The highlight games for this weekend’s action are LEICESTER versus MAN CITY and FULHAM versus EVERTON. Our feature columnist, John Newsome previews these as well as all game week 14 matches with his unique and insightful commentary. You can view all previous analysis from John’s regular column here: English Premier League Predictions For Saturday.
Please note all prices quoted below were correct at the time of publication
Game Week-14
Saturday 29th
LEICESTER v MAN CITY
12.30 in England
BT Sport
The Foxes got the better of the Wolves on Sunday in the David Attenborough Derby, with Brendan’s Wonderfuls inflicting a devastating defeat on Steve’s Gold and Blacks by a 4-0 score.
Youri Tielemans and Harvey Barnes scored a goal apiece before 20 minutes were up on the clock, making the half-time pie (Chicken Balti) taste sweet at the break.
Youri’s volley was as sweet as one could possibly imagine.
It was then the ‘Jimmy Show’ with James Maddison adding a 3rd in the 65th minute and the Sheffield Superstar Jamie Vardy rounding off the scoring in the 79th minute to lift Leicester off the foot of the table.
The Foxes jump out of the relegation places and sit 17th in the table with 11 points from 11 fixtures completed.
It appears that the pressure has eased on little Brendan Rodgers and as mentioned in this EveryTip column last week, Leicester play some scintillating football at times and if the Foxes can string a few positive results together, Brendan’s Wonderfuls should be mid-table in no time.
Man City got back on track on Saturday following the defeat against Liverpool a fortnight ago.
Pep’s High Flying Blues got a victory against Roberto’s Seagulls at the Etihad by a 3-1 score.
The Brighton Defenders came up against that man Erling Haaland, who continued the goal-scoring for City notching the 1st after 22 minutes.
The Seagulls then conceded a penalty just before the break and Erling thought,
‘This one’s mine!’ after the last spot-kick awarded to City was missed by Riyad Mahrez against Copenhagen in the Champions League.
The Goal Machine wasn’t missing and converted to give Man City a comfortable lead at the break.
The penalty resulting from a foul on Bernardo Silva was a little soft with the VAR getting involved, asking the on-field referee Craig Pawson to have a look at the monitor.
Whilst this was happening, a thought came into John Newsome’s head which was,
‘Are the on-field referees now deciding not to award penalties in real-time and relying on the Stockley Park gang to decide?’
Although the foul appeared soft, Craig Pawson should have made the decision initially and then wait for the dreaded Video Assistant Referee to check if an error had been made.
There was an incident earlier that saw the Brighton goalkeeper catch Erling which was a clear foul, yet Craig Pawson and the VAR both ignored it.
After rethinking that decision, was the foul on Bernardo Silva given due to the dreaded missing the incident between the ‘keeper and the Goal Machine?
Brighton reduced the deficit just after the restart before Kevin De Bruyne got in on the goals and scored a superb long-range effort to give the home team the comfortable win.
The 3 points gained give City 26 from the opening 11 fixtures, however, the gap at the top of the Premier League table was reduced slightly following Arsenal’s draw against Southampton on Sunday.
Pep 1 is now just 2 points adrift of Pep 2, with Man City sitting in 2nd place and Arsenal at the summit.
Erling Haaland has scored 17 Premier League goals in 11 games which is simply remarkable.
Added to that, there are 5 goals in the Champions League and that’s just from 3 of the 4 games Man City have played in that particular competition, as Mr Guardiola gave the Norwegian/Leeds lad a night off against Copenhagen.
The current goals-to-games ratio for Erling in the Premier League is just over 1.5, meaning that if this continues, the Big Lad will be close to scoring 58 goals over the 38 games.
Man City take on Borussia Dortmund in Match-Day-5 of the Champions League Group Stage away in Germany on Tuesday.
A single Bernardo Silva goal after the break was the difference between these two teams in last season’s encounter at the King Power, giving Pep’s High Flying Blues the victory over Brendan’s Wonderfuls by a 1-0 away day scoreline.
Betfred offer Leicester at 10/1, the draw at 5/1 and Odds On 2/7 for Man City to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 7/5 that Jamie Vardy Scores Anytime and Evens 1/1 that there are Over 3.5 Goals.
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BOURNEMOUTH v TOTTENHAM
15.00 in England
After 6 fixtures unbeaten under Caretaker Gary O’Neil the broom is in need of a new handle following 2 defeats in a row.
The Cherries headed to the London Stadium for the Monday Night Football but the hosts were too good, with West Ham inflicting a defeat on Bournemouth by a 2-0 score.
Both goals were conceded at the end of each half which suggests the Cherries players switched their attention to the half-time refreshments in the dressing rooms and the full-time alcohol in the hospitality.
Are the 2 defeats in succession persuading the new owners to rethink Gary’s position and go for a stellar name?
Or are Mr O’Neil and his boys just going through a bad patch?
Only time will tell whether Gary gets the permanent Managers job but another defeat against Tottenham might just sway the decision to end the Caretaker and appoint someone else.
Bournemouth sit in 14th place with 13 points from 12 fixtures played.
14,13,12.
Tottenham suffered back-to-back losses on Sunday, suffering a defeat against Newcastle by a 2-1 scoreline.
That was following, Wednesday’s game against Manchester United where United got the victory.
After conceding twice against the Magpies, Spurs went in at the break trailing.
Harry Kane headed home from close range, just after the restart to halve the deficit, however, Tottenham couldn’t add to that and with no further goals, ultimately suffered the defeat.
Antonio Conte’s Spurs remain in 3rd place in the Premier League table with 23 points from 12 fixtures played.
There is talk that the slump in form is because Antonio is stalling on signing a new contract putting uncertainty in the players’ minds.
Possibly?
However, Manchester United and Newcastle both played exceptionally well against Tottenham and a defeat or two has been coming if one looks at the displays in the previous few games.
Tottenham were lucky against Everton and Brighton to come away with the points and have conceded goals in the Champions League plus a couple of goals against Leicester although scored 6.
