Premier League The Official Football Club

Bolton Wanderers Football Club

hyenaham@gmail.com (WORLD NEWS PAGE) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 01:51:00 -0700

Bolton Wanderers Football Club is a professional English football league club based in the town of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England.They have been in the Premier League since 2001.

Founder members of the Football League, Bolton were a successful cup side in the 1920s, winning the FA Cup three times. The club won the cup a fourth time in 1958 thanks to two Nat Lofthouse goals. A leaner spell followed, reaching a nadir in 1987 when the club spent a season in the Fourth Division. The club regained top-flight status in 1995 after a 15 year absence; their current spell in the top division started in 2001. In 2005–06 they participated in European competition for the first time, reaching the last 32 of the UEFA Cup. Bolton qualified for the 2007–08 tournament by finishing 7th in the 2006–07 Premier League season and this time they managed to reach the last 16 of the competition. Bolton Wanderers moved to the Reebok Stadium in 1997. Their former home was Burnden Park, where they played for 102 years.

Bolton have spent the highest number of seasons in the top flight without winning the title (the 2009–10 season was their 71st, non-consecutive, year in the top flight). The highest position they have achieved in the top flight is third in the Football League First Division on three occasions (1891–92, 1920–21 and 1924–25).
The club was founded by the Reverend Thomas Ogden, the schoolmaster at Christ Church in 1874 as Christ Church FC. It was initially run from the church of the same name in Egerton, Bolton, but broke away following a dispute with the vicar. The club changed its name to Bolton Wanderers in 1877. The name was chosen as the club initially had a lot of difficulty finding a permanent ground to play on, having used three venues in its first four years of existence.
In the 1887–88 FA Cup, Bolton Wanderers were involved in a protracted first round match against Everton. Welsh international Bob Roberts scored the only goal of the initial match played on 15 October 1887, but the result was declared invalid as Bolton had fielded an ineligible player, Robert Struthers.There then followed two drawn matches (with Roberts again scoring in the first), before Everton won the second replay (the fourth match altogether) 2–1.This time, however, Everton were disqualified for fielding two professional players who had been registered as amateurs,[8] and the match was awarded to Bolton, who were then defeated 9–1 by Preston North End.

Bolton were one of the 12 founder members of the Football League, which formed in 1888. Having remained in the Football League since its formation, Bolton have spent more time in the top flight (Premier League/old First Division) than out of it.

Aston Villa Football Club

hyenaham@gmail.com (WORLD NEWS PAGE) — Wed, 2 Mar 2011 19:50:00 -0800

Aston Villa Football Club Aston Villa F.C. is a professional association football club based in Aston, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder members of the Premier League in 1992, and have remained there ever since The club was floated by the previous owner and chairman Doug Ellis, but in 2006 full control of the club was acquired by Randy Lerner.
They are one of the oldest and most successful football clubs in England, having won the First Division Championship seven times and the FA Cup seven times. Villa also won the 1981–82 European Cup, one of only four English clubs to win what is now the UEFA Champions League. Aston Villa has the fourth highest total of major honours won by an English club.

They have a fierce local rivalry with Birmingham City. The Second City derby between Aston Villa and Birmingham City has been played since 1879. The club's traditional kit colours are claret shirts with sky blue sleeves, white shorts and sky blue socks. Their traditional crest is of a rampant gold lion on a light blue background with the club's motto "Prepared" underneath; a modified version of this was adopted in 2007. www.avfc.co.uk

West Ham United 3 Liverpool 1

hyenaham@gmail.com (WORLD NEWS PAGE) — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 22:42:00 -0800

