2011-12 Barclays Premier League FINAL STANDINGS Winner:shoop

[jonty125]

The Sports News

Fulham vs. Aston Villa
Fulham have kicked off their season with an absolute hammering at Craven Cottage against Aston Villa. Despite Fulham's dominance throughout the match the final goal appeared to have come by more luck than judgment off a debatable corner; and despite all the protests from the Aston Villa squad. Howard Mason believed the ball crossed the line; despite, Luke Young's desperate clearance. But that one goal has no affect on the main result as the full time score is Fulham 7 - 0 Aston Villa.

Stoke vs. Chelsea
Stoke City were hosting Chelsea to kick their campaign off. Chelsea new manager 'callmecommander' was livid after pointing to 3 penalty appeals and has requested to the FA that Mark Halsey should not referee another match this season. . He was criticizing the Stoke squad for being 'over physical'. He is not the only one as Arsneal's ex-manager, Arsne Wenger, too, criticized Stoke over this point. Stoke stuck to what they did best: 10 men defense and limiting the match to set-piece scraps. Stoke showed a Chelsea a masterclass in set-pieces with a goal from a corner to take the lead. Chelsea's Didier Drogba came off the bench to put an equaliser in but Stoke put the winner in off a long Rory Delap throw-in.

Other News
And finally, the first managerial change of the season as dagdam0r has been sacked from West Bromwich Albion. The club gave a statement that he had been fired for not been seen on the face of the Earth for 2 weeks. West Brom were forced to forfeit their last match due to the manager and squad not turning up. They didn't turn up for their home game against Manchester United; but the FA are organising a rematch. Italianipastido is the bookies favourite for the job.

[ianphull]

great write up mate

Not too sure how the scoring works, must take you Hrs to work it all out?

But im enjoying it and thats what matters!

[jonty125]

great write up mate

Not too sure how the scoring works, must take you Hrs to work it all out?

But im enjoying it and thats what matters!

Well it took 2 solid days (08:00 to 20:00) to work out how many points round by round but other than that it takes about 5 minutes to update spreadsheets. Write-ups take 5-10 mins a match depending on how much I can think of

[jonty125]

Blackburn vs. Wolves
Both these clubs will want to put last season to the back of the minds as they were both struggling at the wrong end of the table last season. Wolves hadn't won at Ewood Park for 19 years coming into this match and was history going to write itself today. The 1st half was about as entertaining as watching paint dry as neither side could break the other sides defense. The 2nd half looked like it was going to follow suit but in the 75th minute Rovers took the lead when Jason Roberts set up debutant Mauro Formica, whose low strike went beyond Wayne Hennessey. Blackburn locked out the final quarter of an hour for the full time score to be Blackburn 1 - 0 Wolves.

QPR vs. Bolton
QPR returned to the Premier League after a 15 year absence but the side nearly didn't make it due to the controversy with the third-party ownership and agents concerning Argentinean midfielder ­Alejandro Faurlin. All that is now in the past and all that matters is that Bolton would be the first team to visit Loftus Road. The game was tightly locked in the 1st half but QPR did show a bit of flair but Bolton's keeper Jaaskelainen saved the tame shot from Smith. The second half was much more lively with QPR taking the lead in the 51st minute when Bothroyd headed home Taraabat's cross. Bolton looked in trouble as the clock ticked away and they still trailed 1 goal to nil. It looked to stay that way until some late substitions gave Bolton some fresh legs to score in the 83rd minute after substitute Mark Davies played the through ball over Gabbidon for new-signing DJ Campbell to slot home. Full time score QPR 1 - 1 Bolton.

Wigan vs. Norwich
Wigan faced newly promoted Norwich at the DW stadium to kick off their campaigns. Wigan had flurry of chances in the first 10 minutes and Diame hit the bar after a solo run down the right wing. Norwich reminded Wigan that they had strikers to when they exploited Wigan's defense in the closing minutes of the 1st half only for Wes Hoolahan to mess up a sitter. The second half opened up to be a dull affair but then in the 52nd minute Wigan took the lead when Ben Watson scored from the spot after Ritchie de Laet brought down Franco di Santo. Norwich hit back inside the same minute when David Fox scored a free kick. Once again the match dulled down and then Wigan's defense fell apart. Morison's cross found an unmarked Hoolahan who buried the winner and gave Norwich 3 points. The full time score Wigan 1 - 2 Norwich.