The real problem, in John Newsome’s opinion, is Spurs are missing Dejan Kulusevski who hasn’t played since the middle of September.
Dejan is a superb player and enhances an already good set of Tottenham players.
Once the Swede is back (yes Dejan Kulusevski hails from Sweden) Antonio and his Spurs should get back on track and have an upturn in fortune.
Tottenham host Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday in Match-Day-5 of the Champions League Group Stages.
It was July 2020 when Jose Mourinho’s Spurs last ventured down to the Vitality to take on Eddie Howe’s Cherries.
There isn’t much more to say with both teams gaining a point from a (bore) draw by a 0-0 scoreline.
It’s not a guarantee that there will be goals today.
Betfred offer Bournemouth at 9/2, the draw at 3/1 and slight Odds On 4/6 for Tottenham to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer Evens 1/1 that Harry Kane Scores Anytime and 11/10 that there are Under 2.5 Goals.
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BRENTFORD v WOLVES
15.00 in England
Brentford felt the full force of the Aston Villa bounce-back-ability following the sacking of Steven Gerrard.
In Sunday’s fixture at Villa Park, the Bees suffered a defeat by a 4-0 scoreline, with 3 goals conceded in the 1st-half and the 4th after the break.
Brentford and Aston Villa do have history with the ex-Bees boss, Dean Smith leaving Griffin Park to take over at Villa Park back in 2018, helping guide the Claret and Blues back to the Premier League.
This then led to Dean’s Assistant, Thomas Frank taking over the hot seat at Brentford.
There is even talk now that Aston Villa are going to go into Brentford again and ask Thomas if he wants to head up the M6 to the Midlands.
The defeat against Villa on Sunday was predicted by John Newsome in this EveryTip column as once the news came through that Stevie G was gone, it was thought that the Caretaker Manager at Villa Park would get a new tune out of his players who appeared to have downed tools for Mr Gerrard.
Brentford sit in 11th place with 14 points from 12 fixtures played.
Wolves are now sat in 19th place in the Premier League table following another defeat, this time against Leicester on Sunday.
That’s back-to-back losses for the Caretaker Manager Steve Davis (not the Snooker player!) who has been told that he is in the role for the foreseeable future and at least until after the World Cup has finished in December.
A quick side note regards the World Cup in Qatar, there are 3 more Premier League Game Weeks left including this weekend.
That’s fixtures over the weekend of the 29th of October and the 5th and 12th of November, then the Premier League stops until Boxing Day (26th of December).
There will be a preview or three about the World Cup so keep returning to this EveryTip column regularly.
As for Wolves, the Gold and Blacks faithful at Molineux saw their idols concede 2 goals in both halves, to suffer the home defeat against the Foxes by a 4-0 scoreline.
That leaves Wolves 2nd bottom of the table with 9 points from 12 fixtures played.
All 3 teams in the relegation zone have the same 9 points, however, Leeds United (in 18th place) have played a game less than Wolves and Nottingham Forest.
The Caretaker Manager, Steve Davis will be hoping his Snooker Balls (Wolves Squad) can start finding the pockets (scoring goals) and string a break together to pull away from the drop zone.
Diego Costa is a great player and is possibly too good for Wolves so could be poached away in January if fortunes don’t improve at Molineux.
Back in January 2022, Bruno’s Gold and Blacks gained the away day victory against Thomas’s Bees at the Gtech, with Wolves inflicting a defeat on Brentford by a 2-1 scoreline.
After a goalless 1st-half, Joao Moutinho scored just after the restart.
Ivan Toney equalised in the 71st minute with Ruben Neves scoring the winner 7 minutes later.
This was a period where Brentford were struggling just before the introduction of Christian Eriksen came along and changed the Bees’ fortunes.
Betfred offer Brentford at 6/5, the draw at 5/2 and 5/2 for Wolves to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 4/1 that Ivan Toney Scores First and 13/5 that Brentford Win To Nil.
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BRIGHTON v CHELSEA
15.00 in England
The Graham Potter Derby.
This will be an emotional day for Graham, making a quick return to the Amex.
It’s hoped the Seagulls in attendance give the lad a good ovation.
Brighton put up a bit of a fight at the Etihad on Saturday but in truth, Man City were just too good.
The Seagulls Centre-Backs, Lewis Dunk, Joel Veltman and Adam Webster came up against the Norwegian/Leeds goal machine.
For those unsure why John Newsome refers to Erling Haaland as the Norwegian/Leeds lad, it’s because although Mr Haaland’s parents are from Norway, Erling was born in Leeds/England while his dad Alf-Inge was a player at Elland Rd annoying Roy Keane.
Lewis, Joel and Adam couldn’t compete with Erling who scored the opener and then converted a penalty to leave Brighton trailing at the break.
Leandro Trossard halved the deficit early in the 2nd-half but the Seagulls then conceded a 3rd and with no further goals, suffered an away day defeat by a 3-1 scoreline.
The travelling Seagulls flew back home, disappointed that this was another defeat, the 3rd in the 5 games that Roberto De Zerbi has taken charge of, with 2 draws thrown in.
Two points from a possible 15, which needs improving to halt the slide down the table.
Brighton now sit in 9th place with 15 points, 13 of which were gained under Graham Potter.
Any of the Seagull faithful that want to have a go at Graham today for leaving should just bear that in mind.
Reece James was unfortunately injured in the Champions League fixture against AC Milan but instead of wallowing in self-pity, at the prospect of missing the World Cup with England in Qatar, decided to dress up as a Christmas Tree and watched the fixture against United from the stand.
After a goalless 1st-half at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, Chelsea were awarded a penalty after the break for a bit of grappling by Scott McTominay on Armando Broja.
The on-field referee Stuart Attwell had no option but to point to the spot and didn’t need any help from the Stockley Park gang, which was lucky really because the girls and boys were watching Strictly on BBC 1.
Jorginho never misses a penalty (unless he’s taking one for Italy in a shootout against England at Wembley in the Euro’20 Final!) and coolly slotted home past a helpless David De Gea.
