Sunderland

Position 8th, 9-6-9 (33 points, +9 goal differential)

Home Record: 5-4-3, +8 goal differential

Recent Form: WLWWW

Last Meeting: Arsenal 2 Sunderland 1 (October 17, 2011)

Crucial match .

The Australians are still feeling their way round Asian football and how it operates; or often doesn't. Take Adelaide United. There they were happily looking forward to playing in the Asian Champions League when all of a sudden they are being told that they now have to play a play off against Indonesian champions Persipura.

It's only mid-February but we're already perilously close to what The Flight of the Concords would call 'Business Time'. By that, I don't mean Arsenal football club are going to wine and dine our opponents, and then take them back to the Emirates for some 'business' - I apologise if this is getting a little weird - I mean that we're coming up to the real make-or-break period of the season.

1. OTP proposes that to avoid the controversy and time delays of getting a couple of penalties every week, Manchester United should start all matches with a two-goal headstart. 2. Feed the Ox and he will score. 3. Aston Villa will be looking at the fixture list this morning and hoping that they having got [.

Kenny Dalglish has made five changes for the game against Wolves tonight.FULL TEAM: Reina, Enrique, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Spearing, Adam, Kuyt, Henderson, Bellamy, CarrollSUBS: Doni, Carra, Coates, Kelly Aurelio, Shelvey, DowningIt looks like Steven Gerrard has been rested for this game, which is understandable after the heavy fixture list recently.

It seems that a lot of people are not talking about football these days. Whether it be racism, gayism (ok not sure if that's an actual word) or other outrageous incidents not even related to the beautiful game. Here are a few things which I think should be brought back/or removed to help bring the English game back to the glory days of the 90s.

DPM Teo Chee Hean (fifth from left at back row) graced the fixture draw in MBS (Picture credit: FAS)

I'm not mean to dampen the mood of everyone here, but I guess many of you out there must be disappointed by this time of the day when we are only made known of the opening round instead of the FULL fixture list of this season S.

In a new bid to attract more interest it seems the SLeague have come up with a novel way of releasing the fixture list for the new season. Taking a leaf from the harry Potter movies they are announcing them bit by bit. The logic, such as it is, is that if it's good enough for JK Rawlings' teen magicians it's gotta be good enough for the SLeague.

Many are labelling this weekend's game as a grudge match with Spurs seeking revenge for the beating they received at White Hart Lane earlier in the season. According to a recent poll by Sky Sports, Spurs are also the favourites to win the league, no doubt partly due to the new-found hatred that City has acquired.

On the back of two games where Arsenal have lost after taking the lead, and with hardly any positive news on the injury front, a game against Manchester United is the last thing many would want. But that's the game on the fixture list and the Gunners will just have to do as best as they can with diminished resources and wavering confidence.

We're delighted to welcome lovely fella, stand-up comedian and Spurs fan Carl Jones to Cheer Up Alan Shearer. With Spurs second in the table, here's Carl's first guest post about whether his side can actually win the league...
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It's mid-January. Tottenham Hotspur sit three points adrift of leaders Manchester City and level on points with Manchester United.

Did your Cup overfloweth last week?
Not so much. Or if it did is was with lukewarm, overly milky tea rather than with an expensive Asti Spumante.
Back to the slog of the SPL today though. What joys await...
St Johnstone v Rangers
Poor timing.
That was Ally McCoist's verdict on his bid for St Johnstone's Francisco Sandaza on the eve of today's game.

Spurs duly won their game in hand last night with goals from Aaron Lennon and a stunning 30 yard strike from Benoit Assou-Ekotto that completed a 2-0 win and saw the club go level on 45 points with Manchester United.

After the match, Harry Redknapp hailed a great win and emphasised that he finds it a joy just to watch Tottenham at the moment.

