Premier League 2013/14 season guide: Part 1

With only 38 days until the start of the new Premier League season, we take a look at all 20 teams in he league and preview their chances over the next 12 months. In the five part guide, all teams will be looked at in detail, from the key players to watch, to their opening fixtures to their season, it will be covered. In part one, we take a look at Arsenal, Aston Villa, Cardiff City and Chelsea.

Arsenal:

picture: telegraph.co.uk

Ending the final ten games of last season unbeaten, made sure that the Gunners claimed the final Champions League spot pipping their North London rivals Spurs to it on the final day. However the one thing concerning Arsenal fans currently, will be the lack of transfer activity which has only seen young French forward Yaya Sanogo arrive on a free transfer. They have been linked with numerous players so far this window but are yet to sign any big names. Having missed out on Gonzalo Higuain to Napoli, the main target it seems for Wenger this summer is Liverpool striker Luis Suarez. But having seen two bids already rejected, it is looking unlikely the Uruguayan will be making the move south to the Emirates. 

One positive for Arsenal is Jack Wilshere, who having missed much of last season with an injury, is back to match fitness and has featured regularly in pre-season so far and for some Gunners fans may feel like a new signing when he takes to the field come August 17th. Although Arsenal desperately need another striker, the form of Frenchman Olivier Giroud in pre-season is also another positive as the striker has six goals to his name so far. If they are to miss out on signing a big name striker this summer, then Giroud will be expected to be regularly hitting the net alongside fellow forward Theo Walcott. 

With seven weeks to go until the end of the transfer market, Arsenal really need another defensive midfielder and a striker if they are to make any serious challenge for the title. If they don't then it will be another hard battle fighting for a Champions League position. 

Key Player: Jack Wilshere

Predicted finish: 4th

Aston Villa:
Villa fans will certainly not want a repeat of last season as they narrowly avoided the drop, however there were still positives to take from their campaign. The number of younger players included in the first team is something that fans should take great heart from. Matthew Lowton, Ashley Westwood and Andreas Weimann all played a big part for Villa last season. In particular Weimann, who alongside Christian Benteke formed an excellent partnership up front with fans favourite Gabby Agbonlahor. Benteke who recently signed a new deal at Villa Park, helped himself to 19 league goals last season and proved to be one of the bargains of the season. However there wasn't so much success at the back as they conceded 69 goals in 38 matches. The departure of Richard Dunne has seen a number of new signings brought in by Lambert including Danish international defender Jores Okore who will challenge for a place at the back.

Villa have a tough start to the season having to face Arsenal away and then Liverpool at home in their opening two fixtures. They will expect to finish much higher up in the table this season, with Lambert clearing out the dead wood, and bringing in fresh young talent to his squad. The blend of experience and youth within the team should see Villa finish around mid table. The goals of Benteke will again be critical to Villa, with the Belgian striker's excellent finishing, hold up play and strength all key to him becoming one of the division's top marksmen.

Key Player: Christian Benteke

Predicted finish: 12th

Cardiff City:

picture: teamtalk.co.uk

Joining Swansea City in the Premier League, Cardiff's promotion last season made sure that this year would see two Welsh sides compete in the top tier of English football. Having been known to suffer play-off heartbreak, Cardiff avoided the three games as they were crowned winners of the Championship last year under Malky Mackay. One thing Cardiff fans would have expected Mackay to do this summer was strengthen his squad ahead of what will be a tough campaign for the Bluebirds. However with only two signings made so far, Mackay will be required to further strengthen his team before the season kicks off. One of the new acquisitions is Danish striker Andreas Cornelius who broke the club transfer fee as £8.5 million was spent on the front man. Alongside him is Craig Bellamy, who now in his second spell with Cardiff has plenty of Premier League experience under his belt.

Cardiff have been linked with a number of players so far in the window with the most notable Tom Ince who recently declined a move to the Welsh capital. If they are to start considering themselves as a regular Premier League side, then Mackay will need to start spending. The Bluebirds kick off their campaign with a trip to Upton Park to face West Ham. The Hammers home form last season was excellent and it will be a tough ask for Cardiff to leave with any points.

If money is spent within the next couple of weeks, and experience is added to the Cardiff side, then there is no reason why they can't become a regular face in the Premier League. Big things will be expected of record signing Cornelius and if he provides the Bluebirds with goals then there is a strong possibility of staying up.

