Several weeks ago, the Premier League and the company they employed named NetResult came down hard on the owner of 101greatgoals blog with a threatening letter warning the blogger to remove links to goal highlights on YouTube.

The blogger ignored the demands and has continued linking to highlights of football action. Now, in an interesting twist, The Guardian blog has written an article about some of the best sporting moments and included several links to YouTube. Plus it has encouraged readers to submit their own favorite links (as this blog entry was written, The Guardian had 125 comments from the public).

To view the Guardian's YouTube highlight collection, go here.

But the question for the Premier League and NetResult is whether they have a double standard. Do they purposefully threaten bloggers but not apply the same policies to large media organizations such as The Guardian?

Of course, the whole thing is silly because there's no way to police the videos on YouTube. The only way for the Premier League and NetResult to control the issue of unlicensed Premiership video highlights being available on YouTube is to threaten YouTube. And even if YouTube can find a way to limit the videos, there are always hundreds of other similar video sites out there.

Sensing that the task of overtaking Manchester United and moving into first place in the Premiership is becoming more difficult, it's plain to see that Chelsea's Jose Mourinho is using mind tricks to dislodge United from its top position. After all, when football results don't work, mind tricks is the next best thing.

In an article entitled "Mourinho Ready to Topple Man Utd," the BBC reports that Jose said the following statements:

• "I don't think it'll take a lot of time to be top of the league."
• "I am happy to be just three points behind because we have had tougher fixtures than United."
• "Now is the time to win matches consecutively and go top of the league as soon as possible."
• "With the very good run Manchester United are having, they have to be frustrated to have only a three-point lead."
  

Let's take a closer look at Mourinho's accusations. So far this season, Man United has only lost one match (0-1 versus Arsenal at Old Trafford). Other than the Gunners, the toughest opposition that United has encountered (other than Chelsea) has been Bolton, Liverpool and Portsmouth. United has already played Charlton, Sheffield United, Fulham, Watford, Wigan, Newcastle, Reading and Spurs.

Chelsea meanwhile has lost two matches (1-2 against Middlesbrough at the Riverside, and 1-2 against Spurs at White Hart Lane), but their toughest opposition has been Liverpool, Bolton, Aston Villa and Portsmouth. In the other league matches, they have played against West Ham, Watford, Sheffield United, Portsmouth, Reading, Fulham and Charlton.

Sure, United hasn't played Middlesbrough and Spurs away yet, but they have played Arsenal at home. Chelsea, meanwhile, played Aston Villa at home, a tricky match to say the least.

I believe Mourinho's argument that United has had the easier schedule is bogus. Other than Bolton, Portsmouth, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa, are there any difficult teams left in the Premiership for United and Chelsea to play? The gulf between the top two positions and the rest of the league is very evident.

So now that we're more than a third of the way through the season, what do you think? Does United have what it takes to win the league? Will Chelsea be able to overtake United? Will United's lack of depth on the bench hamper Man United's chances?

Tell us what you think by clicking the 'comments' link below.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's good to be back in America. One of the things I've missed is staying on top of the news via the Internet, which gives football fans such as you and me a unique advantage in staying on top of what's going on.

Here are some interesting articles from today's world wide web:

• Put the kettle on. The energy generated by Wayne Rooney as he runs around the pitch is enough to boil 16 cups of tea.
  
  
• Moment of truth. According to Arsene Wenger, the next 12 days are pivotal for Arsenal. After their match against Fulham today, they play Spurs (home), Porto (away) and Chelsea (away).
  
  
• Free candy for newbie soccer fans. During the past few weeks, Fox Soccer Channel has been offered as a free 3-day preview for cable subscribers across America. Charter Communication customers in Louisiana are part of the latest trial. Let's hope that Saturday's Boro v Man United match will be sufficient to win them over.
  

By the way, now that I've returned to EPL Talk headquarters, expect to see the blog updated on a daily basis.

See all of the photographs from the EPL Talk tour of England here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/epltalk/sets/

Photos include Stamford Bridge, Craven Cottage, Highbury, Emirates, White Hart Lane, The Valley, Goodison Park, Ewood Park, Old Trafford and other grounds.

The EPL Talk tour of England ended tonight after Man United's 1-1 tie against Chelsea. You can hear the Podcast recorded immediately after the match, which captures audio from before and during the game. Plus, we feature an interview with a United fan who has supported the club since the fifties.

During this past Thanksgiving weekend, we also released podcasts on Chelsea and Fulham.

Listen to all of the podcasts from EPL Talk at http://epltalk.libsyn.com

In an exclusive interview with Chelsea Football Club, EPL Talk can reveal that the Blues are thinking about creating a dedicated web site for Chelsea fans in the United States.

