Allardyce Quits, Neville Mishits, Man U Win, Chelsea Give In

It was a weekend full of twists and turns in the Premiership, as Man Utd managed to extend their lead at the top of the table to five points, West Ham received a record fine but escaped a points deduction and Sam Allardyce quit Bolton.

On Saturday the top two kicked off simultaneously against teams with European aspirations; United travelled to Everton and Chelsea welcomed Bolton. The Trotters had just found out that their manager of eight years, Sam Allardyce, planned to quit at the end of the season. The surprise didn’t stop them going ahead though, as debut boy Lubomir Michalik scored. Kalou equalised for Chelsea soon after, and when Jaaskelainen scored an own goal, the Blues fans were in raptures as news had filtered through from Goodison Park: Alan Stubbs’ deflected strike had put Man Utd behind. So at half time the top two were level on points, only goal difference kept Chelsea in second.
The second half got even worse for Ferguson’s men as a cracking drive from Manuel Fernandes put Everton two in front but minutes later at Stamford Bridge, Kevin Davies equalised for Bolton to slightly dampen Chelsea’s spirits. Back at Goodison, It took a huge error from Everton’s rookie goalkeeper Iain Turner to get Man Utd back into the game. Unchallenged, he dropped an easy catch and O’Shea pounced to set a comeback in motion. Soon after, a scramble in the box saw former United man Phil Neville score an own goal and it was 2-2 in both games.
If Everton fans could pick one player not to score against them, high on the list would be Wayne Rooney, but their nightmares came true as the former Everton boy slotted home to put United in front. Youngster Chris Eagles rounded it off in injury time to make it 4-2 to United, five points clear and the title within their grasp.
At the other end of the table Wigan hosted West Ham, whose pockets were £5.5 million lighter following the FA’s record fine over the Tevez and Mascherano transfers. The players seemed unaffected though and beat Wigan 3-0 with goals from Boa Morte, Benayoun and Harewood. After the match Wigan’s Paul Jewell expressed his anger that the FA didn’t dock the Hammers any points - surely nothing to do with the fact that now only goal difference separates Wigan in 17th and West Ham in 18th.
West Ham’s win meant that a victory for Charlton at Blackburn could hoist them into safety. But the Addicks have only won one away game all season, and they couldn’t change that depressing statistic as Blackburn won 4-1. Sheffield United’s survival hopes were boosted against Watford as a Chris Powell own goal moved the blades up to 15th place.
With the Champions League on his mind, Rafa Benitez rested so many players against Portsmouth that even Robbie Fowler got a game. Benjani and Krancjar put Portsmouth two up and in reply Sammi Hyppia, who is much like carpaccio (he’s a rare starter) scored, although his goal was not enough to get Liverpool back into the game.
As Arsenal entertained Fulham at Ashburton Grove the home fans must have felt like it was déjà vu all over again with the score 1-1 going into the final ten minutes. Baptista had given the gunners an early lead but former Spurs boy Simon Davies equalised in the 78th minute. Eventually though, Adebayor and Silva came through for Arsenal, their strikes made it 3-1 at the final whistle.
In the most pointless game of the weekend, Man City took on Aston Villa. Tensions were high with absolutely nothing at stake, and John “Wrecking” Carew and Sean Maloney gave Villa a 2-0 victory.
Tottenham held on to their chance of European football next season by beating Middlesbrough 3-2. Strikes from Viduka and Pogatetz weren’t enough for Boro and Robbie Keane’s brace plus a goal from Berbatov secured a vital win for Spurs.
It couldn’t be closer at the top of the Pilkington Fantasy Football league; My Griffins and Premier Allstars are both on 1578 points. Were not from London uno on 1543 and Pyro Athletic on 1542 make up the top four. The top three in form players are Robbie Keane, Emmanuel Adebayor and Dirk Kuyt.
There are very few games left in the Premiership but managers in the Pilkington Fantasy Football league can still make a difference to their teams’ fortunes. Log on to www.pilkington.co.uk/fantasyfootball to make changes for the final run in.

Man Utd Stumble, Then So Do Chelsea

Manchester United blew the title race wide open by managing just a draw with Middlesbrough this weekend, only for Chelsea to fail to take advantage.

Like so often this season, Man Utd played before Chelsea, something that Jose Mourinho has frequently complained about. But he would have been delighted by Saturday evening after Mark Viduka’s header late in the first half held United to a draw. It looked like it should have been a routine victory for Fergie’s men as fans’ favourite Kieran Richardson netted after just three minutes, but United couldn’t add to the tally.

Chelsea took the pitch on Sunday against Newcastle knowing that a win would put them back in the Premiership driving seat. The Blues were unable to continue their winning streak as the game finished goalless, but they could hardly claim that their performance deserved more than a point.

In the North London derby a last minute goal from Jermaine Jenas didn’t really make much difference to either team’s chances of qualifying for Europe. Spurs had gone ahead through Keane in the first half but Arsenal turned it around in the second period with goals from Toure and Adebayor. The late goal from England star Jenas made it all square at the end.

Charlton played Sheffield Utd in what we are obliged to call a relegation six pointer. El Karkouri had given the Addicks hope of escaping the bottom three with a 59th minute deflected strike, but ten minutes later Jonathan Stead equalised to keep the Blades just above the relegation zone and Charlton just inside it.

Sixth played seventh as Reading travelled to face Bolton at the Reebok. Nicky Shorey had kindly helped Bolton take the lead by scoring an own goal, but his blushes were spared with a final six minute flurry from the Royals. Kevin Doyle scored two and Hunt made it 3-1 in the 90th minute.

Zamora was the scorer as just the one goal was enough for the Hammers to beat Everton, his strike keeps alive West Ham’s hopes of avoiding the drop. Watford however, were consigned to the Championship this weekend, Ben Foster’s mistake allowed Vassel to put Manchester City in front, and Priskin’s equaliser wasn’t enough to delay the inevitable.
Liverpool moved closer to cementing third place when Dirk Kuyt scored in each half against Wigan for a regulation 2-0 win. Little was of interest in Aston Villa’s 0-0 draw with Portsmouth apart from the fact that David James broke David Seaman’s record of clean sheets with his 142nd shut out. Fulham and Blackburn ended level after Benni McCarthy cancelled out Vincenzo Montella’s first half strike.

The weekend was rounded off with the PFA Awards where Ronaldo did the double and scooped both Players’ and Players’ Young Player of the Year Award. More importantly though, he’s the Pilkington Fantasy League’s leading points scorer with 181. The top three in form players are from Liverpool; Kuyt, Crouch and Gerrard. The most out of form players, with minus points, are Filan, Campo, and Foster.

As the end of the season draws ever closer, My Griffins top the Pilkington Fantasy Football League on 1570 points, Premier Allstars are second with 1561 and in third on 1530 are Were not from London uno.
Can your transfers make the difference to your team in the critical end stage of the season? Log on to www.pilkington.co.uk/fantasyfootball to track your team’s progress.

Man Utd And Chelsea Set Up Dream First Wembley Final

This weekend saw very few surprises in the FA Cup and much relief for the FA as Manchester United and Chelsea duly did as they were expected and won their respective semi finals to ensure the sponsors' ideal match for the first final at the new national stadium.

Manchester United were the first team to secure their place in the final with a 4-1 victory over Watford, taking the lead early after a Wayne Rooney bullet from the edge of the box. The Hornets showed that they weren't just at Villa Park for a sight seeing tour around Birmingham as they equalised through Hameur Bouazza's acrobatic effort. Their joy didn't last long though as 12 minutes later a run by Rooney down the right set up Ronaldo for a simple tap in. United put the result beyond doubt in the second half as Rooney added another and Kieran Richardson dinked home a fourth to leave it 4-1 and send the Red Devils to Wembley.

Chelsea's semi final encounter with Blackburn was much less of a formality. Despite Chelsea going ahead early through a Frank Lampard strike, they couldn't increase their lead and were pegged back by Jason Roberts' second half header. The game went into extra time and looked to be heading towards penalties but Michael Ballack scored the winner with only 11 minutes to go. The FA will be hoping that there won't be a repeat of the empty seats at both Villa Park and Old Trafford when the league's top two meet at Wembley in May.

In the Premiership and the race for third place, results went Arsenal's way as they beat their bogey team Bolton 2-1 and rivals Liverpool only managed a draw against Man City. Goals from Fabregas and Rosicky won the game for the Gunners after former Arsenal man Anelka had put Bolton in front. Liverpool's uninspiring no score draw at Eastlands means that Arsenal are two points behind them in fourth place.

