SUNDERLAND 3 -- BLACKBURN 0

STEVE BRUCE was tempted to party on last night and put his New Year resolution on hold.

The Sunderland boss admits he wants to cut out the comfort eating and lose weight because he is sick of people calling him Fat Head.

When the pressure becomes too much, Bruce likes a pork pie and a beer.

A few of those might have gone down a treat on New Years Eve when he celebrated his 50th birthday. And the fridge would have been in danger of being raided one more time after this welcome win following two successive defeats.

This victory tasted sweeter for Bruce as it was against the club who sacked his big mate Sam Allardyce last month.

Thats for Sam after the nonsense that went on with his sacking, said Bruce. I spoke to him this morning and I hope he has a drink in Dubai, where he is.

I know hes a pal, but the ludicrous situation they put themselves in is quite unbelievable. The people who have taken over at Blackburn, to sack somebody like Sam and appoint his coach, I find totally and utterly ridiculous. People in football have been saying, What the hells going on?

Bruce, whose side are sixth, said: With our first shot theres a deflected goal we had 32 or 33 shots against Blackpool and didnt find the net. Thats football it sends me to the fridge! Bents goal was straight from the training ground. Im pleased for him after all hes done for us in his time here. Class is permanent. He might miss a few chances he could have had a hat-trick but hes terrific.

But Bruce had bad news when he revealed: Lee Cattermole is out for a month. We think the injury is due to fatigue.

Bruce had said striker Bent had been feeling pressure after going five games without a goal and scoring only twice in 11 outings.

Bent ended his lean spell with the second goal in the 19th minute after Danny Welbecks effort had been deflected in off Blackburn skipper Ryan Nelsen. But Bent was also guilty of a glaring miss shortly after the hour-mark when he was wide from around four yards on the end of Kieran Richardsons left-wing centre.

Bent then misplaced his shooting boots again before his 81st-minute replacement, 13million club-record buy Asamoah Gyan, sealed the win a minute from time. The Ghana striker received the ball from Jordan Henderson and cut in from the left to curl in his seventh Sunderland goal.

Blackburn boss Steve Kean has made a stuttering start, but believes the clubs new owners, poultry giants Venkys, will be patient. He said: Its going to be a gradual process. The owners say they want to be challenging eventually.

The first task is to finish in the top half and in the summer get another few signings in and make a push for the top six. I dont think theyre expecting to be challenging for Europe this season.

On the game, he said: Its tough to take. The reaction of the lads is there wasnt three goals in it. If wed got a goal back with El-Hadji Dioufs chance, I felt we could have got back in the game.

Blackburn wantaway Chris Samba failed a fi! tness te st on an ankle injury to miss out again and join banned duo Michel Salgado and Nikola Kalinic on the sidelines.

The visitors could scarcely have made a worse start, conceding in only the 11th minute. Sunderland winger Ahmed Elmohamady swung a ball in from the right that was only half-cleared by Nelsen.

And when the ball fell to Welbeck, he controlled it on his chest before hitting a shot that struck Nelsen to leave keeper Mark Bunn deputising for the injured Paul Robinson without a hope.

Bunns first League start for his club proved a baptism of fire as he was forced to pick the ball out of the net again eight minutes later. Once more it was Elmohamady, on loan from Egyptian side ENPPI with a view to a permanent 2m deal, who supplied the right-wing ammunition and Bent got across his man in the middle to glance home stylishly.

Bent passed up another glorious opportunity two minutes later when he shot wide after Gael Givet had failed to cut out a Steed Malbranque cross, and drilled a 75th-minute left-foot effort wide, while Henderson hit the bar three minutes later.

But Gyan made sure a minute from time to wrap up a regulation victory with a fine individual goal.

STOKE 2 -- EVERTON 0

Phil Jagielkas nightmare Christmas continued as he found his own net once again and condemned Everton to their first away defeat in nine games.

The stopper scored an own goal against Manchester City just before Christmas but his team-mates bailed him out holding on for a 2-1 win.

