We all love a spectacular goal, and since the start of the Premier League back in the 90s, we have seen a fair few stunners. But what would you regard as the greatest Premier League goal of all-time? Would you go for a goal that required a great technique? Is a long-range strike what you’re looking for? Or does it all depend on how important the goal is?
Choosing the best Premier League goal of all-time is too great a task for one man, so we’ve gone all democratic and decided to give you the fans the final say! There will be no coalition here, just one great goal that has received the most votes. There’s no way you can remember all of the great goals that the Premier League has seen, so we’ve even got some videos to jog your memory. Simply watch a bundle of great strikes and then vote for the greatest Premier League goal ever!
Click on the image to see the contenders – ENJOY
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Blackpool almost claimed the three points they desperately needed to avoid relegation but had to settle for a point in a dramatic 1-1 draw with Tottenham.Charlie Adam missed a penalty with 15 minutes to go after Michael Dawson handled in the box but the Scotland international had the chance to atone for his miss, again from the spot, just 21 seconds later when Spurs keeper Heurelho Gomes tripped Gary Taylor-Fletcher.
This time, Adam netted to seemingly give Blackpool a crucial win but Jermain Defoe’s strike on 88 minutes salvaged a point for Tottenham, whose dreams of holding on to fourth place and a Champions League spot are hanging in the balance.
It can be argued that Adam was lucky to even be on the pitch after a foul on Gareth Bale should have been punished with a red card.
Bale left the field on a stretcher and replays showed his ankle buckle under Adam’s boot in a challenge that is likely to rule the Welshman out of Spurs’ final games of the season.
The match sprung into life after a tepid first half. Both sides seemed pretty lacklustre in the opening exchanges and even when Spurs found a way through, Roman Pavlyuchenko failed to test Matt Gilks in the Blackpool goal.
Sergey Kornilenko looked slow in attack for Blackpool and Adam failed to influence the match from deep in the first half as Spurs coasted towards a goalless conclusion after the first 45 minutes.
The second half had all the drama the first half lacked and the game exploded into life late on. With Blackpool increasingly getting a foothold in the game, Dawson handled Adam’s corner in the box and referee Lee Probert rightly awarded a penalty.
Gomes saved Adam’s spot kick but from the resulting corner, the error-prone goalkeeper brought down Taylor-Fletcher to incredibly give Adam the chance to redeem himself.
Having taken the ball off DJ Campbell, Adam this time sent Gomes the right way to seemingly give Blackpool a point in their hunt for survival.
But Defoe found space in the dying minutes to slam the ball past Gilks and earn a point for Tottenham.
With the title and top four places wrapped up, it’s all about the bottom of the table and possible relegation from the Premier League this weekend on the final day of the season. Blackpool, Wigan, Birmingham, Wolves and Blackburn are all fighting not to join West Ham as the teams to be relegated from the Premier League this season.
Blackpool face a tricky trip to Premier League champions Manchester United, Wigan travel to Stoke and Birmingham are away to Tottenham. Wolves and Blackburn may be happy to play out a draw at Molineux, but neither will want to lose and face the risk of being overtaken by teams below them. Whatever happens, it should prove to be a fascinating final day of the season, in which there are sure to be plenty of twists and turns.