Fans were treated to a much more exciting draw at Wigan's JJB stadium as they welcomed Tottenham Hotspur. Wigan went in front three times only to concede equalisers within ten minutes on each occasion. Heskey, Baines and Kilbane's efforts were cancelled out respectively by Berbatov and then Keane twice.

In the battle at the bottom, Sheffield United dealt a hammer blow to West Ham's survival hopes. Neil Warnock's men beat West Ham 3-0 with goals from Tonge, Jagielka and Stead to send the Hammers perilously close to the Championship. Fulham's first game under Lawrie Sanchez ended in disappointment and failed to allay fans' fears about relegation. Fulham's 1-0 loss against Reading put them in 16th place and they are still not safe from the drop.

Everton hindered Charlton's hopes of climbing out of the relegation zone in a frantic final ten minutes at Goodison Park. Joleon Lescott gave Everton the lead on 81 minutes and Darren Bent equalised in the 89th, but the drama wasn't over as James McFadden scored in stoppage time to leave Charlton pointless.

In the battle for mid table mediocrity, Aston Villa beat Middlesbrough 3-1 with goals from Gardner, Moore and Petrov, despite Middlesbrough going ahead through Fabio Rochemback. Strikes from commentator's nightmare Benjani Mwaruwari and Matt Taylor gave Portsmouth a 2-1 win against Newcastle, Emre's penalty wasn't enough for the Magpies.

In the Pilkington Fantasy Football League Premier Allstars lead the way with 1498 points, closely followed by My Griffins on 1493. Slightly further back in third and fourth are Pyro Athletic on 1442 and Anstey All Stars on 1425. The top three in form players are Sylvain Distin, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Matthew Taylor. At the other end of the scale, the bottom three, with negative points are Ivan Campo, Brad Friedel and Ben Foster.

What does the rest of your season hold? The battle for honours or the battle at the bottom? Make sure you do all you can to gain as many points as possible by logging on to www.pilkington.co.uk/fantasyfootball to manage your team.

Crouch Returns From Broken Nose To Give Arsenal Three Of The Best

The Premiership returned to action with a bang this weekend as Peter Crouch showed Steve McClaren exactly what England were missing against Israel and Andorra.

In the battle for third place, Arsenal went to Anfield full of confidence, having knocked Liverpool out of both domestic cups on their own turf but Liverpool had other ideas - stopping Peter Crouch was too tall a task for the Gunners defence, as he scored his first club hat-trick, helping his side cruise to a 4-1 victory.

Man United went behind against Blackburn but Paul Scholes inspired his team to victory, slotting home after a jinking run past three players. That goal sparked a revival from United, to the relief the of the Old Trafford faithful, who had to wait till the second half for United to really get into gear. They needn’t have worried much though, further goals from Park, Carrick and Solskjaer saw Fergie’s boys run out 4-1 winners.

The Premiership title was nearly wrapped up at the weekend with Chelsea almost dropping two points at Watford. Although Chelsea had two thirds of the possession, Watford were unlucky to lose 1-0 after some heroic defending from Jay DeMerit in particular.

Paul Robinson kept his first clean sheet in 21 games as Spurs played Reading in an end to end encounter that somehow finished just 1-0 to Tottenham. The single goal came courtesy of a dubious penalty for a handball, and although Robbie Keane converted the spot kick, his usual celebration was lacking - has the Irish striker realised he looks a bit silly? Spurs went on to miss a whole host of chances and had a second “goal” wrongly disallowed for offside.

Carlos Tevez led West Ham to victory against Middlesbrough to give Hammers fans yet more false hope of avoiding the drop. Zamora opened the scoring early on after some good work by Tevez, who then got on the scoresheet himself. In comparison, Gareth Southgate’s exciting Boro side managed one shot on target in the entire game.

Elsewhere, free transfer signing Emile Mpenza proved he was worth every penny when he found the net late to make it 1-0 against Newcastle at St James’s Park and stretch Man City’s winning run to, er, two games. A Kevin Davies strike gave Bolton a 1-0 win against Sheffield Utd to maintain the Trotters’ hopes of a European place. Portsmouth were 1-0 up against Fulham for 85 minutes thanks to a fantastic 25 yard strike from Niko Krancjar until Ian Pearce took a leaf out of Frank Lampard’s book by scoring in extra time thanks to two deflections, to equalise for the Londoners.

Now to where it really matters, the Pilkington Fantasy Football League, where the top three in-form players are all from Chelsea. Peter Cech, Salomon Kalou and Frank Lampard top the form charts with the most points from the last four games. At the other end of the scale Paddy Kenny and Ivan Campo are severely struggling for form.

In the best midfielders league, Ronaldo and Lampard are way out in front with their total points tallies at 174 and 170 respectively. Didier Drogba (159) and Wayne Rooney (143) lead the best strikers charts.

The league looks set to be contested between My Griffins and Premier Allstars, but anything could happen at the business end of the season.

Don’t forget you now have five new transfers at your disposal as we have entered April. Use them wisely as we approach the end of the season, as there’s only two months left. Log on for all your wheeling and dealing.

England Flop In The Heat Of Tel Aviv

It seems that some players took the break of Premiership football too seriously at the weekend, and none of the England team decided to turn up in Israel. Tel Aviv turned into Hell Aviv after the national side failed to score yet again, leaving them a mountain to climb to qualify for Euro 2008. If they carry on at this rate they may as well book their summer holidays now.

Or they should just call up members of the under 21s who at least can find the back of the net. Their 3-3 thrilling draw with Italy was an excellent way to christen Wembley, and David Bentley became the first England player to score at the new ground. Steve McClaren would be foolish to ignore Bentley much longer - in fact he probably still thinks the Blackburn man is in fact a make of a car.

The rest of the home nations fared slightly better with Scotland winning 2-1 against the mighty Georgia, Ireland beating the Welsh 1-0 and Northern Ireland coming away 4-1 winners against Liechtenstein. Will they embarrass the England team further by all qualifying for the tournament?

There are more mid-week internationals to keep an eye on, so make sure none of your Pilkington Fantasy Football players get injured, otherwise you may have to make some transfers before the Premiership starts up again at the weekend.

Five Chelsea players are currently the top in-form footballers of the moment, not surprising considering they've got John Terry back in the side. Petr Cech, Salomon Kalou, Ricardo Carvaho, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole are all picking up points left, right and centre, while Bolton duo Jussi Jaaskelainen and Ramos Ivan Campo are all in negative figures at the moment.

In the Pilkington Fantasy Football League My Griffins are currently leading the way with 1381 points, while Premier Allstars are on 1366. Can you catch the top two or are you currently battling it out with those at the bottom of the table?

Premiership Rollercoaster Rides On

Just another run of the mill week in the Premiership then. Ronaldo sets up three goals in United’s thrashing of Bolton, dubious refereeing decisions see West Ham actually win a game, and England’s Number One goalie scores against his stand-in. Who says the Premiership isn’t the best league in the world?

Ronaldo once again staked his claim for Player of the Year with a dazzling display at Old Trafford, helping United win 4-1 and keeping them six points ahead at the top of the table. Will they still be there come May?

A week is a long time in football – something that Watford’s Ben Foster is all too aware of. His heroics in the FA Cup have helped his team reach the semi-finals; but on Saturday he was beaten from all of 95 yards. And to make matters worse it was England rival Paul Robinson that sailed the ball over his head for Tottenham’s second goal in their 3-1 win. Watford are now rooted to the bottom of the table and will be praying that they meet Middlesboro rather than United in the FA Cup to keep their season alive.

A last minute goal by Andy Johnson put Everton back in sixth place as they beat Arsenal at Goodison Park, doing Merseyside rivals Liverpool a favour in the process. Arsenal will need to tighten up their leaky defence if they want to ensure third place this season – let’s face it, they have nothing else to play for.

When you’re in a battle against relegation sometimes you need a bit of luck – and the Hammers seemed to have it by the bucketful against Blackburn. They were awarded a dubious penalty, scored a ‘goal’ that didn’t go over the line, and the ref missed a handball and offside prior to the equaliser. Sending off Blackburn’s David Bentley deep into injury time didn’t help matters for Mark Hughes’ men, and the striker will now miss the next game against Manchester United.

Charlton picked up a valuable three points but it still looks like too little too late for the London side, and they’re almost certain to spend next season in the Championship. Chelsea and John Terry kept their second clean sheet in two games with a 3-0 win against Sheffield United – but is it too late to catch United at the top of the table?

