messageboard rss feed
latest fulham news rss feed

0 users online

Previews and predictions for weekend games

last updated Thursday 12th January 2006, 4:23 PM

Fulham are at home today in the Premiership Matchday 22 and the visitors are the best supported underperformers in the top flight. That's right Newcastle managed by the one and only, thank goodness, Graeme Souness.The Cottagers are unbeaten at home in the Premiership since their 2-0 defeat of Liverpool back in October. Following their embarrassing defeat by Orient in the FA Cup last week Fulham should be firing on all cylinders. Newcastle are having a miserable season and coach Souiee is strongly rumoured to be holding on to his job by the skin of his teeth. Although as Toon Town have run up debts of some £90m and buying out Souiee could cost up to £5m the two seem set to be together for one or two more defeats. Craven Cottage could be the site of another torture session for the faithful Toon fans as Newcastle have a flaky away record with just 3 wins on the road this season. Our away record of course is worse than flaky it is a disgrace.With a favourable set of results on the weekend Fulham could move up the table a couple of spots.Elsewhere Pompey are on a spending spree, which includes Sean Davis, and their new Russian half owner will be expecting a win at home against Everton. The Manchurians meet at the City ground on Sunday and it could be a real dust up. Individual match comments below come from Dave Tindall at Bettingzone.