Key Player: Craig Bellamy

Predicted finish: 17th

Chelsea:
It has been quite an eventful 12 months for Chelsea. Despite having three managers in that time, the club still finished third and claimed the Europa League. Taking over from interim manager Rafa Benitez, Jose Mourinho was uncovered as the next boss of Chelsea this summer which sees him in his second spell at Stamford Bridge. With managers changing at both the Manchester clubs, Chelsea fans may start to believe that this season may give them one of the best chances of winning the league. Chelsea have had a good pre season which has seen new arrivals in the shape of Marco van Ginkel and Andre Schurle. Romelu Lukaku has also returned to London having had an excellent loan spell at West Brom last season. Having made a number of appearances scoring four goals in pre season, Lukaku may be given his chance to shine in a Chelsea shirt under Mourinho this season.

Alongside Demba Ba and Fernando Torres, there are a number of options available to Mourinho in attack. However with the uncertainty of Wayne Rooney's future at Manchester United, 'The Special One' has made it clear he is interested in adding the England front man to the Chelsea attack. Juan Mata will be key to Chelsea's success this season with the Spaniard having been essential in Chelsea's success last season. Despite talk of him being unsettled, Mourinho would be daft to let a player of his calibre leave.

Chelsea will certainly be one of the teams to watch this season especially with the arrival of Mourinho back at Stamford Bridge. With new managers at both United and City, Mourinho has new rivals to play mind games with, in what is set to become one of the most exciting and close seasons in the Premier League.

Key Player: Juan Mata

Predicted finish: 1st

WebRep

currentVote

noRating

noWeight

Championship 2012/13: Season Review

Moving on from League's One and Two, focus turns to the Championship and a time to reflect on a brilliant season in the top division of the Football League.

The craziness on the final day of the season was one that will take some beating, and as for the play-offs, the level of entertainment will be difficult to match. Automatic promotion, the play-off positions and relegation all needed sorting on the final day of the season with the majority of the sides in the league having something to play for.

The race for the title was settled fairly quickly as Cardiff finally secured promotion after a number of unsuccessful attempts in previous seasons. Under the management of Malky Mackay, the Bluebirds finished eight points clear of second place. It was the battle for second place though that caught the eye throughout the year as it went down to the final moments of the last game of the season. Watford and Hull had it all to play for as the latter at one point were six points clear of Watford. However after a poor run in their final few games, Hull managed to better Watford's result on the final day of the season to finish second and give Steve Bruce another chance to manage in the Premier League.

Malky Mackay guided Cardiff to the Premier League

For Watford and Gianfranco Zola, it was the play-offs. The drama continued for the Hornets as they overcame Leicester in the semi finals to reach Wembley and be 90 minutes away from the Premier League. The drama came as Leicester were awarded a late penalty in the second leg of the semi final which if scored, essentially sent them through to the final. However a heroic double save from Manuel Almunia allowed Watford to break up the field and score themselves sending their fans wild and putting them through to the final. They faced Crystal Palace in the battle for the final promotion spot, with an extra time penalty from Kevin Phillips making sure it was Ian Holloway's men who made a return to the top flight, after an eight year absence. They had beaten Brighton 2-0 over two games in their semi final.

Moving down to the other end of the table, and the fight for survival also went down to the final day of the season. Bristol City had already been relegated before the final day, as six teams went head to head to avoid the drop. Having already been relegated from the Premier League in the previous season, Wolves faced another relegation as they were beaten by Brighton to send them down to League One. They were joined by battling Peterborough United who threw away a 2-1 lead away at Palace to lose 3-2, and saw Barnsley draw at Huddersfield to end their time in the second tier of English football. The results on the final day meant that looking at the final league table, just the seven points separated third bottom Peterborough with tenth place Derby County.

Looking forward to the 2013/14 season, six new teams join the Championship. Coming from the Premier League will be QPR, Reading and Wigan Athletic, with all three teams looking to make an immediate return to the top flight. From League One, Doncaster, Bournemouth and Yeovil will join the division making up the 24 teams.

The fixtures for the 2013/14 Championship season will be released on Wednesday 19th June 2013 at 9am.

WebRep

currentVote

noRating

noWeight

FA Cup Third Round: Ones to watch

This coming weekend sees one of the favourite dates in the football calendar, as the third round of the FA Cup comes to our screens. Below are some of the key ties that were drawn, and games you should keep a look out on.

#1 Mansfield Town v Liverpool

picture: liverpoolfc.tv

The tie of the round sees Liverpool travel to Blue Square Premier League side Mansfield. The non-league side are one of four sides from outside the football league still in the competition. The side from Nottinghamshire have had a relatively simple route through to the third round dispatching of fellow non-league sides Slough and Lincoln City. Mansfield currently sit ninth in the Blue Square Premier and have had a quiet period during Christmas having seen two of their four games postponed due to the weather. They come up against runners up of the competition last season Liverpool who are currently in excellent form winning three of their four games over the winter period. Brendan Rogers men will be strong favourites to win the game which should see new man Daniel Sturridge make his first appearance for the club. With tough fixtures to come for the Merseyside club, Rogers will look to rest some of his names, giving youngsters, Jack Robinson and John Flanagan a run out.