Stuart Pearce was just one game away from the boot, and luckily for him his City side, complete with much criticised foreigners, got the result he needed; a 2-0 away win at Middlesboro. Wigan drew 0-0 at home to Fulham, as did Reading against Portsmouth and Aston Villa versus Liverpool.

Looking at the Pilkington Fantasy Football League, in-form players include Jermaine Jenas, Jerome Thomas and Mikel Amatriain Arteta, while in comparison, Jussi Jaaskelainen is letting his managers down as he has -14 points, and Paddy Kenny has -11.

That man Ronaldo is still top scorer thanks to his goal tally and assists, while Frank Lampard is not that far behind with 165 points. Didier Drogba is the top striker with 154 points, while Wayne Rooney has 138.

How are you doing? Are you near the top leaders My Griffins and Premier Allstars? Thanks to the international break this weekend you have a lot longer to plot your next move.

Mourinho Mouths Off As Chelsea Come Back In The FA Cup

It was another quiet weekend for Pilkington Fantasy Football managers with the Premiership being put on hold for FA Cup quarter-finals. For some of the teams who did play at the weekend it had already been a busy week, with Champions League and UEFA Cup games taking place just a few days earlier - but this didn't take away from the drama and excitement of the FA Cup.

Spurs looked set to cruise to a shock win at Stamford Bridge, but once again threw away a two goal lead for the second time in three days meaning Chelsea now have to travel to White Hart Lane for a replay after the game finished 3-3. Spurs fans will be hoping John Terry will still be unfit for the match, and that they will have their five missing first team players back in the starting 11 on Monday.

Manchester United travelled to Middlesbrough and thanks to Ronaldo's nerves of steel, earned a replay back at Old Trafford. It will be a tough test for the Teesiders, but after Henrik Larsson's departure United with only Rooney and a not-match fit Alan Smith to lead the front line, there's all to play for.

Plymouth's FA Cup run came to a halt at Home Park despite, in the words of Ian Holloway, "throwing everything at it, kitchen sink, golf clubs, emptied my garage, nothing left in it". A 21st minute screamer by Hameur Bouazza put Watford through to the semi-final draw. However, it wasn't an easy tie and Watford were lucky that Plymouth wasted chance after chance and failed to find the back of the net.

There was more woe for Stuart Pearce and his City side when they lost 2-0 away to 10-man Blackburn. With his side just six points off the drop zone, the FA Cup run was the only thing keeping the fans happy so Psycho must start praying that Charlton don't embark on a winning streak and City stay up.

Back to the Pilkington Fantasy Football League, My Griffins are currently topping the table with 1319 points, followed by Premier Allstars on 1293 and Anstey Allstars on 1261. In form players include Tottenham's quartet of Jermaine Jenas, Dimitar Berbatov, Teemu Tainio and Aaron Lennon. On the other hand, the West Ham duo of Robert Green and Paul Konchesky have negative points so you may want to transfer them out of your fantasy football team. Meanwhile, it's tight at the top of the mini league table, with The Firing Line's league accumulating 1123 points and D Set's Finest's league just one point behind them in second place.

Looking forward to this week's games, Aston Villa take on Arsenal and Manchester City host Chelsea in the Premiership, while Newcastle and Spurs are in UEFA Cup action. These fixtures could have big impacts on your transfer selections for the weekend, so make sure you keep abreast of all injuries and suspensions to get the most out of your team.

Injury Time Goals Leave Managers Sick To The Stomach

They say it's not over until the fat lady sings - and many of the Premiership teams played right up until she cleared her throat. A lack of concentration and late goals may have won Manchester United the title and relegated Watford and West Ham to the Championship next season.

United fans were ecstatic after John O'Shea scored against local rivals Liverpool in front of the Kop in the 90th minute. Although there are still nine games left to play, Sir Alex must be thinking the title is United's to lose now.

West Ham threw away a two-goal lead against Spurs to lose 4-3 thanks to a very late injury time goal by Paul Stalteri. Even the Hammers' players wouldn't bet on them to stay up, no matter how long the odds.

Watford also surrendered a two goal lead to relegation rivals Charlton, and despite not losing the game, the point they picked up has not done the Hertfordshire side much good in the battle to stay in the Premiership.

Chelsea travelled to Portsmouth and won 2-0, keeping within nine points of Manchester United and the title. Although it looks like the trophy is in United's hands perhaps we shouldn't write off a final flurry and the 'Special One' yet.

Two penalties by Benni McCarthy meant Blackburn left Bolton's Reebok stadium with three points, while Arsenal beat Reading 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium. Stuart Pearce is facing the chop after City lost again at home to Wigan. He's spent £11million so far but that hasn't stopped his side slipping towards the relegation zone. Luckily Charlton are six points below them and have played more games - but stranger things have happened, as someone once said "It's a funny old game".

Elsewhere, Newcastle and Middlesboro drew 0-0 in the North East derby, Fulham versus Aston Villa ended 1-1, as did Sheffield United and Everton.

Looking at the Pilkington Fantasy Football League, My Griffins is still leading the way, with Premier Allstars in second place and Anstey Allstars in third. Players performing well over the last 30 days are Tottenham duo Jermaine Jenas and Dimitar Berbatov along with Mikel Amatriain Arteta and Dominic Blizzard. Will they continue this run throughout March and catch the top points scorers?
Top shot stopper is Edwin Van Der Sar, while managers who have picked defenders Rio Ferdinand, Steve Finnan and John O'Shea are raking in the points. Cristiano Ronaldo is still the leading point-scoring player with a whopping 166 points, while Frank Lampard is not to far behind on 152. Another goal for Didier Drogba at the weekend keeps him at the top of the striker league with 148.

How are you doing in the league? It's a new month which means five more transfers for you to play with. Will you swap in any of the current in-form players, or are you going to stick with what you have?

United Extend Lead As Chelsea Triumph In The Snarling Cup

The Carling Cup managed to pack one hell of a punch as Chelsea captured their first silverware of the season. The reigning Premiership champions literally beat Arsenal's youth team although 11 minutes of injury time, three red cards, seven yellows, three goals, two managers on the pitch to sort out one almighty scuffle and one concussed England captain, doesn't really tell the whole story of this amazing final.

Whilst Chelsea celebrated in Cardiff, thoughts on how to overhaul Man United at the top of the Premiership wouldn't have been far away. Chelsea had hoped that their west London neighbours and rivals, Fulham, could do them a favour by getting something out of their game against United. Fulham put in a season's best performance and battered United, but somehow the Red Devils managed to come away with Craven Cottage with three points, and who knows, the trophy itself. The team from Old Trafford had Cristiano Ronaldo to thank yet again, when in the dying minutes he sparked manic celebrations on the United bench after a blistering run and a deflected shot nestled in the back of the Fulham net. It could turn out to be the defining moment in the race for the title.

It was job swap time at the foot of the table, with Alans Pardew and Curbishley renewing old acquaintances with formers clubs in a fascinating encounter between Charlton and West Ham. The Addicks were rampant and put four past a beleaguered Hammers side, pushing them closer to the relegation trapdoor. Wigan did themselves a huge favour by squeezing past Newcastle courtesy of a Ryan Taylor goal and John Filan penalty save, lifting their hopes of Premiership survival.

In the challenge for the UEFA Cup spots, Bolton were sunk by a Dimitar Berbatov inspired Tottenham. Robbie Keane continued his hot scoring streak by bagging two and promptly got himself sent off. Reading were brought down to earth by Mark Viduka and Yakuba at Middlesbro. And Everton and Blackburn registered convincing victories to keep their European dream alive. Meanwhile Liverpool closed the gap on Chelsea by cruising past Sheffield United and even a whack in the face for Peter Crouch couldn't damage his good looks. Robbie Fowler showed there was life in the old dog and celebrated his return to the team by scoring two penalties.

So how does all this relate to the maelstrom that is the Pilkington Fantasy Football? Well, My Griffins continue to lead overall followed by Premier Allstars and We're Not From London Uno. In terms of the best teams for the month, Smith FC leads the way with an impressive haul of 177 points, closely followed by Blunt Blades on 171.

Players currently on fire are United's Ronaldo, the Reading duo of Leroy Lita and Steve Sidwell and who's been canny enough to put Denny Landzeet of Wigan in their team? Those players you might want to discard include, Richard Lee, the Watford 'keeper and Phillipe Senderos at Arsenal are registering minus points, and surprise, surprise, Alan Curbishley, Robert Green and Paul Konchesky, are all performing with less than distinction at the not-so-happy Hammers.

