For years, the tabloid newspapers in England have been renowned for overhyping the expectations of England's chances in the World Cup. Those wheels have already been set in motion and now The Sun newspaper, which has a daily readership of 7.9 million, have declared that England's group which includes the United States will be easy.

Is this Rooney's year? As of today Wayne Rooney has 4 goals in 4 league games for his club, and 10 goals for 9 games including cup play and internatioanl games. That's a scoring rate one would not expect Rooney to maintain, historically speaking. If you have read the football pundits about Wayne Rooney in any of the last several years, it will have been hard to avoid glowing characterisations of his football.

These guys are recently been listed as most influential journalists and bloggers for football news. Tweet-ing has its benefits! I share the following article from puntersrealm.

Since Twitter recently released a list function, we thought it was time to share our list of who we follow as the most influential (mostly European) sports journalists and bloggers in world sport.

I'm just kind of tired today and besides, there isn't much to say. Chelsea supporters are gloating, as they should, Arsenal supporters are feeling down, as they should, and Man U supporters are looking forward to winning the league against what must be seen as an easy Arsenal target.

This may be entirely made up, but a diamond quote from The Sun today:

ROY HODGSON has slated Jamie Redknapp for attacking Chelsea-Barcelona referee, Tom Henning Ovrebo.

Redknapp said Ovrebo was out of his depth because he was from Norway.

Fulham boss Hodgson, said: "Do people want to go down the Jamie Redknapp route — that only England, Italy and Spain count and everywhere else is no good?

* First and foremost, I'd like to add my voice to the chorus of those calling for the resignation of Bob Bradley. It's pretty safe to say at this point that he doesn't know how to prepare his players for big games (at least those against an opponent other than Mexico). Of course, a lot of that responsibility is shared by the players, but this particular group just does not seem willing to give any more for this coach.

Adebayor has undergone a medical at Manchester City, Arsenal have agreed a £25million transfer fee and the striker is expected to sign a contract giving him £170,000 a week.

The great news for Arsenal is that we have achieved a transfer fee for Adebayor of £25million, far in excess of what we could have hoped especially after his indifferent season.

Craig Bellamy is one of the maddest footballers ever but no one can deny him that he is an absolute world-class player. People have often disregarded his footballing qualities and chose to concentrate on his fiery temperament which is basically what makes him such a great player.

Given the unfortunate results of the Chicago/Chivas and Marathon/San Juan matches last night, a WIN for DC United on Saturday has now become all the more crucial. The number of playoff spots at stake just dropped from 3 to 2 with the Fire's victory. What's worse though is that the loss by Chivas USA means that Columbus has now clinched the Supporter's Shield, and therefore will have nothing to play for in their final match against the Revolution on Sunday.

We have three big derbies happening this weekend: We have El Súper Clásico in Mexico, the Superclásico in Argentina and what I'd consider the equivalent in England when Liverpool host Man Utd (can we call it The Super Classic?) Here's a quick lowdown on the three big games, and a question: Which game or games will [.

With their typical class, Chelsea players and staff asserted their belief, following their 1-1 agg defeat to Barcelona, that UEFA conspired against them to prevent an all-English final in the Champions League.

Players, such as Didier Drogba, displayed their sentiment by all but physically assaulting the referee as he left the pitch.

Frenchman Florent Malouda told Chelsea's official website how his side should forget about what happened in mid-week and focus on tomorrow's game away at Arsenal, knowing that a defeat would see the Gunners getting close to third place.

He said:

We have to stay positive, now it is over we can't do anything against this feeling of being robbed, and we still have to carry on for the club, for ourselves and the fans.

Rafa Benitez is reportedly planning an overhaul during the summer months, and with Lucas Leiva amongst the candidates set for the axe, Steven Gerrard has stepped forward to give the young Brazilian his dues.
Despite some negative criticism from Reds fans after a few suspect performances throughout the season, Gerrard believes that, if given the proper chance, Lucas will become an Anfield great.