When it looked like Graham’s New Blue Wizards would gain the victory, Erik’s Reds scored a late equaliser in the 94th minute, which was given by the Goal Line Technology.
The game had a draw written all over it and finished with a 1-1 score as predicted by John Newsome in this EveryTip column last week.
There was a stat thrown out saying that the fixture between Chelsea and Manchester United had produced the most amount of draws in Premier League history, along with Everton v Liverpool.
Chelsea sit in 5th place at the moment with 21 points from 11 fixtures played.
Newcastle also have 21 points but sit in 4th place with a superior goal difference, however, have completed 12 games.
Manchester United are in 6th, a point adrift of Chelsea and Newcastle.
Chelsea take on RB Salzburg in the Champions League on Tuesday before this visit to the Amex.
When Thomas’s Blue Engines took on Graham’s Wizards on the South Coast last season, both shared the points from a draw by a 1-1 score.
Hakim Ziyech scored for Chelsea just before the break, with Adam Webster equalising midway through the 2nd-half.
Betfred offer Brighton at 19/10, the draw at 12/5 and 8/5 for Chelsea to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 4/1 that Jorginho Scores Anytime and 10/3 that Chelsea Win To Nil.
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CRYSTAL PALACE v SOUTHAMPTON
15.00 in England
After 7 points were achieved in the previous 3 games against Leeds United, Leicester and Wolves, Crystal Palace couldn’t continue that form on Saturday and suffered a defeat at Goodison Park against Everton by a 3-0 scoreline.
Patrick’s Eagles conceded a goal before the break and 2 in the 2nd-half to ultimately lose the game up on Merseyside.
Mr Vieira has assembled a good set of players and whilst a defeat wasn’t necessarily on the cards, just has to regroup the team and go again today at Selhurst Park where the 2 recent victories have been achieved.
Palace sit in 13th place with the same 13 points as Everton and Bournemouth but have only completed 11 fixtures, not the 12 that the Toffees and the Cherries have played.
Southampton got the 2nd-best result of Game Week-13 ( Nottingham Forest’s has to be the 1st) against Arsenal on Sunday.
After the Gunners had taken the lead in the 1st-half, the Stuart of the Armstrong’s scored an equaliser for the home team and with no further goals, Wreck-It Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints gained a great point against Mikel Arteta’s Young Guns from a draw by a 1-1 score.
The point gives Southampton 12 from 12 fixtures played, the same 12 as Aston Villa.
Whilst Southampton are not necessarily pulling up trees at the moment, there are at least 4 teams that are in the mix to be relegated being so poor, so the Saints should be ok, it’s just whether the faithful will accept the fact that’s their idols are always going to be in the bottom half of the table.
There was a mixed response on Social Abuse sites regards the attire of Ralph Hasenhuttl.
Some were happy that Wreck-It had failed in the audition for a part on Peaky Blunders, meaning that Ralph was still in the Southampton training gear on the touchline against Arsenal.
Others, not so much and have refused to pay this month’s TV Licence instalment until Ralph gets a part on the popular BBC programme.
At Selhurst Park last season, Southampton headed up to South London to take on Crystal Palace just before Christmas.
Wilfried Zaha scored the opener before James Ward-Prowse and Armando Broja notched to take the Saints in leading at the break.
Jordan Ayew equalised midway through the 2nd-half and with no further action, both shared the points from a draw by a 2-2 score.
The Archbishop was happy.
Betfred offer Crystal Palace at slight Odds On 19/20, the draw at 13/5 and 16/5 for Southampton to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 7/5 that Wilfried Zaha Scores Anytime and 2/1 that Crystal Palace Score in Both Halves.
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***Premier League Team of the Week***
GOALKEEPER- Dean Henderson- Nottingham Forest
RIGHT-BACK- Kieran Trippier- Newcastle
CENTRE-BACK- Steve Cook- Nottingham Forest
CENTRE-BACK- Wout Faes- Leicester
LEFT-BACK- Luke Shaw- Manchester United
MIDFIELDER- Casemiro- Manchester United
MIDFIELDER- James Maddison
MIDFIELDER- Miguel Almiron- Newcastle
FORWARD- Taiwo Awoniyi- Nottingham Forest
FORWARD- Jamie Vardy- Leicester
FORWARD- Erling Haaland- Man City
STAR MAN- Taiwo Awoniyi- Nottingham Forest
NEWCASTLE V ASTON VILLA
15.00 in England
Newcastle gained a great result on Sunday against Tottenham at the Chas and Dave Memorial Stadium.
After Nottingham Forest against Liverpool and Southampton against Arsenal, some might say that this was the 3rd best of Game Week-13.
The Toon Army, who didn’t get back to Newcastle until Monday morning, would probably state that it was the best result out of the 10 from the weekend, however, some of the Foot Soldiers are still trying to use their Greggs Loyalty Card to get through the barrier at Kings Cross.
There are a few of the staff working in the bars on the concourse at the Chas and Dave Memorial Stadium that are still bewildered with the Toon Army and tried using Google Translate but the loveable Silicon Valley resident had no chance of turning Geordie into Cockney/Australian.
‘Good day mate!’
‘Hoo much?’
Callum Wilson scored on the half-hour mark with Miguel Almiron adding a superb 2nd soon after to give Eddie’s Magpies a convincing lead at the break.
Harry Kane did score his obligatory goal in the 2nd-half but it proved to be just a consolation with Newcastle holding on for the victory by a 2-1 away day score.
The brilliant win lifts Eddie Howe’s Black and Whites into 4th place (just behind Tottenham) with 21 points from 12 fixtures played.
Chelsea also have 21 but are now 5th with Newcastle having a better goal difference.
At the start of the season, John Newsome, in this superb EveryTip column, predicted that Newcastle would finish in the Top Six, however, that prediction could be easily eclipsed with Eddie Howe and his set of Magpies doing brilliantly at the moment.