This time his clanger killed off Evertons hopes of cancelling out Kenwyne Jones 23rd-minute opener.

Jagielka came under pressure from Ricardo Fuller as he attempted to clear Jones header into the six-yard box

The defender stuck out a boot and watched in horror as the ball came off his knee and spun past Tim Howard to seal Stokes first Premier League win over the Toffees.

The victory was set up by Jones as he ended his six-game goal-drought with a powerful header.

Everton controlled the game for long periods and in the first minute they were convinced they had a penalty when Ryan Shawcross caught Louis Saha with a high challenge but their appeals were waved away by ref Andre Marriner.

Saha looked lively after being recalled to the side and his header from Leighton Baines corner flew over the bar.

Asmir Begovics goal was under pressure again when Steven Pienaar cracked a shot on target in a bright opening for Everton.

But with their first attack Stoke should have snatched the lead. Begovics kick was flicked on by Jones for Fuller. !

He worked his way past Sylvain Distin but with only Tim Howard to beat, hooked his shot wide.

Stoke boss Tony Pulis could not hide his frustration but his anger disappeared when Jones scored.

The big striker started the move, flicking on a diagonal punt from Shawcross.

Matty Etherington took the ball towards the byline and stood up a tasty cross for Jones to leap unmarked and head past Howard. That should have seen Stoke turn up the heat but gutsy Everton had other ideas.

And within two minutes top scorer Tim Cahill nearly found the net. Baines sent a cross to the far post where the Aussie midfielder was lingering.

He aimed his effort across Begovic and was left with his head in his hands as the ball flew just past the upright.

And Everton were denied an equaliser just before the break when Pienaar pulled the trigger only for Danny Higginbotham to fly in and make a brilliant block.

The second half saw plenty of bite but few chances until Jagielka buried his side.

Everton manager David Moyes said: It was a penalty in the first 30 seconds. He caught him round the midriff. The referee didnt seem ready.

Phil could probably have dealt with the second goal better but we nullified their threat and dealt with the balls into the box apart from the one for the first goal.

!

Pulis said: Kenwyne has done smashing today. His game has dipped a bit recently but we have a lot of belief in him.

Using two wide players suits him and the goal was an absolute cracker.

Sir Alex Ferguson last night taunted Manchester United's main rivals saying: 'Have you got the bottle to win the title?"

United go into the New Year top of the Premier League on goal difference from noisy neighbours Manchester City.

Fergie's men are also facing stiff competition from Arsenal, champions Chelsea and Tottenham as the title race hots up.

The United boss is convinced it will be a five horse race and reckons the last month of the campaign will show who has the nerve to land the crown. Arsenal have previous when it comes to fading in the second half of the season,
while both City and Spurs have no experience of challenging for the title. Fergie knows this could be a deciding factor and he said: You could have a situation and certainly its looking that way at the moment - with five teams involved in the last month of the season.

"That would be fantastic, it would be a great league, that. Yes, maybe (City and Spurs will feel the pressure) but theyve got momentum.

"Tottenham have got i.

You saw them at the end of the game the other night the players celebrating, it was a genuine case of a team thinking: 'W've got a chance here."

Harry's instilled that in them and keeps talking about them having a great chance. If you think about having that chance it can happen.

"At the moment there is a fearlessness there, yes. But when it comes to the last month, that will search out the real winners."

Fergie genuinely believes ! United's experience of leading from the front will clinch a record 19th title.

United travel to West Brom today looking to remain the only unbeaten side in the top flight season.

They are only the seventh team since 1888 to reach the New Year unbeaten.

More worryingly for their rivals is the fact that of the previous six teams only one, Sheffield United, failed to go on and win the title.

And Fergie knows United turn on the style in the second half of the season.

And despite a poor away record this season, Fergie is convinced United can put this right even though they still have to travel to Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and crisis club Liverpool.

He said: 'I think 82 or 83 points may win it."

