Jan Molby is a player that I have a lot of time for. The Danish footballer was a maestro in midfield. While he's best remembered as being a pivotal player for Liverpool during his time there between 1984 and 1996, he has a special place in my heart for being a pioneer with the club I support, Swansea City, where he introduced a beautiful style of play as player manager which laid the groundwork for Roberto Martinez's arrival, much later, in 2007.

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According to Neil Barker at the Manchester Evening News, Wigan Athletic boss Roberto Martinez is looking for a new striker and has been scouting Espanyol striker Raul Tamudo. Martinez said,

"We are now one striker short.

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Sam Allardyce has responded to reported comments from Wigan boss Roberto Martinez made earlier this week. The Spanish manager made claims that there is a "Sir Alex Ferguson fan club" amongst Premiership manager ranks, and he went on to say that Sam Allardyce is a key member of the fan club as he seeks to replace the Scot at Old Trafford.

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All the stuff being covered outside the unfriendly confines of the award winning Dirty Tackle...

Sick of those damn strikers getting all the glory? Make like Chacarita defender Mariano Echeverria and steal a pass, sprint up the pitch, pass to yourself, then go top corner on the keeper.

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Roberto Martinez's interview with Spanish sports paper, AS, appeared on their website on Sunday. The interview was in a Q&A format where he was asked questions concerning how Wigan could compete financially, about television revenue in English football and who inspired him. Martinez claimed Liverpool were too reliant on Gerrard on Torres, that Valencia isn't good enough to replace Ronaldo and that Wigan's victory over Chelsea was "magnificent".

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Sir Alex Ferguson was charged by the FA for claiming that visibly overweight referee Alan Wiley wasn't fit enough. After Wiley took an unusually large amount of time to book Anton Ferdinand in the second half, our manager accused Wiley of needing this time to take a rest.

Ferguson apologised personally to Wiley but was asked by the FA to explain himself before they charged him.

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Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez has said that the football association is favouring Man United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Martinez has also said that he sympathises with Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez.
After a 2-2 draw with Sunderland, Sir Alex said that the referee wasn't fit enough. Click to continue reading...

For many Premier League outsiders, it's always been a mystery as to how Sir Alex Ferguson assembles his loyal following of top flight managers. Roberto Martinez, a fresh face to the Premier League this season for Wigan, has revealed some of the inner secrets of the manager sanctum.

"Ferguson has his group of loyal fans among other managers.

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For many Premier League outsiders, it's always been a mystery as to how Sir Alex Ferguson assembles his loyal following of top flight managers. Roberto Martinez, a fresh face to the Premier League this season for Wigan, has revealed some of the inner secrets of the manager sanctum.

"Ferguson has his group of loyal fans among other managers.

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Just two months into the 2009-2010 season, the "big four" of Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool have lost 10 matches combined. Compare that with 18 matches lost by the league's elite combined in the entirety of last season, and it's clear that either the big four are weaker, or the rest of the league is getting stronger.

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Newcastle United manager, Chris Hughton has picked up a second successive Championship 'Manager of the Month' with Newcastle United on the eve of taday's clash with the Robins of Bristol City. The ex 'Spurs and Republic if Ireland legend beat off WBA's Roberto Martinez, Preston's Alan Irvine, and Gareth Southgate from the toxic waste dump [. Click to continue reading...

How will Swansea react to the loss of their talisman Ferrie Bodde who has been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering his second cruciate ligament injury in the space of twelve months?
Their inspirational player had only just come back into action after being out for ten months with exactly the same injury. Click to continue reading...

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- The cutting-edge QPR Report Messageboard: Visit - even post on - the combination quasi-blog and messageboard for additional up-to-the-minute news about QPR, combined with QPR nostalgia and occasionally, general football items. Links to items on other QPR boards, always welcome!.... Click to continue reading...

Since I did not do the EPL review for week 5, I figured I'd might as well combined weeks 5 and 6 together in this bumper post on the Barclays Premier League weekend matches review.
Week 5 was all about the fiercely contested Manchester derby in which an Adebayor-less Manchester City traded punches with Man United. Click to continue reading...

Time is tight this busy Monday but having a 'weekend preview' as the top story is just irritating. So instead we've used Football 365's ever excellent 'winners and losers' feature. Cheers...

The original story can be found here.

Winners

Wigan
Defeat for Chelsea, history for Wigan, relief for the chasing pack and welcome credibility for the other half of the Premier League.

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Skipper gives fellow players wake up call

Portsmouth vs Chelsea Tickets Still Available!

John Terry has launched a scathing attack on his Chelsea team-mates for not fighting hard enough in their defeat to Wigan.

The previously unbeaten Blues were stunned by Roberto Martinez's side at the weekend after slumping to a surprise 3-1 loss.

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Big Story

What with all the big news stories out there—FIFA U20 World Cup action, Notts County's shifty owners—I thought I'd ease you into your late Sunday news-gathering expedition with an irreverent look at what happens when a team many were counting on to fill in the role as the Big Four minnow destroyer du jour loses 3-1 to lil' ol' Wigan.

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Ancelotti admits confusion at Wigan performance.

Portsmouth vs Chelsea Tickets Still Available!

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti demanded a response from his team after their first defeat of the season at Wigan.

The Blues face a Champions League match on Wednesday with Cypriots Apoel Nicosia, then play Liverpool on Sunday.

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We're only six games into the season, but much has already become apparent. Under-performers, over-performers, challengers, also-rans, and players and teams to watch for the right and the wrong reasons. Here's a quick look at the most obvious, interesting, and intriguing...