That’s without Allan Saint-Maximin too, who is currently injured, once Allan SM is back, Newcastle could easily finish in any of the Champions League places this term.
Miguel has scored 6 goals so far, joining James Maddison, Leandro Trossard, Phil Foden and Roberto Firmino with that 6 tally.
Toon Army! Toon Army!
Aston Villa produced a superb display on Sunday inflicting a defeat on Brentford by a 4-0 scoreline.
It does appear from the outside that the players had downed tools and were not listening to Steven Gerrard anymore, or maybe couldn’t understand the Scouse accent.
Either way, Stevie G is no more and Villa, under the Caretaker guidance of Aaron Danks were excellent against the Bees.
First-half goals from Leon Bailey and a couple from Danny Ings gave Villa a comfortable lead at the break.
Leon’s goal came 67-seconds after the opening whistle.
Danny’s 2 were scored before 15 minutes were up on the clock, the 2nd being a converted penalty.
Steven Gerrard’s Claret and Blues handbook was ripped up by Aaron who sent his chargers out in a 4-2-3-1 formation that stretched the Brentford Back-Line, producing a stunning display.
Ollie Watkins added a 4th on the hour mark and with no further goals, the Villains witnessed their idols get the victory.
Although Steven Gerrard was flourishing at Rangers which prompted the Villa hierarchy to bring the boy down to the Midlands, it has been stated that the Assistant Manager at Ibrox, Michael Beale was the real reason that the Teddy Bears were successful.
Michael has been rumoured to be on the Wolves’ new managers shortlist but at the minute Mr Beale, who some won’t even have heard of, has taken Queens Park Rangers to the top of the Championship, so could quite possibly be a Premier League Manager next season without leaving Loftus Rd.
Following the superb victory against Brentford, Aston Villa sit in 15th place with 12 points from 12 fixtures completed.
A point a game.
***********BREAKING NEWS**************
Aston Villa have appointed the ex-Arsenal boss, Unai Emery as their permanent Manager.
A Kieran Trippier goal just before the half-time whistle was the difference between these two at St James Park last season.
Eddie Howe’s Magpies gained the points over Steven Gerrard’s Claret and Blues by a 1-0 scoreline, however, Stevie G won’t be on the losing team today as he’s busy at the Job Centre.
Betfred offer Newcastle at slight Odds On 17/20, the draw at 11/4 and 7/2 for Aston Villa to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 23/10 that Miguel Almiron Scores Anytime and 21/10 that Newcastle Win To Nil.
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FULHAM v EVERTON
17.30 in England
Sky Sports
Fulham got the better of Leeds United at Elland Rd on Sunday, gaining the away day victory by a 3-2 scoreline.
Leeds scored first after 20 minutes, with
Aleksandar Mitrovic heading the equalising goal 6 minutes later, to take both teams in level at the break.
Bobby Decordover-Reid scored midway through the 2nd-half before the excellent Willian added a 3rd in the 84th minute.
That wasn’t the end of the scoring with Leeds pulling a goal back in injury time but luckily for the Cottagers, the referee blew the final whistle to give Marco Silva’s Boys the points by a narrow 1-goal margin.
Will-i-an has somehow gone under the radar at Craven Cottage but is producing the goods and is a real coup for Marco Silva’s Men.
That’s back-to-back wins for Fulham who sit in 7th place with 18 points from 12 fixtures played, which is simply brilliant for the newly promoted team.
The Toffees halted the losing streak on Saturday afternoon, after 3 straight defeats.
Frank Lampard’s Everton gained a victory against Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace by a 3-0 scoreline.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored his first goal of the season after 11 minutes to give the home team a lead at the break.
Anthony Gordon then scored midway through the 2nd-half, before Dwight McNeil added a 3rd late on to give Everton their 3rd victory of the season.
Frank’s Blues sit in 12th place with 13 points from 12 fixtures played.
Palace and Bournemouth have 13 points also.
The Red half of Merseyside have 3 points more following the defeat against Nottingham Forest on Saturday which did please the Blue half of the City.
The dogs on Merseyside covered their ears as all they could hear were the Scousers, some screaming with joy and some shouting in anger.
It’s almost 2 years ago since the Toffees last headed down to London to take on the Cottagers.
Both teams were under the guidance of different Managers, with Scott Parker in charge of Fulham and Carlo Ancelotti at the Everton helm.
In a very entertaining 5-goal thriller, the away team gained the victory by a 3-2 score.
(Bit like at Elland Rd last Sunday!)
The goals went in as follows-
Everton- 1st Minute- Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Fulham- 15th Minute- Bobby Decordover Reid
Everton- 29th Minute- Abdoulaye Doucoure
Half-time cup of Bovril.
Fulham- 70th Minute- Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Full-time pint of beer, (other beverages are available!)
It’s worth adding that Fulham missed a penalty in the 68th Minute (Ivan Cavaleiro!)
Betfred offer Fulham at 11/8, the draw at 5/2 and 21/10 for Everton to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 6/5 that Aleksandar Mitrovic Scores Anytime and Evens 1/1 that there are Under 2.5 Goals.
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LIVERPOOL v LEEDS UNITED
19.45 in England
Sky Sports
Note the new kickoff time being 19.45 on Saturday evening due to Liverpool’s Champions League commitment the following week.
‘Pool, Pool are falling apart again, Pool, Pool are falling apart again.’
Jurgen’s Reds suffered a defeat against Steve’s Tricky Trees in Saturday’s early kickoff.
One has not read that incorrectly, Nottingham Forest inflicted a defeat on Liverpool by a 1-0 scoreline, which has to be the upset of the season and one of the biggest shock results in recent times.
The new Anfield Superstar Darwin Nunez who is evolving (sorry!) into a fans’ favourite was missing from the Match-Day squad due to injury but with Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino up top, Liverpool should still have been too strong for Forest.
After a goalless 1st-half at the City Ground, Jurgen’s Reds conceded just after the restart and with no further goals, suffered the shock defeat.