West Ham United 3 Liverpool 1 match-reports Sun 27 Feb 2011, Boleyn Ground West Ham United produced arguably their best display of the season to haul themselves back off the bottom of the Barclays Premier League and all but end Liverpool's faint Champions League hopes. Goals from Scott Parker, Demba Ba - rapidly developing into one of the signings of the January transfer window - and Carlton Cole secured a 3-1 win at Upton Park and kept the pressure on the Hammers' relegation rivals. Glen Johnson pulled one back for Liverpool but their late rally was in vain as their revival under Kenny Dalglish suffered its first major setback. The defeat left the Reds eight points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur having played a match more, while Avram Grant was able to celebrate a result that moved the Hammers level on points with fourth-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers. The hosts certainly did not lack for confidence in the opening moments, Thomas Hitzlsperger - making his Barclays Premier League debut for the club - unleashing an outrageous 40-yard volley that flew into the arms of Jose Reina. A minute later, Raul Meireles looped a header wide from the fit-again Steven Gerrard's pinpoint 50-yard ball. Meireles also fired straight at Robert Green, Gary O'Neil's shot hit a Liverpool defender and Glen Johnson saw a header from a corner blocked before the game settled down. A Hitzlsperger rocket was again too close to Reina before Parker showed the kind of precision his team-mate had been lacking to give West Ham a 22nd-minute lead. He and Hitzlsperger played a neat one-two on the edge of the box and Parker floated a delightful finish right into the far corner with the outside of his foot. another blow Dirk Kuyt hit the side netting from 20 yards following a lightning Liverpool break when team-mates were arguably better placed. The recalled Piquionne then sent a wicked ball across the six-yard box, which just evaded Ba. Liverpool struggled to respond, Luis Suarez repeatedly coming off second best in his personal battle with the impressive James Tomkins. Right-back Martin Kelly's low drive was too close to Green as the interval approached, while Mark Noble curled a free-kick wide at the other end. Liverpool suffered another blow when Kelly pulled a hamstring and was replaced by Joe Cole, Dalglish switching his formation from 5-3-2 to 4-4-2. That was not the end of their woes, with the unmarked Ba powering home a header on the stroke of half-time from O'Neil's cross. quick turn Liverpool began the second half on top but nevertheless made a quick change when David Ngog came on for Meireles. With Wolves having won 4-0 on Saturday, West Ham needed another goal to climb out of the drop zone and Ba almost provided it when he drilled inches wide from 25 yards. Tomkins, Piquionne and Ba were all close to connecting with a corner as the home side hit back. But they had Green to thank for preserving their two-goal lead when Suarez finally beat Tomkins with a quick turn and unleashed a rising drive which the goalkeeper tipped behind. Piquionne missed a glorious chance to kill the match when he glanced Noble's corner wide midway through the half but West Ham's commitment was summed up when Parker threw himself in front of a goalbound Gerrard shot Gerrard was making his presence felt and Green tipped a dipping volley over the bar from the England star. Reina had to be equally alert to beat Ba to the ball from a Hammers break but he almost produced an absolute howler when he spilt Piquionne's shot goalwards before recovering. It was all Liverpool at this stage and Grant responded by withdrawing Piquionne for Jonathan Spector after Cole had mishit a volley for the visitors. But the Reds' pressure paid off six minutes from time when Suarez crossed for Johnson to tap into an unguarded net. West Ham ran down the clock by bringing on Cole for Ba - although time-wasting was the last thing on the substitute's mind as he left Skrtel in a heap and drilled home at Reina's near post in stoppage-time. There was still time for Suarez to test Green again but the points had already been lost.

Premier League Arsenal 1-0 Stoke City

hyenaham@gmail.com (WORLD NEWS PAGE) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 18:19:00 -0800