BREAKING NEWS
QPR will be under new ownership as Malaysian entrepreneur Tony Fernandes is to buy a 66% stake in QPR. AirAsia boss Fernandes owns the Team Lotus F1 outfit and failed in a previous bid to buy West Ham. More news when it comes in.

[jonty125]

Liverpool vs. Sunderland
Liverpool were hoping to improve from a disappointing performance last season and Sunderland were looking for another top half finish. For the opening minutes Sunderland had possession and the chances and took the lead in the 20th minute when Sebastian Larsson scored a superb volley on his debut. This seemed to spur Sunderland on as they then went to score in the 30th minute where Larsson added a second to his tally from a superb corner from Elmohamady. Sunderland were now 2 goals up and would have pleased with a draw; decided to defend for the rest of the match. The full time score Liverpool 0 - 2 Sunderland

Other News
Manchester United's manager Sniper08 has resigned and will take effect immediately after the game against West Bromwich Albion. Jessamine will replace Sniper as manager.

[jonty125]

Here are this week's fixtures (Week 2)

Saturday, 20 August 2011
Sunderland v Newcastle
Arsenal v Liverpool
Aston Villa v Blackburn
Everton v QPR
Swansea v Wigan
Chelsea v West Brom

Sunday, 21 August 2011
Norwich v Stoke
Wolverhampton v Fulham
Bolton v Man City

Monday, 22 August 2011
Man Utd v Tottenham

[jonty125]

All Week 2 Games have been sent

Aston Villa vs. Blackburn (Week 2)
Aston Villa were recovering after last week's 7-0 defeat to Fulham while Blackburn were coming off the back of a 1-0 victory over Wolves last weekend. Blackburn scored quickly when Morten Gamst Pedersen found the net with a header from inside the area 14th minute thanks to Hoilett's cross. Villa fans feared they could be in for a case of deja vu. Villa showed some attacking flair in the 1st half but couldn't find the net. The second half opened up with Gabby Agbonlahor scoring his 50th Premier League goal for Villa in the 52nd minute. Villa kept up the attacking play and hit the bar twice but couldn't find the winner. Full-Time Score Aston Villa 1-1 Blackburn

Everton vs. QPR (Week 2)
Everton haven't played a competitive match since the closing match of last season back in May. While QPR haven't won in the Premier League since 1996 and it was there first match under new owner Tony Fernandes. Everton scored in the 10t minute after the QPR wall offered little oposition to Leighton Baines' free kick. Everton doubled their lead in the 35th minute when a weak QPR defense allowed Tim Cahill to head home from 3 yards out. The second half wasn't as entertaining as the Hoops' defense tightened around the Toffees' attack (Sorry couldn't resist ). But nonetheless, Everton scored yet again in the 55th minute when Jermaine Beckford's scissor kick shot into the far corner to make the score 3-0. QPR began to show some flair in the final quarter of an hour but it was too little too late despite Tommy Smith drilling a shot into the bottom-right corner in the 82nd minute. The full-time score Everton 3-1 QPR.

[jonty125]

Manchester United vs. West Brom (Week 1)
Manchester United were of the back of a thrilling 3-2 win over Manchester City for the F.A Community Shield as they faced West Brom to kick off there search for their 20th League title. For the first hour there was more activity in the stands than on the pitch as both teams locked the other out. West Brom had a moment of flair with Long having a shot on goal just going wide. After that the teams once again locked up for a 0-0 draw.

Manchester City vs. Swansea (Week 1)
Man City had been thwarted by their local rivals last week for the F.A. Community Shield and as one of the richest clubs in the league a match against the first ever Welsh club in the Premier league; 3 points seemed a formality: and it was. It took just 14 minutes for Edin Dzeko prodded home after Swans keeper Michel Vorm parried an Adam Johnson shot into his path. Both sides attempted to attack but both sides had heavy defense. Man City doubled their lead in the second half through a 51st minute goal for half-time substition on his debut Aguero to slot home unmarked at the far post shortly after his introduction. He then provided an assist in the 63rd minute for Silva. Aguero then completed the perfect debut by slotting home his second goal in the 73rd minute. Full-time Score Man City 4-0 Swansea City

[chutley]

I don't understand the scoring. I won 5 out of 6 matches but had fewer points.