According to Casimir Knight, managing diretor of Chelsea Digital Media, the club is also thinking about launching an online store specifically for fans in the U.S. to purchase Chelsea merchandise.

To hear the exclusive interview and to listen to the press conference where Chelsea's Peter Kenyon announced the launch of their redesigned global web site, visit the just-released EPL Talk Podcast here (episode 40).

The episode also features EPL Talk's visit to Stamford Bridge, Fulham's Craven Cottage and West Ham United's Boleyn Ground. Plus much more.

The latest EPL Talk Podcast episode (number 39) was published yesterday. You'll hear about my journey to Tottenham's White Hart Lane and what I encountered there. Plus I take the Emirates Stadium Tour and visit the Arsenal Museum. How does it compare to other stadium tours?

And lastly I have featured an interesting interview with a Leeds United fan named Kevin Jones who discusses what it was like watching football matches in the late 70s and early 80s and how that compares to going to Premiership matches these days.

You can listen to the EPL Talk Podcast episode at http://epltalk.libsyn.com

I have one extra ticket for tomorrow's Fulham against Reading match at Craven Cottage. The ticket is near the halfway line in the Johnny Haynes Stand.

If you're interested, please e-mail me at thegaffer@epltalk.com

Arsenal triumphed brilliantly tonight against a very difficult Hamburg team who were buoyed by their vocal fans. Luckily, EPL Talk was there to capture the sights and sounds (tickets courtesy of ArsenalAmerica.com)

Here are the exclusive images from the Emirates Stadium: Slideshow | Individual images (with comments).

And here are the images from the meet-up with ArsenalAmerica.com: Slideshow | Individual images (with comments).

Earlier today, EPL Talk also visited Charlton's The Valley and Woolwich Arsenal's old ground, Invicta Ground (or what remains of it today). More details about that on the podcast, but feel free to enjoy the photographs:

Charlton's The Valley: Slideshow | Individual images (with comments)
Woolwich Arsenal's old ground: Slideshow | Individual images (with comments)

In the meantime, if you want to browse all of the images from the EPL Talk collection -- many of which are not included in the above links -- please go here.

The kickoff is just over three hours away, and there are already throngs of fans walking around Emirates Stadium. In the next hour, I'll be meeting up with the blokes from ArsenalAmerica and will be reporting later tonight via the podcast.

Day four of my tour of England has been a long one. I made the trek down into South East London to uncover a former football ground of a current Premiership side (and you'll never guess who). The trip was fascinating, so I'll hold the suspense until later tonight and will explain more during the podcast (as well as uploading more images from the trip).

BBC Lancashire has published the second in a series of articles by me about my experiences at Ewood Park. You can read the second and final one here.

I'm 95% convinced that I'll opt out of the trip from London to Newcastle for the Celta da Vigo match. I didn't receive too many responses from fans telling me to go and no words of encouragement for Newcastle United fans, so I'll instead stay in London and will uncover more football stories down here.

Earlier today, I also visited The Valley, Charlton Athletic's ground. More about that on tonight's podcast.

Walking around London this afternoon, the headline is Magnusson's takeover of West Ham. Other than and the referee controversy from Sunday, it has seemed to be a slow news week. I'm sure that'll change after tonight's Champions League match.

Maybe I'm getting older, but I'm getting a bit disillusioned by the Premiership. I'm witnessing first-hand some of the pervasive problems that need to be fixed including:

• Players influencing referee decisions by getting in the face of officials
• The lack of atmosphere as sedate football fans sit in plastic seats instead of terracing, and
• The price of tickets (especially where they're not providing value for the money).

While watching Premiership matches in-person and experiencing the atmosphere is special, it pales in comparison to what we should be getting for our money. In both the Everton and Blackburn matches I attended, the matches weren't the best quality. The saving grace for both matches were wonderful goals by Arteta and Tugay. Both foreign stars. Both showing much more talent than the home-grown youngsters.

Let me get off my soapbox for a minute to introduce you to episode 37 of the EPL Talk Podcast, released earlier today featuring an interview with Chris Slegg from The Beautiful Game Podcast, my impressions of a torn down Highbury, and a reflection on the controversy from the Blackburn v Spurs match.

Listen to the podcast today at http://epltalk.libsyn.com

You can view images from my trip to Highbury Stadium at http://www.flickr.com/photos/epltalk/

If you've been enjoying the Premiership coverage from the EPL Talk Tour, please cast your vote for EPL Talk in the Ole Ole contest where they'll be sending the top two bloggers to Japan to cover the FIFA Club World Cup tournament this December.

Voting only takes a minute and doesn't require registration. Vote for EPL Talk (fourth from bottom) at http://www.oleole.com/poll/candidates/id/1

Thanks for your support (and vote)! The deadline to vote for me is this Friday.