Glenn Moore:
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Patrick Barclay:
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Martin Lipton:
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Continue to the NEXT PAGE for the predictions in full…
Football Writers’ Association Predictions – Week 42
Current May standings
1. Andy Dunn – 7 (2)
2. Patrick Barclay – 6 (4)
3. Steve Bates – 6 (4)
4. Shaun Custis – 6 (1)
5. Des Kelly – 5 (3)
6. Martin Lipton – 4 (2)
7. Glenn Moore – 3 (2)
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Overall standings
1. Steve Bates – 193
2. Martin Lipton – 189
3. Shaun Custis – 187
4. Andy Dunn – 179
5. Des Kelly – 179
6. Glenn Moore – 178
7. Patrick Barclay – 176
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Patrick Barclay (The Times)
Home Team
Away Team
Aston Villa
V
Liverpool
H
Bolton
V
Man City
A
Everton
V
Chelsea
H
Fulham
V
Arsenal
D
Man United
V
Blackpool
H
Newcastle
V
West Brom
D
Stoke
V
Wigan
D
Tottenham
V
Birmingham
H
West Ham
V
Sunderland
H
Wolves
V
Blackburn
D
ASTON VILLA V LIVERPOOL: JUST THE TONIC FOR HOULLIER
Des Kelly (Daily Mail)
Home Team
Away Team
Aston Villa
V
Liverpool
A
Bolton
V
Man City
A
Everton
V
Chelsea
H
Fulham
V
Arsenal
D
Man United
V
Blackpool
D
Newcastle
V
West Brom
D
Stoke
V
Wigan
A
Tottenham
V
Birmingham
D
West Ham
V
Sunderland
H
Wolves
V
Blackburn
H
WOLVES V BLACKBURN: Wolves are fighters and the team is built in Mick McCarthy’s no-nonsense image. They are scrapping for their lives and I’d back them to come through
Shaun Custis (The Sun)
Home Team
Away Team
Aston Villa
V
Liverpool
D
Bolton
V
Man City
A
Everton
V
Chelsea
D
Fulham
V
Arsenal
D
Man United
V
Blackpool
H
Newcastle
V
West Brom
H
Stoke
V
Wigan
A
Tottenham
V
Birmingham
H
West Ham
V
Sunderland
D
Wolves
V
Blackburn
H
SPURS V BIRMINGHAM. Birmingham have to win to be sure of safety but are in no sort of form and Spurs should take the points.
Continue to the NEXT PAGE for the rest of the predictions…
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Andy Dunn (News of the World)
Home Team
Away Team
Aston Villa
V
Liverpool
A
Bolton
V
Man City
A
Everton
V
Chelsea
H
Fulham
V
Arsenal
A
Man United
V
Blackpool
H
Newcastle
V
West Brom
H
Stoke
V
Wigan
A
Tottenham
V
Birmingham
H
West Ham
V
Sunderland
H
Wolves
V
Blackburn
H
Fulham v Arsenal. It has been nothing short of a disastrous end to Arsenal’s season but surely Arsene Wenger will rally his team for one last effort, especially as it could mean avoiding the nuisance of a Champions League qualifying tie. Away win.
Martin Lipton (The Mirror)
Home Team
Away Team
Aston Villa
V
Liverpool
H
Bolton
V
Man City
A
Everton
V
Chelsea
D
Fulham
V
Arsenal
D
Man United
V
Blackpool
H
Newcastle
V
West Brom
H
Stoke
V
Wigan
H
Tottenham
V
Birmingham
D
West Ham
V
Sunderland
A
Wolves
V
Blackburn
H
Bolton v Man City: Bolton can’t wait for the season to finish, City know a win will give them an automatic Champions League place. Only one outcome, surely.
Steve Bates (The People)
Home Team
Away Team
Aston Villa
V
Liverpool
H
Bolton
V
Man City
A
Everton
V
Chelsea
A
Fulham
V
Arsenal
H
Man United
V
Blackpool
D
Newcastle
V
West Brom
H
Stoke
V
Wigan
D
Tottenham
V
Birmingham
H
West Ham
V
Sunderland
H
Wolves
V
Blackburn
H
Stoke v Wigan: Stoke will be looking to end the season on a high after successive defeats in the Cup Final and league to Manchester City and that could spell trouble for Roberto Martinez and his survival-seeking stars
Glenn Moore (The Independent)
Home Team
Away Team
Aston Villa
V
Liverpool
H
Bolton
V
Man City
A
Everton
V
Chelsea
D
Fulham
V
Arsenal
D
Man United
V
Blackpool
H
Newcastle
V
West Brom
D
Stoke
V
Wigan
D
Tottenham
V
Birmingham
H
West Ham
V
Sunderland
D
Wolves
V
Blackburn
H
Manchester United v Blackpool: Blackpool will be left relying on results elsewhere with a weakened, but far from weak Manchester United team likely to prove too strong for them
Kashima Reysol have bolstered their J-League lead with a 3-0 defeat of Vissel Kobe on Saturday, while the honours were shared in Sendai.Junya Tanaka scored a brace inside of four first-half minutes and Brazilian import Leandro Domingues added a third for the promoted club, who have won six of eight games in a stunning start to their top-flight campaign.
