Here at In The Stands there is a lot of banter in our head office about how everyone is doing in the Premier League's Fantasy Football game. So we thought that we will bring in number 208 (out of 2.15 million) to give us a few tips. Please welcome Chez...

"I would bring him in, but I know as soon as I do he will start playing rubbish.

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by FRANCO PANIZO

If the Houston Dynamo� is to continue� its relative MLS success next season,� it will likely have to do so without two of their most� talented players.

Midfielders Ricardo Clark and Stuart Holden� are out of contract at season's end, and both players are unlikely to return to the club, having been strongly linked� with moves� to Europe during the upcoming winter transfer window.

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by FRANCO PANIZO

If the Houston Dynamo� is to continue� its relative MLS success next season,� it will likely have to do so without two of their most� talented players.

Midfielders Ricardo Clark and Stuart Holden� are out of contract at season's end, and both players are unlikely to return to the club, having been strongly linked� with moves� to Europe during the upcoming winter transfer window.

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-According to the Dynamo, Ricardo Clark, whose contract expires next month, has no intention to re-sign with Major League Soccer as he pursues opportunities abroad.

-Brian Ching underwent surgery Tuesday to address a meniscus tear in his left knee. He suffered the injury in Game 1 of the series against Seattle Sounders FC but is expected to make a full recovery during the offseason.

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With the exception of the Carling Cup, Arsenal defender Philippe Senderos is yet to enjoy a regular start for the Gunners with manager Arsene Wenger clearly saying that he has no intention of rotating Thomas ... Click to continue reading...

With the exception of the Carling Cup, Arsenal defender Philippe Senderos is yet to enjoy a regular start for the Gunners with manager Arsene Wenger clearly saying that he has no intention of rotating Thomas ...

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After trying his best to engineer a move away from Anfield in the summer, rumours are flying again that Javier Mascherano is on the verge of leaving Liverpool. So where's the problem? Why can't Liverpool just let him leave? There seems to be this idea that Mascherano is somehow irreplaceable and integral to Liverpool's success, but in my view, Liverpool could cope perfectly well without him. Click to continue reading...

Why didn't Alberto Aquilani play any part of the Lyon game? Can someone please explain to me the logic behind keeping him on the bench for the full 90 minutes because I just don't get it.
Aquilani was on the bench against Lyon therefore he must be fit. He was even warming up at one stage. Click to continue reading...

It has been a year filled with unfortunate events so far this football season and I am sad to report that� La Liga� has lost another former player.� Robert Enke who was currently with German� squad� Hannover 96 has died from an apparent suicide.� Enke, well known for� his role as� Germany's starting keeper as of January 2009, played for two different� La Liga squads over the course of his career and� was considered by many football critics one of the most dependable keepers not only in Germany, but in the entire world.

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Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton target Blaise Matuidi declared he is happy with St. Etienne and has no intention of leaving the French side although he added Arsenal would have been an interesting challenge in ... Click to continue reading...

Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton target Blaise Matuidi declared he is happy with St. Etienne and has no intention of leaving the French side although he added Arsenal would have been an interesting challenge in ...

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Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen says the Gunners are serious about their Premiership prospects this season and are in the race for the long haul.
The Belgian, who has been impressive in his first three months in England, says Arsenal have laid the foundations for a full-on title tilt with their brilliant early-season form and warned rivals they have no intention of stopping. Click to continue reading...

Barcelona are reportedly preparing a bid for Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano, who the Merseyside club are preparing to offload during the winter transfer window according to Spanish publication El Mundo Deportivo.
The Argentine central midfielder, who holds an Italian passport, was a summer target for the Blaugrana and had showed signs of a desire to make the switch before Reds boss Rafael Benitez insisted he would not be leaving. Click to continue reading...

The Journal today published an article with quotes attributed to none other than our favorite cockney geezer, Derek Llambias.

With most sane Newcastle fans venting fury at the clubs efforts to sell naming rights to St. James's Park next season, the club appear to be trying to alleviate some of the damage.

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Right then, it's one busy blog this morning so let's get right into it.

Just moments, possibly seconds, after an article appeared on the official site with Lukasz Fabianski talking about how delighted he was to be back, another appeared advising us that Lukasz Fabianski would be out for three weeks.

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After Samuel Eto'o's alleged statements against Pep and others at Barca, he adressed the subject as expected at the presentation campaign for "Shoe Aid In Africa" which he's the face of. And Samu's statements were far from any sort of lashing out at the club:
"My relationship [with Guardiola] has never been bad. Click to continue reading...

It isn't my intention to steal the MMM's thunder but I figured I'd throw out a few observations from my weekend of watching a pretty crazy amount of footie... 1. This is definitely the year where forwards are re-establishing themselves as the league's goal-getters.� In recent seasons we've seen the ascent of CRon, Lamps, Gerrard, Ashley Young, and others among the league's top goal scorers. Click to continue reading...

Hot on the heels of more Robinho exit rumours comes Guillem Balague's considered view:

The Premier league club have no intention of selling their star player and Barcelona do not have sufficient funds to even consider making a large enough bid that might give City reason to reconsider.