Day two of the EPL Talk tour of England is over, but you can hear all of the adventures at Ewood Park by downloading the latest podcast, episode 36, at http://epltalk.libsyn.com

Two matches so far, and both have featured spectacular goals (Mikael Arteta for Everton, and Tugay for Blackburn Rovers).

In addition to the podcast, you can view the photos from today's adventure:

Anfield, Liverpool: Slideshow | Separate images (with comments)

Ewood Park, Blackburn: Slideshow | Separate images (with comments)

(and, if you missed it):

Goodison Park, Liverpool: Slideshow | Separate images (with comments)

Tomorrow (Monday) is a trip to Arsenal's Emirates Stadium for their stadium tour. I'm scheduled to jump on a early train from Manchester to London Euston station, then a hop, skip and a jump to Ashburton Grove. I can't wait!

The first podcast episode from my journey through England has been posted, which features the sounds and atmosphere of Goodison Park plus an exclusive interview with Bolton's Johann Smith. Listen now at http://epltalk.libsyn.com

For a chance to win a copy of the FIFA 07 video game for the PS2 from EASports, e-mail thegaffer@epltalk.com with the answer to this question: Which Mexican star is featured in the FIFA 07 video game commercial that appears on Fox Soccer Channel.

After traveling 4,500 miles during 14 hours, I have arrived in England. A nation where you can wear your love of football on your sleeve. This is a footballing country, make no doubt about it.

Flying over Lancashire as the plane began to descend toward Manchester Airport, I couldn't help but noticing Bolton's Reebok Stadium below. Later, while on the Merseyside Rail train from Manchester to Liverpool, I could see the City of Manchester Stadium, also named the Blue Camp due to being the home of Manchester City.

On my one hour train journey from Manchester, I couldn't help looking at my watch again and again -- wondering what time is was in the States and whether people would be up watching the matches.

Something else I noticed while on the train were the small number of kids playing football in the parks alongside the railway lines. It reminded me of my childhood, playing football with my mates on a Saturday morning in anticipation of the day's action and often trying to emulate your heroes.

Here are the photographs from the EPL Talk trip today to Everton v Bolton at Goodison Park, November 18, 2006.

View the slideshow here. Or view each of the 39 photos here (each features comments that tell you more about each image).

Pictured is the Bullen End prior to kickoff. But how much longer will Goodison Park be around? Will this stadium be gone in a few years?

One last post before I head to the airport and catch the flight from balmy Fort Lauderdale to chilly Manchester. I'll report back via this blog (if I can get internet connection) when I touch down at Goodison Park.

In the meantime, here's an article I wrote that BBC Lancashire just published regarding this Sunday's Blackburn against Tottenham Hotspur match: BBC - Lancashire - Sport - Swapping Florida sun for football fun

Rovers fans, if you're reading this, let me know where the best place is to get a authentic meat pie. How are the ones in the ground?

On the eve of my flight to England, my 'to-do' list is longer than Newcastle United's injury list, but rather than bore you with all of the details about packing my bags, here are some of the exciting news, developments and plugs to read about:

EPL Talk was interviewed last night by the always charming Rod Sharpe on BBC Radio Five Live's Up All Night program. I discussed this weekend's Premiership tour, stumbled a bit when he asked me about what the hot topics were but recovered by talking about some of the highlights of the trip. To listen to this interview and others, scroll down the 'About Us' page to the 'In The Media' section.

In other news, I've written an article for the BBC Lancashire web site about my trip to Ewood Park and why I chose to watch Blackburn Rovers instead of another Premiership club. As soon as the article goes live on their site, I'll let you know here.

On Saturday, I'm scheduled to be one of the guests on the live radio show, Inside Soccer. I'll be on air at 6pm ET (live from Liverpool) with host Brian Halliday. I'll be discussing EPL Talk's tour of England, my experiences at Goodison Park for the Everton against Bolton match and will talk about other football-related topics. You can listen to the Inside Soccer show live this and every Saturday starting at 2pm ET. Plus you can access the show's archives to hear fascinating interviews with a wealth of football stars and experts.

Feel free to call in this Saturday at 6pm ET and ask your questions live on air. It's a toll-free call at 866-613-1612.

Thanks to The 2 G's for plugging the upcoming tour. Hosted by Graham Bell and Gary Richards, the show continues to get better and better. If you haven't had a chance to listen, listen to the steaming audio from the homepage (every weekday from Noon ET) or download their weekday podcast from iTunes.

Next Friday, November 24th from 1-2pm ET, I'm scheduled to be interviewed about Reading on BBC Radio Berkshire for their football phone-in show. The following day I'll be making the trek to London to watch Fulham at home against Reading FC.

There are several other interviews that may be happening, so as soon as they're confirmed, I'll let you know.