Premier League Arsenal 1-0 Stoke City First Published: Weds 23 Feb 2011
Arsenal edged past Stoke City and moved to a point behind Barclays Premier League leaders Manchester United but their victory was overshadowed by injuries to Theo Walcott and Cesc Fabregas. Sebastien Squillaci's seventh-minute header gave Arsenal the victory but injuries to their key duo will be of concern with the Carling Cup final and a Champions League match against Barcelona coming up. Fabregas came off with what appeared to be a knee complaint in the first half while Walcott was carried off on a stretcher with an ankle injury after being flattened by a Dean Whitehead challenge. Much of the pre-match talk had been about how the Gunners would cope without another of their key men, Robin van Persie, who was ruled out on Tuesday with a hamstring injury. Arsene Wenger chose Nicklas Bendtner to lead the attack in his absence while Fabregas, Wojciech Szczesny and Samir Nasri returned after missing Sunday's disappointing draw with Leyton Orient. Tony Pulis recalled Asmir Begovic and Whitehead while Ryan Shawcross skippered the side almost a year to the day the that he broke Aaron Ramsey's leg at the Britannia Stadium. Clearly determined to put their shock FA Cup draw behind them, Arsenal came flying out of the blocks and rattled the Stoke woodwork with barely a minute gone. Fabregas slotted in Theo Walcott after some good work by Jack Wilshere, and the England winger beat Begovic at the far post but his shot rebounded off the woodwork and into the goalkeeper's hands. Walcott tore into the Stoke box again three minutes later after being played through by Bendtner but Begovic came out to smother the ball. The early pressure paid off for the home side when they took the lead. slower pace Bendtner volleyed across the box from a Wilshere corner to find Squillaci, who headed home unmarked from five yards for his first league goal of the season. Fabregas looked to be struggling with an injury and was replaced by Andrey Arshavin 14 minutes in. The Spaniard, who missed most of December with a hamstring injury, looked disappointed to have picked up a knock and will be badly missed by the Gunners if does not recover for Sunday's cup final and the Barcelona match in two weeks' time. Arsenal remained in control but played the match at a much slower pace following their captain's departure. Arshavin, who scored the winner against Barcelona last week, skipped past his marker before drawing a good save from Begovic at his near post. more assured Szczesny had to scramble down to his right to save John Carew's 25-yard volley with Stoke's first chance of the game at the other end. The Stoke defence backed off as Arshavin raced at the defence and Shawcross, who had been booed with his every touch, hacked the Russian down 20 yards out. Nasri curled the resultant free-kick a couple of yards wide of Begovic's goal. The away side almost equalised early in the second-half when Shawcross' deflected header whistled just past Szczesny's goal. Stoke were looking much more assured in the second period and they went close when Robert Huth headed just over the bar from a Rory Delap long throw. Arsenal then went on the attack through Arshavin, who dodged a Shawcross sliding tackle to find Walcott in the box but the 21-year-old was off-balance and mis-kicked his attempt on goal. Walcott was bundled over by Whitehead on the edge of box in the 68th minute but referee Walton waved play on. The winger stayed on the ground, clearly in pain, clutching his ankle before being carried off to be replaced by Denilson. Bendtner headed wide from six yards after a Wilshere corner as Arsenal looked for a killer second goal with 20 minutes left.
Pennant almost stole an equaliser in the last minute of normal time with a beautiful curling free-kick that went into Szczesny's side-netting.


Man Utd	2 - 1	Man City
Arsenal	2 - 0	Wolves
Birmingham	1 - 0	Stoke City
Blackburn	0 - 0	Newcastle
Blackpool	1 - 1	Aston Villa
Liverpool	1 - 1	Wigan
West Brom	3 - 3	West Ham
Sunderland	1 - 2	Tottenham
Bolton	2 - 0	Everton
Fulham	0 - 0	Chelsea
Birmingham	0 - 2	Newcastle
West Brom	1 - 1	Wolves
Blackpool	3 - 1	Tottenham
Arsenal	1 - 0	Stoke City

West Bromwich Albion 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

hyenaham@gmail.com (WORLD NEWS PAGE) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 18:11:00 -0800