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Mike Ashley, Newcastle United's much maligned owner has dropped the price of the club to £80 million. Ashley has given Barry Moat one more week to come up with the funds to buy the club (even though a few weeks ago we were told he had made a formal offer and that money was in the bank).

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Never underestimate the ability of advertising to actually make you buy stuff you had no intention of buying. I just popped out to get a Four Pack of Kronenbourg ahead of some friends coming over for the England game, ended up buying some L'oreal Shampoo at the same time for no reason at all! Apparently it will target my limp lifeless hair, so I am onto a winner anyway.

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Hello hello hello. Did you miss me? I promise that I had every intention of blogging at least once while in Amsterdam, an intention which can be confirmed by knowing that the first thing I asked the hotel reception was 'how much is your broadband?' It was her answer that prevented any further progress with the matter. Click to continue reading...

First off, sorry for not getting these posted earlier this morning. I had ever intention to do so but somehow I just never hit publish on this post. Second of all this week's rankings come with very little change at the top six or seven. Most of the clubs stayed right where they were at after week 29.

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Without prejudice...

I am returning to the subject of Alex Ferguson's comments and analysing his apology placed upon the official Manchester United Website　

"I apologise to Mr Wiley for any personal embarrassment that my remarks may have caused and to The FA for going public with my views.

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Man United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has made a statement relating to the comments he said about referee Alan Wiley after the 2-2 draw with Sunderland. Sir Alex said that Wiley wasn't fit enough to referee the game and English referee's aren't as fit as foreign referee's.
Sir Alex has said sorry for embarrasing Alan Wiley but not for what he has said. Click to continue reading...

Alex Ferguson has issued an apology over comments made about Alan Wiley's fitness following United's disappointing 2-2 draw with Sunderland.

United salvaged a point from the match thanks to an injury time own goal from Anton Ferdinand but rather than point the spotlight at his own players, Ferguson let rip at Alan Wiley claiming he was ‘unfit' and questioned the referee's timekeeping.

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In a statement to his club's website, Alex Ferguson said the following with regard to the Alan Wiley issue "I apologise to Mr Wiley for any personal embarrassment that my remarks may have caused and to The FA for going public with my views.In retrospect, I accept that this could be deemed as expressing those views in an inappropriate forum.

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Surprise points against Uruguay and Chile in Rounds 14 and 15, combined with three points from Peru in Round 16, have launched Venezuela back into contention for their first World Cup birth (Venezuela is the only nation in South America never to appear in a World Cup). To get to South Africa, Venezuela (currently seventh) will have to get results against Paraguay (Saturday) and at Brazil (Wednesday), but they are catching the group's two top teams at the right time. Click to continue reading...

Anytime you give a WAG the platform to say stuff, it's a dangerous proposition. They are a wily group emotionally unpredictable and heaven help you if Luis Vuitton is closed.

Perhaps this is why Julio Cesar's wife (and former girlfriend of Fat Ronaldo) Susana Werner decided to play the part of amateur contract negotiator and post the following on her blog:

"It's a week of great emotions.

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Manchester United star Dimitar Berbatov has confirmed stories about a kidnapping ordeal involving himself that happened about ten years ago in his home country of Bulgaria while at CSKA Sofia... Berbatov revealed that he was abducted by Bulgarian gangster Georgi Iliev at the age of 18 with the intention to coerce Dimitar to signing for his [. Click to continue reading...

In the midst of one of football's largest debates about diving, Robin van Persie has cleared the air about strikers' feelings about going down too easily. In a telling interview with The Times, the Arsenal striker revealed that he sometimes exaggerates contact and goes down but only to get what is rightfully his.

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If Wayne Rooney dived in the world cup final and was awarded a penalty that led directly to England winning the world, would he be targeted and denigrated by the press and fans the next day, just like Eduardo was after the Celtic game? Arsene Wenger doesn't think so, and I think he's right.
In a recent interview, Wenger said:
"England are in the World Cup and if Rooney does that [Dives] in the last minute of the game and England win the World Cup, do you really think Rooney will be slaughtered the next day? Click to continue reading...

Afternoon all,

this was supposed to be written this morning but you know how it goes, you wake up...snooze for another five minutes...wake up again...snooze for another five, then your alarm goes off just as you are comfortably in that dozy warm phase and in a moment of madness you punch your phone as hard as possible and it no longer makes any sound.

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Robin van Persie has today admitted to exaggerating his reaction to contact with an opposing player. He can't understand why a chorus of 'Same old Arsenal, always cheating' was heard after he chose to go to ground after a 'really little push' from Patrice Evra.

"Yes, I did," Van Persie replied, when asked had he ever exaggerated a fall.

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by CARL ELDRIDGE Now here's a big fact surprise in this morning's papers...a sorry tale about an overpaid mercenary who can't bring it upon himself to offer the hand of friendship to a former team-mate who he booted in the face.

Yes, you guessed it, it's part 532 of Adebayor-gate.

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Could he leave Anfield?

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Mascherano was heavily linked with a move to Barcelona this summer after two seasons at Anfield and the club's sporting director, Txiki Begiristain, alluded earlier this week to his intention to seal moves for the Argentine and Cesc F� bregas, the Arsenal captain, next summer.

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