During the 2006/2007 season, the average UK TV audience for a Premier League match was 1.18 million, according to the industry newsletter TV Sports Markets.

This compares with an average US TV audience of approximately 300,000 people watching a Premier League match on Fox Soccer Channel.

While there's a significant gap between the two numbers, it isn't inconceivable that the United States may surpass the UK in the number of viewers watching Premier League matches. Of course, the US population is far greater than the UK (300 million compared to 60 million). But the groundswell of interest in the US for the English Premier League is taking many, myself included, by surprise.

When the TV rights for the Premier League next become available for bidding -- in a few years time -- it'll be interesting to see if ESPN becomes involved in the negotiations. Despite the success of Fox Soccer Channel, it would take an ESPN to bring the game to the masses and to push the TV audience figures to over the 1.18 million mark such as in the UK.

An ideal situation would be to have ESPN, Fox Soccer Channel and Setanta Sports sharing the broadcasts of the games, so ESPN could show live matches during low TV rating hours (early morning Saturday kickoffs, for example), while Fox and Setanta would continue to share the rest of the spoils. Impossible you say? I think not.

However, of most importance is the entertainment level on the pitch. As long as we can continue to see so many exciting matches throughout the season, the league will sell itself in America. Already this season, we've seen enthralling encounters between Fulham and Manchester City, Man United and Chelsea, Fulham and Spurs, Liverpool and Chelsea, Portsmouth v Bolton, Spurs against Arsenal, and many more.

Let's just hope we don't see the dark period of English football that we encountered last Autumn where the quality of football was dismal. This time around, I don't see it happening. With Chelsea faltering, Liverpool sputtering and Arsenal flying, Man United has a fight to try to retain the Premier League trophy. And with the emergence of Man City and Aston Villa as new hopes of beating some of the top four teams (as they've proven already), right now everything is on target to make this one of the more interesting seasons in recent memory.

Labels: english premier league, epl, ESPN, fox soccer channel, setanta sports

As you're sitting at home watching Premier League, spare a thought for the punters who are paying significant amounts to watch their home team play. How much? Scroll through the prices below to see the top prices for each category of matches.

Category A matches are usually those versus the big four (although some clubs will expand that to include local derbies, etc). Category B is typically your lower-position teams. Click on the club's name to find out the full details.

The only club where I was unable to find accurate information was Wigan Athletic, who -- despite the fact that their club website proclaims they're "the home of the best value football in the Premiership" -- fail to conveniently list their prices for the season.

The prices indicated show the highest and lowest for each category. For example, the lowest price for a category A ticket at Arsenal is £46, while the highest is £94.

Arsenal: £94/£46 (A), £66/£32 (B)
Aston Villa: £35/£20 (A), £33/£19 (B), £31/£15 (W)
Birmingham City: £48/£35 (AA), £15/£15 (C)
Blackburn Rovers: £35/£25 (A), £20/£15 (B)
Bolton Wanderers: £39/£31 (A+), £36/£28 (A), £32/£24 (B), £29/£21 (C)
Chelsea: £53/£48 (Premier League), £36/£35 (Champions League), £25/£25 (FA Cup), £20/£20 (League Cup).
Derby County: £44/£33 (AA), £42/£31 (A&B), £40/£29 (C&D)
Everton: £34/£28 (versus Middlesbrough, 9/30/07)
Fulham: £50/£35 (A), £45/£30 (B), £38/£25 (C)
Liverpool: £36/£34 (A), £34/£32 (B)
Manchester City: £34/£28 (A), £30/£25 (B), £26/£21 (C)
Manchester United: £44/£12.50
Middlesbrough: £32/£24 (versus Chelsea, 10/20/07)
Newcastle United: £45/26 (A), £40/23 (B), £36/20 (C)
Portsmouth: £41/£34
Reading: £41/£39 (platinum), £38/£36 (gold), £34/£32 (silver)
Sunderland: £30/£25 (A), £25/£20 (B)
Tottenham Hotspur: £71/£39 (A), £52/£32 (B), £42/£27 (C)
West Ham United: £61/£43 (A), £49/£34 (B)
Wigan Athletic: ?/? (A), ?/? (B), £15/£15 (C)

Easiest ticket price structures to understand: Manchester United and Portsmouth (no categories, just one set price depending on the area of the ground where your seats are).

Fairest ticket pricing structure (fairest not cheapest): Chelsea for breaking down ticket prices for the different types of competitions: Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup.

Most complicated ticket price structure: Bolton with four different price structures. Chelsea has four, too, but theirs is easier to understand. For Bolton, you'd have to cross-reference the fixtures to find out which ones are considered AA, A, B and C.

Most difficult club websites to find ticket prices:

• Birmingham (not available except on a match-by-match basis)
  
  
• Everton (you have to log into their e-ticketing service to find ticket prices for each match; even then, it's not easy to find prices without having to click several times)
  
  
• Liverpool (very difficult to find; I found the information on their version of their website optimized for mobile phones)
  
  
• Middlesbrough (ticket price page lists season ticket prices only, and you have to log into their e-ticketing service to find ticket prices for each match; even then, it's not easy to find prices without having to click several times)
  
  
• Wigan (another club guilty of using the e-ticketing service, which is absolutely awful)

Notes:

• Ticket prices are for adult non-members and doesn't include corporate sections or sports bars prices (i.e. Newcastle).
  
  
• Prices are subject to change (as they often do) and are accurate as of September 26, 2007.

Labels: away ticket prices, match tickets, ticket prices

Britain and the United States do share a common language, but there are times when words don't translate so well between both countries. Such is the case yesterday when Arsenal announced a record $400 million in turnover. That's "turnover" meaning revenue, not number of jobs in and out of a football club.

Out of the $400 million in revenue, Arsenal announced that they achieved operating profits of over $100 million.

While the number is staggering -- and Arsenal definitely patted themselves on the back, as well they should for managing the club in a very efficient manner -- one group of people got left out of the picture. An enormous group, that is: the Arsenal supporters.

In the 17 page financial document from Arsenal Holdings which describes the earnings in the 2006/2007 season, the supporters are only thanked once in the very last paragraph of a letter from Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood.

Last season, Arsenal was the most expensive football ticket in the Premier League with a top price of $184 per ticket to watch the likes of Chelsea, Man United and others play at the Emirates Stadium.