Manchester City

It's already clear they will be a force to be reckoned with this season.

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Welcome to Ask the Oppo! Perry groves' lovechild is till on an extended break so Eldo71 talks to Tony Holmes, a Wigan fan from Warrington who will be at the game today at the Emirates...

Eldo71: First off, what are your opinions of your new manger Roberto Martinez?

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Arsene Wenger feels that 80 points will be enough to win the title as bigger teams drop points to the harder pushing smaller teams and Man City, the new billionaires on the block.

His calculations put Chelsea 65 points short with 33 games yet to be played and there is no reason why the Blues can't maintain their fast start.

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Home banker?

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Arsenal striker Robin van Persie should return from a knee injury but Russian playmaker Andrey Arshavin remains sidelined by a groin problem.
Manuel Almunia is still suffering from a chest infection so young keeper Vito Mannone is set to continue in goal.

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Morning, it's Wigan on the menu today and a home game which seems like a bit of a novelty this season so far.

Only Robin van Persie is back from injury. Andrei Arshavin hasn't made it, neither has Almunia, Theo Walcott has had a setback apparently, and the others we know about already. The importance of this game should be in no doubt.

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Wigan Athletic

Last Season: 11th, 12-9-17 (45 points, -11 goal differential)

Recent Form: WLLLW

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

Last Meeting: Wigan Athletic 1-Arsenal 4 (4/11/09)

Back to league action tomorrow with a home matchup against Wigan.

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Arsenal vs Wigan: team news, injuries, tactics, prognosis By Phil Gregory Wigan Athletic, Arsenal's opponents on Saturday, arrive at the Emirates Stadium on the back of� their first home win of the season against West Ham. Roberto Martinez, Wigan's manager since the departure of Steve Bruce to Sunderland, has undertaken wholesale changes at the club. Click to continue reading...

It feels like the season has really begun now, the international break is well behind us, the Champions League & the Europa League are in full swing, and the big clashes are starting to come thick and fast.

Here are my predictions for this weekend's Premier League fixtures - make sure you add yours to the mix and check out the podcast crew's predictions for this weekend's big matches across Europe as well.

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I thought about trying to write something about the game last night, with a headline of ‘Hands knees and bumps a daisy' but thankfully thought better of it, but our second and third goals were more or less just that – a bit of hand from Song, a bit of knee from Eduardo and a whole lot of offside thrown into the mix –
I don't like us being allowed goals which are clearly offside, but hey, how many times have we lost to goals like that so ‘am I bothered' ?

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A solitary Hugo Rodallega goal gave Roberto Martinez's side a crucial home win.

Don't forget to check out Online Football Manager!

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1. A Change Of Tack
I don't know about you, but personally I think this blog has become just a little too considered in recent weeks at the expense of our bread and butter.
Perilous flirtation with the threat of legal action has been discarded in favour of sound reasoning, and that has to change. Click to continue reading...

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- For additional up-to-the-minute news about QPR, mixed in with "retro" lookbacks at QPR; along with some items of general football interest: Visit the combination blog and messageboard, QPR Report Messageboard. If you want to offer your own perspective: It's always welcome!
- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER! Click to continue reading...

Of the 20 clubs in the English Premier League, only 8 have English managers. Four clubs have Scottish managers, and there are two each from Spain, Italy, and Wales. Here is the complete list of Premier League managers by nationality:

8 - England: Sam Allardyce (Bolton), Gary Megson (Bolton), Roy Hodgson (Fulham), Phil Brown (Hull City), Paul Hart (Portsmouth), Steve Bruce (Sunderland), Harry Redknapp (Spurs), Mick McCarthy* (Wolverhampton)

4 - Scotland: Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United), Alex McLeish (Birmingham), Owen Coyne (Burnley), David Moyes (Everton)

2 - Italy: Carlo Ancelotti (Chelsea), Gianfranco Zola (West Ham)

2 - Spain: Rafael Benitez (Liverpool), Roberto Martinez (Wigan)

2 - Wales: Mark Hughes (Manchester City), Tony Pulis (Stoke City)

1 - France: Arsene Wenger (Arsenal)

1 - Northern Ireland: Martin O'Neill (Aston Villa)

*Mick McCarthy was born in England, but played internationally for the Republic of Ireland.

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Ha vuelto la Premier y con ella todos los condimentos alrededor de la mejor liga del mundo. Emoción, espectáculo, grandes marcos y goles, detalles fundamentales a la hora de darle el color a una competencia que siempre da ganas de ver. La jornada de sábado nos traía varios encuentros pero sólo unos pocos llegaban con un atractivo peculiar. Click to continue reading...

El ‘Big Four' no revienta el mercadoHasta ahora los cuatro mejores equipos de la competencia han sido bastante austeros en cuanto a fichajes. Las cifras van desde los casi 10 millones de euros invertidos por el Arsenal únicamente en Thomas Vermalen hasta los 36 kilos que invirtió el Liverpool en sólo dos jugadores. Click to continue reading...

Possibly the shock of the round as Championship side Blackpool, without a win in the League this season, trounced Roberto Martinez's side.

Don't forget to check out Online Football Manager!

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Wigan Athletic 0-5 Manchester Utd

After losing 1-0 to Burnley in midweek, many people doubted how Manchester United would push for a fourth consecutive title without Cristiano Ronaldo.

But the champions proved many wrong in typical style, scoring a flurry of late goals to beat Roberto Martinez's side.

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