Check out the website www.pilkington.co.uk/fantasyfootball to ensure you're players are up to scratch to be in with the chance of being named the next Manager of the Month.

FA Cup Fixtures Clog Up Premiership Action

The Premiership had a break this weekend as the fifth round of the FA Cup occupied a number of top-flight sides. Title hopefuls Manchester United drew with Reading, adding yet another fixture to their already full calendar, but Chelsea cruised past Norwich at home keeping their hopes for the double alive.

FA Cup replays were a bone of contention for Monsieur Wenger even before the weekend, and now he's campaigning against them even more after Arsenal drew against Blackburn. Maybe Soho Square need to point out that if his players tried harder, and didn't spend the time arguing with opponent's managers, then there would be no need for replays.

Plymouth have booked a home tie with struggling Watford - is it time they gave up their FA Cup dream and concentrated on surviving the Premiership drop? Spurs thrashed Fulham at Craven Cottage and will now play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Perhaps Martin Jol should concentrate on the UEFA Cup, as it might be Spurs' only chance of silverware this season.

Manchester City beat Preston and West Brom managed a draw at Middlesbrough, who must fancy their chances at home in the replay.

There's only one Premiership game mid-week, when Watford host Wigan in the re-scheduled abandoned fixture. A win for Watford will take them off the bottom of the table and leapfrog West Ham and Charlton. Will they manage it or will it be another bore draw at Vicarage Road? With only a week left in the month, now may be the time for all you Pilkington Fantasy Football League managers to use up the last of your transfers as this weekend approaches.

With UEFA and Champions League games also taking place, injuries could occur before Saturday, so you'll have to be on top of what's happening. With the Carling Cup on Sunday you may want to transfer out any of your Arsenal or Chelsea stars who won't be in action in the Premiership, to ensure maximum points potential.

Currently leading the Pilkington Fantasy Football League table is My Griffins with 1224 points, followed by Premier Allstars with 1199, and Anstey Allstars with 1157. Players who are setting the Premiership alight at the moment include Morten Gamst Pedersen, Leroy Lita and Didier Drogba. Liabilities vary from Keith Gillespie and Paul Robinson to Nicky Weaver. Do you have these guys or are you going to transfer them out as soon as possible?

Check out the website www.pilkington.co.uk/fantasyfootball to ensure you're players are up to scratch to be in with the chance of being named the next Manager of the Month.

Groundhog Day At The Emirates

You half expected to see Bill Murray at the Emirates on Sunday after Arsenal once again got themselves out of trouble for their 14th comeback of the season. Gunners fans have a weekly feeling of groundhog day, and this was the eleventh time at home that Arsenal have come from behind to ensure they haven't been left empty handed.

Arsenal beat Wigan 2-1 in the end but the game was clouded in controversy with Wigan manager Paul Jewell furious with the ref for not awarding his side a penalty, Thierry Henry taunting Chris Kirkland after the equaliser and Lehman getting booked for time wasting. Just another day in North London then, and the result saw Arsenal reclaim fourth position - although they are still 17 points adrift from leaders Manchester United.

Elsewhere in the Premiership, the Red Devils eased past relegation favourites Charlton 2-0 at Old Trafford, John Terry started his first game for Chelsea in a while -and was thrilled with his side's 3-0 victory over Middlesbrough.

Bolton kept up their challenge for a Champions League place with a 2-1 win at home to Fulham, and Joey Barton has once again made the headlines for the wrong reasons in City's 2-1 defeat at Portsmouth. Pedro Mendes must hate playing City despite scoring a 25-yard screamer, he was elbowed in the face back in August and this time he's nursing stud marks after Barton scraped down the back of his leg. Barton then allegedly got in a scuffle with Harry Redknapp in the tunnel and finished off the game by abusing the Portsmouth fans.

Newcastle beat Liverpool 2-1 at St James' Park, Blackburn lost 1-0 at Everton and Reading carried on with their great form and put two past Aston Villa at home. Sheffield United moved 10 points clear of the relegation zone with a win against Spurs, who haven't won in their last six games, while Watford won 1-0 in the 'six pointer' at Upton Park.

Looking at the Pilkington Fantasy Football League; My Griffins are top followed by Premier Allstars, Anstey Allstars and We're Not From London Uno. Is it because they have the following in-form players in their side? Frank Lampard, Reading's Leroy Lita and Blackburn's Morten Gamst Pedersen have all been on top of their game recently, but managers that have goalkeepers Paul Robinson, Roy Carroll and Chris Kirkland may want to re-think their team selection as they are currently doing very badly indeed.

In comparison Jose Manuel Reina and Edwin Van Der Sar are top shot stoppers, Rio Ferdinand and Liverpool duo Steve Finnan and Jamie Carragher are racking up the points in the defender tables, while Ronaldo is still rising above the boo boys and is currently the game's highest scorer with 152 points. Didier Drogba is not far behind though and leads the strikers league with 141.

Have you made the most of your transfers? It might take a bit of tinkering but it will be worth it in the end, especially if you're in the running to win the manager of the month award and the £300 of Marriott Hotel vouchers. What are you waiting for? Log onto www.pilkington.co.uk/fantasyfootball and see if you are the next Sir Alex Ferguson?

United Cruise To Victory At Three Point Lane

The result of the weekend has to be Manchester United’s 4-0 drubbing of Spurs at White Hart Lane on Sunday. A dubious penalty opened the floodgates, but there was no denying that United and Ronaldo turned on the style and inflicted more misery on Tottenham fans and Martin Jol. Their season is slowly falling apart and Paul Robinson looks like he will lose his England jersey to Calamity James, or worse Watford’s Ben Foster this week. Will they redeem themselves in the UEFA Cup and FA Cup? Or will they end yet another season trophy-less and in mid-table obscurity?

In the rest of the Premiership, the Merseyside derby, despite all the pre-match hype, ended up all square. Aston Villa beat West Ham 1-0 at home thanks to their new signings John Carew and Ashley Young. Birmingham City fans are trying their best not to laugh after seeing Matthew Upson limp off with an injury, but it looks like he may be back within a week.

Manchester City lost at home to Reading, Blackburn beat Sheffield United and Arsenal could only manage a draw away at Middlesbrough. Frank Lampard scored the only goal in Chelsea’s visit to Charlton, and Wigan beat Portsmouth 1-0. Fulham finally stopped their run of draws with a win at home to Newcastle and Watford look down and out after losing at home to Bolton.

Looking at the Pilkington Fantasy Football League, currently topping the table is My Griffins on 1192 points, followed by Premier Allstars, We’re Not From London Uno, Anstey Allstars and Jossys Giants. Will they be there at the end of the season?

Top goalie is still Jose Manuel Reina, with Edwin Van Der Sar on 94 points. After John O’Shea took over his jersey on Sunday should he be worried about his place in the side? Rio Ferdinand is the best defender at the moment with a whopping 106 points, and Liverpool duo Steve Finnan and Jamie Carragher are on 95 and 93 respectively.

Cristiano Ronaldo is still the highest points scorer with 152, while Frank Lampard has 142 and Didier Drogba leads the striker table with 130. Badly performing players include Paul Robinson and Roy Carroll accumulating -9 points over the past three games.

How has this affected your team? Are you sympathetic to Aidy Boothroyd’s plight or could Sir Alex learn a lot off you? Log on to find out. .

FA Cup Magic Puts The Premiership On Hold

With FA Cup games being played at the weekend there was only one match of interest for Pilkington Fantasy Football managers over the week – Watford versus Blackburn on Tuesday night. The Hornets picked up only their second win of the season against in-form Rovers, but it seems like it’s too little too late, for the Hertfordshire boys.

There are a number of games this week to keep an eye on; Pompey are at home to Middlesbrough, Reading play Wigan, Sheffield United entertain Fulham and West Ham are at home to high-flying Liverpool. On Wednesday Bolton play host to Charlton, Chelsea are pitted against Blackburn, Watford travel to Old Trafford and Newcastle play Aston Villa.

Remember it’s nearing the end of the month so make sure you use any leftover transfers. A number of players moved clubs in January so there is lots of new talent to choose from.
Ricardo Rocha has joined Spurs from Benfica, Madjid Bougherra has travelled south to sign for Charlton and David Dunn has returned to Blackburn. There’s still time for Premiership managers to make some last minute purchases for you to transfer into your team before the weekend. Turning to the Pilkington Fantasy Football League table, My Griffins are still heading up the table, followed by Premier Allstars, Anstey Allstars and We’re Not From London Uno.