Forest were a massive 12/1 to get the victory over the Odds On favourite Liverpool, so it’s hoped that a few out there had a few Bob on the Tricky Trees and enjoyed a good night out in West Bridgford and surrounding areas.
West Bridgeford is a suburb of Nottingham where the City Ground is.
Liverpool sit in 8th place in the table with 16 points from 11 fixtures played.
The Reds head to the Netherlands on Wednesday to take on Ajax in the Champions League Group Stage.
‘Leeds, Leeds are falling apart again, Leeds, Leeds are falling apart again.’
The season peaked for Leeds United back at the end of August, when Jesse Marsch’s White gained an incredible victory against Chelsea.
The word ‘incredible’ is not too strong considering what has happened since the 27th of August 2022 and the Chelsea game.
Leeds have played 8 Premier League games since and suffered defeats in 6 of those, with a couple of drawn games.
That’s 2 points gained from a possible 24 which is simply not good enough.
Sunday’s fixture at Elland Rd against Fulham, produced another defeat, the 4th in succession, with the Cottagers getting the victory by a 3-2 score.
Rodrigo scored the opener for Leeds before Fulham equalised to take both teams in level at the break.
The away team then added 2 more and with 91 minutes up on the clock, Crysencio Summerville (real name!) scored to pull a goal back but unfortunately, time ran out for the Whites and another defeat was on the record.
John Newsome has to admit that Crysencio is not a name that has been heard before.
Jesse’s Whites have 9 points from the opening 11 fixtures completed and now join Wolves and Nottingham Forest in the relegation zone, with all three teams having the same 9 points.
Leeds United have played a game less than the other two and sit in 18th place with a slightly superior goal difference.
Worryingly for the West Yorkshire puddings the 9 points achieved so far from 11 games, is less than Leeds had from the first 11 fixtures of last season.
Marcelo’s Whites had 11 points at this stage.
A dire opening run that contributed to Mr Bielsa being sacked and replaced by Mr Marsch.
The current points haul is the least gained at this stage of a campaign since the 2003/04 season when the Whites were relegated from the Premier League.
The Drama Queen that is Jesse Marsch appears to have the backing of the Leeds United board, with the hierarchy coming out after the latest defeat and saying that there’s no plan to change the Manager.
That said, it doesn’t necessarily mean anything as the dreaded Vote of Confidence from a board usually results in a trip to the Job Centre.
This relegation battle against Jurgen’s Reds might just see Jesse Marsch down the concrete.
Marching On Together.
(Back to the Championship!)
The West Yorkshire puddings needed all of their fingers and toes to keep track of the score when Marcelo Bielsa took his Whites along the M62 to Anfield to take on Jurgen’s Reds last season.
Mo Salah scored the 1st after 15 minutes, converting a penalty, with Joel Matip adding a 2nd on the half-hour mark.
Mo Salah then converted another penalty (those White Rascals kicking everyone!) after 35 minutes to give Liverpool a lead at the break.
Liverpool then went 35 minutes of the 2nd-half without scoring until Sadio Mane scored twice and Virgil Van Dijk added the 6th in the 93rd minute, giving Jurgen’s Reds the victory over Marcelo’s Whites by 6-0 scoreline.
A few of the West Yorkshire puddings only thought it was 5-0 as they can’t count after that.
It’s worth mentioning that in the 4 fixtures since Leeds United have been back in the Premier League, the game between the two has produced a total of 18 goals, with Liverpool getting the victory in 3 of the 4 and a draw from the other.
Betfred offer Liverpool at Odds On 1/3, the draw at 5/1 and 8/1 for Leeds United to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 4/1 that Mo Salah Scores Two Plus Goals and 8/5 that Liverpool Win To Nil.
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Sunday 30th
ARSENAL v NOTTINGHAM FOREST
14.00 in England
Arsenal gained a point on Sunday against Southampton at St Mary’s.
After seeing Man City reduce the gap at the summit of the Premier League table to just 1 point the day before, Mikel Arteta’s Young Guns couldn’t get the victory against the Saints and could only manage a draw by a 1-1 score.
Granit Xhaka scored the Gunners’ goal after 11 minutes to give the away team a lead at the break.
Southampton equalised midway through the 2nd-half and with Arsenal unable to break down a stubborn Saints defence both teams shared the points.
Pep 2’s Gunners remain at the summit of the Premier League with 28 points from the opening 11 fixtures played, however, now just 2 points ahead of Pep 1’s Blues.
John Newsome predicts that Man City will eventually overhaul Arsenal, possibly before the mid-season break for the World Cup.
Arsenal head to the Netherlands on Thursday to take on PSV Eindhoven in the Europa League.
Nottingham Forest not only gained the result of the weekend but quite possibly one of the shocks in a Premier League fixture for many a campaign.
After a goalless 1st-half against Liverpool at the City Ground in the early Saturday afternoon kickoff, Taiwo Awoniyi scored the solitary winning goal for the home team to inflict the surprise defeat on the away team by a 1-0 score.
The Tricky Trees faithful in attendance at the City Ground understandable went berserk once the final whistle blew gaining just the 2nd victory of the campaign.
There are 3 drawn games in the opening 12 fixtures meaning those good at Math will have worked out, that Nottingham Forest have 9 points.
The only downside to the brilliant result is Forest are still at the foot of the Premier League table along with Wolves and Leeds United, with all having 9 points.
Leeds have played a game less than Forest and Wolves.
Steve Cooper and his Tricky Trees now need to build on that brilliant victory and hope the confidence gained gives Forest the momentum to jump out of the drop zone.
That said, this will be another tough fixture against the current league leaders.
Arsenal have faced Nottingham Forest several times in various Cup competitions over the past few years, however, the last time in the Top Flight at the home of Arsenal (Highbury at the time) was in August 1998 in Game Week-1 of the 1998/99 Premier League campaign.
