Many people have claimed that Arsenal are back in the race to win the Premier League following their 2-1 win against Chelsea today, however I don’t believe that’s the case. The Gunners now lie just eight points behind leaders Chelsea and Liverpool, a margin that can increase to eleven points if Liverpool can manage to beat West Ham tomorrow.

William Gallas’ recent comments about his team-mates (which lost him his captaincy) were spot on. Arsenal are not brave enough to win a title. They are too inexperienced and although I back Wenger’s decision to give Cesc Fabregas the armband, I don’t think that will be enough to win them the title.

Arsene Wenger’s men have already been beaten five times this season and personally I think that’s one defeat too many. I understand that we are not even half-way through the season, however I feel Arsenal have lost too many games to go on and seriously challenge for the title.

Stoke City, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Hull City and Fulham have all beaten Arsenal this season and let’s be honest if you want to win a title you can’t be losing to these kind of teams. Arsenal’s main rivals for the title (Man United, Liverpool and Chelsea) have only lost five games between them and I feel Wenger will end up ruing their early season form.

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Liverpool are to make a £2 million January bid for Newcastle United striker Michael Owen. The former Liverpool front man’s contract runs out at St James’ Park at the end of the season, so Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear must cash in on Owen in January or face letting him leave on a free at the end of the season.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is desperate to add another striker to his squad once the transfer window opens on January 1st and Owen is now seen as a possible acquisition. The 28-year old has had a terrible time with injuries since joining Newcastle back in 2005 and has only managed to make 58 appearances for the Magpies.

Personally I think Owen would be a bargain at £2 million. I am sure the majority of Liverpool fans would love to see him return to Anfield and I feel Benitez should do his best to sign him. Obviously Owen has become quite injury prone and that may be a problem, however I still believe should Liverpool manage to persuade him to return he may turn out a quality signing.

The former Real Madrid man costs just £6.5 million in this season’s “You the Manager” and I feel he is definitely worth a look. So follow the link below to enter your team to be in with a chance of winning some great weekly and monthly prizes.

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Live Streaming Video Football: Italy – Serie A

US Palermo – AC Milan

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Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez is ready to leave Old Trafford to join La Liga giants Real Madrid. The Argentine international is understood to be fed up with sitting on the bench at the Premier League Champions and is now preparing for a January exit.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has always spoke of his desire to sign Tevez on a permanent basis after his two-year loan deal expires, however as yet the club haven’t agreed a fee to sign him. Real Madrid manager Bernd Schuster is desperate to bring a new striker to the Bernabeau in January, with Ruud Van Nistelrooy currently out of action for some time.

United will have to cough up £32 million to sign Tevez, a figure which the Champions League Champions are currently unwilling to pay. Following the arrival of Dimitar Berbatov at the club in the summer, Tevez has found first team opportunities hard to come by making a January move to Madrid a real possibility.

It will be a real shame to see Tevez leave England because he is a magnificent player. I personally feel he has been harshly treated at United because during his first season he was tremendous and played no small part in the club winning two trophies. Tevez is a fighter and I am sure Premier League defenders will love to see the back of him. Wherever he does end up, I certainly wish him all the best.

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Manchester United have today beaten local rivals Manchester City 1-0 at the City of Manchester Stadium, however the main talking point has to be Cristiano Ronaldo’s red card. Wayne Rooney grabbed the only goal of the game to hand United all three points but it was Ronaldo who grabbed all the headlines.

The Portuguese winger was shown his second yellow mid-way through the second-half after he handled the ball inside the City box. Despite the United protests Ronaldo was given his marching orders by referee Howard Webb. Ronaldo jumped up for the header and for some strange reason he decided to put his hands over his face and handle the ball with both hands.

The 24-year old later claimed that he heard a noise as he jumped up for the header, but just what was that noise. As we all know any derby game in the Premier League is bound to be noisy and today’s game was no exception. Personally, when I was watching the incident I didn’t have a clue why he handled the ball. He wasn’t pushed and the referee definitely didn’t blow his whistle before he put his hands over his face.

There seemed to be a loud noise just as Ronaldo rose to head the ball, however the noise was clearly a horn from the crowd. So what else may he of heard?

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Liverpool and Manchester City have today joined Tottenham in the race to sign Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing. The England international has been heavily linked with a January exit from the Riverside, with Spurs boss Harry Redknapp understood to be winning the race, however now both Mark Hughes and Rafa Benitez are ready to start a massive bidding war for the player.

The 24-year old only recently signed a new long-term deal at Boro which will keep him at the club until 2013 and Gareth Southgate has recently spoke of his desire to keep Downing at the club. Downing has been at Boro for over seven years now since joining back in 2001 and has since gone on to make over 180 appearances for the club.

It appears unlikely now that he will remain a Boro player any longer with Benitez, Redknapp and Hughes all prepared to meet the club’s valuation of £12 million for the player. Personally, I feel that on his day, there is no better left winger in the Premier League than Downing, however for me he doesn’t have enough of those days. I think a lot of people will agree with me when I say, he is a bit overrated and that whoever does eventually sign him may be making a big mistake.

Either Liverpool, Spurs or City will have to pay more than £5.5 million for Downing, but you won’t. Yes, the former Sunderland man costs just that in this season’s “You the Manager” and he may be worth a look. So follow the link below to enter your team to be in with a chance of winning some terrific weekly and monthly prizes.

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Yes, during a poll that has been running on Football Corner over the past week or so, you the readers were unanimous in your decision. We asked you whether or not you thought the FA’s “Respect the Ref” campaign was working and the answer by some distance was no.

Here is the full result of the poll :

No – 40 votes (67%)
Kind of - 10 votes (17%)
Yes – 9 votes (16%)

Total Votes : 59

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who voted and I would encourage all of you to vote in our latest poll. Who will be top of the Premier League on Christmas day? The poll can be found on the top right of the site, so place your votes now.

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Tottenham and Arsenal have today been linked with a move for Fulham defender Brede Hangeland. The Norwegian defender is stalling a signing a new contract at Craven Cottage and now both Harry Redknapp and Arsene Wenger are keen to take advantage of the situation.

The former FC Copenhagen man has been one of Fulham’s top performers this season and has caught the attentions of both North London clubs. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is desperate to bring a new centre-back to the Emirates come January, with William Gallas likely to depart after his recent troubles.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has been linked with several defenders since arriving at the club, however Hangeland is now seen as a possible acquisition. I have always thought that Hangeland has never really got the credit he deserves because he has been brilliant since arriving the Premier League. He is only 27 and I feel he would be a very decent signing for either Spurs or Arsenal.

Hangeland must be worth a look in this season’s “You the Manager”. The 6ft 5in defender costs just £3 million and I would strongly really recommend you put him in your team. So follow the link below to enter your team to be in with a chance of winning some terrific weekly and monthly prizes.

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Watch this match live online on Setanta Sports Canada, Setanta Sports USA, Setanta-Broadband.

You can also see this match live online on justin tv, free-football.tv and p2p.

When Match start it will broadcast live match

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