Top Premiership manager is Alex Ferguson with 90 points, closely followed by Jose Mourinho. Players that are in form include Liverpool’s Jose Manuel Reina, Yakubu Ayeqbeni and Mortes Gamst Pederson of Blackburn, while Chris Kirkland, Sam Sodje and Robert Green may be players you might want to swap out. Rio Ferdinand is the top scoring defender, closely followed by Steve Finnan and Jamie Carragher. Footballer of the moment Cristiano Ronaldo is leading the game with the most amount of points, 135, while Frank Lampard has 124. Didier Drogba has accumulated 117 points and Wayne Rooney has 104.

Are you a managerial mastermind? Or would your fans be calling to give you the boot if this was real life?

Title Race Wide Open?

Just when you thought it was game, set and match to Manchester United, the fickle hand of fate intervenes. The Red Devils were eight minutes from a seemingly uncatchable nine point lead at the top of the Premiership when Arsenal, and that man Thierry Henry, turned it around.

The North London side preserved their unbeaten home form and helped out title rivals Chelsea who had slipped up at Anfield on Saturday – losing 2-0. Is the title race now wide open? Arsenal are 12 points behind United and seem way off the pace, but with Henry back and firing on all cylinders, anything is possible.

Elsewhere Everton picked up three points away from home with a win over Wigan, and Newcastle continued their indifferent form with a 2-2 draw with relegation battlers West Ham. A resurgent Blackburn scored three away at Manchester City and are now within touching distance of an European spot. Will they keep this up until May?

A dreadful game of football was played out at Craven Cottage when Spurs and their awful away record stepped onto the pitch against Fulham. It took until the last ten minutes for goals to be scored, and the only excitement came when Jermain Defoe stormed off the pitch after being substituted. Defoe is brave to stand up to manager Martin Jol, but he could be giving Jol more reasons to sell him in this transfer window.

Middlesbrough thumped Bolton 5-1 at home, Reading beat Sheffield United 3-1, Charlton beat Portsmouth at Fratton Park and relegation favourites Watford lost away at Aston Villa.
But how does this affect Pilkington Fantasy Football managers? Despite Liverpool’s dismal results in the cup competitions, they seem to be keeping it tight in the Premiership, and Jose Manuel Reina being the highest scoring goalkeeper reflects this. Defenders Steve Finnan and Jamie Carragher are also in the top three – but haven’t taken over Rio Ferdinand with his 94 points yet.

Cristiano Ronaldo is still the highest scoring midfielder, with 135 points, while Frank Lampard has 124. Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is also up there with 106 points, just two more than striker Wayne Rooney.

Chelsea Get Back To Winning Ways But Will They Lose Mourinho At The End Of The Season?

Life in the Premiership got back to normal this weekend, with Chelsea and Liverpool actually winning, and West Ham throwing away the lead three times in their game against Fulham to draw against the Cottagers.

Although Chelsea beat Wigan 4-0 at home, it seems the real match is between Roman Abramovich, Jose Mourinho and Frank Arnesen. Mourinho’s days may be numbered at the Bridge but Abramovich will be certain he can buy the next ‘Special One’.

It looks like Watford are just going through the motions before they join the Championship – their 3-0 defeat against below par Liverpool looks like it has hammered the last nail in their coffin. Manager Aidy Boothroyd may have to cash in on their best asset, Ashley Young, and use the money to bring in others for the promotion battle next season. Despite Liverpool never getting out of second gear, Rafa Benitez breathed a sigh of relief to keep a clean sheet after the recent cup games against Arsenal.

Michael Carrick scored his first goal for Manchester United in their 3-1 win against Aston Villa and are now six points clear at the top of the table. Charlton had the reversal of fortunes and lost at home to Middlesbrough. Could they be joining Watford in the Championship next season?

Arsenal stopped Blackburn’s recent good run of form in the late kick-off on Saturday, and Sheffield United drew at home to high-flying Portsmouth. West Ham once again made life hard for themselves, and dropping the two points at home could prove very costly at the end of the season. Meanwhile Bolton played out a bore draw against Manchester City.

Reading are still ‘doing a Wigan’ and came away from Goodison Park with a point on Sunday, and Spurs made it two home defeats on the spin by throwing away their lead against Newcastle twice to lose 3-2. The home side were lucky to keep 11 men on the pitch after Pascal Chimbonda allegedly slapped Nicky Butt around the face - the former United midfielder had the last laugh though with his winner 17 minutes from time.

But how does this affect Pilkington Fantasy Football managers? Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal meant he collected yet more points to add to his massive total, and he currently is top of the points tally with 137. Chelsea’s Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba have 122 and 115 points respectively, while reading’s Kevin Doyle has just gone past the 100 mark. But the striker picked up an injury in their draw against Everton and m ay be out for two weeks – will you transfer him out or take the risk?

Top defenders include Rio Ferdinand, Steve Finnan and Ricardo Carvalho while Edwin Van Der Sar is the top shot stopper with 89 points. Managers that seem to have got their tinkering right are those in charge of My Griffins who have 1047 points and Premier Allstars on 1015.

How are you doing? Don’t forget you’ve got five transfers a month to play around with, so if some of your players haven’t quite got rid of their Christmas hangovers swap them for those that are on song or those who have been signed in the transfer window.

The Premiership Breaks For Some FA Cup Magic

There was no Premiership action at the weekend as the FA Cup took over the hearts of the nation. As usual there were a number of surprises and giant-killings, Sheffield United lost 3-0 at home to Swansea while Nottingham Forest heaped more misery on Charlton as they eased into the fourth round with a 2-0 win. Alan Pardew may argue it was part of his master plan to keep the Addicks in the Premiership but are the fans convinced?

Although there were no Premiership games, it has been a busy week for the league and for Fantasy Football Managers. The transfer window opened on New Years Day and there has already been movement in the market. Sheffield United have paid £1.75million for Matthew Kilgallon from Leeds, while Ben Alnwick has arrived at White Hart Lane from Sunderland. Numerous loan players have made their way into the top league and Nigel Quashie has joined West Ham from West Brom for £1.5million. Cynics will say that the Hammers will be spending next season in the Championship, with Nigel being relegated with practically every team he has played for.

Looking at the Pilkington Fantasy Football League, My Griffins is currently leading the way with 994 points, Premier Allstars has 963 points and Anstey Allstars and We’re Not From London Uno have accumulated 927 points. Currently in-form players include Cristiano Ronaldo, Nicolas Anelka and Gilberto Silva, while players that you might want to ditch include Scott Carson (-14) Souleymane Diawara (-13) and Chris Kirkland (-12).

Top defenders are Rio Ferdinand on 90 points and Steve Finnan and Linvoy Primus, both with 75 points. Midfield maestros include top game scorer Cristiano Ronaldo on a whopping 128 points, Frank Lampard on 113, and Gilberto Silva on 103 points. Striking supremos include Didier Drogba with 110 points, Kevin Doyle has 99 points, and Wayne Rooney has 97 points.

How are you doing in comparison? Make sure you keep an eye out for any transfers this week as they may help you up the league.

Ho! Ho! Ho! For Mourinho As Christmas Came Early For Chelsea

The games will be coming thick and fast over the next few weeks and with just three points separating third and seventh place, results will make all the difference over the Christmas period.

Jose Mourinho will be sending Alan Curbishly a Christmas card after his Upton Park side beat leaders Manchester United 1-0, meaning just two points separate the title rivals.

In fact it was a great weekend all round for Mourinho, Arsenal dropped points at home to Portsmouth and he saw his side come back from 2-1 down to win 3-2 away at Everton thanks to that man again – Didier Drogba.

Spurs proved they hadn’t suffered from a European hangover and finally picked up their first away win of the season at the City of Manchester Stadium. These valuable points saw them move up to seventh in the table and in the running for another European spot.

Arsene Wenger was banished to the stands against Pompey after his side clawed back from 2-0 down to save his blushes. The Frenchman once again caused havoc on the sidelines and was sent to stand in the corner like a naughty schoolboy. Charlton’s year is going from bad to worse and they lost 3-0 at home to Liverpool, while fellow relegation strugglers Watford missed a host of chances at St James’ Park, and subsequently lost 2-1, thanks to a brace by Obafemi Martins.