Tanaka opened the scoring in the 21st minute and added a second soon after, stunning a Kobe outfit who travelled to Kashiwa on the back of three straight wins.
The visitors were never able to recover from the early blows, and Brazilian striker Domingues – who led Kashiwa in scoring last season – rubbed salt into their wounds with his third goal of the campaign in the 76th minute.
Kashiwa leads Vegalta Sendai by three points on top of the standings after the latter were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Yokohama F Marinos.
Shingo Akamine put the hosts ahead in the 20th minute with his fourth goal of the season, but former Kawasaki Frontale midfielder Hiroyuki Taniguchi was on hand to equalise for Yokohama on 69 minutes.
In other results, Urawa Red Diamonds and Albirex Niigata fought out a 1-1 draw at the Saitama Stadium, a result mirrored by Montedio Yamagata’s trip to Ventforet Kofu.
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Finally, Jubilo Iwata enjoyed success on the road by holding Shimizu S-Pulse to a 0-0 draw.
Lille’s Ivorian forward Gervinho is causing quite a stir among a variety of English clubs in the transfer market as they battle it out for his signature. The player has made his intentions clear to current club Lille that he wants a move away, with the Premiership the most likely destination. Now it looks like the only question mark remaining is which Premiership club will he decide to join over the coming weeks?
Newcastle initially appeared to emerge as genuine contenders for Gervinho’s services, but without the prospect European football they would seem to be the least attractive prospect for the forward. There is however a lifeline for the Toon in the form of Gervinho’s former team mate Yohan Cabaye. Cabaye who recently signed for Newcastle is said to have told Gervinho to follow his lead to Tyneside, although whether Cabaye’s powers of persuasion will convince Gervinho to join him remain to be seen. The other interested parties are believed to be Tottenham, Liverpool, Arsenal and Man City, with Arsenal and Man City looking like the main contenders. On Friday reports in the press suggested Arsenal had had a bid accepted for Gervinho and the player was in talks over a deal with the Gunners. He looked to be on his way to the Emirates until the news surfaced that Manchester City had also had a bid accepted and had offered a substantially higher wage to secure the player.
With nothing finalised and plenty of Premier League clubs clambering for his services what is it about Gervinho that is so appealing and will he be a hit in the Premier League? He was an integral factor in Lille’s double winning side last season in which he showed his ability in front of goal by weighing in with fifteen league goals. As well as his goal scoring tendencies he is also blessed with quick feet, trickery, pace and technical ability, attributes that will all serve him well in the fast pace of the Premier League. Although he is a forward Gervinho can also operate on either wing which adds versatility to his game. Gervinho’s style of play would be well suited to Arsenal and it’s no coincidence that he has been on the radar of Arsene Wenger for a number of years.
Gervinho’s slight build may mean the physical nature of the Premiership will take some getting used to but it’ s not something that will phase him and anything he lacks in strength will be compensated for by his quick feet and pace. Gervinho would be following a number of his compatriots in coming to England with the likes of Yaya Toure, Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou and Cheik Tiote all adapting well to the demands of the Premier League. If Gervinho takes to the Premiership in the same way as his fellow countrymen have then he will be a hit in England. Furthermore, for a price believed to be in the region of £10 million whichever club wins the race to sign him will be adding an exciting addition to their squad for a bargain price.
Gervinho has been quoted on SkySports.com as saying “My agents are moving things as I want, people know where my future lies, it is in England.” So now all we are waiting to see is which club Gervinho will be representing next season.
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Liverpool are set to sign Charlie Adam with the club announcing they have agreed a fee with Blackpool for the Scotland international.Adam will now discuss personal terms with the Anfield club, who have already strengthened their midfield through the 20 million-pound acquisition of Jordan Henderson from Sunderland in the close-season.
A club statement read: “Liverpool Football Club today (Wednesday) announced they have reached agreement with Blackpool for the transfer of Charlie Adam.”
“The player will now travel to Merseyside for a medical and to discuss personal terms.”
Elsewhere in the Premier League, Manchester City have signed Montenegro international Stefan Savic on a four-year deal from Partizan Belgrade.
The 20-year-old, who can operate both as a full-back and at centre-half, joins for an undisclosed fee after being granted a work permit, despite only playing six full internationals for his country.