Prediction: Mansfield Town 0-3 Liverpool

#2 West Ham Utd v Man Utd
The last time these two teams met in this competition, Man United ran out comfortable 6-0 winners at Old Trafford back in 2003. Despite this, the Hammers will feel there is a slight chance of an upset on the cards at Upton Park come Saturday evening. The two teams also met in the competition back in 2001 where a Paolo Di Canio goal was enough for his side to progress beating United at Old Trafford. The potential arrival of Joe Cole this week may see the former Hammer play having struggled to play much football over the last few years whilst at Liverpool. Opponents United, are currently flying at the top of the league thanks to new signing Robin Van Persie. The Dutchman has netted an impressive 19 goals in all competitions and has been the obvious difference between his side and rivals Manchester City.

Prediction: West Ham United 1-2 Man United

#3 Brighton & HA v Newcastle Utd

picture: guardian.co.uk

These two sides once again meet each other in the competition having played against each other in last years fourth round. The home side came out shock winners beating the Premier League side 1-0 at the Amex Stadium. Mike Williamson's own goal was enough for the home side to progress to the fifth round. Brighton, are currently ninth in the Championship, three points from a play off place and registered their first win on New Years Day since the end of November with a 3-0 away success at Ipswich. Newcastle will want to avoid a repeat of last years game between the two. Alan Pardew's side's defeat to Everton this week saw his team lose their fifth game in six. The departure of Demba Ba to Chelsea leaves Pardew with just Papiss Cisse and Shola Ameobi as options in attack. However it's defence where Newcastle need refreshing and with the January transfer window now open, Pardew has the opportunity to bring in fresh faces to boost his back four. 

Prediction: Brighton 1-1 Newcastle United

#4 Middlesbrough v Hastings Utd

Hastings United, like Mansfield, are one of the four non-league sides remaining in the competition. The side from Sussex are the lowest ranked team in the cup and play their games in the Ryman League Premier Division, three leagues from League Two. United overcame fellow non-league side Harrogate Town in the last round, beating them on penalties after the two sides matched each other in the first game and replay. They face a tough test as they travel to in form Middlesbrough. The Championship side currently sit in fourth place and enjoyed a successful Christmas period winning three out of four games. Tony Mowbray's men enjoyed a decent cup run in the Capital One Cup this season, which ended, after losing 1-0 to Swansea in the quarter finals. Despite suffering a number of injuries to his side, Mowbray's men will surely have too much for the Ryman side on Saturday. 

Prediction: Middlesbrough 4-0 Hastings United

#5 Luton Town v Wolves

Luton go into the third round as the highest ranked non-league side in the competition. Despite coming desperately close to promotion to the football league last season. Luton have had a mixed season so far, and find themselves in the final play off place in the conference. Like Mansfield, Luton have also had a relatively simple passage through to the third round despatching of fellow non-league sides Nuneaton and Dorchester. Visitors for Luton come in the form of Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Championship side have struggled so far this season after suffering relegation from the Premier League last year. Manager Stale Solbakken has become under increasing pressure over the last month as his side slipped to 18th in the league just six points from the relegation zone. Recent home defeats to Ipswich and Peterborough United are increasing the pressure for him to be sacked. Despite the poor league form, the quality and experience in the Wolves squad should see them safely though, but as always with the FA Cup, Luton may cause a potential upset on the day. 

Prediction: Luton Town 1-2 Wolves

#6 Tottenham Hotspur v Coventry City

The last and only time Coventry City won this competition, was against Spurs back in 1987. An extra time own goal from Tottenham's Gary Mabbutt gave the Sky Blues a day to remember at Wembley for the club and their fans. Since that memorable day, the two sides have rarely met since Coventry's decline into the Football League. The last meeting between the sides came back in 2003 where Spurs beat City 3-0 in the League Cup. Coventry, relegated from the Championship last season, have had a mixed season and sit mid table in League One, five points from the play off's. They have only lost twice in their last ten league games and with the goals from striker David McGoldrick, the Sky Blues will look to challenge for a play off spot in the second half of the season. Tottenham will go into the game as the favourites and have enjoyed a good run of their own of late in the league.  One defeat in nine league games has seen AVB's men rise to third in the league. The goals from Gareth Bale and Jermain Defoe have been very important as Spurs look to challenge for a top four finish. 