Sheffield United carried on their great form with a 1-0 win away at the JJB Stadium in Wigan, and Bolton picked up all three points at Aston Villa. Blackburn ended their barren run with a 2-1 victory at Reading, despite scoring five times. Striker Benni McCarthy scored a hatrick of disallowed goals before a legal one hit the back of the net, and David Bentley added Rovers second to make it a great come back.

But how has this affected your challenge for the Pilkington Fantasy Football crown? Current in-form players include Obafemi Martins on 39 points and Jose Manuel Reina on 38. Those who are struggling are mainly from Fulham, with Ian Pearce on -16 points while Jan Lastuvka is on -8.

Top point collectors include Edwin Van Der Sar on 76, Rio Ferdinand on 80, Frank Lampard, 98, Didier Drogba, 90, Cristiano Ronaldo, 88, and Lousi Saha 86. Top manager, just, is Alex Ferguson with 70 points, closely followed, unsurprisingly, by Jose Mourinho on 67.

In the fantasy league itself Premier Allstars are leading the way with 840 points, We’re Not From London Uno are on 804, My Griffins, 801, and Pyro Athletic are on 786.

Are you hot on their heels? Or do you and Addick fans have a lot in common at the bottom of the table?

Chelsea Dig In

Ashley Cole may have taken all the newspaper space in the run up to the Arsenal game, but the match was still an important one to both sets of fans and the title race. In the end it was Alex Ferguson who was most happy with the result – but did it make any difference to your teams?

Goal-shy Mathieu Flamini of Arsenal provided Arsenal with the lead late on, only for Michael Essien to equalize with a sublime strike from 25 yards. The match then went into overdrive with the arrival of Arjen Robben, but the Blues couldn’t quite get the second, despite Didier Drogba’s run-in with Lehman.

Elsewhere, Man Utd won the local derby 3-1 with Ronaldo and Rooney proving to be a potent double-act once again, and ultimately keep Chelsea at arms length. Corradi of Man City proved to be the biggest comedian of the day, getting sent off for a blatant dive. Stuart Pearce went a bit psycho with his striker’s actions, and all those of you with the player in your teams may want to transfer him out over the Christmas period.

There were some thumpings dished out by European hopefuls Tottenham, Liverpool and Bolton. Spurs beat sorry Charlton 5-1 to rub even more salt into their wounds, while both Liverpool and Bolton won 4-0 against Fulham and West Ham respectively. Owner Egbert Magnusson was furious and Alan Pardew has now become the second Premiership manager casualty of the season. Watford, once again, played out a bore draw, it seems that the Hornet strikers couldn’t hit a barn door at the moment and will be back in the Championship come August.
Middlesbrough and Wigan drew 1-1, but goalkeeper Chris Kirkland stole the headlines when he was sent to hospital after suffering a seizure during the half-time interval.

The other Premiership game of the weekend saw Newcastle take on Blackburn at Ewood Park. Newcastle’s recent resurgence continued as they comfortably dominated Blackburn to take a 3-1 win. Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder will be happy to see Nigerian international Martins banging in two more goals to give him six in total for the season so far.

With so many goals flying in left, right and centre there some changes to the Pilkington Fantasy Football League stats tables. Following his wonder goal from near the half way line at Fratton Park, Matthew Taylor now has a very credible 56 points to his name. Ronaldo has overtaken Lampard as the top points scoring midfielder and Nwanku Kanu is still one of the five best strikers in the premiership with 73 points.

Undoubtedly, there were changes to positions in the Pilkington league, however Premier Allstars are still number one and remain in pole position to scoop the main prize of £2,000 worth of sporting tickets for two, come the end of the season.

United Soar Six Points Clear

There were no big surprises in the Premiership at the weekend, Manchester United carried on their winning form, Charlton lost again and Graham Poll made the headlines in the North London derby at the Emirates Stadium. But these results certainly made a difference in the Pilkington Fantasy Football League, with Premier Allstars taking over We’re Not From London Uno’s place at top of the table.

Arsenal’s 3-0 win against shocking Spurs on Saturday put an end to their poor results of late, but they were helped by Mr Poll and his dubious decisions. Will Poll be receiving any Christmas cards from Premiership managers this year? It looks like Martin Jol and Jose Mourinho have certainly crossed him off their list.

Manchester United’s 2-1 win away at Middlesbrough was also blighted with controversy after Southgate branded World Cup hate figure, Ronaldo, a ‘cheat’ for his tumble in the penalty box. United fans aren’t bothered though, the Red Devils are now six points clear and can go nine points ahead if they beat rivals Manchester City on Saturday. It’s been a long wait but can United keep riding high until the end of the season?

Fulham were brimming with confidence after their mid-week win against Arsenal, but it all fell apart again during their match with Blackburn. The Cottagers kept up their indifferent form and slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Ewood Park. Reading once again notched up a 1-0 win and climbed to a surprising sixth in the table, proving that they may be the new Wigan of the 2006/2007 season.

Sheffield United followed up their three points against fellow strugglers Watford last week with a 2-1 scoreline against other relegation favourites Charlton. Can they carry on with this form and dig themselves out of trouble for good? Or will the Blades drop down to the Championship after just one season in the top flight?

Liverpool finally put their bad away form behind them in style, thanks to a 4-0 thumping of Wigan, and Portsmouth and Aston Villa fought out a 2-2 draw at Fratton Park.

Those of you getting it right in the Pilkington Fantasy Football League are Premier Allstars, We’re Not From London Uno, Pyro Athletic and My Griffins. In form players currently are Reading’s Kevin Doyle, and United’s Louis Saha, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. Those out of form are Arsenal’s Phillippe Sendros and Watford’s Chris Powell and Ben Foster.

Top point collecting players are still Frank Lampard on 81; Edwin Van Der Sar on 73; Rio Ferdinand on 75 and Kevin Doyle on 77. Fantasy mangers that have picked Sir Alex Ferguson are also laughing as he’s the top manager with currently 67 points.

Did these results throw you off guard? Or are you soaring up the table ready to take on the others and jostle for the manager of the month award?

As You Were

The weekend witnessed the biggest game of the season so far, as Chelsea arrived at Old Trafford looking to close the gap on United, but the game rarely lived up to the hype. Arsenal’s wretched form against Bolton continued as an old boy came back to haunt them and positive signs at last for Newcastle as they record their first Premiership victory since the opening day of the season against high-flying Pompey.

Sunday saw the clash of the giants as the red half of Manchester took on the blues of Chelsea. Both managers will be satisfied with a point, United maintaining their 3-point lead at the top, whereas Chelsea keep United very much in their sights. Louis Saha finished with aplomb and then spoilt his good work by heading the ball off the fingertips of his keeper, Edwin Van der Sar, and into his own net. The goal though has been credited to Portugese man-o-war, Roberto Carvelho. Although anybody persevering with Ukrainian flop, Andriy Shevchenko, in their Pilkington Fantasy Football team must surely be ready to jettison the £30m misfit after another lacklustre display.

Elsewhere, the nomadic and enigmatic striker Nicolas Anelka now of Bolton, but formerly of Arsenal (amongst a million other teams), opened his account for the season with two neat finishes as the Wanderers ran out 3-1 winners over the Gunners. Arsenal must feel they have a gypsy’s curse hanging over them, having struck the woodwork three times and extending their miserable run at the Reebok.

Bolton stealthily sneak into third at the expense of Portsmouth, who came a cropper at a Kieron Dyer inspired Newcastle. It was free signing, Antoine Sibierski, however who pounced for the only goal of the game. He’s fast becoming an unlikely saviour for the Toon.

For all the relentless bluster of the Premiership, it is often clean sheets that please managers. Liverpool, Reading and West Ham all kept the opposition at bay and racked up the fantasy football points in the process. It was also a good day if you had Steven Gerrard, Andy ’10 pies’ Reid of Charlton, Kevin Doyle of Reading and the Spurs attacking trio of Jermain Defoe, Dimitar Berbatov and Arron Lennon, in your teams, having each notched a goal apiece.

Form players for the month include boy wonder, Wayne Rooney and his Man United team mates, Louis Saha, Ronaldo and Nemanja Vidic. Surprise packages such as Kevin Doyle, Andy Griffin of Pompey and Henri Camera of Wigan, are also performing strongly. Conversely you might want to ditch Jamie Ashdown (Portsmouth), Jens Lehman (Arsenal), Zurab Khizanishvill and Aaron Mokoena (Blackburn) and Jussi Jaaskelainen (Bolton). They’ve all had stinkers in November.