From time to time, especially after U.S. Men's Team matches and other big games, the Ref chats with a seasoned USMNT observer -- the Samurai.
Samurai is familiar with the academy system and is a longtime watcher of the US team and club soccer.
Here is the conversation after the U.

The pain of yesterday's mauling is likely to linger for a while. I still can't think straight and it's impossible to digest that we could be so naïve, almost idiotic. This isn't a new feeling either. We have been outplayed in the big matches with mind numbing regularity in the recent past. It's as if all of us deserve shock treatment every few months for being mentally challenged enough to support the Arsenal.

After Liverpool faced an early FA Cup exit to crosstown rivals Everton last night, Liverpool fans were quick to harp about talismanic captain Steven Gerrard's injury. While there's no doubt that his injury hampered Liverpool's ability to win against Everton, Liverpool now face a battle to turn excuses into motivators.

Arsenal 1 (Van Persie pen 75) Man Utd 3 (Park 8, Ronaldo 11, 61)
(Champions League Semi Final, agg 1-4)

The temptation today is for many to point the finger at a fourth consecutive season without a trophy, and demand immediate wholesale changes. It is easy to label four or five players as substandard, and insist on a Championship Manager-like overhaul.

Cristiano Ronaldo's latest transfer to Real Madrid has sparked a lot of emotion - shock at the transfer fee, surprise at his exit, satisfaction that he's no longer in England, and despair for some United fans. As a United fan myself, I'm not entirely convinced that Ronaldo's exit is a disaster.

The United States gave a heroic effort against Italy in South Africa but as has been typical of the US in big games, they fell short and serious questions amount the tactics persist. Fox Sports Jamie Trecker, the Miami Herald's Adam Beasley and Hannah Lee of Forza Football breakdown the game.

Special thanks to Hannah for co-producing this show for me and allowing us to release it in very timely fashion!

I purposely waited until the end of the United States' three Confederations Cup group-stage games before voicing an opinion about their performance, mainly because 1) I didn't want to jump to conclusions and join the "Fire Bob Bradley because he can't win big games" bandwagon prematurely, and 2) I thought it would be fair to give the players until the end of the tournament before judging their individual performances.

George Murphy of Yanks Abroad.com writes about showing resolve and not jumping off 'the Bob Bradley bandwagon'.
I purposely waited until the end of the United States' three Confederations Cup group-stage games before voicing an opinion about their performance, mainly because 1) I didn't want to jump to conclusions and join the "Fire Bob Bradley because he can't win big games" bandwagon prematurely, and 2) I thought it would be fair to give the players until the end of the tournament before judging their individual performances.

The 2009-10 CONCACAF Champions League kicks off tonight with the qualifying round. MLS looks to redeem itself after its poor collective performance last year, while the Puerto Rico Islanders try to find another Cinderella slipper to reach the semifinals. Toronto FC plays in its first international competition as Canada's representative.

Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho wanted to leave PSG to sign for Manchester United in 2003, which was brilliant at the time, given the way he had performed in the World Cup the year before. When you consider the following year he was named the best player in Europe and the World, it's pretty gutting to remember how close we were.

As Anfield, the city of Liverpool, and every Liverpool fan jumped for joy during Sunday's humbling of Man United, one man stood still...emotionless; impassive, and controlled. That man was, of course, Rafa Benitez - the heartbeat and Commander in Chief of everything Liverpool FC.
If one was to spend the whole match against Manchester United watching Rafa, it would be hard to judge the scoreline at the end.

Morning, it's gonna be a quiet bank holiday blog this morning. There's really not a lot stirring.

No doubt Arsene will be keeping his remaining centre-halves wrapped in cotton wool this week. We know what kind of a position an injury would leave us in so I'm sure vigorous challenges in training will be outlawed.