In comparison, this year's most expensive ticket at Arsenal (per today's exchange rate) is $189. Despite the scandalously high ticket prices, season tickets to Arsenal are sold out and the waiting list comprises 40,000 people. This for a stadium that has a capacity of 60,000.

While Arsenal is to be applauded for the brand of attacking football they'd played this season and their business decisions off the pitch, I'd like to see more gratitude shown by the club in the press and on their website to the fans that paid had-earned money. After all, Arsenal brings in an average of more than $6 million per game and much of that is due to the supporters.

Labels: Arsenal, match tickets, peter hill-wood, ticket prices

• FC Reading of Pennsylvania has arranged a training academy program with Everton.
  
  
• Did you know that The Telegraph newspaper has a media player on their site with a selection of audio and video clips? No, I didn't either. Now I know what happened to The Telegraph's Fantasy Football Podcast (it turned into a straight video clip featuring Jed Pittman, who looks a lot younger than what I imagined him looking like). Lots of good football audio clips here, too.
  
  
• In case you missed it, here's an interesting interview with Richard Scudamore, chief executive of the Premier League, by The Daily Telegraph. In it, Scudamore discusses foreign ownership, the second tier of Premier League football and the importance of holding on to rights and battling YouTube.
  
  
• Only 45% of the players in the Premier League are English.
  
  
• The Miami Dolphins NFL team has found it too expensive to practice at Arsenal's training ground near London in preparation for their upcoming game at Wembley Stadium. (Scroll down to near the bottom of the page to see the news item).
  
  
• Setanta will be launching Arsenal TV in the UK in December (this is in addition to Setanta launching Liverpool TV in the UK this week). What's next? Wigan TV from Setanta? Who's with me?
  
  
• A study predicts that Setanta will struggle trying to get new customers to sign up for their Premier League package in the UK and Ireland.
  
  
• Premier League clubs spent $1.1 billion on transfers in 2007.
  
  

When we talk about Americans in England, we always mention the same names: Brad Friedel, Marcus Hahnemann, Clint Dempsey, Carlos Bocanegra, Benny Feilhaber, Randy Lerner, Malcolm Glazer, etc, etc. But the American invasion isn't just happening on the pitch. Listen closely and you'll hear plenty more American accents associated with Premier League football.

The list includes:

Gabriele Marcotti. While he considers himself Italian, his accent is definitely American having spent many of his adult years in the northeast United States graduating from the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University.

In addition to being the co-host of The Game Podcast from The Times, Marcotti can also be heard this season on BBC Five Live as one of their key analysts.

Bruce Buck. At the center of the Mourinho and Grant fiasco last week was American Bruce Buck, who is chairman of Chelsea Football Club. A lawyer by trade, Buck has been a Chelsea fan since the late 80's.

Sean Wheelock. The veteran MLS analyst and broadcaster has been working front-and-center for BBC Five Live recently as one of the main guests on their World Football Phone-In Show with Tim Vickery as well as a key contributor to BBC's Up All Night. His knowledge of the game is very thorough and is able to easily compare and contrast the differences between U.S. and English soccer for the British listeners.

What's important about these three Americans is that they're all respected individuals within England, and each position carries a lot of weight.

Now contrast that with the American influence within the newspaper business in England and you can understand, to a degree, why the British press seems to be anti-American or, at the very least, stereotypical in their reporting of American soccer and the impressions they have about how Major League Soccer compares with leagues in England.

Marcotti is the only "American" regularly writing for an English newspaper (in this case, the times). If more astute American journalists break into the British newspaper business, the better the chances are of the fellow Brit journos writing more intelligently about U.S. soccer.

Labels: bruce buck, english premier league, epl, gabriele marcotti, sean wheelock

All the talk the past few days about players only playing for Chelsea because Mourinho was there got me thinking whether they'd prefer to have Mourinho FC or Chelsea FC crests on their shirts?

It's a ridiculous thought, but in a way it does demonstrate the grip that Mourinho had on his players.

Psychologically, the Chelsea side this Sunday will be a shambles against Manchester United. Sure, they're professionals and they should be able to put the turmoil at the club behind them, but such is the sensitivity that players have for Mourinho that I believe it will affect them in a very negative manner.

My concern is that some Chelsea players may not play to the peak of the game and may not believe in Avram Grant, especially if the players were psychologically playing for Mourinho FC instead of Chelsea FC in the past.

They'd never admit that but based on the the feared exodus by Chelsea players and what they've said in the press thus far, they are wearing their hearts on their sleeves and honoring Mourinho -- which is understandable. However, psychologically I wonder if Chelsea players believe an emphatic loss against United will prove how much of a difference Mourinho was and how much of a mountain Grant has to climb.

Labels: Chelsea, jose mourinho

Reports of Chelsea players considering an exodus from Stamford Bridge now that Mourinho has left are eye-opening. After all, who do the Chelsea players give their allegiance to (other than the almighty pound)? Is it Chelsea Football Club or Jose Mourinho?

For the manager to become bigger than the club is dangerous ground for football chairmen. While Mourinho has obviously built a close trust, respect and relationship with his players, the stars at Chelsea need to grow some balls and concentrate on playing for their club and winning matches. After all, even with Mourinho in charge, Chelsea has looked a shadow of themselves for the longest time. When was the last time they put in an awe-inspiring performance?

What's revealing to me about this proposed exodus is that it's the foreign contingent of players that are the ones expressing a desire to leave. No word from the English camp of players.

My belief is that the current episode in the Chelsea soap opera will show what the players are made of and whether they truly are world-class players. They have the talent to win the Premier League but have shown they've been lacking the killer instinct and character worthy of being champions.

If Drogba, Carvalho, Essien, Ferriera, Malouda and Makelele want to leave, it shows how spineless they are. What they need to do is go on to the pitch this Sunday against Old Trafford and win the match for Jose Mourinho and show what legacy he has left behind at Chelsea. Dedicate the win to Jose.

But, what we're reading about the player's thoughts, their minds will be elsewhere this Sunday and the Blues could be in for a hiding.

Labels: Chelsea, jose mourinho

Chuck Culpepper, the author of a new book entitled "Up Pompey," is interviewed on this week's episode of the EPL Talk Podcast.