Do you have these players in your team? Are you giving your work mates a run for their money in your mini-league? Are you the tip top boss or having a bit of a nightmare? Make sure you log on to make any transfers and sort the wheat from the chafe.

Premiership Managers Wanting To Give Refs The Red Card

The Premiership was full of incidents again, including ones at Pompey and Blackburn which led to Premiership managers questioning official's decisions once more, and one confused manager thinking he had been sent off.

There were angry scenes at Ewood Park on Sunday after Blackburn scorer Tugay was sent off for a challenge on Ghaly in the box. But if Mark Hughes was unhappy with that decision - Martin Jol's temper also tipped over the edge after an alleged elbow in the last few minutes saw Ghaly, get his marching orders as well. The game ended 1-1 but Hughes wants an urgent meeting with referees' supreme Keith Hackett to have a good moan.

Watford gaffer Aidy Boothroyd was also an unhappy chappy after he believed his side was denied two clear cut penalties - and shouldn't have had one awarded against them. Are managers right or are the refs doing a good job? Have these decisions affected your team's points so far?

Manchester United continued their great run, and Rooney's fabulous form, with a 2-1 scoreline against Sheffield United. The blue half of Manchester notched up a fantastic win against Fulham, with Bernardo Corradi finally getting of the score sheet and 'knighting' Joey Barton. Will the rebel be the next City player to be called up for England? Only time will tell.

Chelsea claimed three points at home to West Ham United, keeping them second in the Premiership - much to Jose Mourinho's frustration. Charlton's new manager couldn't inspire the Addicks to a win, and they slumped to a 2-0 defeat away at Reading. There were also draws for Wigan, against Aston Villa and Liverpool at Middlesbrough. Newcastle clawed themselves out of the bottom three thanks to a 1-1 draw at Arsenal, and Everton won 1-0 thanks to a wonder goal by Mikel Arteta at home to Bolton.

In the Pilkington Fantasy Football League We're Not From London Uno are still leading the league, with Premier Allstars in second and Pyro Athletic in third place. Those currently in form include United's Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Edwin Van Der Sar and Louis Saha and Wigan's Henri Camara.

You may want to get rid of Pompey's Jamie Ashdown, and of course Iain Dowie for those of you who had included Charlton's former manager in their game - although I'm sure most have you had already given him his P45 long before the Charlton board actually did. Top goalie is Edwin Van Der Sar, on 62 points, while defences made up of Rio, Ricardo Carvalho or Ivan Campo are all doing well. Frank Lampard is still top points scorer in the game with 73 points, but is closely followed by team mate Didier Drogba on 71. Cristiano Ronaldo has 63 points and Michel Essien has collected 54 points.

Do you have these players in your team? Are you giving your work mates a run for their money in your mini-league? Are you the tip top boss or having a bit of a nightmare? Make sure you log on to make any transfers and sort the wheat from the chafe.

Three Horse Race For The Premiership Title?

It was business as usual for the title contenders at the weekend, after the Premiership gained back some normality after the previous week's results. Chelsea trounced Watford 4-0, with a Didier Drogba hattrick - great news for those of you who have the Ivory Coast hitman in your team. Arsenal and Wenger put the Pardew tiff behind them and cruised to a 3-0 win against Liverpool - who have the worst away record in the Premiership. Surely now it's time for the Scousers to admit that their title hopes are over for another season.

Manchester United kept the Red Devil machine rolling on their trip away to Blackburn on Saturday, picking up a useful three points to keep the gap between them and Chelsea at the top of the table. Despite some late goals for Charlton, it couldn't stop them losing away at Wigan, leaving Iain Dowie's team firmly rooted to the bottom of the table. In the middle of the table Sheffield United came back from 2-0 down to grab a respectable draw at home to high-flying Bolton - a result that will affect those of you who have Ivan Campo in your side.

Old timer Andy Cole got his Pompey side out of jail, thanks to his equaliser - keeping them in sixth place and amongst the European spots. Boro beat West Ham; Spurs got badly beaten at Reading and Everton lost at home to Martin O'Neill's Villa. But how do all these results affect your team and its points tally? Didier Drogba is the second highest scoring Pilkington Fantasy Football player, thanks to his three goals at the weekend, while leading points collector is his Chelsea team mate Frank Lampard on 71. Saha's on 62 points; Edwin Van Der Sar, and Rio Ferdinand, 59 and Cristiano Ronaldo, on 58 are all proving that United have got off to a flyer.

Managers who have Blackburn players in their side may want to get rid of them quick sharpish, looking at the stats, gaffer Mark Hughes is on minus six points, while Aaron Mokolena is on minus five and Brad Friedel and Lucas Neill, are on minus three.

Have you checked your team yet? Make sure you do before the weekend, you may want to see if you can transfer those who are currently hot and ditch the duds. So far We're Not From London Uno are leading the way, closely followed by Premier Allstars.

Premiership Action Gets Red Hot Over The Weekend

There were certainly fireworks in the Premiership over the weekend finally ending with two fiery games on Sunday. Alex Ferguson celebrated his 20th anniversary in charge of Manchester United with a 3-0 win over Portsmouth, and then Christmas came early for him when Arsenal and Chelsea both lost, leaving the Red Devils three points ahead of the chasing pack at the top of the league.

Spurs fans will always remember the fifth of November, after the North London side chalked up their first league win against Chelsea in 16 years. The game certainly went off with a bang, after John Terry was sent off for a second bookable offence, and the West Londoners picked up six yellow cards – meaning a fine from the FA is imminent. The special one, as usual, wasn’t happy and moaned about Ref Graham Poll, but at least he didn't chuck all his toys out of the pram like Monsieur Wenger.

The Arsenal manager sparked off a pitch side-shoving match after he took exception to Alan Pardew’s goal celebration. The West Ham gaffer has been under fire for the Hammer’s results and was understandably happy about his side’s last minute goal. Wenger wasn’t though, and refused to shake Pardew’s hand at the end of the game – making back page headlines on Monday.

Dirk Kuyt gave Liverpool fans something to smile about, thanks to his brace at home to Reading, and Blackburn slumped to another defeat away at high-flying Aston Villa. Watford fans gave a sigh of relief after they finally managed their first win of the season, against bad travellers Middlesbrough. Newcastle have now plunged to 19th in the Premiership after just one win and five goals in their last 10 matches – will their defeat at home to Sheffield United see the end of Glenn Roeder’s managerial reign?

Bolton continued their miss-matched form, with a defeat at home to Wigan, and Iain Dowie’s Charlton side beat fellow strugglers Manchester City.

Some of these results confused managers in the Pilkington Fantasy Football League, who would have thought Arsenal would have left Upton Park empty-handed, and Chelsea fans don’t call White Hart Lane Three Point Lane for nothing. How are you doing?

John Terry let his managers down by conceding two goals and getting sent off – his first in a Chelsea shirt. In form players are currently Nemanja Vidic, Wayne Rooney and Gareth Barry – but should you transfer them into your side? Those you may wish to give the elbow include Marcus Hahnemann of Reading and Jamie Ashdown of Portsmouth.

Big point scorers currently include Edwin Van Der Sar, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard and Andy Johnson. Teams that have these players in their sides, and are unsurprisingly top of the league, include We’re Not From London Uno, Premier Allstars and Pyro Athletic. But there’s still all to play for, including the fantastic manager of the month awards.

A Game To Get Your Teeth Into

Just nine games into the new season and the Premiership table seems to be shaping up already. The battle at the top between Manchester United and Chelsea is a big talking point, and London sides Charlton and West Ham seem to be sliding into further trouble as the weeks go by. It’s certainly keeping fans, and Pilkington Fantasy Football League managers on their toes.

Arsenal travelled to the Madesjki Stadium on Sunday, and again Stephen Hunt was at the centre of another goalkeeper flashpoint, but this time with finger wagging Jens Lehmann. It was the German goalie that had the last laugh though, after the Gunners celebrated Arsene Wenger’s 57th birthday with a 4-0 thumping.

A tasty game at White Hart Lane saw the home side nearly bite off more than they could chew. Despite having many chances Spurs could only manage a 1-0 win against the Premiership strugglers – but Jermain Defoe certainly showed the hunger to win is apparent in the North London outfit, and they hadn’t forgotten lasagne-gate.

In the North East, Middlesbrough heaped more problems on Newcastle United and Glenn Roeder. Their 1-0 win against their local rivals means that the Magpies are fifth from bottom, with just one point from 15. And we can’t forget United’s 2-0 win against Liverpool – their fans certainly won’t.