Arsene Wenger was in charge of the Gunners, who had just won the title a couple of months earlier and sent out the following players for the opening fixture,
Arsenal- David Seaman, Lee Dixon, Tony Adams, Martin Keown, Nigel Winterburn, Marc Overmars, Ray Parlour, Emmanuel Petit, Patrick Vieira, Nicolas Anelka and Dennis Bergkamp
Substitutes- None
David Bassett was in charge of Forest at the time and chose,
Nottingham Forest-
Dave Beasant, Steve Chettle, Jon-Olav Hjelde, Craig Armstrong, Alan Rogers, Thierry Bonalair, Glyn Hodges, Andy Johnson, Steve Stone, Geoff Thomas and Jean-Claude Darcheville.
Substitutes-
Des Little for Jon-Olav Hjelde 46th Minute
Dougie Freedman for Jean-Claude Darcheville 80th Minute
Marlon Harewood for Andy Johnson 83rd Minute
If one was to say, as mentioned, that Arsenal had just won the 1997/98 Premier League title 3 months earlier and Nottingham Forest were relegated at the end of the 1998/99 campaign, then not many will be surprised that Arsene Wenger’s Gunners got the victory over David Bassett’s Tricky Trees, in the opening game, by a 2-1 away day score.
After a goalless 1st-half, Emmanuel Petit scored to give the home team the lead.
Geoff Thomas equalised for Forest in the 78th minute, however, the parity didn’t last long with Marc Overmars scoring the winner, a minute after Geoff’s goal.
A great start in the attempt to retain the Premier League title, however, it wasn’t to be as Manchester United regained the crown at the end of the season, With Arsenal finishing as runners-up and Nottingham Forest heading back to the Championship, finishing at the foot of the table.
David Bassett was in charge until January 1999, before being sacked and Ron Atkinson taking over.
As most of the regular readers of this superb EveryTip column know, John Newsome is a Barnsley FC fan.
So here goes regards the Forest team that day in August 1998.
David Bassett’s next job after leaving the City Ground was to take over as Manager of Barnsley in May 1999.
In Dave’s first season at Oakwell, Mr Bassett guided the Super Reds to the Championship Play-Off Final at the old Wembley Stadium where Barnsley suffered an emotional defeat against Ipswich by a 4-2 scoreline.
David brought with him to Yorkshire, Glyn Hodges as his Assistant Manager and Steve Chettle to bolster the Reds’ Defence.
All the best, David Bassett and Steve Chettle.
Geoff Thomas came to Oakwell with David and Steve and despite a few injuries, played well for Barnsley.
The ex-England International was a class above on the Yorkshire Hallowed Turf, however, if any don’t know the story, in 2003, Geoff was diagnosed with Leukaemia.
All the best Geoff Thomas, keep on keeping on!
After Mr Bassett left in December 2000, Glyn took over as Caretaker Manager for a few games then when Nigel Spackman was given the permanent Managers job at Oakwell, Glyn went back to sweeping up.
When Nigel left (sacked!) Mr Hodges was back as Caretaker Boss at Oakwell until Steve Parkin took over.
Is everyone still awake?
Steve then left (sacked!) and Glyn Hodges was back in temporary charge for the remainder of the 2002/03 campaign.
All the best Glyn Hodges.
A couple of other Forest players who played against Arsenal back in August 1998, also had brief spells at Oakwell.
Andy Johnson and his long brown locks turned up in 2007 but didn’t feature much.
Marlon Harewood found his way from Blackpool to Barnsley on loan in 2011, left and went to China but realised there is no place like South Yorkshire and returned to Oakwell.
Guangzhou City FC or Barnsley FC?
No contest, Barnsley has better Chinese Takeaways.
All the best Marlon Harewood.
(Marlon, Marlon, Marlon, Marlon, Marlon, Marlon, Marlon, Harewood!)
If everyone is still awake after all that Nottingham Forest/Barnsley chat, the Gooners could need an Abacus to keep up with the Arsenal goals today.
Betfred offer Arsenal at massive Odds On 1/5, the draw at 13/2 and 16/1 for Nottingham Forest to come away with all 3-points.
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MANCHESTER UNITED v WEST HAM
16.15 in England
Sky Sports
The kickoff time for this fixture has been brought forward by 15 minutes from the usual 16.30 start time to 16.15.
This is to allow both the Red Devils and the Hammers fans to catch the train back to London on time.
Added to that it’s really 17.15 but the British Summer Time has ended in England so the clocks go back in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Spring Forward, Fall Back!
That’s how John Newsome remembers the changing of the clocks.
In Friday’s Game Week-13 EveryTip column, John Newsome predicted a draw by a 1-1 score in the Chelsea v Manchester United fixture at Stamford Bridge.
After Scott McTominay had hauled Armando Broja down in the penalty area, the on-field referee, Stuart Attwell, without any hesitation or advice from the dreaded VAR, gave Chelsea a penalty.
Jorginho did what Jorginho does and with a hop stroked the ball past David De Gea.
With time running out, the most drawn fixture in the history of the Premier League, (along with Liverpool v Everton) looked to be going Chelsea’s way, until Casemiro headed the equaliser in the 94th minute.
The ball just about crossed the line and the referee had the goal confirmed by the Goal Line Technology watch on Stuart’s wrist.
The draw in the fixture that has produced the most draws in the last 30 years, (along with Liverpool v Everton, with both having 25 on the record) finally materialised.
Erik Ten Hag is starting to put his stamp on the Manchester United team and is not afraid to make some tough decisions.
Firstly, leaving out Cristiano Ronaldo for the game against Tottenham and when Cristiano stormed off down the tunnel in the final minutes, after refusing to come on as a substitute, Erik then suspended the Portuguese Legend for the game against Chelsea.
Fred had a very rare decent game against Tottenham, however, Erik the Red wasn’t afraid to drop the Brazilian to the bench and bring back Christian Eriksen.
Scott McTominay and Fred were both introduced after the break, however, Scott thought he was in the WWE (the wrestling not the wildlife) and resembling Mick McManus, grappled Armando Broja to the ground.
Following the draw against Chelsea, United sit 6th in the table with 20 points, a place and a point adrift of the Blues both having completed 11 games.