The American author, who has been twice nominated for a Pulitzer Prize award, discusses his experiences following Portsmouth and what it is about Premier League soccer that so interests him and fellow Americans.

Whether you're a Pompey fan or not, the interview is highly recommended.

Labels: chuck culpepper, pompey, portsmouth, up pompey

Jose Mourinho will be remembered for many things over the four years he's been at Chelsea Football Club.

Unfortunately, he may regret one of his last few press conferences where he uttered these inane comments about eggs as he compared them to his Chelsea squad:

Omelette, eggs. No eggs, no omelettes. It depends on the quality of the eggs. In the supermarket you have eggs, class one, class two, class three. Some are more expensive than others, and some give you better omelettes. When the class one eggs are in Waitrose and you cannot go there, you have a problem.

Waitrose, by the way, is an online British grocery (i.e. supermarket).

Labels: Chelsea, eggs, jose mourinho

Avram Grant, whose name is actually spelled Avraham Grant, was manager of Israel from 2002 to 2006 where he took the country to the brink of qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. Despite being undefeated in their qualifying (four wins and six draws), Grant lost out to France and Switzerland who qualified instead.

His record at Israel was played 33, won 14, drawn 13 and lost 6, which was a win percentage of 62. In comparison, Steve McClaren's winning percentage for England is 50, while Jose Mourinho at Chelsea achieved a 68% record.

At club level, Grant managed several sides in Israel including Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Interestingly, while at Maccabi Haifa, Grant won Israeli championships with players who would later go on to become famous in the Premier League such as Yossi Benayoun and Yakubu. While at Haifa, Grant was known for his attacking style of play and tactical wisdom.

More details about Grant can be found here.

BBC Sport is reporting that Avram Grant is set to take over as permanent manager of Chelsea Football Club.

The current director of football at Chelsea will take Mourinho's position after he departed the club "by mutual consent." As is often the case when a new manager takes over, he's thrown into the deep end as Chelsea travel this Sunday to Old Trafford to play Manchester United (11am ET, Fox Soccer Channel).

Roman Abramovich will "live by the sword, die by the sword" with the decision to appoint Grant as manager. We'll quickly see whether the decision to sack Mourinho was a just one or a complete disaster. Grant's experience thus far has been as technical director at Portsmouth and manager of Israel and Israeli teams Maccabi Haifi and Maccabi Tel-Aviv.

The biggest question mark about Chelsea is how the players will respond to the decision. We all know that players such as John Terry, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole had tight relationships with Mourinho, but it'll be a true test of their character to see how they respond to having a new manager in place.

It's going to be difficult for Chelsea to concentrate on Sunday's clash against Man United due to the media circus that's going to circulate around Chelsea and their training over the next few days as swarms of photographers and TV cameras will watch every moment.

Abramovich has gotten what he wanted which is to kick Mourinho out based on the poor form the team has been displaying. Remarkably it hasn't been the results that have been the issue, but rather it's the poor way the team has been playing on the pitch. It's safe to say that Chelsea doesn't currently look like Premier League or Champions League winning material. They've been struck by injuries to key players, but the team has shown once again that they lack depth in key positions.

For Grant, this will be trial by fire. He has hardly any time to allow for transition and needs to quickly turn Chelsea around into a winning team both in terms of results and the way they play. Grant will not have the charm that Mourinho has. All Grant will have to win over Chelsea fans is the results on the pitch. I don't envy Grant's job one bit. He's walking into one of the most difficult positions in football at this current moment in time.

Labels: avram grant, Chelsea, jose mourinho

In April of this year, EPL Talk speculated that Tottenham Hotspur could be Jose Mourinho's next destination.

EPL Talk was derided for the article by Spurs fans who proclaimed "Rubbish" and "Stick with Jol and do it the Spurs way," and even "Give me Jol anytime, moaner Mourinho is not wanted by Chelsea and definitely not Tottenham, we are getting there and the five year plan is working well." And those were some of the nice things that were said in the comments section!

However, now that Mourinho has left and Martin Jol's position at Spurs is as precarious as ever, now would be the perfect time for The Special One to take over the top position at White Hart Lane. If Tottenham misses this opportunity to act, they can kiss their chances of ever getting Mourinho and they can kiss their chances of winning a trophy or having a successful season in the near future.

Mourinho could make an immediate impact at Tottenham as he did at Chelsea where Claudio Ranieri had the foundation of a good team (as Spurs has) but was unable to turn that into a consistent record on the pitch.

Tactically, Mourinho would make a massive difference at Spurs overnight. Instead of the white half of North London giving up their one-nil leads and eventually losing more times than I care to remember under Jol, Mourinho would be able to give Spurs the experience of how to hold on to those leads.

If Tottenham wants to be a top four club and wants to win silverware, it needs to be audacious and focused on acquiring Mourinho's signature. This isn't a time for the club to dawdle. They need to act now and act fast.

Labels: Chelsea, jose mourinho, tottenham hotspur

In shocking news, Jose Mourinho has left Chelsea Football Club "by mutual consent," according to the club's website.

We all know "by mutual consent" is codeword for getting sacked, and while the most of the newspapers are reporting that Mourinho walked out of the club, The Times newspaper believes that it's more likely that Mourinho got the sack after a meeting with Abramovich and his henchmen.

Chelsea's website released a sixteen word announcement on the homepage of its website. The statement read: "Chelsea Football Club and José Mourinho have agreed to part company today (Thursday) by mutual consent."

Whether Mourinho walked or was pushed, the news will come as a shock for soccer fans. In charge since 2004, Mourinho has been one of the most successful managers in the modern era. Successful in terms of winning so much in a short timespan as well as holding on to an unbelievable home record, where the club was undefeated in league play.

Despite the success, there have been many critics. The beginning of the end for Jose Mourinho began approximately one year ago when Abramovich took a more integral role at the club by bringing in players such as Ballack and Shevchenko, which had a detrimental effect on the team's performance on the pitch. During the 2005/2006 season, the club was unstoppable. From the 2006/2007 season, the team has been a shade of its past and, little by little, Mourinho's authority has been undermined by backroom acquisitions such as bringing in Avram Grant and Frank Arnesen.

While the two Premier League titles were massive achievements for Mourinho, we all knew that the Champions League was the ultimate goal for the club. After a poor performance at Rosenborg, enough was enough for Abramovich.