Prediction: Spurs 3-1 Coventry City

#7 Cheltenham Town v Everton

picture: telegraph.co.uk

The final tie of the round is between Cheltenham and Everton as they battle it out on Monday night in front of the ESPN cameras. The League Two side progressed to the third round having beaten Hereford over two games in the second round. Currently sitting in the play off's, Cheltenham have only won one of their last four league games, so an FA Cup distraction has come at the perfect time for Mark Yates' men. They reached the third round of the cup last season, facing Tottenham at White Hart Lane where they were comfortably dispatched 3-0. Everton will go into the game as strong favourites and will hope for a healthy scoreline as they continue their good form of late. One defeat in their last eight league games has seen the Toffee's reach fifth place and a constant threat to the top four. Despite only scoring six times in all competitions, striker Nikica Jelavic has been well supported from Marouane Fellaini who has hit the net eight times this season. 

Prediction: Cheltenham 0-2 Everton

...and the rest!

Aldershot v Rotherham (Prediction 1-2)

Aston Villa v Ipswich Town (Prediction 2-0)

Barnsley v Burnley (Predcition 1-2)

Blackburn v Bristol City (Prediction 3-0)

Bolton v Sunderland (Prediction 1-1)

Charlton v Huddersfield (Prediction 2-0)

Crawley Town v Reading (Prediction 1-2)

Crystal Palace v Stoke City (Prediction 2-2)

Derby v Tranmere (Prediction 2-1)

Fulham v Blackpool (Prediction: 3-1)

Hull v Leyton Orient (Prediction 3-0)

Leeds v Birmingham (Prediction 1-1)

Leicester v Burton Albion (Prediction 4-0)

Macclesfield v Cardiff City (Prediction 0-2)

Man City v Watford (Prediction 4-0)

Millwall v Preston (Prediction 1-1)

Notts Forest v Oldham (Prediction 2-1)

Oxford Utd v Sheffield Utd (Prediction 0-2)

Peterborough Utd v Norwich City (Prediction 1-3)

QPR v West Brom (Prediction 1-1)

Sheff Wed v MK Dons (Prediction 1-2)

Southampton v Chelsea (Prediction 1-0)

Southend v Brentford (Prediction 1-1)

Wigan v Bournemouth (Prediction 2-0)

Swansea v Arsenal (Prediction 2-1)

Deadline Day: A Summer of Transfer Madness

We saw a huge amount of activity last week as the transfer window came to an end on Friday. We look at the winners and losers of the window and round up which players made the biggest moves to and from England on the final day.

Deadline Day Winners:

picture: Manchester City

Unlike their rivals, Manchester City left it to the final day to make any moves. Roberto Mancini had only brought in Jack Rodwell in the window before the last day, with the former Everton youngster moving for £12million. The midfielder was joined by a number of players on the final day, as Mancini left it late to improve his squad. Brazilian full back Maicon made the move to the Etihad from Inter Milan for around £3million. The new arrival was joined by another defender with Fiorentina centre back Matija Nastasic moving to Manchester in a part exchange deal which saw Stefan Savic go in the opposite direction. Other arrivals brought in by Mancini included winger Scott Sinclair moving from Swansea, and Benfica midfielder Javi Martinez who cost the club £16million. Moving out of Manchester, winger Adam Johnson went to Sunderland, midfielder Nigel De Jong went to AC Milan whilst striker Roque Santa Cruz went to Malaga on a season long loan.

picture: dailymail.co.uk

As well as City, Tottenham Hotspur had a successful last day as new manager Andre Villas Boas took advantage of the window. AVB had previously completed the permanent signing of Emmanuel Adebayor who had spent the previous season on loan at White Hart Lane. The Portuguese manager had already captured Gylfi Sigurdsson and defender Jan Vertonghen earlier on in the summer. The surprise move of the summer was American Clint Dempsey who had looked set to move to Liverpool. Spurs had taken advantage of the Merseyside club's inability to match the asking fee for Dempsey who made the move across London for £6million. Dempsey joins his former Fulham team mate Moussa Dembele who also joined Spurs the previous day for a fee of £15million. Moving out of Spurs, Luka Modric made the expected move to Real Madrid for £30million which also saw Rafa Van Der Vaart return to Hamburg where he played before moving to Spurs.

Deadline Day Losers: 

picture: liverpoolfc.com

It was a deadline day to forget for Liverpool and Brendan Rogers. Despite managing to bring in Joe Allen, Nuri Sahin and Fabio Borini earlier on in the window, Rogers was unable to strengthen the squad much to many fans annoyance. Having let £35million man Andy Carroll leave on loan to West Ham the previous day, Liverpool were expected to replace the striker. American Clint Dempsey had been linked with the reds all summer but having fallen short of the valuation of the midfielder, Liverpool missed out meaning he made a last gasp move to Spurs. Having failed to sign another striker during the window, it leaves Rogers with only Luis Suarez and Fabio Borini as options in attack. Deadline day at Anfield saw midfielders Charlie Adam and Jay Spearing leave, with the latter on a loan deal to Bolton Wanderers. Adam, who had only spent a year at Liverpool, made a £4million move to Stoke City where he signed a four year deal.