How about a crossbar challenge to ring in the New Year! Enjoy and thanks for supporting the site see you in 2011!

Heres the links:

• Top 10 moments of 2010 [Just-Football]
• Fantasy tips [FPL Transfers]
• Paul Konchesky talk [Live 4 Liverpool]
• Darren Gibson thoughts [ManUtd24]
• Football fights [Caught Offside]
• Top 100 players [The Footy Blog]
• Podcast [World Soccer Reader]
• Year end review [That's On Point]
• EPLs seven burning questions [ESPN]
• Gossip and quotes [101 Great Goals]

Feel free to follow me on Twitter and let me know if youd like to suggest an article, video or photo for inclusion on the Premier League Links Of The Day.

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Gameweek 21 kicks off on New Years Day, the perfect time to have a quick recap on some of the seasons best performers so far.

Starting between the sticks we have Manchester Citys Joe Hart, the Blue half of Manchester are serious title contenders and much of this is due to the brilliance of their young stopper. Points wise Hart is head and shoulders above all other Goalkeepers with an impressive total of 95. If his 6.8 million price tag puts you off, there are cheaper alternatives. Birminghams Ben Foster(5.1) 81 points and Blackburns Paul Robinson(4.6) 72 points provide excellent value for money.

There is a reason Nemanja Vidic(8.0) is at the heart of 32% of Fantasy League defences, well actually there are 87 reasons. Man Uniteds rock at the back is top of the defensive pile going into the New Year. Following closely behind are Chelseas Ashley Cole(8.3) with 86 points and Evertons Leighton Baines(7.5) 85 points. Sneaking into the top ten defenders is Sunderlands Ahmed Elmohamady(4.8) with a 68 point return. Just one point behind Elmohamady is Baines team mate Seamus Coleman(4.9). Directly below Coleman you will find Patrice Evra(7.3) and John Terry(7.0), even further down the list is Man Citys Kolo Toure(6.4). It just goes to show that you dont always get what you pay for.

Moving into midfield we start to find members of the 100 club. Rather surprisingly Evertons Tim Cahill(9.3) leads the way with 106 points. Not only does the Australian run the midfield he often finds himself thrust upfront and has tucked away nine league goals in the process. Man Uniteds Nani(9.6) is just 2 points behind Cahill. The winger has been showing real quality throughout the campaign. Like Ronaldo before him Nani looks to have learnt that the tricks, however pretty they may be, do not win you Football matches and has vastly improv! ed his a ll round game.

Special mention goes to Stoke City wide-man Matthew Etherington(5.9). Normally any left footed Englishman with an ounce of talent is treated like the second coming, however Etherington has quietly gone about his impressive business, three league goals and numerous assists place him ninth overall in the midfield rankings with 85 points.

Leading the way upfront is Newcastles Andy Carroll(6.5). They love a number 9 at St James Park and Carroll is no disappointment, the lanky striker has bagged 11 league goals this season and has 113 points to show for his efforts. Its no surprise that the youngMagpie is in 55% of Fantasy league teams.

Hot on Carrolls heels is Carlos Tevez(11.3). The Argentine has 12 goals to his name and now that his Wayne Rooney style transfer tantrum is done and dusted he can get back to doing what he does best. A note of caution on wee Carlos this week as he is a slight doubt with a thigh injury.

And finally, I cant go without singing the praises of Boltons front two. Johan Elmander(6.5) and Kevin Davies(6.5) have 191 points between them. Owen Coyles team are enjoying a cracking season so far and are the only team to have two strikers in the top ten.

Thats all for 2010 folks, I sincerely hope you all have a very Happy New Year.

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As yet another fantastic year of football comes to an end, I took a look at what made this years highlight reel.

Match Of The Year

Tottenham 3-1 Inter Milan

What a bloody match. As debutants of the worlds finest European competition, Spurs were paired with last years champions Inter Milan, FC Twente and Werder Bremen. They were not expected to progress from the group. But, as we have come to learn since September, Spurs can take on anyone on their day and they defied the odds to top their group, only losing once in the process.