West Bromwich Albion 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
match-reports Sun 20 Feb 2011, The Hawthorns
Carlos Vela rescued a point for West Bromwich Albion with an injury-time equaliser in the Black Country derby with Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Hawthorns. On loan Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie O'Hara's stunning strike looked to have settled the match in the first half. But, with seconds remaining, Wolves keeper Wayne Hennessey spilled James Morrison's shot and Vela, who is on loan from Arsenal, converted the rebound. Wolves had been the dominant force in the opening 45 minutes as they made the most of their numerical advantage in midfield. O'Hara looked sharp and on his current form Wolves manager Mick McCarthy looks certain to take up the option to make the move from White Hart Lane permanent in the summer. Matt Jarvis also caused problems down the left flank while Kevin Doyle was his usual threat as the lone striker.
It was a different story after the break as Wolves dropped deeper and Paul Scharner started to exert his influence in midfield.
eventual shot O'Hara made a determined run at the Baggies defence inside the first 30 seconds before his eventual shot was blocked by Jonas Olsson.
A ball over the top of the Wolves back four from Gabriel Tamas almost played in top scorer Peter Odemwingie. But Hennessey was alert to the danger and was able to clear from the edge of his area. Matt Jarvis was causing problems down the left flank for Gonzalo Jara and another probing centre was headed over by O'Hara.
Hennessey was called upon to make the first save of the match after 21 minutes but he easily dealt with Olsson's header from Chris Brunt's corner.
West Brom started to gain a foothold in the match and Scharner's glancing header from a Nicky Shorey cross went just past the post. Marc-Antoine Fortune should have done better when he headed a curling shot from Graham Dorrans over the bar from close range.
Then five minutes before half-time a stunning strike from O'Hara put Wolves ahead.
Doyle won a free-kick when he was brought down by Tamas 25 yards from goal.
narrow angle Albion were caught napping when Milijas squared the free-kick to O'Hara and his curling shot flew past the dive of Myhill into the roof of the net.
It was the on loan Tottenham player's first goal for Wolves.
Wolves had the chance to double their lead with a 4-2 numerical advantage on the counter-attack.
But Doyle hesitated, when O'Hara was free to his left, and was crowded out. Jarvis wasted a golden opportunity to double Wolves' lead after 51 minutes.
Tamas made a mess of trying to head the ball back to Hennessey and Jarvis nipped in with only the keeper to beat. But, from 10 yards, out he dragged the shot wide of the far post.
In a rare Albion attack, Henry lost possession to Odemwingie who released the overlapping Fortune but his shot from a narrow angle was turned aside by Hennessey. George Elokobi then made a great block to deny Odemwingie at close range and Scharner shot over from 12 yards out. Wolves were dropping deeper and Fortune should have equalised after 63 minutes.
full stretch Odemwingie headed the ball across the box to Fortune but, from six yards out, he failed to make any contact on his attempted shot.
Jarvis atoned for his earlier miss when he headed a near post Olsson header off the line from Brunt's corner. Albion striker Vela was soon involved in the action and Hennessey beat out his shot after he cut in from the left.
Tamas was relieved when he turned Doyle's low centre inches wide of his own post at full stretch with Ebanks-Blake unmarked behind him.
Then, with seconds remaining, Vela equalised for Albion after Hennessey spilled James Morrison's low drive.

Newcastle United Football Club

hyenaham@gmail.com (WORLD NEWS PAGE) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 19:21:00 -0800

Newcastle United F.C. Newcastle United Football Club Founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, they have won four First Division titles—in 1905, 1907, 1909 and 1927—and six FA Cups—in 1910, 1924, 1932, 1951, 1952 and 1955—as well as the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and the 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup.
Newcastle United played in Newcastle East End's red kit until 1894 when they adopted their current black and white striped shirts.They have a long-standing and fierce rivalry with neighbours Sunderland with whom they have contested the Tyne-Wear derby since 1898.
History Main article: History of Newcastle United F.C. Early history
The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End who were previously rivals in the Northern League, but after West End fell into financial difficulties they decided to merge.The deal included the lease on West End's stadium St James' Park and several names were suggested for the new club, including Newcastle Rangers and Newcastle City, however they chose the name Newcastle United.
Achieving success
Newcastle United went on to win the League Championship on three occasions during the 1900s; 1905, 1907 and 1909.The club's success continued in cup competitions, as they reached five FA Cup Finals in seven years, appearing in the final of 1905, 1906, 1908, 1910 and 1911. However they went on to win just one of them, the 1910 Final against Barnsley, in a replay at Goodison Park. However, there was still one particular low point during this period, as the team suffered a 9–1 defeat by fierce rivals Sunderland in the 1908–09 season, Sunderland still count the result as their record highest win

Blackburn Rovers Football Club

hyenaham@gmail.com (WORLD NEWS PAGE) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 20:14:00 -0800