No-one may have been as unlucky or as unfortunate as Liverpool in the window, but Arsenal may feel they could have done slightly better over the summer. Having already brought in Santi Cazorla, Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski, Arsene Wenger was keen to bring in an additional midfielder. Having lost Alex Song to Barcelona, and with Jack Wilshere still injured, Arsenal had been close to capturing playmaker Nuri Sahin on loan. But having failed to come to an agreement, Sahin moved to Liverpool leaving Arsenal finding themselves one Abou Diaby injury away from having to play youngster Francis Coquelin.

Premier League round up:

picture: stokecityfc.com

Fulham were heavily involved in transfer activity this summer seeing players come in and out of Craven Cottage. Bulgarian front man Dimitar Berbatov made the switch on deadline day making the move from Manchester United for a fee in the region of £4million. He was joined by Kieran Richardson who moved from Sunderland for £3million. Stoke City were also busy in the window and captured the services of free agent Michael Owen. The 32 year old had been released from Manchester United in June and signed a one year deal with The Potters. Tony Pulis had looked set to bring in Spurs midfielder Tom Huddlestone on loan but having failed to reach an agreement, Pulis brought in Blackburn man Steven N'Zonzi, paying £3million for his services.

Other Deadline Day movers:

Yossi Benayoun: Chelsea - West Ham (season long loan)
Danny Rose: Tottenham - Sunderland (season long loan)
Gaston Ramirez: Bologna - Southampton (£12million)
Hugo Lloris: Lyon - Tottenham (£11.8million)
Stephane Mbia: Marseille - QPR (£4.5million)
Bryan Oviedo: FC Copenhagen - Everton (£5million)
Christian Benteke: Genk - Aston Villa (£7million)
Pablo Hernandez: Valencia - Swansea (£5.5million)

Football League round up:

picture: examiner.co.uk

Blackburn Rovers sealed one of the biggest deals of the window by capturing Jordan Rhodes who moved from Huddersfield Town for £8million. It looked likely that Rhodes would stay with the Terriers, but with Leon Best out through injury, Steve Kean needed a replacement. Fellow forward David Goodwillie moved out of Ewood Park though going to Crystal Palace on a season long loan. Palace were again involved on deadline day as they captured defender Damien Delaney who moved on a free transfer from Ipswich Town. The Tractor Boys were the talk of the Championship on deadline day as they were in talks with Peterborough United duo George Boyd and Paul Taylor. Both were transfer listed at London Road and it was the latter of the two that made a permanent move. Despite on going talks, Boyd rejected the chance and remains at Peterborough for the forthcoming months.

picture: pnefc.net

In League One, Sheffield United were involved in transfer activity on deadline day as they brought in Dave Kitson from Portsmouth and saw midfielder Stephen Quinn move out as he went to Hull City. Promoted from League Two last year, Paolo Di Canio's Swindon saw many comings and goings during the window. The Italian brought in striker Adam Rooney from Birmingham City, with Paul Caddis moving in the opposite direction. Despite financial worry, Portsmouth were able to make deadline day moves as they saw Darel Russell, Josh Thompson and Johnny Ertle all make their move to Fratton Park on free transfers.

In League Two, Southend striker Kane Ferdinand made the step up to the Championship as he went to Peterborough United for £200,000. Another mover out of League Two was Wycombe forward Stuart Beavon who moved to Preston North End for an undisclosed fee. Beavon had scored 25 times for Wycombe last season. Despite losing Beavon, Wycombe had previously brought in striker Jo Kuffour who moved from fellow League Two side Gillingham on a free transfer.

Other Deadline Day movers:

Jay Bothroyd: QPR - Sheffield Wednesday (season long loan)
Craig Noone: Brighton - Cardiff (£1million)
Billy Sharp: Southampton - Notts Forest (season long loan)
Andrea Orlandi: Swansea - Brighton (undisclosed fee)
Nicky Maynard: West Ham - Cardiff (£2.5million)
Iain Hume: Preston - Doncaster (season long loan)
Martin Taylor: Watford - Sheffield Wednesday (undisclosed fee)
David Stephens: Hibernian - Barnet (Free transfer)

Capital One Cup: Second Round Draw

As the football season begins to get into full swing, eyes drew to the second round of the Capital One Cup. The first round games threw up some cracking games and some excellent entertainment. Seven Championship teams fell at the first hurdle with last years runners up Cardiff losing to League Two side Northampton Town the shock of the round. Derby were involved in a ten goal thriller at Pride Park which ended 5-5 after extra time. Their opponents Scunthorpe came out the eventual winners 7-6 on penalties and will face Norwich in the second round.

picture: thisisscunthorpe.co.uk

Other Championship casualties included Brighton, who were well beaten 3-0 by Paolo Di Canio's Swindon Town. Paul Benson struck early on in the second half for the Robins, and an Alan Navarro brace soon after booked them a second round tie against Premier League side Stoke City. Bristol City also crashed out losing 2-1 to League Two side Gillingham Town at Ashton Gate. 