[jonty125]

I don't understand the scoring. I won 5 out of 6 matches but had fewer points.

This is because all of your wins have been considered 'draws'. I know the table looks as friendly as hungry tiger. But all your wins were in 15 rounds or more so we considered as draws. While shoop won in 10 rounds while there will still points to be gained - understand?

[chutley]

I understand. A little frustrating though...

I guess it's too late to change any scoring methods, but I feel like there should be some sort of bonus for winning the majority of your matches. Winning 5 out of 6 is a huge margin and to end up having fewer points seems unfair.

[jonty125]

I understand. A little frustrating though...

I guess it's too late to change any scoring methods, but I feel like there should be some sort of bonus for winning the majority of your matches. Winning 5 out of 6 is a huge margin and to end up having fewer points seems unfair.

Maybe I'll incorporate it next season.

[jonty125]

This week's fixtures (Week 3)

Saturday, 27 August 2011
Aston Villa v Wolverhampton,
Wigan v QPR,
Blackburn v Everton,
Chelsea v Norwich,
Swansea v Sunderland,
Liverpool v Bolton,

Sunday, 28 August 2011
Newcastle v Fulham,
Tottenham v Man City,
West Brom v Stoke,
Man Utd v Arsenal,

[callmecommander]

I've had some tough luck early on but I think this might well be the best tourney I've taken part in.
I realize its still early and the scoring may have some kinks, although I won't complain, but I love the write ups. Those stoke buggers better be ready when we face them again. I told my team they have permission to beat them senseless after that physical first match.
Keep up the good work

[jonty125]

Sorry for the lack of recent write-ups real life caught up with me . (They'll be coming this afternoon)

If you have any suggestions for scoring tweaks for future seasons that may be coming please PM me and I'll be willing to discuss them.

[dazza2008]

I've had some tough luck early on but I think this might well be the best tourney I've taken part in.
I realize its still early and the scoring may have some kinks, although I won't complain, but I love the write ups. Those stoke buggers better be ready when we face them again. I told my team they have permission to beat them senseless after that physical first match.
Keep up the good work

Those Stoke buggers will be woopin ya away too

[callmecommander]

haha. We get a real ref and we'll see what happens.

[jonty125]

Newcastle vs. Arsenal (Week 1)
A stubborn Newcastle defense kept the first 15 minutes the Arsenal attackers at bay and they took the lead in the 25th through Joey Barton beating Arsenal's defender Gervinho, to enter the box and slot home from 12 yards to open the scoring. Both sides denied the other from getting a sniff of a chance for the rest of the half. In the second half, Newcastle showed a little bit of attacking flair but Arsenal found the equaliser in the 69th minute when Robin van Persie scored after Taylor's clearance fell short at van Persie's feet who punished the Newcastle keeper. It looked like that would give Arsenal the point but just 10 minutes later a backpass from Sagna was completely missed by keeper Szczesny to give Newcastle the win. Full-time score Newcastle 2-1 Arsenal.

Sunderland vs. Newcastle (Week 2)
The Tyne-Wear derby. Newcastle lead 50-45 but which colour stripes would win; black and white or red and white Sunderland began as the better side and doing so took the lead in the 27th minute from Stephane Sessegnon. Sunderland did try to attack throughout the match but the Newcastle defense would have none of it. But in the closing minutes substitute Gardner's fresher legs took him through Newcastle's back four to double Sunderland's lead and secure the match. Full-time score Sunderland 2-0 Newcastle.


Chelsea vs. West Brom (Week 2)
A poor opening from the Blues allowed West Brom to score in 10 minutes when Shane Long capitalised on a mistake by Alex before slotting his shot past Hilario. West Brom continued their early dominance by doubling their lead inside the first half when Long provided the assist for Somen Tchoyi in the 38th minute. Chelsea pulled themselves together in the second half when forward Nicolas Anelka equalised after the break when his angled strike took a deflection off Jonas Olsson. Chelsea continued to attack but failed to find an equaliser. Full-time score Chelsea 1-2 West Brom.