The question is will Chelsea be a better team this Champions League campaign without Mourinho? The answer by many would be 'no,' but I wonder whether Abramovich may have actually made the right move. If Abramovich didn't do anything, then Chelsea would have slugged along to a mildly successful season. With a new gaffer in charge, they may be able to steady the ship and begin playing better and scoring more goals. I wouldn't put it past them.

The one person who must be the happiest about this whole decision is Sir Alex Ferguson. That's because his Manchester United team plays Chelsea this Sunday at 11am ET on Fox Soccer Channel. The whole world will be watching. Will you?

Labels: Chelsea, jose mourinho

The sun shines brightly for the Premier League right now. The new season has kicked off without the plague of TV problems that La Liga has encountered. The play on the pitch, so far, has been exciting and much better than the slump we saw last Fall. The only negatives thus far have been the controversial refereeing decisions with teams like Fulham, Liverpool and Chelsea -- to name but a few -- having key decisions going against them.

But look under the carpet, and you'll notice a dark netherworld of activity that the press haven't covered lately. That's because it's remarkable how soon we as football fans forget. And it's remarkable how the flurry of entertainment on the pitch makes us forget some of the less friendly moments in the game.

I'm talking about the bung scandals and the Tevez Affair. The latter has been quiet as of late. Even trying to find updates about the case on the Sheffield United website is difficult to do so. The last report is five pages deep on their site here.

In the bung scandal, it's still dragging on. The latest there was the recent arrest of Pascal Chimbonda on suspicion of fraud resulting from his transfer from Bastia to Wigan. The longer these type of cases drag on (as this one has, indeed), the more likely the public is to get less interested in the story. We're still waiting for the shoe to drop regarding a Premier League manager getting fined or accused of irregularities.

I believe it's the press's responsibility to stay on top of these stories and keep on reporting them to the public and demanding resolution. Instead, the tabloids resort to backpages with Mourinho talking about eggs. How low can we go?

Labels: carlos tevez, english premier league, epl, pascal chimbonda, premier league, sheffield united

Andriy Shevchenko came under more pressure today as former Republic of Ireland striker Tony Cascarino proclaimed that the Shevchenko we know and have loved over the years for AC Milan will not regain his form on the pitch for Chelsea.

I didn't get to watch the Chelsea versus Rosenborg match last night in the Champions League, but I did watch the highlights. And I did watch the full 90 minutes of the 0-0 draw from Saturday against Blackburn Rovers.

While Shevchenko is definitely not near his best, I feel the criticism aimed at Shevchenko for these past two matches is unfair. Simply put, he's not getting the service he needs to score.

Against Blackburn, chances were few and far between for Shevchenko as Blackburn's defence remained solid throughout the match providing the Chelsea striker (and his teammates) with relatively few clear-cut opportunities to score. I remember two chances Shevchenko had to score against Blackburn. The first was blocked by one of the Blackburn defenders as he outstretched his leg to fire the ball into the back of the net. The second was the last gasp header by Christopher Samba to deflect the ball away, while Shevchenko's foot was already in midair attempting to hit the ball into the back of the net.

If pundits or fans want to criticize, why not focus on the 22-year-old Salomon Kalou who wasted several chances against Rosenborg to score (and in several matches he's played for Chelsea). Or Michael Essien, normally quite skillful in front of goal, who blew a relatively easy chance against the Norwegian team last night? Of course, when Shevchenko got a chance against Rosenborg, he scored with a header to salvage a vital draw and to prevent embarrassment for Mourinho.

Sure, Shevchenko has been a flop, but based on his performances in the past two matches, I don't see him getting the service or space he needs to score. Give the Ukrainian striker a few more matches up front and then see what he does. Then we'll really know whether Shevchenko won't show up for Chelsea or not.

Labels: andriy shevchenko, blackburn, Chelsea, rosenborg

This is the 1,000th post on the EPL Talk Blog since it launched on January 2, 2006. That's roughly 50 posts a month for 20 months in a row, which is approximately 1.5 posts per day.

During that time, we've seen a lot. The 2006 World Cup. The improved amount and quality of Premier League coverage on U.S. TV and broadband. The launch of more soccer podcasts and, of course, some excellent comments by you, the reader. And let's not forget the contributing writers including John Nicholson, The Scout and others.

This EPL Talk Blog was actually not the first incarnation. I began one in November, 2005 -- which is still live at http://epltalk.wordpress.com/

Thanks for your continued support, and here's to another 1,000 posts!

Cheers,
The Gaffer

Labels: epl talk blog

In less than one month, the next round of qualifying matches for the European Championship begins with England taking on Estonia, Scotland against Ukraine, Ireland against Germany, and the big match - England away to Russia on the plastic pitch, which could seal the destiny or fate of the England national team. To whet your appetite for the matches (to be played on October 13 and 17), here's an interesting find by EPL Talk reader Jeffyhash (aka Unoriginal_name):

I was just reading your post about international matches on CCTV, and it reminded me of something I found earlier during the qualifying tournament. UEFA alongside a company called Sportfive has launched a service to watches Euro qualifying matches on line. I found it through a link on the UEFA's Euro 2008 website. The site is at euro2008.videosport.com

It's still a pay site (no matches are for free), but the prices are much more reasonable. They've broken down the pricing into four different schemes:

2 euros (roughly $2.75) can get you either a single match of your choice on delay OR can get you the 10-minute highlight packages of all available matches played on the day. Delayed matches are usually available about a half-hour to an hour after the match ends. The pass last 24 hours from the first video you watch.

5 euros (not quite $7) can get you a single match of your choice live. You also have the option to watch it again delayed for up to 24 hours.

6 euros (about $8.25) allows you to watch anything on the site for 24 hours live or delayed. All live matches, all delayed matches, and all highlight packages.

I'll also note that JumpTV, which is a North American Internet broadcaster of a variety of ethnic TV stations, also carries the same matches, but has their prices in US dollars. They price the packages at 2.95, 6.95, and 7.95 in ascending order. That site is at euro2008.jumptv.com. I only found this after registering with the original Sportfive site.