Relegated side Wolverhampton Wanderers needed a penalty shoot out to get past Aldershot Town at Molineux. Michel Rankine had cancelled out a Sylvain Ebanks Blake goal in the second half and after the first 13 penalty kicks had been successful, Wolves keeper Carl Ikeme kept out Jordan Robert's penalty to give the Championship side a second round tie away at Northampton Town.

All Premier League sides come into the second round bar the clubs competing in Europe meaning there are 13 top flight clubs playing for a third round tie. Everton are involved in one of the stand out games playing at home to League One side Leyton Orient. Morecambe's reward for dumping Blackpool out of the cup, is a trip to the North East where they will play Sunderland. 

Both Wigan and Fulham will have to play to their best if they are progress as they both travel to a Championship club. Having been dumped out of FA Cup by Swindon last season, Wigan face a tough task in playing Nottingham Forest. Fulham face newly promoted Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. 

All ties will commence the week beginning the 27th August 2012

Second Round Fixtures: 

Aston Villa v Tranmere Rovers

Burnley v Plymouth

Carlisle v Ipswich Town

Coventry v Birmingham City

Crawley v Bolton

Doncaster v Hull City

Gillingham v Middlesbrough

Leeds United v Oxford United

Leicester City v Burton Albion

MK Dons v Blackburn Rovers

Norwich v Scunthorpe

Notts Forest v Wigan Athletic

Preston v Crystal Palace

QPR v Walsall

Sheff Wed v Fulham

Stevenage v Southampton

Stoke City v Swindon Town

Sunderland v Morecambe

Swansea v Barnsley

Watford v Bradford

West Ham v Crewe Alex

Yeovil v West Brom

Reading v Peterborough

Everton v Leyton Orient

Northampton v Wolves

2012/13 Championship: Season Preview

With eyes firmly fixed on the Premier League beginning this weekend, we turn to the Football League and the Championship. All 72 teams begin their seasons this weekend and will all be aiming for a good start. Cardiff and Huddersfield kicked off the season on Friday night where the Bluebirds clinched a late goal to claim their first three points.

picture: zimbio.com

We begin with the three relegated clubs from the Premier League. All of them will be big  favourites to make an instant return. Bolton Wanderers failed to stay up last season, failing to get a needed win against Stoke on the final game of the year. Owen Coyle's men look big favourites to go up having kept the likes of David N'gog and Martin Petrov in their ranks. The signings of Matt Mills and Keith Andrews will add further strength to the squad. Blackburn and Wolves will also look to make an immediate return, with Rovers boss Steve Kean adding Danny Murphy, Nuno Gomes and Leon Best to his squad. Since finishing bottom of the Premier League, Wolves brought in new boss Stale Solbakken who will look to regain the players confidence for the new season. Newly promoted Huddersfield Town made the jump via last seasons play off's having beaten Sheffield United in a close penalty shoot out at Wembley. Striker Jordan Rhodes looks set to remain with the Terriers and after scoring 40 goals last season, his goals will be important if they are to remain in the Championship. Charlton Athletic and Sheffield Wednesday join Huddersfield in the Championship having gained automatic promotion from League One last year. Wednesday boss Dave Jones had brought in a wealth of players including injury plagued keeper Chris Kirkland from Wigan, and defender Anthony Gardner who made the move from Crystal Palace. 

The chase for the play off's will be hotly contested this season with a number of clubs eager for one of the four places up for grabs. Cardiff City will be amongst the positions as will the likes of Leicester City and Leeds United. Nottingham Forest have been recently taken over by new investors and immediately brought in a new boss and new players. Defenders Greg Halford and Danny Collins made the move and were joined by West Brom striker Simon Cox who will add to their strikeforce, who last season struggled to find the net. New boss Sean O'Driscoll will be eager to get off to a good start as they begin their campaign against Bristol City. Watford are another side who have new owners as they were taken over by Italian Giampaolo Pozzo. He immediately brought in new manager Gianfranco Zola, who has since brought in a number of players including former Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia.

picture: posh.footballblog.co.uk

Down at the bottom of the division, the relegation battle with be contested by a number of clubs. Bristol City and Barnsley escaped last season and will once again become favourites to go down. The newly promoted sides will also find themselves down at the bottom, if they don't get a good start to their campaign, As mentioned, Jordan Rhodes will be critical to Huddersfield if they are to stay up and with Charlton, striker Bradley Wright-Phillips will also need to be hitting the net regularly if the Addicks are to remain a Championship side. Having finished in a very respectable 18th place last season, Peterborough United will want to improve their position this season. The Posh were relegated straight away the last time they achieved promotion, but boss Darren Ferguson brought in experience and quality to his squad meaning they comfortably stayed up second time around. Despite being placed on the transfer list, key players Paul Taylor and George Boyd will begin the season as Posh players, and alongside experienced midfield man Grant McCann, Posh will continue to be difficult opponents, especially at home.