This match was the return fixture of that fateful night at the San Siro, with the presence of a certain Mr Bale earning credibility for Spurs. Bale was again phenomenal in this match at White Hart Lane, setting up two and starring in a rather marvelous performance to beat Inter Milan.

Player Of The Year

Florent Malouda

I was forced to think long and hard about this one. On one hand we had the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, Xavi, etc. who perform superbly year in, year out. Then we have the players who have really come on as their own, and I decided to go with the latter, since the others have received huge amounts of praise over the years.

Malouda had not really established himself come 2009 and that was a big year for him. He proved to be a massive hit with the fans upon his arrival from Lyon. Last season he finished with a fine goal to assist ratio, netting 16 and a! ssisting 14. Prior to January 2010 he had not been such a success, but hard work finally paid off when he helped Chelsea to a Premier League and FA Cup double, finally regaining what was rightfully theirs, following a tight campaign with arch rivals Manchester United.

Goal Of The Year

Matty Burrows Glentoran

Irish football goes relatively unnoticed these days but one goal changed it all back in October. In a match between Glentoran and Portadown, the home side were continually pushing for an equaliser, and in the 92nd minute they scored what proved to be footballs goal of the year. The extent of the goal was exquisite. A cross was delivered for Matt Burrows and with his back to goal, he rather optimistically, attempted a back heel volley. Usually such an attempt would end up soaring high and wide but somehow he managed to perfect it and the video itself became a massive hit on YouTube, racking up more than 4 million hits.

Messi and Co. eat your hearts out:

Moment Of 2010

Year Of The Pigeon

It inevitably summed up Englands world cup campaign. In the dire match that was England vs Algeria, a pigeon seemed to have perched itself on top of the Algerian goal, as it sensed there it would be no sense of danger throughout the 90 minutes. England lacked any real venom going forward and in truth never looked like scoring. When the final whistle went, Algeria celebrated like they had won the World Cup, holding on for a famous 0-0 draw against a country in decline.

Best Signing Of 2010

Rafael Van Der Vaart Real Madrid to Tottenham

V! irtually a last minute signing for Harry Redknapp, Van Der Vaart proved imperious from the off. He quickly established himself as a fan favourite with 6 goals in as many games. Unfortunately, injuries have hurt his goalscoring record, for the time being and he returned to action on fine form, grabbing a double against a weak Aston Villa side taking his tally to 8 goals and 4 assists for this seasons campaign.

Worst Signing Of 2010

Joe Cole Chelsea to Liverpool

Coles career took a turn for the worst after Chelsea declined to extend his contract. He was snapped up by Liverpool, which was labelled as the bargain buy of the season but a red card against Arsenal on his Premier League debut for the Merseysiders didnt do his confidence a whole lot of good. As a result, Cole lost his place in the team, and he has resorted to taking up a spot on the bench, not what he had intended upon arriving at Anfield.

Worst Moment 2010

Mike Ashley Sacks Toon Manager Chris Hughton

Mike Ashleys decision to sack Chris Hughton sparked outrage amongst the world of football after Hughton had guided the Magpies to a solid tenth in the league. Football fans worldwide were shocked as he was the one who guided Newcastle to Championship glory, directly after they had gone down. This was news to Hughton who recalled being called into chairman Daniel Levys office along with goalkeeping coach Paul Barron and was unexpectedly given the boot.

Ashley appointed Alan ! Pardrew as Hughtons successor and has had a mixed spell since taking over, beating Liverpool but also losing to Tottenham and Manchester City.

Best Moment 2010

Spain Win World Cup

It was delight for Vincente Del Bosque and Spain as they won their first ever World Cup this past June. They also broke a few more records in the process, being the only side to win the World Cup after losing their first match. They also posted the record by winning the World Cup with the least amount of goals, only managing 8 goals, with hitman David Villa netting 5.