I spent much of the Christmas period in France, and I was delighted to see that there is plenty of TV coverage of the English Premier League. Not only was I able to watch more a less the full round of fixtures on Boxing Day, but also the rescheduled Arsenal v Wolves game the following day. Coverage was pretty good too.

For the third time in two months, Liverpool and Manchester City square off, this time in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final. Liverpool's trip to the Eastlands last week ended with the visitors on the wrong end of a 0-3 result that saw City concede most of the possession but take the chances they managed to create.

Twice to Montreal? That's handy.
Taking time from their busy schedule of designing dodgy new kits with blasphemous monochromatic badges, only being rumoured to actually sign players and wetting themselves over the possibility of David Beckham's extended stay with LA Galaxy, TFC today released the official 2012 schedule via Major League Soccer.

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish backs Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini over Christmas fixture pile-up concerns

The Scot has agreed with the Italian's complaints over the winter fixture list, saying the unions should be addressing the fact that players are risking exhaustion and injury

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2012-01-03 11:04:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish backs Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini over Christmas fixture pile-up concerns

The Scot has agreed with the Italian's complaints over the winter fixture list, saying the unions should be addressing the fact that players are risking exhaustion and injury

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2012-01-03 11:04:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish backs Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini over Christmas fixture pile-up concerns

The Scot has agreed with the Italian's complaints over the winter fixture list, saying the unions should be addressing the fact that players are risking exhaustion and injury

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2012-01-03 11:04:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish backs Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini over Christmas fixture pile-up concerns

The Scot has agreed with the Italian's complaints over the winter fixture list, saying the unions should be addressing the fact that players are risking exhaustion and injury

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2012-01-03 11:04:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish backs Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini over Christmas fixture pile-up concerns

The Scot has agreed with the Italian's complaints over the winter fixture list, saying the unions should be addressing the fact that players are risking exhaustion and injury

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2012-01-03 11:04:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish backs Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini over Christmas fixture pile-up concerns

The Scot has agreed with the Italian's complaints over the winter fixture list, saying the unions should be addressing the fact that players are risking exhaustion and injury

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2012-01-03 11:04:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish backs Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini over Christmas fixture pile-up concerns

The Scot has agreed with the Italian's complaints over the winter fixture list, saying the unions should be addressing the fact that players are risking exhaustion and injury

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2012-01-03 11:04:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Dalglish backs Mancini over fixtures pile-up

Liverpool boss says the Premier League need to work with the PFA on the fixture list

View the full story here: The Mirror

A news article on 2012-01-02 22:47:36 from: The Mirror

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Somehow the fixture list is even more crowded to start the year, with Liverpool set to play seven matches before the end of January across three different competitions. Manchester City's got the same task, with one already done for the month and six left to play. Just yesterday City fell in the dying moments against Sunderland for just their second loss of the season, while Liverpool got an important home win over Newcastle on Friday to finish off 2011.

Recent games have dealt with the notion of ‘Arry as a tactical buffoon in no uncertain manner. In days gone by the signing of VDV, the plan to loan Bale to Nottingham Forest and the instruction to Pav to "go out there and f***ing run about" did little for our glorious leader's reputation as tactical genius, and was grist to the mill of a whole army or interweb critics (mea culpa) who lambasted him for doing little more than closing his eyes, pinning a tail on a donkey and accepting the plaudits as his blind gamble paid off.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish expects £35million man Andy Carroll to take his opportunity with 'two hands' over the festive period.
The former Newcastle striker, who moved to Anfield last January, has started just eight Premier League games this season and has scored only two goals.
A traditionally busy fixture-list over Christmas and the New Year means Carroll could be offered chances to start as Dalglish rotates his squad.

Tonight is one of those games you look for when the fixture list comes out, added to that it's being played on a Thursday night, it has all the makings of being a cracker!.
Regular readers of my website would have seen various posts from me this week ahead of the game. I have asked who would come out on top between Mata & Modric, asked if it's a fact that Chelsea are now underdogs heading into the game tonight, asked who starts the game for Chelsea tonight, focused on the other midfield battle at White Hart Lane, commented on the news that David Luiz is out injured and who should replace him and finally posted a video promo this morning.