Capital One Cup: First Round Draw

With the fixtures for the new season set to be announced next week, the newly named Capital One Cup first round draw has taken place today. Formerly known as the Carling Cup, the competition was renamed after the company Capital One, a credit card company, agreed a four year sponsorship deal with the Football League.

picture: blogs.bettor.com

The draw has thrown up some excellent ties which sees relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers host League Two side Aldershot Town. Blackburn and Bolton, who were also relegated alongside Wolves last season, will enter the competition in round two. Other ties that catch the eye include Fleetwood Town, who were promoted from the Conference last season, host Championship side Nottingham Forest. York City, who also gained promotion to the Football League face a trip to Doncaster Rovers. Runners up in last season's final Cardiff City, start with an away trip to Northampton Town. League Two side Barnet face a tricky tie with an away tie to Championship Birmingham City who reached the Championship play off's last season.

Having suffered poor league form last season, it was Liverpool who claimed victory in last seasons competition. The Premier League side needed extra time and penalties to overcome their Championship opponents Cardiff City. Winger Joe Mason opened the scoring for the Bluebirds before Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel equalised with a scrambled effort.

Dirk Kuyt thought he had won the game in extra time for Liverpool, after scoring an excellent goal from 25 yards. But after indecision in the Liverpool box, Cardiff defender Ben Turner poked home to take the final to a penalty shoot-out. It was the Premier League side though, that came out victors winning 3-2 in the shoot-out.

Teams from the Championship to League Two will compete from the first round with 13 Premier League teams coming into the competition in the second round. The remaining seven teams are all competing in Europe this season and will therefore not enter the competition until the third round to avoid fixture congestion.

Fixtures below:

Derby County v Scunthorpe United
Rochdale v Barnsley
Port Vale v Burnley
Notts County v Bradford City
Hull City v Rotherham United
Fleetwood Town v Nottingham Forest
Carlisle United v Accrington Stanley
Doncaster Rovers v York City
Crewe Alexandra v Hartlepool United
Bury v Middlesbrough
Chesterfield v Tranmere Rovers
Sheffield United v Burton Albion
Blackpool v Morecambe
Leeds United v Shrewsbury Town
Preston North End v Huddersfield Town
Oldham Athletic v Sheffield Wednesday
Cheltenham Town v Milton Keynes Dons
Ipswich Town v Bristol Rovers
Stevenage v AFC Wimbledon
Exeter City v Crystal Palace
Yeovil Town v Colchester United
Birmingham City v Barnet
Bristol City v Gillingham
Northampton Town v Cardiff City
Plymouth Argyle v Portsmouth
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Aldershot Town 
Walsall v Brentford
Millwall v Crawley Town 
Torquay United v Leicester City 
Dagenham & Redbridge v Coventry City 
Peterborough United v Southend United
Swindon Town v Brighton & Hove Albion 
Watford v Wycombe Wanderers 
Charlton Athletic v Leyton Orient 
Oxford United v AFC Bournemouth

The first round fixtures will take place the week beginning August 13th. The final will be held at Wembley on 24th February next year.

Championship: 2011/12 season review

It may have been a cracking season in the Premier League, but throughout the three divisions in the football league, fans have not been disappointed with the levels of excitement throughout the season. In the Championship we saw Reading crowned as champions of the Championship with Southampton and West Ham joining them in the top flight next year. Joy for some clubs meant tears for others as Portsmouth, Coventry and Doncaster were relegated from the league. The fight for a play off place also took centre stage as a number of clubs fought for a place to give them a chance of promotion to the top division.

picture: football.co.uk

Having been relegated from the Premier League last season, West Ham were strong favourites to make an immediate return to the top flight. New boss Sam Alladyce brought in an array of talent throughout the season which included Nicky Maynard, Kevin Nolan, Matty Taylor and Ricardo Vaz Te. With the added experience, the Hammers had one of the strongest squads in the division. Having hovered around the top two for much of the season, a dip in form saw them slip down to third behind Reading and Southampton, meaning if they were to go up, they'd have to go through the play off's. Having beaten Cardiff in the semi finals, it was Blackpool standing in the way of the Hammers. However a late Vaz Te goal secured victory at Wembley and an immediate return for Alladyce's men.