Premiership Match Day 22 Games
Home Away KO T.V.
Saturday 14th January 2006
Man City Man Utd 12.45 sky1
Arsenal Middlesbro' 15.00  
Aston Villa West Ham 15.00  
Charlton Birmingham 15.00  
Fulham Newcastle 15.00  
Liverpool Tottenham 15.00  
Portsmouth Everton 15.00  
Blackburn Bolton 17.15 ppv
Sunday 15th January 2006
Wigan West Brom 13.30 sky1
Sunderland Chelsea 16.00 sky1
Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Gd
1 Chelsea 21 19 1 1 46 10 58 36
2 Man Utd 21 13 6 2 40 17 45 23
3 Liverpool 19 12 5 2 28 11 41 17
4 Tottenham 21 11 7 3 31 18 40 13
5 Arsenal 20 10 4 6 27 15 34 12
6 Wigan 21 11 1 9 25 26 34 -1
7 Bolton 19 9 5 5 25 20 32 5
8 Blackburn 20 9 3 8 26 25 30 1
9 Man City 21 8 4 9 27 24 28 3
10 West Ham 21 7 5 9 27 30 26 -3
11 Newcastle 20 7 5 8 20 23 26 -3
12 Aston Villa 21 6 7 8 25 30 25 -5
13 Charlton 19 8 1 10 24 30 25 -6
14 Fulham 21 6 5 10 25 30 23 -5
15 Everton 21 7 2 12 14 31 23 -17
16 Middlesbro 20 5 7 8 25 30 22 -5
17 West Brom 21 5 4 12 20 31 19 -11
18 Portsmouth 21 4 5 12 16 33 17 -17
19 Birmingham 20 4 4 12 15 29 16 -14
20 Sunderland 20 1 3 16 15 38 6 -23
Man City v Man Utd (KO 12.45 - Saturday - 14 January 06)
This fixture, with City the home side, has been evenly split over the last four seasons with both teams claiming two wins each. But current form would have to point to United on Saturday. Aside from a 4-1 win over a desperately poor Birmingham side, Stuart Pearce's men have struggled at Eastlands and either side of that victory they suffered home defeats against Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs, failing to score a single goal. That suggests City aren't up to it against the best sides in the Premiership although the derby factor has to be taken into account. However, United have won seven out of 11 on the road this season and their 20-goal haul makes them the most freescoring away side in the division. They also produced a slick performance in midweek in the Carling Cup semi-final with Blackburn and it's hard to see them slipping up here.Verdict: Man City 1 Man Utd 2
Arsenal v Middlesbro' (KO 15.00 - Saturday - 14 January 06)
Arsenal lost to Chelsea and were held by Manchester United but aside from those two heavyweight battles they've won all their other eight home Premiership games. And there's nothing to suggest that a Middlesbrough side who couldn't even beat Nuneaton in the FA Cup will give them much trouble. Boro were much better in the 2-2 draw at Newcastle prior to that but the failure to hold on for victory at St James' Park made it seven Premiership games without a win. Boro led 3-1 in this fixture last year before Arsenal steamrollered them 5-3 while in 2003/4 the Gunners ran out 4-1 winners. Verdict: Arsenal 3 Middlesbro' 1
Aston Villa v West Ham (KO 15.00 - Saturday - 14 January 06)
A top half position is more than acceptable for West Ham at this stage of the season but they could quickly plummet from 10th spot if their current form continues. They've taken just one point out of the last 15 in the Premiership and Alan Pardew has to be concerned. By contrast, David O'Leary's mood has brightened after a five-game unbeaten run in all competitions and victory for Villa here would see them leapfrog the Hammers. Villa are even money to win the day which, on first glance, looks a price worth taking. But the enthusiasm is tempered somewhat by the fact that West Ham have taken just as many points on the road as they have at home and, in recent weeks, their away form has been definitely superior. A draw is certainly not beyond them.Verdict: Aston Villa 1 West Ham 1
Charlton v Birmingham (KO 15.00 - Saturday - 14 January 06)
Birmingham were one of Charlton's early season victims when the Addicks were flying high at the top of the Premiership. But the outcome looks much more uncertain here given Charlton's slide down the table. Although Alan Curbishley's men have picked up their home form with two wins in the last three, Birmingham are also starting to improve after a desperate start to the season. A 2-2 draw with Manchester United, a creditable 2-0 defeat at Chelsea and a 2-0 home win over Wigan have given Blues fans hope that the drop can be beaten. The worry for Steve Bruce is that the their away form remains miserable. That was highlighted by a 0-0 draw at Torquay in the FA Cup and before that they'd lost six out of seven, the only ray of light a 1-0 win at rock bottom Sunderland. The addition of Chris Sutton will definitely help Birmingham's cause but he may have to make an immediate impact to stop Charlton taking all three points here.Verdict: Charlton 1 Birmingham 0
Fulham v Newcastle (KO 15.00 - Saturday - 14 January 06)
Fulham have scored as many home wins as Manchester United this season (six out of 10) and will also be fired up after a humiliating loss to Leyton Orient in the FA Cup. Of course, that defeat shows that Chris Coleman's side are far from invincible but that home Premiership record has to be respected and it certainly stacks up well against Newcastle's woeful away record of seven defeats in 11. A crisis is always just around the corner at St James' Park and the absence of Michael Owen and several other key players suggests another uncomfortable post-match press conference for Graeme Souness at Craven Cottage.Fulham's failure to beat Sunderland coupled with that loss to Orient suggests the Magpies may be able to come away with a point.Verdict: Fulham 2 Newcastle 2
Liverpool v Tottenham (KO 15.00 - Saturday - 14 January 06)
Liverpool's thrilling 5-3 win over Luton delighted the neutrals but left boss Rafa Benitez fuming. While the Spaniard will do his best to drum into his players that their performance (for sixty minutes at least) was not acceptable, the truth is that Liverpool are knackered! A hectic Festive period followed on the back of a gruelling trip to Tokyo and the physical and mental tiredness showed at Kenilworth Road. It means Spurs have a genuine chance of cashing in on Saturday. The problem for Martin Jol's men is that Ledley King is still a doubt and his absence played a key role in their 3-2 capitulation against Leicester in the FA Cup. With both defences creaking, goals could be the order of the day at Anfield and a 2-2 draw - a repeat of last year's scoreline - has every chance.Verdict: Liverpool 2 Tottenham 2
Portsmouth v Everton (KO 15.00 - Saturday - 14 January 06)
Everton have won both their Premiership clashes at Fratton Park and four out of five overall but that record may be dented on Saturday. Pompey's survival bid is being constructed around their home form where they've taken seven points out of nine since Harry Redknapp made his return. Admittedly, they were against moderate opposition (West Brom, West Ham and Fulham) but Everton have to be bracketed in that company given their league position. The Toffees seem to be going in the right direction after back-to-back Premiership wins but they've had several false dawns this season and remain a side that is hard to trust. Verdict: Portsmouth 1 Everton 1
Blackburn v Bolton (KO 17.15 - Saturday - 14 January 06)
Blackburn's winning run was momentarily halted on Wednesday night when they had to settle for a 1-1 draw in a feisty Carling Cup semi-final against Manchester United. Mark Hughes' men had won five on the bounce before then to move into the top eight and know a victory here over the team immediately above them will push them up a further place. Bolton though have proved tough to beat themselves in recent weeks but the next month could prove a tough one for Sam Allardyce's side. Radhi Jaidi, Jay-Jay Okocha, Abdoulaye Faye and El-Hadji Diouf are all on African Nations Cup duty while Gary Speed and Henrik Pedersen are on the treatment table. On the plus side Wanderers do have a decent record in this derby clash, winning the last two at Ewood Park, and a share of the spoils might just be the way to go.Verdict: Blackburn 1 Bolton 1
Wigan v West Brom (KO 13.30 - Sunday - 15 January 06)
Wigan found yet another hero in what's been a momentous season as Paul Scharner scored on his debut to give them a 1-0 win over Arsenal in the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final in midweek. That was the latest masterstroke from Latics boss Paul Jewell who has guided his side into the top six of the Premiership and put them within touching distance of a first major cup final. We can't praise Jewell or Wigan highly enough - but they are a team to avoid this weekend. The brutal Festive fixture list was always going to take its toll on some clubs and Wigan went into Tuesday's game with the Gunners with just 15 fit outfield players. The last thing they needed therefore were further injuries but striker David Connolly (hamstring) and Scotland international Lee McCulloch (groin) both limped off in the first half. Jewell isn't the sort to let his men feel sorry for themselves but it's hard to escape the conclusion they are going to be vulnerable. The problem is that West Brom have an appalling away record, with not a single win to their name from ten attempts this season. However while they are missing striker Kanu (injured but would have been at the African Nations Cup), boss Bryan Robson at least has plenty of alternatives. And the Baggies will also be itching for revenge after outplaying Wigan at the Hawthorns earlier in the season only to lose out to a last-gasp Jimmy Bullard goal. This is a real chance for the visitors to pick up some much-needed points as they seek to move away from the relegation zone. Verdict: Wigan 1 West Brom 1
Sunderland v Chelsea (KO 16.00 - Sunday - 15 January 06)
It's bottom v top and there are no prizes for tipping an emphatic away win but it's hard to see any other outcome. Sunderland don't just prop up the table, they are virtually back in the Coca-Cola Championship with just six points from 20 games. That's 52 fewer than Chelsea who have once again carried all before them this season and the Blues simply don't slip up in matches like this. They've won 19 of their 21 fixtures this term, including a 2-0 success over the Black Cats back in September. Verdict: Sunderland 0 Chelsea 3
Source
Since 1998
"It's been updated!"