In La Liga, Argentina winger Pablo Piatti has signed for Valencia from Almeria on a five-year deal, subject to a medical.
Piatti, 22, joins Valencia on an undisclosed fee after reportedly interesting the likes of Portuguese giants Benfica and Serie A outfit Udinese.
But Unai Emery will now enjoy the services of the talented youngster, who spent three years at Almeria and made over 100 appearances.
Before his spell with Almeria, he was at Argentine club Estudiantes for three seasons.
Estudiantes are reportedly set to receive 25 percent of the transfer fee paid by Valencia due to a sell-on clause.
In other transfer news, Spartak Moscow have confirmed the signing of midfielder Demy de Zeeuw from Ajax.
A need for continuity is the main reason behind the FA offering Stuart Pearce a new two-year deal to stay on as coach of the England Under-21’s. Many thought the former Manchester City boss’ four year tenure was at an end after the disastrous European Championship that saw them fail to pick up a win and qualify from their group.
There is no doubt that Pearce has done a decent enough job in charge of the Under-21’s. After all he did steer them to the semi-finals in 2007 and final in 2009. But the capitulation in Denmark brought serious questions to the table about his management style and tactical nous. Comparing the squad taken to the last three tournaments it has to be said that the players at his disposal this year made for the strongest under-21 squad we’ve had in years.
Back in 2007 and 2009 there were a few standout players like James Milner, Joe Hart, Ashley Young and Leighton Baines all whom have gone on to be regularly selected for the senior squad. But a vast majority of the other players haven’t had a sniff at becoming a senior international yet Pearce guided them to within a whisker of European glory – twice! Yet this year with a squad bursting at the seams with talent Pearce couldn’t even muster one single victory.
He was hindered by the withdrawals of Andy Carroll and Jack Wilshire, two players who could have made a big difference, but lets not forget he had the likes of Jordan Henderson, Phil Jones, Connor Whickham, Jack Rodwell, Daniel Sturridge, Kyle Walker, James Tomkins, Marc Albrighton, Scott Sinclair, Michael Mancienne and Danny Wellbeck. All of these players have played regular first team football over the last few seasons with a few commanding some wallet aching transfer fees in the process. So why couldn’t Pearce mould them into a well oiled winning machine?
He did come under fire for his baffling team selection and overly cautious tactics and substitutions. It was almost as if Pearce was scared of the opposition. The most confusing of the lot was playing Michael Mancienne in midfield when he’s excelled at centre half for Wolves in the past few seasons.He employed a 4-2-3-1 formation against Spain which saw England lack any sort of cohesion and attacking threat and it was only Wellbeck’s 88th minute leveller that spared Pearce’s blushes. The three lions never had a sniff during the game as the Spaniards dominated from the first whistle.
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The results against Ukraine and Czech Republic further cemented the fact that Pearce isn’t worthy of another two years in charge. The FA has signalled that continuity is the reason as to why he’s been given an extension on his deal. There is also the small matter of the 78 caps he won for the senior side. So the failure in Denmark hasn’t taken into account then? But lets ask the question, whom could the FA coax into taking the job if Pearce were to vacate his position? I doubt they’d want a foreigner, and there isn’t exactly a stream of English coaches better than Pearce who would be suitable for the role.
It’s clear that Pearce has clung onto his job due to his past glories as a player and the fact he did well in the previous two championships. But the FA can’t afford to be sentimental when it comes to their young lions. Only a small number of players over the last five years have made the transition from Under-21 football to the senior side. Admittedly that is down to their domestic form but there are players who have been amazing at club level yet absolutely stunk when playing for the Under-21’s.
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If the FA wants more players to progress to the senior side then Pearce isn’t the man to help them come to grips with international football. A further two years of him could prove detrimental to any youngster hoping to fulfil their international ambitions. New coach would add a fresh imputes and throw some new ideas into the mix. They need someone with more managerial experience and more importantly tactical knowledge. That’s what lets Pearce down. It was his downfall at Manchester City and it will be with England.
Those who read my articles regularly won’t be surprised to hear that I don’t have a problem with fans booing their own team, and yesterday is no exception.
For the most obvious part, it’s freedom of expression; we pay stupidly high ticket prices that goes into the pockets of overpaid and underachieving players and greedy shareholders. If we take the time and effort to go and support these millionaires, we can also let them know how we feel if they’re not trying hard enough.