Blackburn Rovers Football Club The official Blackburn Rovers FC website with news, transfer rumours, online ticket sales, live match commentary, video highlights, player profiles, mobile content, wallpapers and more http://www.rovers.co.uk Blackburn Rovers F.C. Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional English Football league club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.
Blackburn Rovers Football club was established in 1875, becoming a founding member of The Football League in 1888. It is one of only three clubs to have been both a founder member of the Football League and the Premier League (the others being Aston Villa and Everton). In 1890 Rovers moved to its permanent home at Ewood Park. Prior to the formation of the Premier League in 1992, most of the club's successes were before 1930, when it had gained league and FA Cup trophies on several occasions. Relegation in 1966 was followed by 26 successive seasons of football outside the top flight.
In 1992, Blackburn was promoted to the new Premier League a year after being taken over by local steel baron Jack Walker, who installed Kenny Dalglish as manager. In 1995, Blackburn became league champions, having spent millions of pounds on players like Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton. However, the title-winning team was quickly split up and, in 1999, the club was relegated. It was promoted back to the Premier League two years later, just after Walker's death, and has been in the top flight ever since. During this time it has qualified for the UEFA Cup four times: once as League Cup winners, twice as the Premier League's sixth-placed team and once via the Intertoto Cup. The 2009–10 season marks the club's 70th nonconsecutive year in the top flight. The club's Latin motto is "Arte et labore", the club's translation of which is "By Skill & Hard Work".

Premier League 15 February 2011, Birmingham 0 - 2 Newcastle

hyenaham@gmail.com (WORLD NEWS PAGE) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:29:00 -0800

Premier League 15 February 2011, Birmingham 0 - 2 Newcastle Newcastle United registered their first victory of the post-Andy Carroll era as goals from Peter Lovenkrands and Leon Best ensured a comfortable success against Birmingham City at St Andrew's.
Lovenkrands opened the scoring after four minutes and then Best struck early in the second period to wrap up the points for the Magpies.
Birmingham enjoyed a fair share of possession but lacked a cutting edge as they suffered their first defeat in six matches.
Newcastle had picked up only two points from three matches since Carroll's £35m departure to Liverpool on the final day of the January transfer window.
But they looked the more threatening throughout the 90 minutes with Jose Enrique surging forward from left-back to good effect. They were well marshalled in midfield from skipper Kevin Nolan and were a constant threat on the counter-attack. Nikola Zigic, who had scored in the previous three matches, posed the biggest threat for the home side.
Newcastle got off to a dream start in the rainswept conditions with Lovenkrands putting them ahead after only two minutes. Enrique's original cross was cleared after he had skipped past Sebastian Larsson but Jonas Gutierrez pounced on the loose ball and delivered a testing low centre to the near post.
shot past Lovenkrands was first to react and he slid in front of Roger Johnson and drilled his shot past Ben Foster. It was his fourth goal of the campaign. Blues looked shaky and more good play by Enrique found skipper Nolan inside the box but he did not extend Foster.
Former Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins showed good skill to get past Mike Williamson but Steve Harper was alert to the situation.
Birmingham were now in the ascendancy possession-wise and Johnson headed just wide from Larsson's free-kick
Then Harper did well to turn aside Zigic's shot on the turn from inside the box after good play by Barry Ferguson.
Nolan became the first player to be yellow carded for bringing down Bentley in full flight after 36 minutes.
Midfielder Craig Gardner came close to equalising five minutes before the interval. The midfielder hammered a 20-yard drive just wide after being teed up by Larsson who cut into the box before pulling the ball back. acrobatic effort Newcastle doubled their lead four minutes into the second half through Best's fifth goal of the campaign as Birmingham were again caught cold. Gutierrez delivered a left-wing cross to the far post and Best got above the normally-dependable Johnson to head home.
Barton was yellow-carded for a challenge on Liam Ridgewell.
Larsson made a crucial challenge to deny Best a second goal after good play by Cheik Tiote
Magpies boss Alan Pardew brought on Nile Ranger for the limping Lovenkrands after 65 minutes.
Johnson was well wide with an acrobatic effort while at the other end Foster gathered a rising drive from Tiote.
Zigic had a great chance to reduce the arrears but headed over from Ridgewell's pinpoint cross when unmarked.
Johnson forced Harper to save his low header from Bentley's centre and substitute Kevin Phillips miskicked inside the box when well placed.
But Birmingham seldom threatened to salvage anything tangible from the match.