Norwich vs. Stoke (Week 2)
Norwich were playing there first Premier League match at Carrow Road for six years. Both sides tried to attack during the opening 30 minutes before getting stuck in the final third but after a shaky start the Canaries took the lead after a shaky start when Ritchie De Laet headed past Asmir Begovic in the 39th minute. Norwich tried to attack in the second half but a strong Stoke defense held them back. However the defense were too strong and brought down Holt in injury time but Begovic saved the penalty to keep the scores tight. Full time score Norwich 1-0 Stoke.

Wolves vs. Fulham (Week 2)
Wolves vs. Fulham sounded a dull game on the cards and it proved to be neither team making a single attack in the first hour. Fulham made a small attack midway through the second half but Johnson couldn't connect with the cross. Full-time score Wolves 0-0 Fulham.

Bolton vs. Manchester City (Week 2)
This game got off to a flier with Ivan Klasnic sweeping home Martin Petrov's cross in the 12th minute for Bolton. They doubled their lead in the 35th minute when Kevin Davies scored from a header. In the second half it was Man City's turn to attack but couldn't find the flourish Bolton had. They did score, in the 72nd minute through David Silva from the edge of the box after Jussi Jaaskelainen got his positioning all wrong. But Bolton made sure Man City weren't going to make a heroic comeback by scoring with just 5 minutes left on the clock when Chris Harris' free-kick left keeper Joe Hart floundering. Full-time score Bolton 3-1 Man City.

[jonty125]

haha. We get a real ref and we'll see what happens.

BREAKING NEWS callmecommander has been hit with a five-match touchline ban, for abusing the referee i.e me

[callmecommander]

man!!! That's the last thing I needed. Now not only am I at the bottom of the table, but I'm getting picked on by the FA.
I guess I'll just have to take it in stride . At least I'll be back well before the stoke fixture .

[jonty125]

Transfer Window
Well the transfer window shut last night and some big moves were completed. For a summary of yesterday (and yesternight!) 'Deadline Day Deals' please see this summary http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14741226.stm

Arsenal vs. Livepool (Week 2)
Both these sides have struggled in recent years to win silverware despite their pedigree, so both sides saw this as a crucial fixture. The game started off fairly dull with Liverpool showing a little bit of early flair. The second half both sides were more adventurous both neither side could find the net with their best chances. But Liverpool found the net in the 79th when Luis Suarez and Raul Meireles play a beautiful 1-2 for Suarez to give Liverpool the lead. It looked like the end of the story but Arsenal got a goal in injury time winner when a routine pass from goalkeeper Reina didn't go to his defender but to the feet of van Persie who wasted no time in finding an equaliser. Full-time score Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool.

[jonty125]

There will be NO fixtures this week due to European Championship Qualifying (including U21s)

[jonty125]

All Week 2 fixtures are completed. Remaining write-ups coming throughout today and tomorrow.

[jonty125]

These are the final Week 2 write-ups

Swansea vs. Wigan (Week 2)
Wigan were going to be the first Premier League side to ever take a trip to Wales for a Premier League fixture as they went to Swansea who got to the Premier League via the play-offs. It was dull opening with Wigan showing the best chances early on but nothing came of it. The game continued it dull tones through the second half with Wigan producing the odd chance now and again. It looked like we in for a bore draw but then Swansea in their first real attack all game took the lead in the 83rd minute when Danny Graham blistering half-volley struck the inside of the post and went in. And if you thought one shock was enough then prepare to be amazed as Wigan looked to score on the counter-attack in injury time Jordi Gomez was brought down foolishly by Ashley Williams. Wigan now had the chance to level the scores and it looked like Wigan's Ben Watson had been denied by an excellent save from Vorm but the rebound struck a Swansea player on the arm everyone stopped to see the refree's decision barring Ben Watson who determined to score and did so. As the referee hadn't blown the whistle the goal stood. Full-time score Swansea 1-1 Wigan.

Man Utd. vs Tottenham (Week 2)
Reigning Premier League champions Man U were hoping to improve after last week's 0-0 draw with West Brom and Spurs were without Luka Modric who had been linked with a move to Chelsea. It was a dull opening 45 minutes with Manchester United looking the better side. They continued this momentum in the second half but seemed to struggle in the final third where the ball was cleared quicker than handling a hot potato. It looked like Spurs could hold on with this performance but homegrown striker Welbeck scored from Tom Cleverley's cross in the 82nd minute to secure 3 points for Sir Alex Ferguson and to impress England manager Fabio Capello who had been seen in the stands. Full-time score Man Utd 1-0 Tottenham.