Wigan romped to a 4-0 win at home to Manchester City, much to the disgust of their manager and fans. Stuart Pearce showed why he was given the nickname Psycho all those years ago, and gave his players a right rollicking after the loss. Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock was also furious after his side’s defeat away at Everton, and is calling for Dermot Gallagher to be struck off the referee list.

For those of you who have stuck by Andriy Shevchenko in the past two months, you got your reward on Saturday when he finally got his second goal of the season. Chelsea could have scored more than two if it hadn’t have been for fantasy star David James, proving that the amount of points he’s collected is no fluke.

For those of you who haven’t checked your teams stats out yet, currently sitting pretty at the top of the Pilkington Fantasy Football League is We’re Not From London Uno, on 449 points, followed by Pyro Athletic on 417, and Featherstone Phoenix also on 417.

Players that are doing well so far include Jussi Jaaskelainen, Edwin Van Der Sar, Ramos Ivan Campo and Rio Ferdinand. Frank Lampard has 55 points, Everton’s Tim Cahill and Andy Johnson have 42 and 51 points respectively, while Thierry Henry now has his scoring boots on and has hit 43.

Maybe some players to currently stay away from are Tony Hibbert, -9 points, Titus Bramble -8 points and Paul Konchesky -7 points. How are you doing in the league? Have you remembered to transfer out injured players such as Cech and Matthew Etherington?

Own Goals and Sendings Off: Another Eventful Week

Great goals were scored over the weekend, but unfortunately for some Premiership players they were into the wrong net. A number of own goal blunders hit the headlines, including one that gave Chelsea a 1-0 win against Reading at the Madejski stadium. But despite the three points, Mourinho still had plenty to whinge about - namely losing two goalkeepers to injury in one game, having a man sent off and John Terry having to spend extra time in-between the sticks.

Nightmares continue for Newcastle, Watford and West Ham, and Liverpool and Spurs still aren't having the best of times. A draw up at Villa seems like a good result on paper for the North London side, but when you look at the stats you get a different picture. A player given his marching orders leaving them with 10 players, and the fact that their goal was scored not by one of their many expensive strikers but by Villa's Angel, who also missed a penalty, it shows what serious problems they have on their hands.

Arsenal are slowly turning the Emirates Stadium into a fortress, and Pompey are still totting up the points to continue their good Premiership form. But how are you doing so far? More Aidy Boothroyd than Alex Ferguson? Or hit and miss like Southgate?

Leading the way this week is We're Not From London Uno with 380 points, Anstey Allstars on 374 and Premier Allstars on 370. Have you made the right team selection to be challenging these guys? Or are you languishing at the bottom of the table counting your lucky stars that the game was free to play?

Fantasy players showing their footballing worth include David James, 38 points, Jussi Jaaskelainen, 35, and Edwin Van Der Sar on 31. Rock solid defenders like Ramos Ivan Campo, 40, Linvoy Primus, 35, Liam Ridgewell, 33 and John Terry, 32, have all been doing well for Pilkington Fantasy Football managers, but the best player in the game so far is Frank Lampard. He may not be able to replicate his form in the England side, but for Chelsea he's firing on all cylinders and has accumulated a whopping 50 points.

Andy Johnson is still showing Steve Maclaren that he should be playing for the national side instead of Rooney, and is on 46 points, while Nwankwo Kanu has 42 and Didier Drogba has 41 points.

The October manager of the month prize is coming up, so keep tinkering your team until you get it right. One transfer to make is for all of you who have Petr Cech in your fantasy 11. After the battering he got on Saturday, he was taken to hospital and had surgery on his skull. Early reports say he will be out of action until at least Christmas.

International Weekend Brings Despair To Premiership Players

It was a quiet weekend in the Pilkington Fantasy Football League thanks to the Euro 2008 qualifiers. The home nations had a mixed Saturday, Northern Ireland drew, Wales got hammered at home to Slovakia and England fought out a 0-0 draw against minnows Macedonia. The Republic of Ireland also crashed to an embarrassing defeat away in Cyprus. But biggest surprise of the weekend was Scotland’s 1-0 win against Patrick Viera and France.

Did you get a good look at your possible transfer targets? Those of you who were thinking about recruiting Robbie Keane may be thinking differently after Ireland’s 5-2 thrashing, if he can’t score against Cyprus what hope does he have against the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United? Craig Bellamy may be one to pass over too, the new Welsh captain didn’t exactly inspire his country and was firing blanks in the Millennium Stadium.

Paul Robinson may have kept six clean sheets for England, but lets face it, the recent opposition haven’t exactly been immense, so perhaps you shouldn’t swap him for Petr Cech quite yet. But who should you be keeping in mind when using your five monthly transfers?

Still leading the way points-wise in the Pilkington Fantasy Football League are Frank Lampard, 45, Andy Johnson, 44, Cristiano Ronaldo, 37, Didier Drogba and Ramos Ivan Campo on 36 points. But will they keep collecting the points in the future? It’s a game of skill and luck, but you have to try to find out.

* The sporting event has to take place in the UK or Ireland in the calendar year 2007 and be to a maximum value of £2,000 for two corporate hospitality packages. Tickets are on a best available basis. Includes travel and entry to the event and 1 night’s accommodation overnight for two if required. The prize is only available to non-Pilkington employees, and those who haven’t won the main prize before. Manager of the Month hotel vouchers are available for any Marriott Hotel in the UK or Ireland. Prize does not include cost of travel to reach hotel destination. The prize is open to Pilkington employees.

Premiership Players Acting Up In Front Of The Cameras

Once again it was a weekend of controversy in the Premiership, with players proving their acting is worthy of a BAFTA - and fans seeing a little bit more of the footballers than they bargained for.

The press was full of Didier Zokora’s ‘dive’ in Tottenham’s 2-1 home win against Portsmouth. The Ivory Coast player tricked the ref into awarding a penalty after a clean air tackle by Pedro Mendes saw him fall to the floor like a sack of spuds. Did he mean to trick the ref? Only he will know, but Spurs fans left happy after chalking up only their second win of the season.

Despite a great acting performance, Zokora was actually the best supporting actor at the weekend with the prize actually going to Stuart Taylor from Newcastle. The defender handballed in the penalty area - cue moving around on the floor clutching his side to trick the ref into believing it didn’t actually hit his hand. Amazingly it worked, and Taylor had obviously learnt some lessons from a similar incident the season before. It didn’t stop Manchester United winning 2-0, but the home side could have won by five or six goals, with the woodwork getting a real battering.

Everton fans definitely got more than they bargained for after their tie with Manchester City. Not only did the Blues grab an injury time leveller, but bad boy Barton now faces a telling-off from the FA after he dropped his shorts!

West Ham’s season went from bad to worse after losing at Upton Park to Reading, and Liverpool continued their yo-yo form with an away defeat to Bolton. Ian Dowie once again proved that him and Charlton just don’t mix, as the Addicks went down 2-1 in the London derby against Arsenal.

For those of you who have Martin O’Neill as your manager, he seems an astute bit of business as his Villa team grabbed a draw at Stamford Bridge. Meanwhile, Gareth Southgate certainly doesn’t like the newly-promoted teams after Sheffield United recorded their first win in the Premiership against the Boro.

In the Pilkington Fantasy Football League, We’re Not From London Uno currently leads the table with 341 points, closely followed by Pyro Athletic on 338 and Abbie Athletic on 337 points.

In form players for the month include Jussi Jaaskelainen, Frank Lampard and Kevin Doyle, while those who you may want to consider ditching are Iain Dowie, Titus Bramble and George Boateng. Racking up the points in general include Ramos Ivan Campo, Liam Ridgewell and John Terry, while midfield machine Christian Ronaldo has 37 points, and Didier Drogba has 36.

How’s your team going? Keep checking the stats to make sure you have the high scoring players in your side to be in with a chance to win the main prize or one of the Manager of the Month awards*.

* The sporting event has to take place in the UK or Ireland in the calendar year 2007 and be to a maximum value of £2,000 for two corporate hospitality packages. Tickets are on a best available basis. Includes travel and entry to the event and 1 night’s accommodation overnight for two if required. The prize is only available to non-Pilkington employees, and those who haven’t won the main prize before. Manager of the Month hotel vouchers are available for any Marriott Hotel in the UK or Ireland. Prize does not include cost of travel to reach hotel destination. The prize is open to Pilkington employees.