Premier League 14 February 2011, Fulham 0 - 0 Chelsea

hyenaham@gmail.com (WORLD NEWS PAGE) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 23:58:00 -0800

Premier League 14 February 2011, Fulham 0 - 0 Chelsea Chelsea dominated for long spells but emerged with a draw only after a late Fulham penalty miss at Craven Cottage.Petr Cech saved an injury-time Clint Dempsey penalty to earn Chelsea a 0-0 draw at Fulham on Monday after Fernando Torres had missed a host of chances to open his account for the Blues. Struggling Torres was replaced by Didier Drogba after 70 frustrating minutes but in the end Chelsea were happy to escape with a point. Another Chelsea new boy, David Luiz, was adjudged to have felled Dempsey, but the American saw his spot-kick parried by Cech and then blasted the rebound over the bar. The point leaves Chelsea 12 points behind leaders Manchester United and two behind Tottenham Hotspur in the final Champions League qualifying spot. For an in-depth match report, click here.
Premier League 14 February 2011, Fulham 0 - 0 Chelsea

1 Fulham's Clint Dempsey looks dejected after he took a penalty that was saved by Chelsea's Petr Cech

2 Chelsea's Fernando Torres has a shot at goal as Fulham's Aaron Hughes looks on

3 Fulham's Damien Duff and Chelsea's Frank Lampard in action

4 Fulham's Clint Dempsey in action with Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic and Ramires

5 Chelsea's Petr Cech saves a penalty taken by Fulham's Clint Dempsey

6 Fulham's Clint Dempsey looks dejected after he took a penalty that was saved by Chelsea's Petr Cech

Manchester City F.C

hyenaham@gmail.com (WORLD NEWS PAGE) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 20:21:00 -0800

Manchester City F.C Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club who play at the City of Manchester Stadium. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's (West Gorton), they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 before settling on their present name in 1894.
The club's most successful period was in the late 1960s and early 1970s when they won the League Championship, the FA Cup, the League Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup under the management team of Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison and with players including Colin Bell, Mike Summerbee and Francis Lee.

Since winning the League Cup in 1976, the club has failed to win any major honours. The club's decline led to relegation twice in three years in the 1990s, spending the 1998–99 season in the third tier of English football for the first and only season in their 117 year history. The club has since regained top flight status, the level at which they have spent the majority of their history.

It is widely accepted that Manchester City F.C. was founded as St. Mark's (West Gorton) in 1880 by Anna Connell and two churchwardens of St. Mark's Church, in Gorton, a district in east Manchester. Prior to this, St. Mark's played cricket from 1875 and the side evolved out of that cricket team – the key organiser was Church Warden William Beastow. In 1887, they moved to a new ground at Hyde Road, in Ardwick just to the east of the city centre, and were renamed Ardwick Association Football Club to reflect their new location.Ardwick joined the Football League as founding members of the Second Division in 1892. Financial troubles in the 1893–94 season led to a reorganisation within the club, and Ardwick were reformed as Manchester City Football Club.www.mcfc.co.uk

Chelsea Football Club

hyenaham@gmail.com (WORLD NEWS PAGE) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 23:29:00 -0800