Well, no news about Djourou's knee today. This isn't all that surprising, since it often takes a couple of days for the swelling in the knee to subside enough to make a good diagnosis of the problem. But as I said previously, the fact that it wasn't a contact injury, and the knee just buckled and brought him down in agony, leads me to believe that this is something pretty serious.

Sir Alex Ferguson has today conceded that he will be unable to play his strongest team in our FA Cup semi-final against Everton tomorrow, particularly following the injury of Wayne Rooney.

Whilst of course the FA Cup semi-final is a massive game, with everything still to play for in the league and Champions League semis on the way, Ferguson has to have his priorities.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard believes Lucas Leiva has a bright future at the club, despite some of the Anfield Faithfull's criticism of the player.
The newly crowned Football Writer's Player of the year told the club's official website: "Lucas has had criticism from people, and for me that's unfair.

Patrice Evra vs Leo Messi
Messi may be one of the world's finest but Evra believes he can deal with the threat the Argentinian poses. Can Evra deal with the pace of Messi? One of the areas where Messi can exploit is when Evra decides to go forward looking to help the wingers and forwards.

There will surely be a million stories about yesterday's Champions League final, but all of them (including one right here on Premiership Talk) will talk about Barca's brilliance, Messi's dominance, and United's dismay. As a United fan, I feel there are a lot of things to be taken from this match that go far beyond our performance on the pitch.

OK we have a developmental manager who has chosen a youth policy based on talent, technical ability, pace, intelligence and most importantly potential. <?xml:namespace prefix = o>

The one thing about youth is you never know when it will flower.

Today the schedule was released for the 2009/2010 season. Lega Calcio finally decided to do the schedule EPL-style, with no seeding for teams, which meant you could have big games on the first day of the season. The first day of the season which starts the weekend of August 22 and 23 has two very interesting encounters, with Genoa-Roma and Palermo-Napoli.

2009/2010 Club and Players Awards

Best New Club

It would be hard not to predict that the Wolverhampton Wanderers will be the best new squad in the Premier League. The Wolves dominated the FLC last season and coasted to a first place finish. The Wolves have a great offense and led the league with 80 total goals last season and will look to maintain a spot on the top tier this season.

In many ways a new year of Serie A doesn't truly begin until it features one of thee Big Matches. It is often said that over the course of the season it's the the "little games", those against teams battling for relegation, that pave the road for a championship title. Often true, but the "little games" certainly are not those everyone is waiting to see.

When Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United over the summer, questions were asked about who would replace the ever-present match winner in Sir Alex Ferguson's side. Wayne Rooney has thus far proven the man to replace the world's greatest player, and Tuesday night against Besiktas he took that to a whole new level.

After Saturdays 2-2 draw with Sunderland, Alex Ferguson, frustrated by what he had just witnessed, issued a scathing verdict on referee Alan Wiley's performance.

"I was disappointed with the referee," said Ferguson. "He didn't add on any time for the goal. He played four minutes and two seconds.

Was Wes Brown fouled by Drogba?

Manchester United should feel hard done by. A fine display and they are right to feel aggravated. Jonny Evans and Wes Brown were terrific while Darren Fletcher was United's best player, but it wasn't to be their day, as John Terry's header deep in the second half was enough to send Chelsea five points clear.

Ever since joining Man United in 2007, Owen Hargreaves has been having a terrible time with injuries. Hargreaves finally joined United in 2007 after almost a year of speculation and negotiations between United and German side Bayern Munich.
The first season he was at United was successful; he helped United win the Champions League and the Premier League.

No doubt, it is great to see two massive sides come together at a massive venue in massive form. Furthermore, if the clash between these two teams has been scheduled for months, proceedings become even more pulsating. Fans of both teams feel the chills down their spines while the neutrals across the world just wait restlessly for a cracker of a game.

I was shocked to see the Manchester United line-up for the FA Cup semi-final against Everton.

Selections like these always bring up the debate on whether it shows a lack of respect to the opposition. Alex Ferguson did play a lot of the young lads, but I think if any manager has the right to make that decision then it's him.