The Best Premier League Matches Of The Festive Season

For football fans, one of the best things about the holiday season is that matches continue without interruption in the major European leagues. This means we can all spend some of our time away from work taking in the matches and getting a nice look at how the teams look heading into 2015 and soon the second half of the league campaigns. So with that in mind, here's a glance at some of the top Premier League fixtures to keep your eye on this festive period.

Aston Villa v. Manchester United (December 20)

Much has been made of Man Utd.'s recent hot streak, which has propelled them all the way up to third place in the league tables. Following the club's recent 3-0 dismantling of Liverpool at Old Trafford, the Daily Mail even went so far as to declare the EPL a three-horse title race (with many still assuming it'll come down to Chelsea and Manchester City). But Aston Villa can be a tricky club when playing at home, so this is an interesting match to watch. If there's a game that could trip up Man Utd. before 2015, this is probably it.

Liverpool v. Arsenal (December 21)

Liverpool is having a disastrous go of it thus far, and the aforementioned 3-0 loss at Man Utd. didn't help matters. Now, a December 21 fixture in which the club hosts Arsenal is beginning to resemble a make-or-break contest. Bet Fair analyst Luke Moore wrote about Liverpool's outlook standing as one of the EPL stories to watch in the coming weeks. He even went so far as to suggest that Brendan Rodgers may be coaching for his job. Meanwhile, Arsenal is hoping to gain some momentum.

Chelsea v. West Ham (December 26)

Chelsea will likely go into this match as the strong favourite, and justifiably so. But a cross-town rivalry in London yields no sure results, and West Ham has been stronger than most anyone anticipated this season. This should be one of the most intriguing fixtures of the season.

Manchester United v. Newcastle (December 26)

As mentioned, Man Utd. has come on strong of late, but Newcastle has had a fairly impressive campaign as well. Its claim to fame is becoming the first club to beat Chelsea in a league match this season, as Newcastle won their Week 15 contest 2-1. But Newcastle then followed up that result by taking a 4-1 clobbering from Arsenal. Man Utd. will be favoured, but it shouldn't overlook a Newcastle squad that's trying to get back on track.

Southampton v. Chelsea (December 28)

There aren't many fixtures that one can point at and label as a chance that Chelsea may lose, but this is one of them. The Atlantic posted an interesting piece at the beginning of December that gives sound reasoning for Southampton's improbably hot start to likely meet an end—and they're probably right. But this has nevertheless been one of the EPL's most impressive teams thus far, and one never knows what may come up with hosting Chelsea in December.

West Ham v. Arsenal (December 28)

If Arsenal can handle Liverpool in the previously highlighted match, it will have generated some very positive momentum heading toward the second half of the season, with a top-four finish in its sights. West Ham will then become a very intriguing obstacle, and as noted when discussing the Chelsea v. West Ham fixture on December 26, cross-London rivalries make for extra intrigue. This will also be a great opportunity for Arsenal, in that West Ham will only have one day of rest between the matches.

Any EPL match holds the potential to entertain, but if you're looking for a few fixtures to highlight for holiday season viewing, these look to be the best of the bunch!
 
 

What next for Aston Villa?

Aston Villa's deserved 2-1 win over a lacklustre Bolton at the Reebok stadium this weekend was a timely boost to Alex Mcliesh and Villa's faithfull travelling support. The Midlander's first away win of the season at the eighth attempt was built upon McLeish finally putting outside a team with balance.

For the first time in many weeks Villa looked solid at the back and dangerous on the counter attack. An inudstrious midfield pairing of Petrov and the improving Herd gave the side a platform to attack with confidence. McLeish did his side three favours by; giving his big summer tranfer puchase Charles Nzogbia license to roam, dropping Emile Heskey, and finally recalling crowd favourite and youth team graduate Marc Albrighton a long awaited run in the first team.


Continued at www.resultsbasedbusiness.co.uk 

Will McLeish turn into a Turkey this Christmas?

It is fair to say that the summer appointment of Alex McLeish as Aston Villa manager was greeted as warmly by Villa fans, as the current surge of wintery weather is being greeted by drivers, farmers and the nation of Scotland. The appointment of a man who has twice taken Villa’s bitter City rivals down to the Championship was met with protests, radio station meltdowns and the biggest illustration of fan disgruntlement seen in many a year in the West Midlands: the cancellation of thousands of season tickets.

In McLeish, the board reckoned they had employed a man of pedigree. A former international manager, who had previously won his fair share of Old Firm rivalries against a certain Mr Martin O’Neill. His reign brought a period of renewed optimism in the Blue half of Glasgow and Champions League qualification. After the in-fighting and lack of direction that lived and breathed the Gerard Houllier era, Randy Lerner has staked his money and his reputation on a return to good times at Villa Park, through a man who similarly to Alex Ferguson, serves his football with more than a fair share of Scottish guts, grit and determination.

Continued at www.resultsbasedbusiness.co.uk 

Hall of Fame: Paul McGrath (1981 - 1998)

Paul McGrath was a player ahead of his time in so many ways; "Like Bobby Moore, Paul McGrath played football as though he was wearing a silk smoking jacket with a crystal glass in his hand". He epitomised class. The defender who famously couldn’t train due to chronic knee injuries also battled his own personal problems with alcoholism and depression off the field, but to those who saw him play he was simply known for giving a defending master class when he crossed the white line.

The defender started his career in Ireland with St Patrick’s Athletic in 1981 and made 27 appearances for the club before being spotted by Manchester United manager Ron Atkinson. After signing for the Red Devils, McGrath would win the FA Cup with Atkinson in 1985 before Sir Alex Ferguson took over the helm at Old Trafford. McGrath's knee problems meant he would never become a regular in Ferguson’s team. The relationship between the two which could be best described as turbulent clearly had a time limit and the United manager offered the centre half a retirement package including a £100,000 payoff and a testimonial to retire.

Continued at http://www.resultsbasedbusiness.co.uk/

Gerard Houllier

We would like to join the many other voices wishing Aston Villa boss, Gerard Houllier, a speedy and successful recovery from the illness that has seen him admitted to hospital.

Houllier is a popular figure within the game, and I am sure that no matter what your football affiliations, all fans will join in hoping that he is back to full health very soon.

Although no details have been released regarding Houllier's illness, he has a history of heart problems and was admitted to hospital while Liverpool manager with a heart complaint.

Get well soon Gerard!