I've tried the service twice, and the quality is fairly good. Similar to what I remember of my experiences with Setanta Broadband. There are, however, a couple of drawbacks. The big one being not all countries have allowed their matches on the service. Most of the big nations (England, Scotland, Spain, Germany, Holland and Italy) do not make their home games available. However, France, Portugal, and the Czech Republic make their home games available, and any away matches of the above nations are carried if the home team allows (for example: Israel-England was on the service earlier this year).

The other drawback is not all matches have commentators, so you have to watch closely. Most of the bigger matches do get commentary teams usually.

Labels: euro 2008, european championship

As a soccer fan, are you overweight, balding, religious and enjoy playing video games? And do you have debt in the form of student loans, like riding dirtbikes, remember the 1970s, occasionally rent a car and are looking for cheaper auto insurance?

According to Fox Soccer Channel, that's the type of viewer you are -- or at least who their advertisers think you are. Those are the products and services that advertisers are selling during a typical one hour block of time on Fox Soccer Channel.

As most of the FSC viewers are males aged 18-35, you're a prime target for advertisers. The good news is that as Fox Soccer Channel attracts more viewers, the quality of advertisers has increased. The bad news is that we still have to suffer through other type of ads. Advertisements about erectile dysfunction, get rich quick schemes and sometimes awful Fox Soccer Channel promos.

We can't complain though. Stereotype us as much as advertisers like, but just keep on spoonfeeding us our real football. Please sir, I want some more.

Labels: fox soccer channel

Martin Jol has accused English football reports of a conspiracy. Quoted in The Guardian newspaper, Jol stated that "I feel there are two worlds here in London. There is you guys and then there are the supporters who read your papers. Although they read your papers they are still backing me and that's a great feeling."

While Jol would be wise to focus on his team tactics and helping his footballers get much needed shooting practice, he does have a point about the conspiracy.

For example, we all know that Tottenham tried to acquire Juande Ramos's signature to become the next manager of Spurs, but now that the North London club has hit a bad patch of form again, the rumors are rampant in the British press that Ramos is being lined up again to replace Jol.

What I find inexcusable, however, is The Guardian's article about the topic and how Spurs is courting Ramos yet again despite the fact that there isn't one quote or source named in the article. Read it for yourself and tell me what proof they have that Ramos is being courted for the position again.

If The Guardian and another newspapers resort to writing articles like that, they are contributing to the conspiracy. Sure, Jol's job is on the line, but what proof do the reporters have that Ramos is still in the running?

Labels: juande ramos, seville, spurs, the guardian, tottenham hotspur

In the song "Once In a Lifetime" by the Talking Heads, the words "same as it ever was" are repeated over and over. After watching another predictable weekend of Premier League football, albeit entertaining, the likelihood of a club cracking the four horse race seems as remote as ever.

What clubs like Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, Portsmouth and Blackburn Rovers lack is that killer instinct. That flash of brilliance than can turn a side of superstars playing ordinary football into a winning team. Think Nemanja Vidic popping up for another header to deliver a cruel blow to the Toffees. Think Emmanuel Adebayor and his wonder goal (the second of the day) against Spurs.

The depressing realization that even with more funds available to buy stronger teams, "The Other 16" are having a difficult time competing at the top level. Even when clubs from "The Other 16" do find players that can give the clubs the edge, massive clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea come calling trying to sign those players away from them. For example, Dimitar Berbatov continues to be on top of Man United's shopping list and you imagine it's only a matter of time before the Bulgarian is snapped up in either the January or August transfer windows.

Think back to Fulham a few seasons ago, and the same thing happened to Louis Saha who was knocking a flurry of goals into the net for Fulham before Man United went ahead and snapped up the striker.

With the season thus far, at least the level of play is closer and there aren't as many one-sided matches. However, the season is still young and a few key injuries to clubs from "The Other 16" could demoralize their chances of even getting close to competing against the Big Four.

Don't ask me why, but there was a scene during the West Ham against Middlesbrough match this past weekend that I can't get out of my head.

It wasn't an on-the-pitch incident, despite the entertaining football that West Ham showed and Tucay's continuous attempts for Middlesbrough.

Instead it was after Tucay missed a glorious chance to score for a goal for Boro and the ball skimmed past the far post. Then, the camera showed a scene from the crowd where there was a small group of West Ham fans taunting the Boro fans. It seemed more like a bit of choreography than a spontaneous act.

What was burned in my retina was the sight of one overweight Hammers fan dressed in black with his arms folded across his chest, leaning back and doing some sort of strange shimmy in a devilish manner while three to four of his mates behind him did a choreographed routine with their hands slicing the air in front of them as if they were cutting blades of grass.

Was I imagining this or did anyone else see it?

Labels: middlesbrough, West Ham United

• Just to show how big the EPL is becoming worldwide, travel agents in Malaysia are offering package tours to watched Premier League matches in England.
  
  
• Sven Goran Eriksson considers the Premier League the best in the world.
  
  
• This week's EPL Talk Podcast features an interview with LA Times freelance writer Chuck Culpepper, author of a new book entitled "Up Pompey" which recounts his experiences following Portsmouth and their recent escape from relegation. Listen to the interview here or subscribe to the podcast via iTunes so you get each episode delivered to you.
  
  
• If you've been enjoying the EPL Talk fantasy Premier League and/or predictions league, be sure to sign up for the Champions League Talk fantasy league and prediction league. More info here.
  
  
• If you think you know Christopher Sullivan pretty well (for good or for bad) from Fox Soccer Channel, I encourage you to listen to his interview with Kartik Krishnaiyer on the Major League Soccer Talk Podcast. After listening to him give his thoughts on the game, I have a newfound appreciation and respect for the former U.S. player. The podcast is also available via iTunes.
  
  
• Last but not least, listen to this week's Serie A Talk Podcast for an interview with a true gentleman, Paddy Agnew, as he explains why he doesn't commentate any more and discusses the paperback edition of his book, Forza Italia. The podcast is also available via iTunes.
  

The return of the Premier League action this Saturday will be quite telling. At precisely 2:15pm ET (7:15pm GMT), we'll know whether the EPL is one of the most entertaining leagues in the world or whether it's still a predictable and oftentimes boring four horse race.

After the full-time whistle blows, we'll be able to reflect on a day of action where stronger teams from "The Other 16" battle against the top four (Everton against Man United, Spurs versus Arsenal, Portsmouth against Liverpool and, last but not least, Chelsea v Blackburn Rovers).