Sure, a pre-season friendly match in itself does not matter or count towards anything, even if it would be nice to get a bit of a show at the Emirates for fans who often don’t get to go to the bigger games during the season. My point is, I think it would be naive to say the boos yesterday were a knee-jerk reaction to one bad performance.
I wasn’t at the game, and I don’t know for sure if I would have joined in the booing had I been there, but if I had, I would be booing the management for clearly not fixing the team’s problems from last season and many seasons before.
Wenger said very early in the summer that we needed to improve defensively, and that he would be signing a tall and strong centre-back to aid this issue. We’re in August now, less than two weeks away from the start of the season, and we still haven’t signed this player. Instead we’ve sold a left-back, signed three teenagers, and brought in a striker. The saddest thing is, it’s totally predictable.
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Fans booed at the last home game of the season at home to Aston Villa, as another home defeat meant another promising season had gone down the toilet. We can’t see into the future, but it looks likely from our lack of activity in the transfer market that we’re heading for another Groundhog Day season, so why wait until the end to signal our discontent?
Hopefully getting angry now will pressure Wenger into spending some money before it’s too late. Myles Palmer seems confident that we’ll be signing three players this week, but considering it seems to take us a whole month just to sign one player, I’d be very surprised if that happened.
Anyway, don’t be worried about being called a bad fan because you care about the performance of the club more than the feelings of a few individuals who aren’t doing your club proud. They need to know it’s not good enough.
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Article courtesy of Mark Brus from the excellent Arsenal Mania
Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish is happy with Steven Gerrard’s recovery from injury, but the captain’s return date remains unchanged.The English Premier League outfit revealed on Saturday that Gerrard was suffering from a groin infection and would be out until September.
But despite positive news regarding his recovery, the Anfield club have not changed the date of his expected return.
“Steven won’t be too far away,” Dalglish told reporters at the unveiling of the club’s four new signings – midfielders Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing, Charlie Adam and goalkeeper Doni.
“The tests that have come back are far better than what was anticipated, so we are delighted by that.”
“We’ve had positive news but the return date the club has stated remains the same.”
Liverpool, 18-time English champions, could only manage a sixth-place finish after a slow start to last season.
Dalglish said he was unsure what would happen this campaign, but he was confident of improving.
“It’s no bad reflection on anything anybody did last year because everybody looks for improvements and that’s all we’re trying to do – improve the football club,” he said.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but we’re certainly happy with the people we’ve got here at the moment.”
“Quality is more important than depth, but if you’ve got a bit of depth as well it’s always helpful.”
Scot Adam, who was linked with a move to Liverpool from Blackpool during January, finally joined the club in July.
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He said he wanted to move on from the losing relegation battle he was a part of at Bloomfield Road.
“I think the performances I put in from January until the end of the season showed that I was 110 percent behind the club. I wanted to help keep Blackpool in the league and it was disappointing we couldn’t do that,” Adam said.
“But I’m just delighted to be here now as a Liverpool player. It’s time to move on and look to the future.”
Tottenham have rejected a spectacular £40 million bid from Chelsea for Luka Modric, with the Stamford Bridge club foiled in a last-ditch effort to sign the playmaker.
The Croatia international has been the subject of transfer speculation throughout the summer, and has expressed his desire to join Spurs’ London rivals. Despite this, Harry Redknapp and chairman Daniel Levy have stood firm in stating that they would not sell their star player.
In a frantic last day of the transfer window, Redknapp has confirmed that the White Hart Lane outfit turned away a huge last gasp bid from Andre Villas-Boas’ side.
“The chairman stood firm over Luka. I think £40million was apparently offered yesterday. Whether that is true or not, it is what I heard,” the Tottenham boss told Sky Sports News.
“It is a big offer to turn down, that’s for sure. I am delighted the little man is still here and hopefully he will have a great season for us.”
Modric will now go on international duty, and has games against Malta and Israel in the next week; his club boss believes he will return to North London ready to turn out for Spurs.
“He has got two international games this week. There’s good competition.
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“Sandro is getting fit, Scott Parker has arrived, Tom Huddlestone. We’ve got good players in the middle of the park so we’re looking forward to it now,” he concluded.