So whether it’s team mates coming to blows, the paparazzi snapping players boozing it up or just stupid and bizarre actions, they make it onto the list. What didn’t make it was the England WAGS from the 2006 World Cup, they reportedly distracted the players during the tournament and although it wasn’t the players misbehaving themselves, they nearly made it into the top ten. Also, quite a few people recommended Cristiano Ronaldo photographed in speedo’s as a criminal activity, but again it failed to make the ten below…..

Click on Gazza below to see the Top TEN!

Compiled by Matt Freebody

It hasn’t happened many times in the 20-year existence of the Premier League but on the few occasions a team without the resources and stature of the so called ‘big clubs’ decided they want a place in the illustrious top six, it’s rather exciting to watch. This season Newcastle United, touted as relegation candidates just a few months ago, have made an astonishing start to the campaign going 11 games unbeaten a run which has seen them soar into the top three. For a few hours on Saturday after their win over Everton the Magpies went second which is some achievement considering the troubled pre-season they endured which was documented closely in the press. Whilst their challenge to stay in their current position may ultimately falter as the season progresses it’s safe to say that, as of now, the Geordies are surprising everyone on and off the field.

Their rise to prominence is both remarkable and enchanting evoking memories of sides who have no business challenging at the top flight summit but fancy adding a bit of spice to the Premier League season. You have to admit it’s always a pleasure to watch the underdogs beat the big guns, david slay goliath and the weedy kid kick seven bells out of the school yard bully.

Ladies and Gentleman I present to you the Top TEN Premier League Surprise Packages.

Click on the Norwich City boys to see the Top Ten

The standard of football between the two divisions has improved vastly over the last several seasons and this season sees the quality of the Championship as good as it ever has been. In defence of these players, there is of course a higher standard of football despite the dip in margin. For example, strikers are up against better teams and while they might have got 10 chances per game in the Football League, they may only get the odd few in the Prem.

So what unfortunate ten make my top ten list of players who are Championship rather than Premier League quality? Find out below…

Click on Routledge below to see the Top TEN

Here is a countdown of ten players who in any normal circumstances might have asked to be substituted as a result of their injuries, but stayed on to fight for the cause. Some were ultimately successful, some not so, however all ten can be said to have put in remarkable performances despite their injury problems and setbacks.

Click on Terry Butcher below to see the Top TEN

Now, not many of us actually know Premier League players on a personal level, but we can pretty much garner all we need to know about someone from their attitude on the pitch. Some players such as Paul Scholes for example, will never be truly hated, which is somewhat surprising considering he’s fouled every single Premier League player at least twice, because they just get on with the game in a quiet manner. However for every Paul Scholes, there’s a Robbie Savage, the sort of player that even some of his own fans struggle to find a fondness for. Here’s my own personal Premier League XI made up of players you’d rather glass, than have a pint with.

Click on William Gallas below to see the Most Hated Premier League XI of all time

Compiled by Justin Mottershead

Managers are often thought to get a bad deal, what with many chairmen eager to sack them after a couple of bad results. However, some managers themselves are only too happy to move on and try their luck elsewhere, sometimes just weeks after they’ve had a go at on of their players for doing just that.

Here is a list of my top ten managerial villains, some for betrayal of fans, players and values, some for some mad rants, others for down-right lunacy.

Click on the image of Mr Graham to see the Top TEN

It has also been a year to relish in terms of individual talent with a special group of youngsters beginning to flourish along with a whole host of foreign talent that have arrived in England making the Premier League the best league in the world.

I am sure that 2012; that obviously includes the Euro’s; will be even better to watch for the supporters and with the league becoming even more competitive the amount of talent big name signings will only increase. But enough about the future, here is my Premier League XI for 2011.

Click on Joe Hart for Brad Pinard’s Premier League X11 for 2011

Both Manchester clubs earned vital victories in the Premier League yesterday, extending their lead at the top of the table, but they still have a long way to go to making up for their Champions League exits two weeks ago. The disappointment and humiliation was clear to see on that night and the lack of enthusiasm about the Europa League is becoming far too constant in the modern game.

Since the competition was rebranded in 2009 from the UEFA Cup, it has become the laughing stock of Europe and any big clubs that qualify for it seem to dismiss it with a weakened side and a lack of travelling fans. There are plenty of reasons for this and I believe they can be addressed with a new format and schedule of the competition.

The first issue with that is easily fixed is the lack of motivation to win to the tournament. Clubs such as PSG and Tottenham Hotspur both had a good chance of going a long way in the competition this year, but both fielded weak sides in the majority of their games and crashed out at the group stage. A massive incentive to take it seriously would be that either the winner, or both the winner and runner-up would automatically qualify for next seasons Champions League. The chance to play at the highest level in club football would excite any player in any team and would also bring in extra funds to please the hierarchy too. For a club like Fulham or Atletico Madrid, who made the final in previous years, to be entered in the Champions League is a life changing moment and the incentive would be clear to see for clubs such as Spurs who are desperate to return the biggest club competition in the world.