We'll immediately see whether the likes of Everton, Spurs, Pompey and Blackburn are pretenders or contenders. If one or two of those teams can cause an upset this weekend, the argument could be made that we're experiencing a new chapter in the history of the Premiership with the four-horse race being broken by teams who have benefited from the injection of new cash from the lucrative global TV deals.

These teams (Spurs, Everton, Blackburn and Portsmouth) are our best hope to break down the four horse race monopoly. Managers such as David Moyes, Mark Hughes, Harry Redknapp and, to a lesser extent Martin Jol, have the experience and tactical know-how to outwit Jose Mourinho, Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Rafa Benitez. We saw that two weeks ago when Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa was able to outwit Mourinho's Chelsea. Was that a fluke? We shall see.

Of course, it's ridiculous to judge an entire season by four matches in one weekend. But this Saturday does give us a rare opportunity to compare and contrast first hand the top four versus the "best of the rest."

My hope, for the betterment of the league around the world and the entertainment value, is that shock results do happen this weekend. We need to see a higher level of play from all sides. We need to be convinced that this is a competitive league. We need to see the fear in the faces of the superstars. Lastly, we need to see how great they really are.

The more this can happen, the more it'll benefit the English game in general and, in my belief, better prepare English teams to do battle in the Champions League where they'll be facing much stiffer opposition.

Labels: Arsenal, blackburn, everton, four horse race, Liverpool, man united, portsmouth, spurs

This week's episode of the EPL Talk Podcast features an exclusive interview with former Premier League and England referee Graham Poll, author of a new autobiography entitled "Seeing Red."

In the lengthy interview, Poll answers a lot of questions about the proposed rule changes to the sport, his memories from that historic day at the Dell in 1996 between Southampton and Manchester United where Fergie had his side change strips at halftime and much more including his most memorable match he refereed.

Subscribe today via iTunes to get this episode and all future ones. Or you can go here to listen via the web.

Labels: graham poll, referee, seeing red

• Here are more details about Liverpool's new TV channel, LFC.tv, which is scheduled to go live on September 20. It's frustrating for Liverpool fans in the United States because no one will be carrying the channel over here. GolTV dropped its coverage of Liverpool TV at the end of last season. LFC.tv is produced by Setanta Sports but will not be available via Setanta Sports USA.
  
  
• New rules in the United Kingdom will force people moving to the country to take written and oral tests in English to prove they can communicate in the language. Conveniently, foreign players coming into the Premier League will be exempted from the new regulations.
  
  
• Columnist Brian Mcnally from The Sunday Mirror newspaper in England wasn't too pleased with BBC's opening to yesterday's England against Israel match. That said, he believes Setanta and ITV (when they have the rights to England matches beginning in 2008) will have a tough time surpassing the quality of BBC's Match of the Day team.
  

Labels: BBC, goltv, ITV, lfc.tv, liverpool tv, Setanta, sunday mirror

If you live in the United States and you can't decide whether to choose DirecTV, DISH Network, your local cable company or ITVN to watch as many soccer matches as possible, the next Premier League weekend will help answer that question for you.

When the English Premier League returns from the international break on Saturday, September 15, that Saturday will feature four massive matches:

• Everton v Manchester United
• Tottenham v Arsenal
• Portsmouth v Liverpool, and
• Chelsea v Blackburn.

Other matches will also be shown that morning (West Ham v Middlesbrough and Reading v Sunderland), but here's the conundrum about the matches involving the big four teams. Because the Champions League group stages kick off on Tuesday, September 18th, the big four in England will play their matches as early on Saturday as possible to allow players to recover for Champions League opposition.

That's fine except when you want to watch all of those matches on television. For example, Everton kicks off at 7am ET against Manchester United on Setanta Sports. Forty five minutes later, Setanta Xtra is showing Portsmouth against Liverpool starting at 7:45am ET, and 45 minutes after the Pompey-Liverpool kicks off, Fox Soccer Channel is showing Spurs against Arsenal in the north London derby at 8:30am ET.

This means that parts of the three huge matches will be played at the same time, so it's going to be quite a headache for those fans who prefer to watch matches live.

Thankfully, the other big clash that day (Chelsea v Blackburn) is at 12:15pm ET on Fox Soccer Channel.

To experience the matches the easiest way possible (whether it's live or recorded on your DVR or VCR player), DirecTV offers the best options. Setanta Xtra is only available on DirecTV, so if you have Setanta and Fox Soccer Channel, you'll be able to record all three matches that are playing simultaneously on DirecTV.

DISH Network and ITVN customers are unable to access Setanta Xtra, so they'll miss out on the Portsmouth against Liverpool match which promises to be an entertaining affair.

ITVN has an additional negative in that you can't record matches via the IPTV box (well, not officially) and Setanta On-Demand is no longer available, so you can't watch the recorded matches later.

Cable television, meanwhile, only offers Fox Soccer Channel, so you'd be missing out on the entire Setanta Sports and Setanta Xtra experience anyway.

To stay on top of the TV schedules for Premier League clubs in the U.S., bookmark http://www.epltalk.com/tvschedule

For what promises to be the biggest weekend in Premier League action so far this season, how will you decide which matches to watch?

Labels: DirecTV, fox soccer channel, ITVN, Setanta

During an international break, it's an unusual experience watching Euro 2008 qualifiers in the United States. The most talked about match, England against Israel, isn't even on U.S. television (it's only available via pay-per-view, so you have a choice between paying $30 to watch it at home, or pay $20 at the pub).

So, if you instead choose to watch Fox Soccer Channel on Saturday, you get to see three live matches which are 'B' matches that will be very predictable and won't create much excitement:

• Russia v Macedonia, 11am ET
  
• San Marino v Czech Republic, 2pm ET
  
• Iceland v Spain, 4pm ET

Setanta Sports, meanwhile, will be showing 'B' matches also such as:

• Malta v Turkey, 4:30pm ET
• Serbia v Finland, 6:30pm ET

The only exception from Setanta is the 'A' match between Sweden and Denmark at 2:30pm ET.