Thanks also need to go to the following sites and podcasts for plugging the EPL Talk tour: Oh You Beauty, Soccer Shout and A Game of Two Halves.

The Oh You Beauty Blog is always an interesting read. Written by a Liverpool fan, the blog is pleasing to the eye while the content always seems to be a refreshing twist on the game we enjoy.

Soccer Shout is your daily podcast bringing you the latest news on British and European football. Phil and Tony from the show have recently released a weekly e-mail newsletter entitled The Guide, which gives you insight into the form of the Premiership sides, who's injured and much more. For a sample issue and to learn more about The Guide, check out this press release.

There are just four days to go before EPL Talk's tour of England begins with the Everton versus Bolton Wanderers clash at Goodison Park, and the excitement is building. While my blogging has slowed a little during the last few days, the work behind-the-scenes is reaching a fever pitch.

Here's a glimpse at what EPL Talk is working on right now.

On Monday, EPL Talk issued a press release announcing the tour. Distributed to media organizations around the U.S., you can read it here. In terms of publicizing the tour, I've already received requests from several media organizations for interviews including BBC Radio Five Live's Up All Night, and the BBC Lancashire web site. More details to come regarding those and other opportunities.

I need your advice. I'm contemplating whether I should attend the Newcastle United against Celta Vigo UEFA Cup match at St. James's Park next Thursday (November 23). I could take the train from London to Newcastle, stay a hotel after the match and then return to London the next day.

It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the Geordies play (and when's the next time they'll play in Europe, 'eh?). But please share your thoughts by clicking on the 'comments' button below and let me know your reasons why I should or should not attend the match.

By the way, thanks to Mark Harper from the North American Newcastle United Supporters Club for being kind enough to recommend hotels nearby the stadium and railway station.

In other news, I'm seeking advice on how best to get broadband internet access in the UK. While staying for most of the trip with relatives, they either don't have a computer (my aunt in Liverpool) or have dial-up access only (my cousin and his wife in London).

Other than visiting internet cafes such as EasyInternetCafe or trying to find Wi-Fi hotspots, do you have any advice on other ways to get internet access such as high speed wireless broadband service or other methods? Thanks in advance for your help.

Note: For a 360 degree panoramic view of Everton's Goodison Park, go here.

Is it me or has the quality of live Premiership football matches on TV this past Saturday been extremely substandard?

This past Saturday we were subjected to the horror that was Manchester City (remember when they were a fun team to watch?) against Newcastle United, but we also had to sit through Everton against Aston Villa (the Toffees were absolutely awful in front of goal)?

Chelsea against Watford saw the Blues strolling to victory after horrible defensive errors from Watford left a back door open for Drogba and Shevchenko.

The Blackburn versus Manchester United match, meanwhile, didn't live up to its promises partly due to Rovers doing a good job shutting down the Red Devil's midfield thus preventing Man United from scoring more.

I haven't had an opportunity to watch the highlights of the other matches yet, but Setanta and Fox Soccer Channel probably wished they had shown Sheffield United v Bolton (2-2) and Wigan v Charlton (3-2). Sure, goals aren't everything, but both of those matches sounded exciting.

Thank goodness the past two Sundays have been more entertaining (with fewer matches on live TV in America) than Saturdays.

If you've been reading the comments on this blog recently, you'll notice that Fox Soccer Channel has been receiving quite a bit of criticism for several different reasons. But, on a good note, here are some of the matches to look forward to watching on FSC in the coming weeks:

Sunday, November 26, 11am ET:
Manchester United v Chelsea

Sunday, December 10, 11am ET:
Chelsea v Arsenal

When you think about it, this season's Premiership is the most televised football league in the U.S. since TV was invented.

But this season is intriguing for TV soccer junkies like myself because we're able to watch English Premier League matches on both Fox Soccer Channel and Setanta Sports. The question is, though, how has the choice of these two channels affected your TV soccer viewing habits?

For me, this season is the first I've had Setanta Sports. Previously, I watched Fox Soccer Channel on a near daily basis. Now, though, this has changed considerably.

While I used to watch FSC for a few hours a night, I find myself only watching it on weekends. Sure, I tape the sports news program, Through The Night from SkySports, each evening (and try to watch it later via DVR). And when I have time, I try to watch the excellent Fox Sports World Report. But for the most part, I'm watching Premiership matches on Fox on Saturday, Sunday and, when available, Monday.

In contrast, I find myself watching Setanta almost daily now. In the past two weeks, with the League Cup, plus English teams involved in the UEFA Cup and Champions League, I'm watching Setanta every Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday. Sure, the experience of watching Setanta is new to me (although I realize it's not new to many of you), so it's more appealing in some ways, but what quality soccer content is offered on weekdays by Fox?