Chelsea Football Club is an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four times. They have also been successful in Europe, winning the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup twice.
The club had their first major success in 1955, when they won the league championship. Chelsea won several cup competitions during the 1960s and 1970s, but after that did not win another major title until 1997. The past decade has been the most successful period in Chelsea’s history, capped by winning Premier League titles in 2005, 2006 and 2010, and reaching their first UEFA Champions League final in 2008.
Despite their name, the club are not based in Chelsea, but in neighbouring Fulham. The club's home is the 41,841 capacity Stamford Bridge football stadium in Fulham, where they have played since their establishment. In 2003, they were bought by Russian oil magnate Roman Abramovich.
Chelsea's regular kit colours are royal blue shirts and shorts with white socks, the combination used since the 1960s. The club crest has been changed several times in attempts to modernise or re-brand; the current crest, featuring a ceremonial lion holding a staff, is a modified version of one first adopted in the 1950s. The club has sustained the fifth highest average all-time attendance in English football. Their average home gate for the 2009–10 season was 41,423, the fifth highest in the Premier League.
Stamford Bridge Address : Stamford Bridge, Fulham Road, London, SW6 1HS General Enquires : 0871 984 1955 Tickets : 0871 984 1905 Fax : 020 7381 4831
Capacity : 41,841
Stamford Bridge is the most central of the London football stadiums and is easily accessible by tube or bus from the centre of the city. Paid for parking is available on non-matchdays only. On matchdays limited parking is available in surrounding streets and resident restricions do apply Monday - Saturday. www.chelseafc.com

Arsenal Football Club

hyenaham@gmail.com (WORLD NEWS PAGE) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 22:45:00 -0800

Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, they have won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups. They hold the record for the longest uninterrupted period in the English top flight and are the only side to have completed a Premier League season unbeaten.
Arsenal was founded in 1886 in Woolwich and in 1893 became the first club from the south of England to join the Football League. In 1913, they moved north across the city to Arsenal Stadium in Highbury. In the 1930s they won five League Championship titles and two FA Cups. After a lean period in the post-war years they won the League and FA Cup Double, in the 1970–71 season, and in the 1990s and first decade of the 21st century won two more Doubles and reached the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final.
Arsenal have a long-standing rivalry with neighbours Tottenham Hotspur, with whom they regularly contest the North London derby. Arsenal are also the third most valuable Association football club in the world as of 2010, valued at $1.2 billion. www.arsenal.com

Liverpool F.C.

hyenaham@gmail.com (WORLD NEWS PAGE) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 23:53:00 -0800

Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English professional football club from Liverpool, England that plays in the Premier League. Liverpool has played at Anfield since the club's foundation in 1892 and was admitted to the Football League a year later.
England's most successful club of the 20th century, and one of the most successful clubs in the history of English football, Liverpool has won a joint-record 18 league titles, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups. Liverpool is the most successful English club in European competition having won five European Cups, the last in 2005, and three UEFA Cups. The club currently rank third in Europe and sixth in the world with the most international titles won.
The club's supporters have been involved in two major tragedies. The first was the Heysel Stadium disaster in 1985, where charging Liverpool fans caused a wall to collapse, resulting in the death of 39 Juventus supporters. In the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster, 96 Liverpool supporters lost their lives in a crush against perimeter fencing.
Liverpool has long-standing rivalries with neighbours Everton and with Manchester United. The team's home colours have been entirely red since 1964 when manager Bill Shankly changed them from a red shirt and white shorts. The club's anthem is "You'll Never Walk Alone".
History For more details on this topic, see History of Liverpool F.C..The Liverpool team at the start of the 1892–93 season, in which they won the Lancashire League
Liverpool F.C. was founded following a dispute between the Everton F.C. Committee and John Houlding, club president and owner of the land at Anfield. After eight years at the stadium, Everton relocated to Goodison Park in 1892 and Houlding founded Liverpool F.C. to play at Anfield.Originally named Everton F.C. and Athletic Grounds Ltd (Everton Athletic for short), the club became Liverpool F.C. in June 1892 after The Football Association refused to recognise the club as Everton. In its debut season, the team won the Lancashire League, before joining the Football League Second Division at the start of the 1893–94 season. After finishing in first place, the club was promoted to First Division, which it won in 1901, and again in 1906. Liverpool won back-to-back league championships in 1922 and 1923, but did not win another trophy until the 1946–47 season when the club won the First Division for a fifth time. After losing 1–0 to Burnley F.C. in the club's first FA Cup final in 1914, Liverpool was defeated in the final for a second time in 1950 by Arsenal. The club was relegated to the Second Division in the 1953–54 season.