Iniesta became a hero in the eyes of the Spaniards after he sent the fans into jubilation following his 116th minute winner. It was ecstasy for Spain and agony for Holland as they also were competing for a first World Cup.

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Now that Qatar has bought won the 2022 World Cup, what do we know about this tiny nation? Well, they are the home to the Al-Jazeera television network, they will host the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, and they are known as Qataris (Qintendos would have been a tad cooler). Also, Qatar is spelled Katar in German. So theres your German word of the day.

As far as the Bundesliga goes, there are a few connections. After Felix Magath foolishly tactically decided he no longer needed central defender Marcelo Bordon at Schalke, Marcelo skipped over to Qatar and signed on with Al Rayyan. Currently, Al-Rayyan is tied for 5thin the Qatari League with the 3rdbest Goals Against Average. Meanwhile, Schalke has underperformed this season.

2004 Asian player of the year and former Bayern-bust Ali Karimi eventually left Munich to try his luck with Qatar SC. After one season there he moved over to Al-Siliyya for a reported 4.7 million euros. Karimi proved he was too big (or too homesick) for the Q League and is currently playing in his home country of Iran. A completely unreliable report mentions that the LA Galaxy were interested in signing the Asian Maradonna.

In 2004, the always dining entertaining and former Bundesliga goal champion Ailton almost became a citizen of Qatar in hopes of playing for their national team. He was set to join along with fellow Bundesliga Brazilians Dede and Leandro. A clarification of FIFA naturalization rules prevented this from happening. Apparently, you have to have some kind of link to the country for which you play. So unless those guys had Qatari grandparents or had lived there for 2 years, they were out of luck.

FC Bayern Munich will ! spend th eir winter break this year in Qatar instead of in Dubai. They will be joined in Qatar by none other than Inter Milan. No word on whether they will play a friendly rematch of last years Champions League final. They will also meet up shortly after the winter break in a Champions League game. Are these two teams starting to become best friends?

Otherwise, the pickings between the Bundesliga and Qatar are pretty slim. I imagine as Qatar magics some yet-to-be-seen climate control technology (or gets FIFA to move the World Cup to Winter) that they will be a more welcome destination for teams around the world looking to enjoy some sunshine.

Does anyone else know of any Bundesliga ties with Qatar? If so, leave comments below!

A photograph purportedly of Manchester Uniteds home shirt for the 2011-12 season has been leaked on the Internet.

The new Manchester United home jersey features a retro collar and an otherwise simple but appealing design. The retro collar reminds me of the classic Manchester United kit from 1978 (pictured). The 2011-2012 design by Nike also features the Red Devils crest as well as sponsors name.

Overall, the shirt design is plain but simple, reminiscent of recent designs by Umbro which have married class and tradition with simple lines. As weve seen with many recent shirts, including the leaked photo of Arsenals home jersey for next season, shirt designers are delving deeper into retro designs instead of creating something new and flashy.

For the largest selection of Premier League shirts for all 20 clubs, visit theEPL Talk Shop.

What do you think of Man Uniteds new home shirt for next season, if the photograph is in fact the approved design? Share your opinion in the comments section below.

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2010 was a bad year for Italian football. I tried to think of the positives, but very few came to mind. A disastrous World Cup in South Africa, a bad showing in the Europa League, and only a Champions League victory (guided by a Portuguese mastermind) which retains some dignity for Italian football.

While 2010 was a poor year, it now allows all of Italian football to rebuild in 2011. Just looking at the Serie A, a much more competitive league has formed after an exciting summer of transfers. AC Milan have strengthened considerably with the super-signings of Ibrahimovic, Robinho, and Kevin-Prince Boateng. Juventus are rebuilding properly under Luigi Delneri, who is creating a team which plays through the electrifying Milos Krasic. Inter Milan are in a rebuilding phase as well after the disappointment of Benitez's failure, and now Leonardo trying to make a proper impact with a treble-winning side.

These changes along with a general strengthening of teams like Lazio, Napoli, Palermo, and even Roma all contribute to a much more exciting league.