During the first few weeks of Fox Football Fone-In, I found myself watching the show and being impressed by the production quality and soccer topics being discussed. However, after the third week and thereafter, I've found the show to be so repetitive when you compare it to World Soccer Daily. The topics seemed recycled and many of the viewpoints offered have been heard previously on the radio show.

When it comes down to it, you have to wonder how Setanta has had an effect on the number of viewers Fox Soccer Channel has during weekdays.

How has your viewing habits changed (or not) since the Premiership season started in August? Click the 'comments' link below and share your insight.

There are 72 clubs outside of the English Premiership, and every one of them would love to play in England's top league. But at what price?

For a fascinating glimpse at the precarious situation that many clubs face in their push for financial and football success, read this interesting account regarding Sam Hammam and the side that's currently in first place in the Championship: Cardiff City (see article at Guardian Unlimited: Sport blog: Hedge funds to feast on Hammam's broken dream).

Is Peter Risdale on a destiny for success with Cardiff or will they become another Leeds United, which barely avoided going out of business due to massive debts?

The football authorities today announced measures to stamp out ticketing agencies who sell tickets to Premiership matches at inflated prices.

The article in The Guardian reveals that any internet site carrying advertisements from unauthorised ticket agents will also itself be committing a criminal offence.

The story gives the example of how tickets to the Arsenal v Liverpool match have been priced as high as 395GBP ($753 US). While these prices are scandalous, you'll know by reading this blog how hard it is to get tickets to Arsenal matches. While the football authorities have taken measures to allow fans to purchase additional tickets, my concern is that the steps taken are not going to stop ticket touts.

There's just 10 days to go before EPL Talk visits England for what will be a first in blogging and podcast history when we report back our stories, photos and audio from the experience of watching Premiership and Champions League football.

Here's the latest update regarding the upcoming tour of England by EPL Talk that you'll be able to experience online. Unfortunately I've learned that the National Football Museum is closed on Mondays, so I won't be able to visit the attraction in Preston on the day after the Blackburn against Spurs match.

During the nine days that I'm in England, I'm currently planning on going to five matches. But I'm contemplating the journey north from London to watch Newcastle United against Celta Vigo in the UEFA Cup at St. James's Park (Thursday, November 23) and Liverpool against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League (Wednesday, November 22).

Tickets for the Newcastle match are available for general site from their website. Ticket prices are a reasonable 15-20 GBP ($28-$38). Right now I'm waiting to hear from a friend to see if he's interested in going to the match (he's a Sunderland fan, so he may have reasons not to).

Although posters to this blog have mentioned that tickets for the Liverpool against PSV Eindhoven match may be available soon for general sale, the latest update from the Liverpool site shows that you still are required to have made past ticket purchases on a fancard, which rules me out right now.

Other than those two matches, some other places I've considered visiting during the tour include the studios of TWI, BBC and SkySports, the flats at Highbury, the sites of some of the old football stadiums in London and what's left of them and possibly even a Monday night reserve match near the London area.

Interestingly, Chelsea's reserve squad plays their matches outside of the hustle and bustle of London at Aldershot Town.

While in the UK, I'll be taking the trains from city to city. While the train schedules don't offer me as much flexibility compared to a rental car, what it does afford me is time to write the blog and my travelogue, which I plan on publishing in the next issue of the EPL Talk Magazine.

The latest itinerary is:

Saturday, November 18
Everton v Bolton

Sunday, November 19
Blackburn v Spurs

Tuesday, November 21
Arsenal v Hamburg

Saturday, November 25
Fulham v Reading

Sunday, November 26
Manchester United v Chelsea

In the last round of the League Cup, Setanta Sports treated us to coverage from Crewe against Manchester United, and Chesterfield versus West Ham United. While both matches were entertaining to watch, I wrote how impressed I was that Setanta showed all of the footage from SkySports.

While soccer fans in America are able to watch more live matches than viewers in the UK, what we don't get enough of is the pre-match, half-time and post-match analysis and build-up to matches.

So it was with great pleasure yesterday to watch the Southend against Man United League Cup match. Presenter Tim Lovejoy was more tolerable this time, while football analysts Lee Sharpe and Ronnie Whelan provided plenty of insight. Whelan, who was interviewed for a recent EPL Talk Podcast, managed Southend after ending his Liverpool playing career.

And what a match it was. Southend defended superbly not allowing the United forwards many options or much space. In contrast, the Shrimpers looked more dangerous moving forward and had an easier time creating space to allow penetrating runs (and shots) from Southend's Freddy Eastwood, their goalscoring machine.

