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West Ham Summer Transfer Guide
Heading into their final game against already-relegated Reading , West Ham are comfortably perched in 10th position...
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Growing Old with Michael Owen
After bursting onto the scene with that goal against Argentina, the stand-out moment of my first World Cup, Michael Owen will always be a reminder of that early, unconditional love of football...
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Michael Carrick Is Finally Getting the Credit He Deserves
As Leighton Baines and Michu , amongst others, have found out to their cost, the PFA Player of the Year shortlist is inherently flawed...
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Lionel Messi: Has Genius Ever Been So Underwhelming?
Surely getting to witness the greatest player of his generation, arguably of all time, should be a cause for celebration. Instead there's something about Lionel Messi 's unparalleled perfection that leaves me feeling a little hollow...
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5 Potential Long-Term Replacements for Carlos Tevez
Manchester City may have the Premier League's best defensive record, but the lack of a killer touch at the other end has left them a distant second in the title race. Even a 2-1 win at Old Trafford on Monday did little more than delay the inevitable.
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How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Embrace Wigan
Although it's their eighth successive season in the top flight, Wigan's presence amongst the gilded elite is still regarded as something of an aberration...
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Manchester City vs. Newcastle United: Premier League Preview
Venue: Etihad Stadium Time: 3pm GMT, Saturday After a fortnight given over to international fixtures, the Premier League returns this weekend. Although we're only in March this game is, disappointingly, something of a dead rubber already...
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Lampard Should Compromise to Resolve Contract Saga
With just three months left to run on his current deal, Frank Lampard 's future is still uncertain. Negotiations have seemingly reached an impasse but, far from being a case of a ...
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Rickie Lambert Deserves a Place in the England Squad
By giving Leon Osman a first cap back in November, Roy Hodgson demonstrated that while his focus may be on the future, he's still willing to reward older players for impressive league form...
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Should the Premier League Have an All-Star Game?
From the decline in 3 p.m. kickoffs to the infamous Game 39 proposal, the Premier League has often regarded tradition as a fun-spoiling, progress-denying impediment...
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Fernando Torres Must Evolve or Face Irrelevancy
When does a temporary blip become a terminal decline? For the last two-and-a-half years, Fernando Torres has looked out-of-sorts, struggling to recapture the jet-heeled magic that made him one of the world's most-feared strikers...
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Should Aston Villa Stick with Paul Lambert?
With no wins from their last eight league games and cup humblings inflicted by Millwall and Bradford, Aston Villa ’s season is in something of a tailspin...
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A Likeable Premier League XI
In general, footballers get a bad press. You can understand why with the antics of some, but it means others are unfairly tarred with the same brush...
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On the Fringes: Scott Sinclair Hasn't Learned His Lesson
There is an overwhelming sense of déjà vu about Scott Sinclair ’s current situation...
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Diaby's Return Could Be Crucial to Arsenal's Run-in
In recent years, many bounding, bandy-legged midfielders of African descent have laboured under the weight of expectation that comes with being branded "the new Vieira ...
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Pep Guardiola's Record Is No Guarantee of Premier League Success
The announcement that Pep Guardiola is keen on a return to management is seen as bad news for a couple of already-under-pressure bosses at the Premier League’s sharp end...
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Dimitar Berbatov Relishes Being Fulham's Flawed Genius
Joining Manchester United in 2008 always felt like the wrong move for Dimitar Berbatov ’s career...
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6 Bewilderingly Popular Aspects of Modern Football
With New Year upon us, what better time to bust some myths, slay some sacred cows and otherwise upset the apple cart? In the hope of a better 2013, let’s set about ridding football of some of its worst excesses and most worrying trends...
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6 of the Premier League's Most Overrated Players
Paradoxically, as coverage of the Premier League has increased to almost saturation point, it’s become even more difficult to form a reliable opinion of the players on show...
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Premier League Season: The 10 Biggest Surprise Packages
The two Manchester clubs are fighting it out for the title. Chelsea have changed their manager again and Arsenal’s status as a Top Four club is under threat. So far, so predictable...
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More to Martin O'Neill's Record Than Meets the Eye
Martin O’Neill’s reputation has always seemed peculiarly bulletproof. Just the other week, in an appearance on the Football Focus sofa, John Hartson was still tipping him to succeed Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager...
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10 Championship Talents Flying Under the Radar
With every man and his wife now aware of Wilfried Zaha’s ability given the Crystal Palace youngster’s surprise call-up to the England squad, perhaps it’s time to ...
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Nikola Zigic Has Been a Frustration for Birmingham City Fans
It’s not often that an international striker with 57 caps, 20 goals and two World Cups behind him is far from an automatic choice at Championship level...
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The Curious Case of Alan Curbishley: Football's Forgotten Man
Universally praised for his work with Charlton, and always figuring in discussion of future England bosses, Alan Curbishley was one of the most promising managerial talents of the new millennium...