The fight for a play off position was as exciting as ever, as a number of clubs fought for a chance to gain promotion to the Premier League. Cardiff City were again in the mix and after finishing fifth, were given the difficult task of facing West Ham. Relegated from the Premier League last season, Birmingham City and Blackpool faced each other in the other semi final. The likes of Middlesbrough and Brighton were amongst the play off's throughout the season, but eventually fell short meaning another season in the Championship for them. It was West Ham and Blackpool who made it through to the final at Wembley, and it was the Hammers who won beating the Seasiders 2-1.

picture: dailymail.co.uk

Despite the excitement at the top of the table, teams lower down the league were fighting it out to avoid relegation. Having been deducted ten points due to administration, Portsmouth were caught up in the relegation scrap. Having put up a valiant effort, Pompey couldn't overturn the deficit and were relegated with fellow sides Doncaster Rovers and Coventry City. Both Doncaster and Coventry spent the majority of the season in the bottom two and struggled to put any form together. Coventry only mastered up a poor nine wins throughout the whole season while Doncaster could only win eight games out of 46. Newly promoted side Peterborough United were relegated the last time they were in the Championship but after some astute signings, Darren Ferguson's side finished with a very respectable 50 points finishing in 18th position. Brighton who were also promoted with The Posh last season and enjoyed a good season, missing out on the play off's finishing in tenth position.

picture: readingfc.co.uk

Scoring an impressive 27 goals, Southampton striker Rickie Lambert took away the golden boot for the Championship. The centre forward continued to show what a finisher he is and guided the Saints to second place where they gained promotion to the Premier League. His goals though, weren't enough for Southampton to claim the title having been favourites to take top spot. They were pipped to the title by Reading whose excellent second half of the season, saw the Royals finish the season as champions. Losing only two of the last 19 league games, Brian McDermott's side enjoyed victories on the road against both Southampton and West Ham. Goals were a plenty throughout the season, as the Championship saw a number of high scoring games. In particular Nottingham Forest's 7-3 win at Leeds, and Peterborough United's 7-1 home drubbing of Ipswich the stand out games.

After another exciting season, next year will be sure to be as entertaining. The Championship will welcome Wolves, Bolton and Blackburn, who were relegated from the Premier League. The division will also welcome Charlton Athletic, Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield after they gained promotion from League One.

Preview: Championship play off semi finals

The Championship season maybe over for some clubs, but there are still games left for four of the teams. Three games are all it takes for one team to make the step up to the Premier League. Three of the clubs in this years play off's all came down from the Premier League last season. Blackpool, Birmingham and West Ham are joined by Welsh outfit Cardiff City in the bid to make it to the big time. The first legs of the ties take place this week where we see West Ham take in Cardiff and Blackpool face Birmingham City.

1# West Ham v Cardiff City

picture: skysports.com

West Ham will not have expected to be in this position three months ago. The Hammers looked set to be returning to the big time through an automatic push. But with some poor performances and an incredible run by Reading, United were pushed out the top two and now are having to settle for the play off's. Having being expected to gain automatic promotion, West Ham's season will be a massive failure if they fail to go up. With top players on their side, it is essential they return to the big time. The Hammers are in good form going into their game at Cardiff having only lost one game in the last eighteen. Manager Sam Alladyce isn't new to the play off's having taken former club Bolton Wanderers via this route in 2001. Opposition for West Ham comes in the form of Cardiff City who again will be wanting promotion having witnessed fellow Welsh side Swansea gain promotion through this route last season. Malky Mackay is also no stranger to the play off's having experienced promotion whilst working at Watford in 2006. The Bluebirds have experienced play off heart ache in the last two seasons having been knocked out by Reading at the same stage last season. They were also beaten by Blackpool in the play off final in 2010. 

2# Blackpool v Birmingham City

picture: telegraph.co.uk

Two relegated sides from last year, Blackpool and Birmingham both went down after results went against them on the final day of the season. Ian Holloway's Blackpool finished the season in fifth place behind opponents Birmingham who finished fourth. The Midlands club will fancy their chances with the second leg taking place at St Andrews. The two sides drew 2-2 at Blackpool last November which then saw the two play each other again in December where Birmingham took the points winning 3-0 at St Andrews. Blackpool are familiar with the play off's having gained promotion in 2010 where they beat Cardiff City at Wembley. Experienced striker Kevin Phillips will be facing his former side as he aims to get back into the big time. It's another Phillips though that will catch the eye, Matt, who ended the season with a place in the Championship team of the year. Opponents for the Seasiders Birmingham City go into this fixture as slight favourites and will want an instant return to the Premier League. Chris Hughton's side have had a decent season having worked their way up the table after having to catch up on games due to Europa League commitments. Striker Marlon King and winger Chris Burke have been key for the Blues this year and their contributions will need to continue if they are to make a return.