The Premier League kicks off in just three days, and we need to throw some serious content at you to prepare you for mini-league and NCNB Fantasy League domination. Just as we did for The World Cup, I've decided to ... Continue reading →

Wayne Rooney will take up the main striking role for England at the World Cup in South Africa. Quite right too. The Manchester United striker is in excellent form right now. Some say he is almost single-handedly keeping his team in the race for the Premiership. He can certainly change games in an instant.

Aston Villa 0 Arsenal 0
(Premiership)

A game that could have gone either way eventually petered out into a draw much fairer than its equivalent last season, when Villa battered us yet only pinched a point in injury time. That day, we could have conceded six, whereas last night was a much tighter affair.

Five defeats in a row. This predicament has snuck up on us somewhat, the problems largely having come away from home (insert England captain joke here), but here, in a tricky but far from daunting fixture against a good but slightly out of form Villa side, we fouled up horribly.

Since his arrival two years ago Brede Hangeland has been a tremendous player for Fulham, but this season something has been askew.

As a Wolves fan, I should be feeling strong dislike/borderlines hatred for West Midlands rivals Aston Villa. But as an England fan, it's very hard not to wish Villa well. Gareth Barry may be gone, but players like Gabby Agbonlahor, Emile Heskey, Ashley Young, Stewart Downing and James Milner regularly feature in Villa's starting lineup.

... and no, he's not talking about Nigel Reo-Coker. MARTIN O'Neill fears a virus could be spreading through his Villa camp ahead of this weekend's trip to Stoke. Striker Gabby Agbonlahor was laid low with the bug for last Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final thriller at Reading and a member of O'Neill's backroom staff has since been taken ill.

There is an interesting mish-mash of Arsenal transfer news this morning, and considering that Wenger has already stated that he will be concentrating on strengthening the Arsenal defence this summer, he is being linked with a couple of out-and-out strikers! Mario Balotelli is known as a bit of a hothead at Inter Milan, and he has [.

COS contributor George Jones laments another season of what might have beens.

Another year gone by, another wasted opportunity. For yet another season, Aston Villa have knocked on the gates of the top four and for yet another season, the third season in a row, the Midlands club have finished sixth.

Not too shocking, I don't think, especially after Roy Hodgson was made Liverpool manager yesterday but the FA have confirmed Fabio Capello is staying on as England manager.

Tentatively, I'm okay with this. Sure, Capello made mistakes during this World Cup, and he wasn't the only one who was to blame.

Gérard Houllier has signed the contract he said he would. It's a three year deal. Really pretty simple, not sure why it's such huge news, but it seems to be lighting up the wires at the moment, so to speak.

Previously, Emile Heskey was dominating the headlines, for the right reasons for once, following the impact he made against Blackburn midweek.

Marc Albrighton crashing into the first team with such style this season could be the real catalyst for raising this question, after all, Stephen Ireland was considered a like-for-like swap for James Milner and there's no reason in the world why I'd be asking where Milner would fit in if he was still with us now.

Gérard Houllier has signed the contract he said he would. It's a three year deal. Really pretty simple, not sure why it's such huge news, but it seems to be lighting up the wires at the moment, so to speak.

Previously, Emile Heskey was dominating the headlines, for the right reasons for once, following the impact he made against Blackburn midweek.

Marc Albrighton crashing into the first team with such style this season could be the real catalyst for raising this question, after all, Stephen Ireland was considered a like-for-like swap for James Milner and there's no reason in the world why I'd be asking where Milner would fit in if he was still with us now.

The French are in town but it's England laying on the farce. John Terry, Ashley Cole and Gabby Agbonlahor yesterday pulled out of Wednesday's friendly at Wembley while Carlton Cole, Stephen Warnock and Gary Cahill were drafted in.

If our boxing day game against Villa is on, and I guess it's a big if at the moment, it's yet another must win. I think I'm going to assume all games we play from now on are must win, at least until we're safely in the top 4 with no chance of going lower. Without football on boxing day the footballing population will crumble under the pressure of spending a further day with family.

Cummings to go across the pond...

According to the Denver Post, which oddly and usually doesn't pick up Rapids stories, Rapids striker Omar Cummings is Aston Villa bound for a training session with an eye on perhaps more.

Rapids managing director Jeff Plush on Monday said the team has allowed the 28-year-old Cummings to train with EPL's Aston Villa, but stopped short of saying they've loaned him outright.