[jonty125]

A day late but here are the other write-ups
Aston Villa vs. Wolves (Week 3)
Midlands club derby that set to be a entertaining fixture straight from the off. It took Aston Villa just over 10 minutes to find the net with Emile Heskey flicking the ball in from 6 yards. Wolves' defense pulled themselves together eventually in the 1st half to keep the score 1-0. In the second half Villa were quick off the mark when Richard Dunn scored a head in the 49th. Wolves had a brief spell on the attack when Stephen Hunt forced a save from Shay Given but Villa were the better side and put a third goal in the 84th minute after Agbonlahor had a pacy run to defeat the defense. Full-time score Aston Villa 3-0 Wolves.

Wigan vs. QPR (Week 3)
The game started off with Wigan dominating possession and attacks and inevitably scored in the 29th minute when di Santo volleyed home and found the top corner with a deflected drive . However,this was the end of Wigan's dominance as this caused QPR's attack to go into overdrive and began fluently attacking and was denied by the woodwork twice before half time. QPR continues this momentum to equalise after less than 60 seconds in the second half with Adel Taarabt providing the goal with the aid of the woodwork. QPR continued attacking and Bruno Perone found the goal in the 77th minute when he headed home from Taarbat's corner (which ironically need the woodwork as well). It looked like the match was done and dusted but QPR had one last burst and in the 88th minute when substitute Jay Bothroyd's effort on goal from the edge of the box went in Full-time score Wigan 1-3 QPR

Blackburn vs. Everton (Week 3)
The game started off fairly dully as Everton's attack rarely reached the final third but after quarter of an hour they finally learnt how to pass a ball and began to start creating chances. The Blackburn defense realised they were going to concede if they kept this up so decided to see if the boot would fit on the other foot and when Mauro Formica was brought down by Ross Barkley, Junior Hoilett powered the penalty home to give the home side the lead. In the second half, Blackburn continued how they left off and Formica was brought down by Phil Jagielka. Formica got up to take the penalty and the giant American keeper Tim Howard could only watch as the ball went in off the inside off the post. Everton looked to created a comeback when Mikel Areta scored the third penalty of the game in the 68th minute; but it was short lived. Blackburn rounded off the game in the 83rd minute when Fellaini teed himself up to secure the match. Full-time score Blackburn 3-1 Everton

Swansea vs. Sunderland (Week 3)
Swansea's hunt for a Premier League continues after a dull performance with Sunderland. The game started off dully and Sunderland raised the tempo of the game a little towards the end of the first half. All I can say is I'm glad I was being paid to watch it not paying to watch it
In the second half Sunderland began where they left off and continued attacking and with the constant pressure Swansea eventually cracked when debutant John O'Shea was left unmarked and nodded the ball home in the 69th minute. Sunderland continued looking for a second but Michel Vorm made a string of saves to deny Asamoah Gyan. Full-time score Swansea 0-1 Sunderland

Liverpool vs. Bolton (Week 3)
Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam scored their first goals for Liverpool in a deserved victory over Bolton. Defender Martin Skrtel netted their other goal, a powerful close-range header from Adam's whipped corner. Henderson opened the scoring by curling a left-footed strike into the top corner of the net, on 10 minutes dead, while Adam found the target with a low shot from 18 yards in the 25th minute. Bolton scored a consolation through Ivan Klasnic's close-range strike in the 71st minute.

In the corresponding fixture last season on New Year's Day, Liverpool were in the midst of a crisis. Roy Hodgson was in charge and the public voted with their feet as just 35,400 turned up - their lowest Premier League attendance for almost seven years. Fernando Torres scored his last goal for Liverpool at Anfield that day, and after a 3-1 defeat at Blackburn four days later, Hodgson was sacked with the Reds 12th in the table, and Kenny Dalglish installed in temporary charge.

Liverpool's final goal came from substitute Skrtel powerfully heading in Adam's whipped corner from close range with just 4 minutes to go Full-time score Liverpool 3-1 Bolton.

The Fulham massacre and other Week 3 results will come in the second half of the Week 3 write-ups program which will be broadcast as soon as the matches are complete.