After the fans at Roots Hall ran on to the pitch after the final whistle, the only disappointment was that Setanta didn't show the post-match coverage from SkySports. I would have loved to see and hear the interviews with Steve Tilson and Alex Ferguson, and to savor the atmosphere of what will go down as one of the biggest giantkilling cup matches in the past decade.

Tonight it's Birmingham City against Liverpool in the League Cup on Setanta Sports. I'll be watching it via the On Demand service from ITVN tonight. If it's anything like the previous League Cup coverage from Setanta, you won't want to miss it.

For your amusement, head on over to Anfield Online to read their critique of Liverpool's 2006/2007 team photo. It seems the graphic designer from the Reds did a bit of a hatchet job, and the poor work is pretty easy to see (first click on the image to the right to see if you can see what the mistakes are before reading the article).

A team photo used to be one of those August rituals. When I was a boy, I remember posting one on my bedroom wall. Over 25 years later, I can still vividly remember the poster!

If this is your first visit to the EPL Talk Blog, be sure to visit the EPL Talk Podcast (where we feature interviews with soccer celebrities including Ronnie Whelan), the EPL Talk Community (message forums, downloads, blogs and more) plus the EPL Talk Magazine (free online magazine for die-hard fans such as yourself). In the meantime, be sure to visit this EPL Talk Blog each day for the latest news, insight and observations about the Premiership.

Today marks the 20 year anniversary of Alex Ferguson becoming manager of Manchester United. It's hard to imagine now, but when Fergie joined the club on November 6, 1986, Man United was 19th out of 22 teams in the old first division. By the end of that season, the club finished in 11th position.

In perhaps his toughest challenge yet, Ferguson has guided his Man United squad to the top spot in the Premiership. The side has seemed unstoppable at times but instead of worrying about what Chelsea is doing, the Red Devils have concentrated on playing an attacking style of play that has been ripping up formidable competition such as Bolton, Portsmouth, Liverpool and others.

It's hard to imagine a Man United without Alex Ferguson in charge. When Sir Ferguson does decide to retire, the new manager will be stepping into the biggest managerial boots in world football.

While the Premiership season is far from over, Fergie has got to be licking his chops at the prospect of going far in this year's Champions League. Despite the hiccup against Copenhagen, United look destined to qualify in first place in their group. As long as his side isn't crippled by injuries, this could be one of the most interesting United seasons in quite a while.

Last week, I wrote on the EPL Talk Blog about how I was visiting England to watch several Premiership matches and was trying to get tickets to the Chelsea match at Old Trafford. Well, I can now reveal that Manchester United, the club, has come through for me and will be providing tickets. This is a great example of how classy and professional Man United is. I'm not a United supporter, but I greatly appreciate their generosity, which you'll be able to benefit from as I'm be blogging and taking pictures at Old Trafford to share with you.

For a behind-the-scenes peek at what EPL Talk is planning for its tour of Premiership grounds in England, read an advance copy of the press release.

Mark the United against Chelsea match in your calendar: November 26. For Americans, it'll be a perfect close to a long Thanksgiving weekend.

It's amazing what two matches can do to impact the Premiership race. Tottenham's convincing win against Chelsea means that Man United are now three points ahead at the top of the league. West Ham's win against Arsenal, meanwhile, puts the Gunners 10 points behind Manchester United. As I mention on today's EPL Talk Podcast interview, the four horse race is now narrowed to two.

Chelsea has a perfect opportunity to catch up with Man United in less than three weeks when the Blues visit Old Trafford for what promises to be a scintillating match. The timing for Man United couldn't be more perfect with the Red Devils playing a quality style of attacking football, while Chelsea continues to underwhelm us in the Premiership and impress us in the Champions League.

The question for you is, who do you think can win the Premiership title now? Does Man United have what it takes or can Chelsea turn their season around and catch up with United? Or is there a third team that can sneek up behind the top two and cause a serious run for the title?

Post your reply by clicking the 'Comments' link below.

This week marks one year since the launch of the EPL Talk site. It's interesting to compare how the Premiership fares then versus today.

In January of this year, I wrote about the state of the Premiership and placed the 20 teams into three buckets on my blog: masterful, mediocre and anti-soccer. Four were placed in masterful, and four fell into anti-soccer. The remaining 12 were mediocre. I'll wait until January before I weigh up this season's Premiership clubs, but I will say this:

After yesterday's matches on television, this appears to be one of the weakest Premiership seasons in recent memory.

Manchester United is, without a doubt, the most entertaining side in the Premiership. But the teams that are the ones jostling for third or fourth spot (Bolton and Portsmouth) have been paid a very revealing lesson as both clubs were clobbered by a Man United who were leap years ahead of them in skill, tactics and pace.

This time, more than ever before, Premiership sides outside of the four horse race have less of a chance of winning the league than ever before. If Arsenal wins today against West Ham, and the Gunners win their game in hand next month, and if Chelsea defeat Spurs, the gap will start to widen at the top.

