line up tomorrow and he will want to end the season on a high. At times this season he has struggled, especially in the first half, but the French international is now a key part of the team and one of the first men on the team sheet when he is available.
One of the oft repeated remarks you hear from people following live coverage of our games is "Oooh, aren't there lots of spaces in the crowd?" and "Aren't the crowds falling?" and "What bollix, no way is the attendance 60,012!" (OK, scratch the last one, they don't announce those figures on match days anymore).
This is reported to be Manchester United's new home kit for next season. The champions are set to return to defend their Premier League title equipped with button down collars if these images are anything to go by. The new kit is expect to go on sale on menswear sites such as Sports Direct, as [...]
For those amongst us in our early forties, it's a disconcerting thought. We have reached an age at which there is a generation gap between us and adults younger than us. A forty-five year-old in 2013 may not feel middle-aged but there is no question that he is, and perhaps there are young adults who now view David Beckham in the same way as the young football supporter of the early 1960s may have regarded the dotage years of the career of Stanley Matthews at that time, as one of the last surviving relics of a bygone and musty age that will not be seen again.
This is Newcastle final game of the season a season that has been very disappointing for us in the Premier League to say the least. But a win today could see us finish near mid-table and even in 10th place if other results go for us. And of course our last two home [...]
Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa has probably performed the best of any of our new arrivals, as the 23 year-old is quickly getting used to the English Premier League. Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa played well for Newcastle Mapou, as we've said before, is a leader both on and off the field, and he's been one of our best players [.
It's clear when Mike Ashley gave Alan Pardew and his coaches those eight year dealsbecausehe wanted some stability at the club, on which to build a successful side. Alan Pardew - I'm here for the long run And while Newcastle over-performedlast season we've under-performed this season, but with a bit of luck, we could even [.
Mike Ashley did this two years ago, before our last game against West Brom, and he's doing it again for our last game against Arsenal on Sunday. Mike Ashley offers £1M in bonuses Mike is offering £1M in bonuses to the non-playing staff if Newcastle can get a win on Sunday, and of course [...]
Alan Pardew will be hoping he can finish off what has been a very poor season in the Premier League with a win against the visiting Arsenal side. Arsene Wenger- his Arsenal side are in form Ever since Wenger joined Arsenal in 1996 he has had Arsenal in the top four and has always qualified [...]
Most summer transfer windows are interesting for Newcastle fans, but this one is going to be extra interesting if only to see what Newcastle do following a terrible season in which we were fighting relegation again. Mike Ashley - how ambitious is the owner? And we should always remember that it could have been [.
Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko (Image via MCFC official site)
Reports from TalkSport on May 18, 2013, are suggesting that the first major name set to leave Manchester City following the departure of manager Roberto Mancini could be star forward Edin Dzeko.
Dzeko was brought to the club in January of 2011 for the price tag of £27 million from German club Wolfsburg as he was continuing to top the Bundesliga goal scoring charts at the time.
After a long and, at times, difficult campaign, it all comes down to what we do today. It's in our hands and we all know what's required. Win and we have at least a qualification game for the Champions League; draw and as long as Sp*rs don't win we've got the same; win, and Chelsea lose, and we finish third.
It's a Saturday night in the United States, which means we get to scour all of the British Sunday tabloids for Premier League news. And boy there are a lot of BS stories tonight!
First up isThe Sunday Peoplewho say that Manchester City have agreed a record £54 million transfer fee for Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao.
According to TalkSport on May 18, 2013, Chelsea star striker Fernando Torres has been linked with a move away from the club this summer.
Despite having done his best to prove himself to Roman Abramovich and the Chelsea fans, Torres has never truly re-captured the blistering form that he had in this Liverpool days.
Future Manchester United manager David Moyes (Flickr Commons)
On Sunday, Chelsea will host Everton in the final round of fixtures in the 2012-13 Premier League season. An interesting caveat about the match is that both sides will likely be markedly different next season Everton manager David Moyes has already agreed to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United while Chelsea will part ways with Rafa Benitez at the end of the season.
Liverpool host Queens Park Rangers on Sunday in the final game of the 2012/2013 Premier League season for both clubs. While the Reds are unable to move up or down from their spot at 7th in the table, they still have reason to play well at Anfield.
Jamie Carragher bows out of playing when Liverpool take on relegated Queens Park Rangers on Sunday at Anfield. Liverpool will be looking to celebrate Carragher's career in style as they round off the season at Anfield. The Reds have been in a good run of form and are unbeaten in their last seven Premier League outings.
We all dream of a team of Carraghers... Image: guardian.co.uk
Well, here we are, the end of the season. This one in particular seems to have flown by and unfortunately I a have to admit I've found myself a bit bored this season, I just haven't felt fully entertained, only at certain points, here's hoping next season we can improve on that!
Soccer world, meet Jason Collins. On April 29 2013, the 34-year old professional basketball player became the first openly gay active athlete in the four major sports in the United States. Collins took the leap by writing his own article in Sports Illustrated, giving him a chance to tell his story.
What's next for Manchester United as the Red Devils try to predict a future without Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm? The managerial mastermind jumped with joy as Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic stepped aside and allowed the living legend to hoist the Barclays Premier League for United's record 20th time.
It was another memorable Premier League season for sensational goals. Cisse, Lowton, Baines, Van Persie, Bale and so many other incredible goalscorers.
Here are ten of the best, but there are also some glaring ones missed (Oscar for Chelsea, and Bale's against Swansea, just to name two).
Video: Best Premier League goals from 2012-13 season
The latest rumour in the Arsenal goalkeeper situation by SS
There is an Arsenal transfer rumour that Arsene Wenger could be ready to make a surprise bid for Reading's Alex McCarthy who has earned his first ever call up to the England squad this week. McCarthy would not become the top goalkeeper at the club but would instead be used as emergency cover and loaned out to other clubs with a recall option, similar to the arrangement Fulham have with David Stockdale.
Surely Arsene Wenger will sign a defensive midfielder for Arsenal this summer, surely. I know that Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey have been doing a great job recently and that there is the versatile Francis Coquelin breaking through from the reserve ranks, but the need for a proper, no-nonsense midfield general has been stark at times this season.
Michael Laudrup lauds Alex Ferguson and talks about the Premier League - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Read part one here.
When the current Wigan manager, Roberto Martinez, took over Swansea City in 2007, they were plying their trade in League One. He planted a seed in the Swansea-system which was then taken over by former Queens Park Rangers manager and Portugal midfielder Paulo Sousa.
The irony of any rows between the Premier League and the Football League concerning the way in which money be paid in parachute payments should be paid out of the vast reserves of cash that the Premier League now accumulates from the sale of television rights is that the very reason for the formation of the Premier League in the first place is was to avoid a great deal of "solidarity" in the first place.