No more 1-0 wins, ground out with counter-attacking football, now Italian sides seem to have realized that to win, you have to score goals. Juventus score plenty of goals while leaking at the back, Palermo play a fluid style with the humble Javier Pastore orchestrating the side, and AC Milan steamroll through teams with Ibrahimovic's wrath accompanied by a dancing Robinho. No matter what anyone says, the Serie A has become exciting. AC Milan seem unstoppable, and if Leonardo manages to wake up a drowsy Inter team, we'll have a proper battle for the scudetto on our hands.

With the Serie A becoming more exciting, we are also seeing this positive change reflected in the Italian national team. Cesare Prandelli is a shining symbol of hope for Italy fans, giving us all the chance to see Cassano back in the Azzurri shirt, along with Mario Balotelli and other exciting young players. The qualification for the European Championships of 2012 doesn't look to be too difficult, and if Prandelli continues to breed these youngsters into the national team, there's a chance that Italy will be a contender for the tournament held in Poland-Ukraine.

2011 is ultimately a year of hope for Italian football. A chance to forget about the UEFA co-efficient, the World Cup in South Africa, and a boring Inter Milan dominance in the Serie A. An exciting league has formed, and along with it a stronger national team ismouldingitself under Cesare Prandelli's venturing eyes. What do you hope for Italian football in 2011? Share your comments below!

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Since I am currently on holiday with my family, I hadnt planned to do a second match review this week. However I caught the replay of yesterdays Chelsea-Bolton match, and thought Id at least give the starting formation and a few thoughts.

Chelsea v. Bolton Starting Formations

- This matchup of Boltons 4-4-2 and Chelseas 4-3-3 leads to the typical 3-on-2 central midfield matchup, where the two CMs (in this case, Stuart Holden and Fabrice Muamba) would be outmanned by the three CMs in the 4-3-3 (Frank Lampard, Ramires, and Michael Essien). This is misleading, though. Throughout much of the match, Frank Lampard was well-advanced into the attacking quadrant, nearly leading Chelseas formation to be a 4-2-3-1 a la Arsenal. Im not sure if this was Carlo Ancelottis attempt to generate scoring, but the announcers remarked at the effectiveness of Holden and Muamba, and I think this is partly because of the shape of Ancelottis midfield as much as the workrate of the two Bolton center midfielders.

- Boltons defense was predicated on a high line, trying to force advanced forwards Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka offside as much as possible. This was very effective in the first half. Chelsea started the game without much verve or focus, especially moving forward. That changed after halftime. One problem with trapping offsides is that it takes discipline on the backline. Another is that the assistant isnt perfect, and could miss a call. On Chelseas goal, one, the other, or both were a factor. As Essien made a gifted run through the midfield in the 61st minute, Drogba fell behind Zat Knight and Gary Cahill. Unfortunately for Bolton, right back Sam Ricketts reacted to a false break by left wing Florent Malouda, and had not held the high line. Regardless of this error, it w! as not c ompletely clear whether Drogba remained onside. The linesman ruled him legal. Drogba gathered the through pass, delivered it in front of a streaking Malouda, and the Frenchman drove home the deciding goal.

- As Bolton began to tire, especially the midfield, they still had an opportunity to squeeze an away point from Chelsea. The Blues never looked particularly comfortable offensively, but the Trotters direct, aerial attack was ineffective throughout the endgame. Owen Coyle removed Matthew Taylor (78th minute) and Stuart Holden (82nd minute) in the final stages. From the Taylor substitution, Bolton completed 23 of 47 passes, less than 50 percent. They could not maintain any kind of forward momentum to get quality chances in the final third.

- Finally, to add to the previous point, the aerial attack is predicated on the strength of the forwards winning challenges. In the second half, Bolton were 2 for 9 in offensive half aerial challenges. Add to this the poor results from passing in open play, and they had little opportunity to challenge Petr Cech in the last 15 minutes of play. Their best opportunity in the 77th minute, when Sam Ricketts crossed a ball into the area and Holden headed a ball on net. Cech swatted the shot over the bar.