Manchester United take on the Sheriff on Thursday, Sheriff Tiraspol in the penultimate Europa League Group game of this campaign.
The loveable OzScot and Youngster are off to Old Trafford for the game and this fixture against West Ham.
The jammy rascals!
West Ham jumped up 3 places from 13th to 10th following Monday Night’s victory against Bournemouth.
Before the game, the Hammers had dropped to 17th but finished Game Week-13 in 10th.
Goals from the Cat Man Kurt Zouma and Said Benrahme both in added-on time at the end of each half gave the Hammers a victory over the Cherries by a 2-0 score.
If one doesn’t know why Kurt Zouma is referred to as the Cat Man, use Google!
As mentioned, West Ham now sit 10th in the table with 14 points from 12 fixtures completed.
Ones Forever Blowing Bubbles.
West Ham face Silkeborg in the Europa Conference League Group game on Thursday before heading to Old Trafford.
Ralph Rangnick was in charge of Manchester United in last season’s visit of West Ham to Old Trafford.
David Moyes is still smarting from his brief failed tenure as boss of United back in 2014 and things didn’t improve in January when the Red Devils inflicted a defeat on the Hammers by a 1-0 score.
Good-looking Dave had a smile on his face going into injury time with his Bubbles looking like a draw was on the cards, however, the smile turned upside down when Marcus Rashford scored the solitary winning goal in the 93rd minute.
David then had a conversation with Kurt Zouma, no one is sure what that was about.
Betfred offer Manchester United at Odds On 8/11, the draw at 3/1 and 4/1 for West Ham to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 2/1 that Christian Eriksen Scores Anytime and 11/10 that there are Under 2.5 Goals.
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Game Week-14 (1997/98)
Saturday 8th November 1997
SOUTHAMPTON v BARNSLEY
The Dell
15.00 in England
Growing up as a young football player and fanatic back in the 1970s on a Council Estate in Barnsley, one of John’s idols at the time was the Permed Wonder Kevin Keegan.
There was no internet back then so the go-to information sites were the Shoot or Match Football Magazines, plus the Daily Red Tops.
Kevin had left Liverpool in 1977 and headed to Germany, signing for Hamburg FC.
In the final game for the Merseyside club, Mr Keegan was part of the Liverpool European Cup-winning team that successfully inflicted defeat on Borussia Monchengladbach in Rome by a 3-1 scoreline.
This really was John Newsome’s first recollection of watching a big live television game.
Nowadays there is wall-to-wall TV coverage that youngsters can watch on telly, download on a laptop or peruse on Tik Tok via a mobile phone.
In the 1970s, TikTok was the sound the clock made, unless the battery had run out or vanished.
There were very few live football matches shown on TV.
The FA Cup Final was always on and folk made a day of it, England matches were usually shown live by the BBC or ITV and the World Cups of 1974 and 78 were on the Gogglebox.
John was too young to remember the 1974 World Cup in Germany and watched Argentina’78 avidly, so the 1977 European Cup Final was a rare treat for a young football fanatic.
After Emlyn Hughes had lifted the iconic Trophy aloft, Kevin had a quick bath, washed his beautiful black permed hair, had a splash of Brut and was off to Germany, having chosen Hamburg SV.
Currently, Hamburg are in the Bundesliga 2, the equivalent of England’s Championship but at the time, the Germans were in the Top Flight.
KK helped Hamburg to the Bundesliga Title in 1978/79 which then got the German club into the European Cup.
Back then it was only the winners of each individual country’s domestic First Division title that were invited into the top European Competition.
Not like today when the Top Four are in the Champions League, the winners of the Europa League and even two teams from the Scottish Pub League.
Hamburg SV, including Kevin Keegan, reached the Final of the European Cup in 1980 and took on Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest at the Bernabeu in Madrid.
Unfortunately for the Permed One and his new German mates, the Tricky Trees gained the victory by a 1-0 score, via a brilliant goal from John Robertson.
Mr Newsome remembers it well.
Kevin left Germany in 1980 after the European Cup Final and joined Southampton at The Dell.
There was never any situation back then that John Newsome would get the chance to go to see Mr Keegan play live on the South Coast, so when Barnsley eventually got into the Premier League, the fixture against Southampton away was one to look out for.
John was hoping that it would be on a bright Summers day, however, the friendly Premier League Fixture Compilers decided that the Super Reds would head South on Saturday the 8th of November 1997.
Before the start of the Premier League campaign in 1997, Southampton and Barnsley had only met once since 1959 and that was in a FA Cup game at The Dell in March 1985.
Barnsley gained the victory by a 2-1 away day score and progressed to the Quarter-Final where the Reds took on Liverpool at Oakwell.
The current European Cup holders at the time, inflicted a heavy defeat on Barnsley by a 4-0 score, with Ian Rush scoring a hat-trick and Ronnie Whelan getting the other.
(All 4 goals were scored in the 2nd-half!)
Just before the Game Week-14 fixture against Southampton at The Dell, the Saints travelled to Oakwell for a League Cup encounter in October, with the away team progressing by a 2-1 away night score.
There was no way that this EveryTip contributor wasn’t going to miss a trip to The Dell, having seen the old Stadium many times on the telly.
With the slim netting attached to the goalpost because the iconic ground was that compact.
It was too far from Barnsley to drive, (that’s John’s excuse and is sticking to it!) so this EveryTip contributor and a couple of mates jumped on the Official Coaches provided by the club.
Early Saturday morning, with frost on the ground, Danny Wilson’s Red and White Army were on the way South, armed with Tuna Sandwiches, pork pie and a couple of bottles of Coke (with the obligatory Smirnoff’s finest added, keep stum!)
It is a long trip from Barnsley to Southampton, around a 5-hour drive, give or take covering 200 or so miles.
So with blurry eyes following a Friday night session in Town, John was up early and off.
