In the past the Premier League's manager of the year award has normally been a forgone conclusion with the gaffer who lifts the Premier League trophy at the end of the season usually receiving a second award a couple of weeks down the line. However, with the top flight so tight this season and with so many clubs having good campaigns the award for the best manager might be a little closer than usual.

Why waste 10M (Arshavin) on a brilliant midfielder classified as a striker when you can spend just 6.6M (Walcott) for one? Will the cheap Amr Zaki return to Wigan's starting lineup and get in on the goals? Will the even cheaper Nicklas Bendtner put two in the back of the net to send down Boro?
A week of major fantasy question marks due to injuries, rest and rotation news is upon us.

After an International break that completed the 32-team field for the World Cup next summer in South Africa, the EPL surges back to action this weekend with an important fixture at Anfield.

That game is on ESPN in glorious high definition. Here's the entire TV schedule.

Now, on to the previews:

Liverpool vs.

Clint Dempsey's second full season in the English Premier League keeps getting better and better. After watching his team fall behind on the road, the U.S. international stepped up and fired home two second-half goals to help Fulham to a 3-1 win at Manchester City on Sunday afternoon. The victory moved The Cottagers up to eighth in the table, within striking distance of a spot in next year's UEFA Europa League, a surprising turnaround for a team that was in real danger of being relegated just one season ago.

The rain poured down and Roy Hodgson's black and white army marched on deeper into Europe. Goals from the impressive Dickson Etuhu and two from Andrew Johnson saw Fulham home, 3-0, 6-0 on aggregate. How good does that sound?

The first ten minutes was a crowded affair with little control and several tempers lost.

Well, it's 3 points, right? It wasn't the best performance by any means. But we got the win after so many times saying "we were the better team but still lost," I'm much happier when the opposite is true. And as I discussed in the preview yesterday, it's very, very tough to go to Craven Cottage and come out with 3 points.

It's a pretty slow news day (other than Kaka completing his move to Real Madrid) and this post is barely and I mean barely football related. But, if you live in the United States, and have watched either of the hit television shows Entourage (mostly for dudes) or Gossip Girl (mostly for chics) - then read on for a footie related Hollywood tale.

Fulham advanced in the Europa League with a 6-0 aggregate win over Vectra, 3-0 on the night. Dickson Etuhu opened the scoring in the 57th and Andrew Johnson added two goals in the 80th and 84th minutes. Clint Dempsey started and went the full 90 for Fulham. Eddie Johnson was an 82nd minute substitute for Bobby Zamora.

Last year's surprise package. A team with Paintsil and Konchesky at the full back spots with a better defensive record than all but the top clubs. Now THAT'S a surprise! A lot of the credit for that has to go to Schwarzer who was surely the signing of the season last year. Not only did he solidify Fulham and take them into Europe but Boro's lack of an adequate replacement doomed them to relegation.

Walcott ready to soar after flying the nest
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Tattoos by David Beckham's body artist and creating paintings for an exhibition, even a mohawk haircut. The Theo Walcott who has just moved out of his parents' house is not the same wide-eyed teenager who joined Arsenal from Southampton in January 2006 and was then, to everyone's astonishment, part of the World Cup squad five months later.

I believe that the answer to that question is a resounding no.  Oklahoma might have the slimmest of chances ... but barring injuries, I don't see anyone getting in the way of the Huskies' march toward a national championship.  The battle will be to see who the other three teams are in the Final Four.

Here's where Fulham players were selected in the Paintsil League at The Times:

ROUND PICK PLAYER POS TEAM
1 9 Dickson Etuhu CM Flatter to Decieve FC
1 10 Mark Schwarzer GK Ball Blacks
1 13 Clint Dempsey LM New York Whites
2 27 Brede Paulsen Hangeland CB Ball Blacks
2 28 John Paintsil RB Flatter to Decieve FC
3 43 Danny Murphy CM Lamb Chops
4 71 Aaron Hughes CB Jimmy Hill Is The Messiah
5 76 Andrew Johnson FOR HammyEnd.

Usain Bolt's 9.58 second 100m dash has given rise to a healthy debate of sorts here about who the fastest football player on the planet might be.The following data is about a year old and it gives the sprint parade top 10, commissioned by Nike and put together by Opta Sportsdata (the first figure is to the ball, the second with it).

A strange game, with long periods of quiet nothingness punctuated by moments of brilliance. All the goals were spectacular in their own way, and the fact that there could have been several more (at either end) suggests a quite unFulham-like evening. In the end we settled for 3-1, which is good but not that good.

Clint Dempsey's 51st minute goal in Fulham's 3-1 win over Amkar Perm was the highlight of American involvement in the Europa Cup on Thursday. Andrew Johnson had the opener in the 4th minute and Bobby Zamora got the thid in the 77th before Vitali Grishnin ruined the shutout in the 77th. Fulham lost Johnson to injury for what turned out to be a dislocated collar bone.

Chelsea's first London derby of the new term may not be the most fiercest, or the most glamorous. It does, however, represent a strong test and a reunion of sorts for two of the game's most astute managers.

Fulham's Roy Hodgson and CA are well-aquainted. As managers in Serie A, the two clashed thrice; of the three, Carlo won two.

. Image by proforged via Flickr Chelsea have continued their good start to the Premier League campaign by defeating Fulham 2-0 at Craven Cottage. Chelsea dominated the game but Fulham put up a dogged resistance against their London rivals. Their resistance was broken down in the 39th minute though.

Fulham

Last Season: 7th, 14-11-13 (53 points, +5 goal differential)

Recent Form: WLLWL

Home Form (last season): 4-4-11

Last Meeting: Arsenal 0-Fulham 0 (2/28/09)

Back in league action tomorrow with a VERY tough match-up against Fulham.

Here, belatedly, is part 4 of the midfield analysis. Just got the numbers and still at work (poor me!) so might as well post up now.

So, of our intrepid centre midfield quartet, who is being useful? We, by now, think that they're all fairly good but there are some differences.

David Moyes has been the unsung hero of the Premier League in the past 7 years. He has transformed an aging Everton team in fear of relegation every season into a team consistently knocking on the door of the ‘Big Four'. However, although Moyes has worked these miracles, he will not be able to do so for much longer with Everton's current financial predicament.

North meets West in this London derby.

Arsenal's Andrey Arshavin returns after three games out with injury while Theo Walcott could feature in his first game of the season for the Gunners.
But Manuel Almunia is still out with a chest infection so Vito Mannone is likely to deputise in goal again.

Vito Manonne produced a string of saves to ensure Arsenal took the share of the spoils.
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Roy Hodgson is becoming quite the tactical master against Arsenal as his side once again tested the Gunners to their limits yet somehow, mainly in the form of Vito Manonne, came away with nothing.

Walcott ready to soar after flying the nest
Full Article

Tattoos by David Beckham's body artist and creating paintings for an exhibition, even a mohawk haircut. The Theo Walcott who has just moved out of his parents' house is not the same wide-eyed teenager who joined Arsenal from Southampton in January 2006 and was then, to everyone's astonishment, part of the World Cup squad five months later.

You can watch Manchester City v Fulham Live online here.

Manchester City v Fulham
English Premier League
Sunday 25 October 2009
Kickoff: 15:00 BST

For all their attacking talents, City have actually scored fewer goals (16) in their first eight games than at this stage of last season (20).

In an exciting Boxing Day line up of Premier League matches, Birmingham who have been in good form off late will look to stop table leaders, Chelsea. While the Blues have been a little distraught in their last 4-5 matches, debutantes Birmingham have had a glorious undefeated run of nine matches. Chelsea need a victory [.