This victory for Chelsea should definitely quell some of the unease that has been caused by their recent play. Bolton has been a successful side throughout the first half of the campaign. This Chelsea team still looks like a much different squad than stormed the early part of the fixture list. This is a result they can use to build confidence towards a run at the leaders.

For Bolton, this match showcased the depth issues that may begin to crop up as this busy period continues. Rodrigo was decent against Ashley Cole and Florent Malouda, but the loss of Chung-Yong Lee to the Asian Cup will not be easy to weather. As the fixtures come fast, Coyle will need to manage fitness versus results to hold their position near a European spot in the table.

Re! lated po sts:

Belgiums teen football sensation Romelu Lukaku has already begun the process of causing greed and chaos to reign. As a postscript to the recent affair in which Wayne Rooney and his agent Paul Stretford held Manchester United to ransom, player power seems to be growing out of all proportion to talent and quality. Dubbed the new Didier Drogba, the young Belgian, having heard that his club have already accepted bids for his services from Chelsea and Manchester United, has made an astonishing come-and-get-me plea to Real Madrid in an interview published this morning in Marca which has shocked his English suitors.

Having said for years that hes a Chelsea fan and been seen at Stamford Bridge at least five times over four years since they tried to sign him as a 13-year-old, Lukaku had his photograph taken last week in both Manchester and Chelsea shirts. Indeed, on Monday, his father, former pro Roger Lukaku, spent a large part of the day negotiating on the phone with David Gill.

Naturally, Arsenal and Manchester City are also keen on the beefy, 6 ft 3 in warrior striker, but his gushing praise of Real, their coach Jose Mourinho and star player Cristiano Ronaldo has left the Spaniards in no doubt as to where he wants to play next season. Of course, the notion of Arsene Wenger coughing up a furball the size of London before spending that kind of dosh is worth a laugh. And the idea of City having Lukaku join the ultimate prima donna strike force which is already in place featuring Tevez, Adebayor and Balotelli is equally amusing.

Id love to play at the Bernabeu, he told Marca. It would be great to learn from Jose Mourinho. Playing next to Cristiano Ronaldo would be fantastic.

It is applaudable that Lukaku refused to contemplate a move while he finished his school studies in Belgium, happy to just flirt on the phone as he put it , with silver-tongued callers l! ike Patr ice Evra, Florent Malouda and Drogba.

Yet with Anderlecht only being offered approximately 15M by Real Madrid, things turn ever more complicated. Indeed, although Mourinho is looking world wide for a physically imposing experienced center forward to replace the exciting but injured Argentine Gonzalo Higuain, one wonders if the raw talent of Lukaku is what they need. Looks like our old friend Don Florentino is playing his daft mind games again.

With the Gaffers darling Karim Benzema not measuring up after Los Galacticos forked over 32M to acquire his services from Olympique Lyonnais, Higuain out injured until next season and the 65M Brazilian midfielder Kaka unable to force his way onto the team, Real Madrid have at least 130Ms worth of talent twiddling their collective thumbs on the bench.

Mourinhos clear first choice is definitely Fernando Llorente of Athletic Bilbao who will probably run about 45M. Thus any ultimate decision belongs with the club President Florentino Perz. Having undergone a massive 5-1 humiliation at the hands of the clubs eternal rival Barcelona, Perz wants revenge yesterday, now, tomorrow and forever. That so callow a youth may not fit in with Perezs desperate need for instant gratification is obvious. That he would try to irritate United and Chelsea by winning as lowest bidder is also clearly a case of the man acting in character.

Along with other brilliant youngsters like Steven DeFour, Axel Witsel and Eden Hazard, Lukaku is already a regular for his country. Meanwhile, Anderlecht are top of the league and the 270 Ib prospect would clearly be an after word, at least temporarily, at the Bernabeu. Perhaps then, the boys dad is just flirting like a mink in heat because he senses the bottom of the market may drop out at any moment.