On reaching the South Coast and entering the Dell, it’s fair to say that John Newsome was awestruck, being finally able to see in real life, the historic Stadium that Alan Ball, Peter Shilton, Mark Wright, Alan Shearer and of course Kevin Keegan had graced, if only in a fleeting moment.
Southampton had a new idol in 1997, the excellent and brilliant Matthew Le Tissier.
Mr Le Tissier had played against Barnsley at Oakwell, a couple of weeks previously and scored one of the goals in the victory to knock Barnsley out of the Coca-Cola Cup, (should have been called the Smirnoff/Coca-Cola Cup!)
After a quick drink, it was into the stand to soak up The Dell atmosphere.
As Russ Abbot would say,
‘Oh, what an atmosphere!’
The Saints Manager, David Jones sent out the following to take on little old Barnsley,
Southampton-
Paul Jones, Jason Dodd, Francis Benali, Claus Lundekvam, Ken Monkou, Matt Oakley, Carlton Palmer, Kevin Richardson, Matt Le Tissier, Kevin Davies and David Hirst.
Substitutes-
Steve Basham for Matt Le Tissier 82nd Minute
Robbie Slater for David Hirst 82nd Minute
Danny Wilson’s starting eleven-
David Watson, Nicky Eaden, Ales Krizan, Arjan De Zeeuw, Adie Moses, Peter Shirtcliffe, Jovo Bosancic, Martin Bullock, Eric Tinkler, John Hendrie and Andy Liddell.
Substitutes-
Darren Sheridan for Peter Shirtliffe 46th Minute
Laurens Ten Heuvel for John Hendrie 56th Minute
Darren Barnard for Ales Krizan 62nd Minute
Once again, the established Premier League team gave the new boys from Yorkshire a football lesson.
Barnsley conceded a penalty in the opening 3 minutes.
There wasn’t any VAR back then, once the referee pointed to the spot, that was that.
It would have been interesting to find out what the crowd’s reaction would be back in 1997 when a decision was made but could potentially be changed.
Matt Le Tissier rarely missed a penalty and converted to give the home team an early lead.
Carlton ‘Carlton’ Palmer then scored the 2nd a couple of minutes later.
Kevin Davies added a 3rd before the break.
Barnsley were awarded a penalty just after Kevin’s goal to go in at half-time trailing.
The brilliant Serbian Jovo Bosancic converted the spot-kick with the usual penalty taker, Neil Redfearn, absent due to a slight injury.
David Hirst then scored just after the restart and with no further goals, the (not so) Super Reds suffered the away day defeat by a 4-1 scoreline.
It was a long journey home having navigated the post-match commotions.
It was also another defeat, the 10th from the 14 fixtures, with 3 wins and a draw from the other 4, leaving Barnsley at the foot of the table having 10 points.
Initially, although disappointed with the loss, John Newsome was up for a decent night out culminating in a dance at the Nightclub, however, the enthusiasm drained from John on the long journey home and it was straight to bed, once arriving back in Barnsley close to midnight.
Dreaming of the day trip to The Dell, where Kevin Keegan once played.
Oh, what an atmosphere!
The 4th goal scorer for Southampton, David Hirst is an original Barnsley Boy, emanating from a village called Cudworth, or as the locals call it,
‘Cud-erth.’
David signed for Sheffield Wednesday from Barnsley aged 18 and played alongside, Carlton Palmer, Danny Wilson and Peter Shirtliffe in the early 1990s.
The Cudworth Boy was a prolific goal scorer, earning a call-up to the England squad under Graham Taylor back in 1991.
Unfortunately, Mr Hirst was plagued by injuries so didn’t really push on to become a great International player but still had a successful career as a footballer and can be often heard on the airwaves working for several radio organisations.
All the best David Hirst.
Another Southampton player on show back in November 1997, was the ex-Toffee, Gunner and Villain, Kevin Richardson, who played for several other clubs as a combative Midfielder.
At the end of the 1997/98 campaign, Kevin made his way up to Yorkshire and signed for Barnsley, bringing his First Division and FA Cup Winners Medal with him gained at Everton in the mid-1980s.
The Barnsley Boys in the dressing room were in awe of the top Chocolates that KR had earned.
The Oakwell faithful remember Kevin fondly and wish the lad well for the future.
All the best Kevin Richardson.
Premier League Table November 1997.
15- Aston Villa 15 pts (minus-7 goals)
16- Tottenham 13 pts (minus-10 goals)
17- Everton 12 pts (minus-6 goals)
18- Bolton 12 pts (minus-11 goals)
19- Sheffield Wednesday 12 pts (minus-12
goals)
20- Barnsley 10 pts (minus-29 goals)
Home Win 4-1
The Pub League in Scotland had an innovative surprise last weekend, with the dreaded McVAR being introduced for the first time.
The loveable OzScot is over in the UK to join John Newsome and CSI Jonny at the Widsters’ wedding to Dr Helen this weekend.
This EveryTip column may just be a little different next week following the shenanigans at the Wedding where several alcoholic beverages will be partaken.
Apologies in advance.
Whilst in the UK Kylie and the youth went to Ibrox to watch Rangers on Saturday.
It turned out that ‘I’m Spinning around’ was a jinx for his beloved Teddy Bears with Rangers only managing a draw against Livingston (who? Doctor one presumes!) by a 1-1 score.
Rangers scored the equaliser in the 91st minute, with the on-field referee David Munro playing on until the home team scored.
Once the Gers had equalised, David played another 8 minutes to try and get the home team a winner but none was forthcoming and the Ibrox faithful had to settle for a point.
The hospitality lounge wasn’t happy with Kylie and the Boy, all booing at the two for preventing the victory.
Boo!
Celtic sit at the top of the Pub League, now 4 points ahead of Rangers with 30 points, following the Green and White Hoops victory against Hearts (who?) by a narrow 4-3 scoreline.
Ange Postecoglou is on the shortlist for a couple of Premier League vacant Managers positions.
Wolves and Aston Villa.
‘He’s Celtic, United but Ange has decided that Glasgow is the best place to be!’
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