Manchester United F.C

hyenaham@gmail.com (WORLD NEWS PAGE) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 23:30:00 -0800

Manchester United F.C Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.

In 1968, under the management of Matt Busby, Manchester United was the first English football club to win the European Cup, ten years after the Munich air disaster that claimed the lives of eight players. The current manager, Alex Ferguson, is the most successful manager in the club's history, having won 26 major honours since he took over in November 1986.

Having won 18 league titles, four League Cups and a record 11 FA Cups, Manchester United is one of the most successful clubs in the history of English football. The club has also won three European Cups and is unique in having won a Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League Treble, in the 1998–99 season.
Manchester United is one of the wealthiest and most widely supported football teams in the world.The club is said to be worth £1.19 billion, making it the most valuable football club in the world. After being floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1991, the club was purchased by Malcolm Glazer in May 2005 in a deal valuing the club at almost £800 million.

Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic

hyenaham@gmail.com (WORLD NEWS PAGE) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 19:48:00 -0800

Branislav Ivanovic signs extension to Chelsea deal

Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic
Ivanovic was in the PFA Premier League team of the year last season

Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic has signed a contract extension which is set to keep him at the club until 2016.

The 26-year-old Serbia international moved to Stamford Bridge in January 2008 for an undisclosed fee. He has made 99 appearances for the Blues and was named in last season's PFA Premier League team of the year. "It is good news for me, it is a very big step for me in my career and I want to try to help Chelsea win a lot more trophies," he said. "These things take a little time but my first vision was always to stay with Chelsea.
"There were not a lot of problems because I wanted to stay, the club wanted me to stay and I want to thank everyone who helped with the deal. I am very happy with that." During his three years at the club Ivanovic has won two FA Cups as well as last year's Premier League title, and has scored seven goals

Newcastle United have confirmed the signing of striker Shefki Kuqi

hyenaham@gmail.com (WORLD NEWS PAGE) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 02:13:00 -0800

Newcastle United have confirmed the signing of striker Shefki Kuqi until the end of the season. Finland international Kuqi, 34, was a free agent after leaving Swansea by mutual consent at the end of January. He is a stopgap replacement for Andy Carroll, who was sold to Liverpool on the last day of the January transfer window for £35m. The Magpies were further depleted when Shola Ameobi suffered a fractured cheekbone against Fulham on 2 February. Newcastle had also been linked with former Arsenal and Middlesbrough striker Jeremie Aliadiere, whi is currently unattached, but went for Kuqi as he is much closer to match fitness and can, if needed, be called upon straight away by manager Alan Pardew. He joins Peter Lovenkrands, Nile Ranger and Leon Best as the club's available strikers.

"We needed another option up front, because we're a little light there due to the temporary loss of Shola, and Shefki will provide us with something different," said Pardew.

"He's match fit and knows the English game well having been in the country for the ebst part of ten years. He is ready straight away and that's what we wanted.

"Shefki is a good, honest pro who will give us a strong physical presence from the bench."

Newcastle have had to acquire a free agent as they were unable to bring in a replacement for Carroll because his dramatic move to Liverpool went through so late on transfer deadline day.

Kuqi, who celebrates his goals with a flying bellyflop, first came to England 10 years ago with Stockport County and has played for Sheffield Wednesday Ipswich, Blackburn, Crystal Palace and Fulham.

He signed for the Swans a year ago and scored seven goals in 24 appearances either side of a loan three-month loan spell at Derby.

Meanwhile, Ameobi underwent surgery on Wednesday and the club hope he could return quicker than the original estimate of six weeks

West Ham have won the backing

hyenaham@gmail.com (WORLD NEWS PAGE) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 01:26:00 -0800

9 February 2011 Last updated at 23:01 GMT

West Ham have won the backing of Olympic bosses in the battle for the 2012 stadium, BBC London has learned.

Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) executives have decided the offer from the club is a better solution than the rival bid from Tottenham.

The OPLC board will be asked to support the view and announce the Hammers as preferred bidder on Friday.

The government and London's mayor, Boris Johnson will then take a final decision in the coming weeks.

Adrian Warner reports.