A little clarity would help, right? I know my dad will make the ri! ght pick for me, he told Marca. I really admire Sir Alex Ferguson and how he made a better player out of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Romelu and his little brother Jordan have been the focus for more than five years of the Flemish reality show De School van Lukaku. His obsession, according to a number of regular watchers Ive talked to is with making more guaranteed money than Wayne Rooney. Im bigger. Im better looking and I dont have a wife, he said.

Lay Aston Villa for relegation at 4.5 to 1 with Betfair

Aston Villa are in freefall and are most likely going to be in the relegation zone after the first round of New Years games, when they play Chelse at Stamford Bridge. There is very little spirit in the camp right now and the manager is trying to instill some discipline, and rapidly losing friends. Hes sacked the skipper Richard Dunne and seemingly also fallen out with John Carew and Stephen Ireland. They have been backed in to 4.5/1 to get relegated and I think all of the bad news is already factored in and we are reaching the time to back them to stay up. The bottom line is that Villa need freshening up, but they do have money to spend and intend to spend it in the January transfer window, whereas most of the teams around them dont. As long as they spend wisely, money will talk and they will stay up.

Advices

Well, we could not have called the Ashes series any better. We laid Australia at the start at 6/4 and then locked in profits by backing them at 6/1 after they lost the second test in Adelaide. We then backed England to retain the Ashes at 4/7 when the score was one each and England cruised to victory in Melbourne to win the bet with a game to spare. Someone commented here on the blog saying that the latter trade was a crazy bet. Well he was wrong, but its differences of opinion that make a market and the great thing about exchange betting is that if you get things right and the market moves in your favour, you can take profits. England will be trying to win the series to rub Australias noses in it in the final test at Sydney, and they are a much better side than Australia. However, Im very happy with the profits weve banked and for me its a no bet.

Betfair gives you better value. To see how much more you can win go to www.betfair.com/betchecker

LEE CATTERMOLE last night warned Blackburn that Sunderland will be going into Saturdays game on a massive high.

And thats despite losing two games in a row for the first time this season.

The Black Cats went into the festive period looking to consolidate their top-six placing, and while the Boxing Day defeat at Manchester United was hardly a shock, their first home reverse at the hands of Blackpool certainly was.

Cattermole, however, reckons the performance on Tuesday was arguably Sunderlands best of the season.

It was a weird game, strange for all of us, he said.

We created more chances than any of our players have probably ever created in our lives and we werent really slack at the back either.

Its not enjoyable playing in those kind of games. Its frustrating more than anything, but no-one can feel disheartened because at times we were brilliant.

On any other day, that would have been a 4-0 win and if we repeat that performance against Blackburn, Im sure well win.

A photograph of Arsenals home shirt for the 2011-12 season has been leaked on the Internet.

The new Arsenal home shirt features a design that is similar to the current 2010-11 one, but the most prominent new feature is a wreath around the Arsenal crest. Also noticeable is that the sleeves are white with no red trim apparent. Meanwhile, the collar on the shirt is red instead of the current white color.

Personally I think the design is too similar to the current shirt except for the wreath. But since the wreath marks the 125th year anniversary of Arsenal, it has a deeper meaning and therefore will be a prized possession among many Arsenal supporters.

For the largest selection of Premier League shirts for all 20 clubs, visit theEPL Talk Shop.

What do you think of Arsenals new home shirt for next season, if the photograph is in fact the approved design? Share your opinion in the comments section below.

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Ian Wright talks about the Holiday period for footballers. Check out the video here

Heres the links:

• City go for Dzeko [BBC]
• Comparing EPL to NBA [Bleacher Report]
• Betting surprises [Sports Trading Life]
• 12th man clothing [Sabotage Times]
• Maradona linked to Fulham [Footie]
• Fergie fuming [Mail]
• Bassong challenges teammates [Espn]
• Football art [Sabotage Times]

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