More interesting matches are available via pay-per-view (whether it's at home or at your local pub). Those matches include:

• Slovakia v Ireland, 2:30pm ET
• Portugal v Poland, 4pm ET

The best pick of the Euro 2008 qualifiers is GolTV's 2:40pm ET showing of Italy versus France from the San Siro in Milan. This one match has more appeal than all of the above matches put together in a must-win match for Italy to give them a decent chance of qualifying for Euro 2008 next summer.

It's a shame that some other good Euro 2008 matches being played this weekend aren't available via TV or closed-circuit TV or pay-per-view. These include Holland v Bulgaria, Scotland against Lithuania and Wales versus Germany.

To me, the United States has the coverage of the Premier League mastered with Fox Soccer Channel and Setanta Sports dividing the best matches and providing an exceptional viewing experience (in quality and quantity). When it comes to international matches, Setanta Sports switches its allegiance from paying customers to pubs across the nation. As a result, the people at home are forced to go to the pub if they want to watch a match.

Sure, international matches is a selling point for Setanta to provide these closed-circuit TV (CCTV) packages to pubs, but the quality of football on display -- for the most part -- doesn't justify the expense (for the pub owner or person paying $20). For me, the Champions League is far more entertaining than international football, but I do hope that the matches this weekend prove me wrong.

It's time for soccer international matches via closed-circuit TV to die a quick death. In modern times like now where so much football coverage available via broadband, it's crazy to force soccer fans to pay $20 to watch at a pub. If pubs want to bring fans into their establishments to watch matches, the pubs need to do more to win the punters hard-earned money. Offer free admission with the purchase of a pint. Create a soccer experience that fans where fans will want to leave their couches and drive to their nearest pub. Is that too hard to ask?

Labels: fox soccer channel, gol tv, Setanta

• Weekly highlights from Fox Soccer Channel are now available on TivoCast, a relatively new service for Tivo customers.
  
  
• Irish musician Sinead O'Connor, of all people, is the latest music artist to record a song for Fox Soccer Channel, which is now being aired on the channel. The Rising Sound's "Get In The Game" has been heard for months on the network.
  
  
• GolTV will be showing the Euro 2008 qualifier this Saturday at 2:50pm ET between Italy and France.
  
  
• A report from England says that Setanta Sports will struggle to find new subscribers.
  
  
• SkySports are reading what the masses are saying on Facebook and have made an important change to how the screen looks for matches on TV.
  

Labels: fox soccer channel, goltv

Fans and supporter groups outraged that there'll only be one 3pm GMT kickoff on Saturday, October 6th should calm down. What alternative would they prefer? That most of the matches be played on the Saturday? Then they'll complain that the clubs competing in the UEFA Cup will be too tired to play. You can't have it both ways.

Presumably in the United States, Setanta Sports will show the Aston Villa against West Ham United match on that Saturday at 10am ET, while the only other game that Saturday will be Manchester United against Wigan Athletic at 12:15pm ET on Fox Soccer Channel.

What will more intriguing is how Fox Soccer Channel and Setanta decide which matches to show on the Sunday, October 7th when there are eight matches taking place.

It's subject to change, but EPL Talk believes that the matches shown will be:

Arsenal v Sunderland, 7am ET, Setanta Sports
Reading v Derby County, 9am ET, Setanta Sports
Fulham v Portsmouth, 11:10am ET, Fox Soccer Channel

For the latest schedule of EPL matches on U.S. television, bookmark the EPL Talk TV Schedule page here.

The days of the traditional 3pm GMT kickoff on a Saturday have long gone. I completely understand why fans are upset. Traveling across England, especially for away fans, is an ordeal in itself and late or early kickoffs create difficulties for fans who are unable to find convenient transportation early in the day (or sometimes later in the day when trains stop running early; I've experienced this myself in Wales after being stuck on a platform in Cardiff).

So I sympathize with the fans but, nevertheless, we need to get used to these changes especially with TV having so much power over the sport in England.

Since the 2006 World Cup, everyone from daily newspapers to amateur broadcasters have jumped on the soccer/football podcast bandwagon attempting to grab market share and win over listeners with a superior product.

Out of the dozens of podcasts available on a regular basis, there are only two that consistently provide quality content and feature seasoned football pundits. Those two podcasts are Football Weekly from The Guardian and The Game Podcast from The Times.

Without a doubt, The Guardian was the hands-down winner last year with a comical podcast that included some of the characters from the most popular daily football email newsletter, The Fiver. But Football Weekly also proved that The Guardian could provide quality analysis of the top European leagues.

Last season's The Game Podcast from The Times, meanwhile, was a close second with expert analysis from Gabriele Marcotti, Guillem Balague, Tony Evans and a host of guests and journalists, but never reached its potential due to the clowning around by host Danny Kelly.

This season, it's a different story altogether. After some changes in the summer, The Game Podcast is back on a weekly basis sans Danny Kelly but with Gabriele Marcotti taking the reigns alongside Guillem Balague. The result is a much more informative and intelligent show. Even Bill Edgar seems more enlightened in the new format.

The changes on The Game Podcast have, without a doubt, moved the show into the top spot in football podcasting. Balague and Marcotti are sensational together. Both of them are able to debate topics in an intelligent manner. Plus, they tap their network to bring on excellent guests. Recent episodes have included Jamie Carragher and Mikael Arteta.

The addition of the "Quickfire" segment on The Game Podcast is an excellent idea. Balague and Marcotti run through some of the major stories, and provide their opinions in a fast manner before quickly moving on to the next topic.

Not only has The Game Podcast improved by moving Danny Kelly out of the picture, but it's also enhanced by deciding not to include Alyson Rudd's singing contributions. While they were entertaining at first, the segment become belittling after a while. Also gone is the horrible sound effects segment led by Kelly.

How I personally rate and compare podcasts is on how much information I learn from each episode. In just a few episodes this season, I've already learned a lot about the inner workings of the game (such as transfers) from The Game Podcast.

With The Guardian's Football Weekly Podcast, however, there isn't as much to gain from the show in terms of education. Sure, the pundits offer good insight and analysis as well as their continuous laughs and cute one-liners. But, other than that, what's left?

The issues that Football Weekly seems to be experiencing so far this season are, first, the shows have become stale. Each episode is pretty predictable and despite the fact that the show has now added a Thursday 'Football Weekly Extra' episode, there doesn't seem to be enough quality content on the Thursday show to make it worthwhile other than trying to predict who'll win what games on the weekend (and what value does that add?).