Let's see if todays matches can have any impact on the Premiership race. Can a Tottenham who do so well in Europe with Dimitar Berbatov scoring goals translate that into a point against Chelsea? Can a Hammers side buoyed after their win against Blackburn play a tight, physical match against the Gunners and stop Arsenal from playing their match? If so, a point or even three points is on the table.

But if Chelsea and Arsenal do win, the gulf between the top clubs and the rest of the league is going to be more apparent than before. Let's hope that both matches will at least be two-sided.

Here's another reason to sign for ITVN via EPL Talk: Scrolling through Setanta's On Demand service this morning, I noticed several interesting programs to choose from including "Gazzetta Football Italia" and Barcelona against Chelsea.

"Gazzetta Football Italia" is hosted by the one and only James Richardson, better known by most U.S. soccer fans as being the host of the Football Weekly podcast from The Guardian (and host of the World Cup Podcast earlier this summer, also from The Guardian). This week's episode of Gazzetta features a highlights of the cracking Milan derby from last weekend.

Many fans in America were unlucky not to be able to see the Barcelona against Chelsea clash at the Nou Camp. The match wasn't on ESPN2 or Setanta, but was instead on ESPN Deportes, a channel that not too many people have on their cable or satellite offerings.

To order Setanta Sports via ITVN or to find out more information, go here.

I never knew it would be so difficult to get tickets to a match at Anfield. Sure, I've been following the game of football since I was the age of 7 or 8 -- 30 odd years now -- but here's what I found when I tried to get a ticket to the Champions League match in late November against PSV Eindhoven.

Although I'm not a Liverpool supporter, it's hard not to admire the club especially after I grew up in the UK during my formative years of the late 70s and early 80s. Liverpool was the greatest team in the world at the time.

In anticipation of my first visit to Anfield, I purchased a Liverpool FC Fancard more than a year ago. However when details of how to purchase a ticket were announced late last week, I was disappointed to see that you could only buy a ticket to the PSV match if you had already purchased a ticket on the same fancard to the Galatasaray match from late September or the Bordeaux match from this past week.

For someone like me, who doesn't live in the UK, the ticket policy makes it almost impossible to see Liverpool play. Sure, I completely understand that Liverpool is trying to reward those loyal supporters who go to many matches, but in this case, Liverpool has already qualified for the next round of the Champions League so the match against PSV is virtually meaningless.

The irony is that my Aunt lives less than half a mile from Anfield and this may be my first and last chance to see a match at Anfield before the club moves to a new stadium. However, I'll try to visit the Anfield Stadium Tour to at least capture the history and excitement of visiting one of the greatest clubs in English football history.

In the past few years, the Man United against Chelsea tie has taken on more importance in the Premiership calendar. Later this month, Jose Mourinho will take his side to Old Trafford knowing that the match could determine who is the best side in England.

It"just so happens" that the match is scheduled for Sunday, November 26 (11am ET, live on Fox Soccer Channel). I'll be in England from November 18-26 reporting on matches for EPL Talk visitors worldwide, bringing them the excitement and passion of the world's most popular sports league via daily podcasts, streaming photos and sharing my experiences via this blog on a daily basis.

Getting tickets to the match is another story. The match has been sold out for weeks, and tickets are available to OneUnited members in a lottery. I'm not a OneUnited member and even if I was, chances of winning a ticket in the lottery are especially difficult. A membership in OneUnited is 27 GBP, and the last time I checked it was 34 GBP for fans in the US (equivalent of $64).

I did try to purchase a ticket through their Museum Tour package, which for 90 GBP gives you the luxury of a pre-match and post-match reception as well as a ticket to the North west Quadrant section of the stadium. When I phoned the United ticket line, I was impressed by the whole experience. While on hold, the audio included football commentary from some of the highpoints in Man United's history. The audio was definitely more interesting than the typical muzak people are accustomed to.

Unfortunately the ticket person informed me that the museum tour packages (which included a ticket) were sold out.

I contacted the Manchester United Supporters Club of America for assistance. Just like ArsenalAmerica.com, the organization is run by supporters who are top class and extremely professional. David Herman at manutdusa.org is trying to see if he can obtain a ticket for me, and it's a perfect example of why football fans should join their local supporters club.

While the race for the Premiership is tight at the top, the EPL Talk Fantasy Leagues are shaping up to be very competitive also.

Amazingly, Inter Rockfish has been knocked out of first place in the EPL Talk Champions League by The Bloody Yanks (Jeremy Lay). The new first place team has Kaka to thank for a hat trick against Anderlecht, which earned The Bloody Yanks 34 points (Kaka was also his captain).