Another unfair disadvantage for a Europa League team is that they can work extremely hard to make it through the group stage of the competition, only to face a Champions League third place side such as United or City in the knock out round. If a club is knocked out of the Champions League, they should not automatically go into the later stages of the Europa. A Champions League side that has just been entered in the knock out draw in the Europa League will more than likely win the tournament so what is the point in the smaller clubs playing their hearts out to not stand any chance of lifting the trophy. It is almost as if it is a new tournament from Christmas onwards, which makes it doubly hard for the smaller, progressing sides.

One final solution to the lack of competitiveness from certain clubs could be an application system. At Christmas every year each country could send in a certain number of applications from their clubs (depending on their ranking) and the team that finish the highest from them sides will qualify. This may seem a little outdated, but it would prevent teams such as Tottenham Hotspur from bothering with the tournament and give only the clubs who want to be in it the chance to have a go.

Some have questioned whether the group stages are a good idea or the tournament should revert to a straight knock-out cup, but I don’t believe that is the issue with clubs dismissing the tournament as a distraction. The lack of reward and inappropriate match days are more of an issue and something that can easily be sorted out. It is time to give every team a chance of winning it and it is definitely time for every club to take the competition seriously.

Twitter: brad_whu

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There are definitely some bargains to be had in the second tier of English football and also some genuine Premier League quality that is waiting to be snapped up by the big clubs. Youngsters are breaking through into Championship sides and it may be the case that the clubs look to cash in on the future stars.

Last season Premier League clubs Birmingham and West Ham have held on to the majority of their quality players and some experienced heads are having a much welcomed second wind in their careers that could be worth a gamble on in January. Here are the ten players that have the Premier League clubs sniffing around.

Click on Jay Rodriguez below to unveil the top 10

Who needs enemies with friends like these?

10) Aston Villa v Birmingham – The Second City derby

The countries second city might be a little further down the pecking order in footballing terms but that does nothing to dampen hostilities between Aston Villa and Birmingham.

The Villains have always viewed themselves in higher esteem than their blue neighbours and when the clubs first met when City were Small Heath Alliance back in 1879, the Villa players described Small Heath’s Muntz Street ground as, ‘suitable only for potholing.’

Relations have gone downhill since then and although over the last half a century meetings between the pair have been relatively limited, that only intensifies the occasions when they do get together.

The two clubs traditional stadiums help create a fervent undercurrent which takes few prisoners – just ask Peter Enckelman.

9) Blackburn v Burnley – The Cotton Mill derby

These two might not be considered big players nowadays but Blackburn and Burnley were big cheese’s back in the day by being founder members of the Football League in 1888.

The rivalry between the Lancashire towns eleven miles apart stretches back to the Victorian age when the mill industry was booming and hostilities were later taken from the factory floor to the football field.

Local issues were hardly smoothed over at the turn of the twentieth century when Rovers allegedly complained about Claret’s ‘illegal number of Scottish players’ and the animosity has remained.

Clashes have been scarce in recent years but when they do meet it creates the inevitably cliché’d ‘hot-pot’ atmosphere.

8. Everton v Liverpool – Merseyside derby

The Merseyside derby is English football’s longest running top-flight rivalry with a game having taken place every year since 1962-63, but this familiarity hasn’t tapered the spice of the contests and meetings between the blue and red halves of the city of Liverpool are often some of the most highly charged contests of the season.

This game has long been coined the ‘friendly derby’ because the opposing sets of fans are said to enjoy a healthy rivalry but on the field it’s anything but.

In the last 30 Premier League fixtures between the scouse giants there have been twenty red cards, scores of bookings and more fight scenes than a Jackie Chan youtube compilation making this particular local fare the most tempestuous football match around. Who needs enemies with friends like these?

7) Manchester City v Manchester United – Manchester derby

The Manchester derby has long been fuelled by one sides dominance over the other. United have been at the forefront of English football for well over half a century whilst City have had to play second fiddle in terms of silverware and prominence.

United fans have revelled in their superior status for decades now and have been afforded the luxury of mocking the blue half of Mancunia for their almost comedic failings as City for long periods strived but largely failed to climb out of the shadows of their near neighbours.

However, the Citizens new found wealth has upset that balance and after ending their long-wait for a trophy and embarrassing the reds on their own patch, this is one confrontation which will only intensify over the next couple of years.

6) Newcastle v Sunderland – Tyne-Wear derby

The Tyne-Wear derby is another inter-city confrontation which has it’s routes through indifference to one another stretching back hundreds of years.

Newcastle and Sunderland – despite being just ten miles apart – fell into different hands following the English civil war and the Jacobite rebellions and although that historical context is largely lost present day, none of the rancor has.

There were 160 arrests in the aftermath of the 1990 Second Division play-off second leg when the Toon fans invaded the St James’s pitch hoping to force an abandonment.

Proceeding games have also fell foul to interruptions and last January, nearly 30 fans were again arrested following clashes in and around the ground surrounding a game which saw a 12-year-old Mackem run onto the turf to push over Newcastle ‘keeper Steve Harper.

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