Second, the show is desperately missing the presence of Barry Glendenning. Without the jovial Irish chap, the shows miss his comical delivery and wit. A Football Weekly without Glendenning is just an above-average podcast.

Third, the average Football Weekly podcast is just 35 minutes. The Game Podcast is 45 minutes. Ten minutes may not sound like much of a difference, but ten minutes to Football Weekly could allow the show to add a different segment and try new things.

Fourth and finally, Football Weekly tries to be too much to too many people. While The Game Podcast focuses mostly on English football, The Guardian squeezes in the english, spanish, italian, french and german leagues. Commendable, yes, but by doing so, it shortchanges the Premier League. The Guardian would be better off doing separate podcasts on each league so they could give the respective leagues the attention they deserve.

The Guardian doesn't seem like the type of organization that would change the format of Football Weekly at all during this season. The Times, meanwhile, was smart to make the moves they did in the summer and has a distinct advantage of a winning formula under its belt this early in the season.

As for The Fiver versus Ahead of The Game, that's a different story entirely and one which EPL Talk will be dissecting over the coming weeks.

Labels: football weekly, gabriele marcotti, guillem balague, podcasts, the game, the guardian, The Times

Author Dougie Brimson is this week's featured guest on the EPL Talk Podcast.

The Guardian describes Brimson as "football aggro's pornographer in chief," but he's better known by many as the screenwriter of the movie "Green Street Hooligans" starring Elijah Wood about the rivalry between West Ham United and Millwall hooligans.

Brimson is the author of nearly a dozen books on the topic of hooliganism, both fiction and non-fiction. His other books include "The Crew," "Billy's Log" and "Kicking Off."

During the interview, Brimson discusses his upcoming book on the topic of whether hooliganism could find a place in the United States. Plus he discusses how prevalent hooliganism is within the Premier League, the secrecy of Arsenal hooligans, his first memories of football matches and much more.

Subscribe to the podcast today via iTunes or listen now.

Labels: dougie brimson, green street hooligans, hooligans

At last, fans of Premier League football had an extremely entertaining Saturday to watch on television. The majority of entertaining matches in the season thus far (the few that have been) have been on Sundays.

Today was a perfect example of the difference in quality and tactics between Liverpool and Spurs. Both teams played against sides with woeful defenses. Spurs against Fulham, and Liverpool against Derby. Both Fulham and Derby looked dismal in the first half with plenty of defensive mistakes. Going forward, though, Liverpool and Tottenham were both extremely entertaining.

The difference though was that Liverpool was able to capitalize on their chances and keep their defensive line in order. Spurs, meanwhile, looked exciting on the attack but missed so many simple chances to win the match but then allowed Fulham to get back into the match. So often is the complaint that Spurs only have one gameplan, which was evident today.

Aside from the differences in skill for all of the four teams involved, it made for extremely entertaining matches for TV viewers. Fulham's continued push to come back from being down 2-0 and 3-1 paid off after Kamara scored a brilliant overhead kick to pull Fulham level near the dying moments of the game.

Lots of worries for Spurs. Liverpool look unstoppable. Derby and Fulham have a lot of work to do.

With Derby, their defensive lapses were comical. I can't remember the last time I saw a Premier League side look as bad as that. Even Sunderland in previous seasons were more skilled. And with the transfer window closed for Derby manager Billy Davies, he has to make do with what he has. It's mission impossible, but let's see what Davies can do. If he can get Derby out of trouble and to stay up in the Premier League this season, he'll deserve the manager of the season award. Honestly.

Labels: derby county, fulham, Liverpool, spurs

Watching Through The Night from Sky Sports, their nightly sport news show, is usually an enjoyable experience. But Friday night's episode on the final night of the August transfer window was so full of hype and nonsense that I had a sickly feeling in the pit of my stomach.

The show was on Sky Sports from 11pm to midnight UK time, but was shown slightly tape-delayed (as it always is) in the US on Fox Soccer Channel from 7-8pm ET.

With the transfer window closing at midnight, the Sky news announcers were foaming at the prospect of a major signing being unveiled on the show. Except that a major signing never happened.

Instead, what we got was laughable. Across the crawl at the very bottom of the screen, the words "Breaking News: Shefki Kuqi joins Fulham from Crystal Palace" were the biggest "scoop." The Sky Sports news announcers kept on going to their reporter standing outside West Ham's Boleyn Ground to see if any major deal had been done at the eleventh hour. It hadn't.

I felt sorry for the reporter standing outside the ground in the middle of the night with nothing of substance to report. But the problem was all Sky and their building up of the hype to grab the viewer's attention. The danger is when nothing happens -- as it did last night -- the hype falls flat on its face.

It would have been better for Sky to report on the news as they usually do, but only break in when huge transfer signing announcements were announced. But for Sky, that would be too boring in their books.

Labels: sky sports

Another summer transfer window has come and gone. Last August, we were salivating at the prospect of all of those Italian World Cup heroes coming to play in England for large amounts of dosh. Most of them were players from Juventus, yes, but we were told there would be an exodus. There wasn't.

This past transfer window that just concluded had the same hype about it. Names were tipped such as Ronaldinho, Riquelme, Adriano, Alves, Villa and many others. None of them arrived.

Instead not one foreign superstar joined an English club this transfer window from a club outside Britain. The closest we got was Elano from Shakhtar Donetsk to Man City (hardly a star, but a great signing indeed) and Juliano Belletti from Barcelona to Chelsea (an aging right back).

Leaving England for foreign shores were too world-class international players: Arjen Robben and Gabriele Heinze. While both players have been plagued by injuries, they were untouchable in the Premier League when they were on top of their game.

Coincidentally, Robben and Heinze have both headed to Real Madrid -- the club that bought the biggest foreign star to leave England during the August 2006 transfer window: Ruud van Nistelrooy.

While England may feature the world's most popular sports league, the Premier League isn't as appealing to star players as Spain and Italy. Part of the reason is the style of play in those countries where players have more time on the ball and matches, for the most part, feature more skillful moments. The other part is the foreign stars feel more at home in a mediterranean country than England.

The only thing that can bring in more foreign stars from outside Britain is money. And even money doesn't guarantee anything.

Labels: adriano, alves, riquelme, ronaldinho