Rockfish United continue to remain in first place in the EPL Talk Premiership League, but Gratefullawyer is hot on his heels.

Here are the top five teams in both the EPL Talk Premiership League and the EPL Talk Champions League:

Premier League:
1 ROCKFISH UNITED 546
2 Gratefullawyer 530
3 Yantai FC 522
4 TheScouts 519
5 The Gaffer 513

Champions League:
1 Bloody Yanks 217
2 INTER ROCKFISH 212
3 RedBullNJ 211
4 gratefullawyer 206
5 FC Epikoinos 202

If you'd like to join either of the leagues, it's free. Just go to these blog postings for more information: here and here.

If you pay approximately $100 or more a month for your cable bill, consider yourself lucky. According to the Jamaica Observer newspaper, cable customers in Kingston will have to pay $400 per month to get their Fox Soccer Channel Jamaica fix.

EPL Talk reader Paul Robinson pointed out an important fact, though. It's $400 Jamaican dollars, which equals approximately $8 USD or 4 GBP. "Not as bad as you indicated," said Paul. I agree.

You're now less than 17 days away from experiencing a one-of-a-kind online journey through the Premiership courtesy of EPL Talk. As we get closer to the "kick off," I'll keep you updated on what the ticket purchasing experience is like, what it's like dealing with the different clubs, and what you can expect to see and hear first-hand during my trek to England.

Depending what the result is from Arsenal's decisive match today against CSKA Moscow, the Gunners next Champions League match could be crucial. If Arsenal beats CSKA, then a win or a draw in their November 21st match at home against Hamburg would be enough to qualify them for the next stage of the glamor tournament.

When I was originally planning my trip to England a couple of months ago, one of the main reasons I picked November 17-26 was because I knew Arsenal would be playing at home in the Champions League.

While it's been a simple process purchasing tickets for the Fulham and Blackburn home matches, the Arsenal experience has been more challenging due to the greater demand for tickets and the way Arsenal operates.

To give you an idea of how difficult it is to get a ticket to an Arsenal match, consider this: Tickets are on sale via Arsenal.com for the match against Hamburg, but right now you can only purchase them if you're a "Silver Member." How do you become a Silver Member? You first have to become a 'Red Member." You're then placed on a waiting list and Arsenal will notify you to upgrade to become a silver member ONLY if a space becomes available. When would the possibility of an upgrade be available? Prior to the beginning of the 2007/2008 season. Yes, probably between May and August of 2007.

So while the tickets for the Hamburg match are being bought by silver members, any remaining tickets will be made available to red members on November 8. For a crucial Champions League match against Hamburg, the chances of ANY tickets being available to Gunners fans is practically nil. But in the extreme unlikelihood that some tickets are available, you would have to pay $57 just to attain the red membership level. Even with your red member card in hand, this doesn't guarantee you a ticket. You'd have to rush to purchase tickets before the other red members snap them up. Ticket prices range from $61-$125.

Tickets are available for general sale only after the red membership level has had a considerable amount of time to purchase tickets. So, general ticket sales are essentially non-existent.

By the way, after you achieve the rank of silver member, you can hope that you can become elevated to become a gold or even platinum member. A gold membership is only available to season ticket holders. To become a season ticket holder at the Emirates Stadium, you have to pay $28 to have your name added to a waiting list. That list, gulp, contains over 30,000 supporters. Essentially the only way to get a season ticket is to hope that a large number of people relinquish their tickets at the end of the season. And we know what the chances are of that happening.

So, back to me, I'm not a card carrying member of any level at Arsenal, so my chances of getting a ticket to see the Gunners play is hopeless.

However, here's where the good news comes in. Thanks to the fantastic people at the Official United States Arsenal Supporters Club, they were able to secure two tickets for me (my cousin lives nearby in London), so I'll be attending the Arsenal against Hamburg match after all. The stadium is supposed to be state-of-the-art and this will be my first time to see Arsenal in person, so I'm thrilled and indebted to ArsenalAmerica.com for their assistance.

This goes to show what value there is in joining your local supporters club. They often have access to tickets before others, organize tours and provide you with discounts that save you more than the price of membership. If you're a Gunners fans, sign up at ArsenalAmerica.com today. For other supporter's clubs, take a look at the links page at EPLTalk.com.

So the latest itinerary for the tour is:

Saturday, November 18:
Everton v Bolton (at Goodison Park)

Sunday, November 19:
Anfield Stadium Tour (Liverpool)
Blackburn v Spurs (at Ewood Park)

Monday, November 20:
National Football Museum (Preston)

Tuesday, November 21:
Arsenal v Hamburg (Champions League)

Saturday, November 25:
Fulham v Reading (at Craven Cottage)

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// posted by The Gaffer @ 12:02 AM 11 Comments Links to this post