Although the claims that Ledley King is something of a ‘lucky charm' may be slightly exaggerated, it's no co-incidence that his return to the side has seen Spurs climb the league table and into their current third place.

The chronic problems that prevent our club captain from training and lead to frequent absences are well documented but the importance of Thursday night's game could see him take the field in a midweek match for the first time in over a year.

Martinez and Dalglish agree – there's more to Liverpool than Suarez

THE FESTIVE fixture list continues for Liverpool tomorrow night at the DW Stadium when Kenny Dalglish's side take on Roberto Martinez's Wigan Athletic. Kenny has almost a full-strength squad at his disposal but there won't be a return – for now at least – for Steven Gerrard.

Kenny Dalglish has backed the strength of his Liverpool squad as the Premier League nears the busy festive season.
The Reds are one of the few clubs with squads big enough to handle the intense fixture list and the 60-year-old has backed his fringe players, including Andy Carroll, to make an impact.

Everton are bringing back USA star Landon Donovan in January. Nic Anelka is going to China. And Mario Balotelli is in a fight in training once again. Tons of news around the Premier League, but as the fixture list gets ... Continue reading →

The congested fixture list over the Christmas period has the ability to make or break a team's season, as everyone wants to take momentum into the second half of the campaign. With important games at both the top and bottom ...
This is a content summary. Visit http://www.epltalk.com to read the entire article

SHAH ALAM - Malaysia Super League (MSL) champions Kelantan are in the frame to face V Sundramoorthy's LionsXII in the opening game of the 2012 season, but the fixture will only be confirmed next Wednesday.
Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) vice-president Datuk Hamidin bin Haji Amin told TODAY that while they have drawn up a tentative schedule of fixtures, they will only be released after a final round of checks of stadiums this week.

SHAH ALAM - Malaysia Super League (MSL) champions Kelantan are in the frame to face V Sundramoorthy's LionsXII in the opening game of the 2012 season, but the fixture will only be confirmed next Wednesday.
Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) vice-president Datuk Hamidin bin Haji Amin told TODAY that while they have drawn up a tentative schedule of fixtures, they will only be released after a final round of checks of stadiums this week.

Game week is here and I'm a happy man, I met an old lady who predicted stuff with her fancy crystal ball and the inquisitive man in me asked her to predict this game week. So here is what she had to say:

Newcastle V Chelsea:

Alan Pardew's men are on a roll and AVB's men are down in a hole.

The draw for Euro 2012 has been made and the fixture list has also been drawn out marking England's plot to the final in Kiev come 1, July. Interestingly enough, should Fabio Capello's men emerge from Group D unscathed, they will face-off against what is likely to be Spain or Italy in the quarter-finals.

Jordan Henderson is focused on returning Liverpool to Wembley after more than a decade away from the home of English football.
The Anfield club has not played at the national stadium since losing the 1996 FA Cup final to old rivals Manchester Unitedcourtesy of Eric Cantona's late goal.
Liverpool has won FA Cups, League Cups and Community Shields in their 15-year Wembley absence, but all of those successes came at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

Liverpool stopper Pepe Reina knows that the coming months are set to be pivotal to the club's push for a top four place this season.
The Reds are desperate for a return to the Champions League after missing out on Europe altogether last term, and have showed signs that they are one of the teams to beat after beating Chelsea and drawing with Manchester City in back-to-back league matches.

The AFC told the Indonesian Football Association the new season had to begin by a certain date or they would lose the right to enter teams in continental football next season. So, amid much ballyhoo, the Indonesia Premier League kicked off on 15 October when Persib hosted Semen Padang.
A few more games were scheduled but never took place and the competition, fully one game old, went into hibernation for the SEA Games, a period of six weeks.