United start at Swansea, Blues host Hull

Champions Manchester United will travel to Swansea City for their first Premier League match under new manager David Moyes while Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City are at home to Newcastle United on August 17.
Premier League fixtures published on Wednesday also threw up a home game against newly-promoted Hull City for Jose Mourinho on his second coming as Chelsea manager.
Roberto Martinez, the other big appointment since the end of last season when England's three top teams all changed their managers, will lead Everton to Norwich City.
Promoted Cardiff City travel to West Ham United while Crystal Palace mark their return to the top flight with a home match against Tottenham Hotspur.

THE CHAMPIONS!!!!!

The Bundesliga giants have reached the showpiece of the competition three times in the last four years but sealed their first European Cup since 2001 with victory over their rivals at Wembley on Saturday.

congratulations Bayern team it was worth it once again.


sorry guys had to do this today. though it was live on fb lol?

Super Eagles to depart for USA on Tuesday ahead of Mexico friendly

The national team will leave Germany where it has been in camp for the United States tomorrow as it prepares for the important friendly match against Tricolores

Nigeria’s national team would leave Germany on Tuesday for the United States of America, venue of Friday’s international friendly match against the national team of Mexico.

The Super Eagles have been training hard at their Germany camp and would depart the Novina Hotel Herzogenaurach Herzo-Base, for Frankfurt at 5.30am on Tuesday  and take off from Frankfurt Airport at 10am local time (9am Nigerian time) on the same day for Houston, venue of the game against Tricolore.
21 players are in camp at the moment but coach Stephen Keshi has decided not to go with every player. Only the selected ones that would prosecute match would be taken along as he is expected to drop four players.

Arsenal restore their normal order with victory over Bristol Academy

The women's club game was restored to its default setting as Arsenal, after failing for the first time in seven seasons to reach the 2012 FA Cup final, lifted the trophy for the sixth time in eight years and the 12th time in all.
In front of a disappointing attendance of 4,988 at Doncaster's Keepmoat Stadium, the lowest final crowd since 2000 and almost 20,000 short of the record set in 2008, captain Steph Houghton's early goal and late strikes by the midfielder Jordan Nobbs and the striker Ellen White earned Arsenal victory over the team they had beaten with equal comfort in the 2011 final.
Defeat for Bristol Academy, who are top of the Super League, left them still searching for their first major trophy while Arsenal's celebrations were for a 39th piece of silverware in 22 years – this after their near-invincibility had been brought into question by a 4-0 WSL thrashing by Liverpool three weeks ago.

Then Chelsea's strikeforce will be best in the Premier League

Chelsea are just one top striker away from boasting the best in the Premier League.

Despite finishing the season 14 points behind champions Manchester United, the scale of restructuring at Chelsea this summer will not be as major as many would have you believe.

The 'weakness' in Chelsea's side most commonly wheeled out is that the Blues are let down by their strike force, and it is true that it is one of the areas they do need to strengthen.


But the return of Romelu Lukaku, reinvigorated by his spell at West Brom, leaves Chelsea's attack in particularly healthy shape.

Let's look at his return at the Baggies - 17 goals in total - all in the Premier League.

Then Fernando Torres' tally for Chelsea is not bad either, for all his detractors he bagged 22 goals in all competitions. While just eight came in the Premier League, his overall contribution was vital to Chelsea's season.
January addition Demba Ba also added nine goals in half a season, and will surely still hope to play his part next season.

Proof – Shinji Kagawa can replace Paul Scholes

There are some very simple stats from the season just gone, which prove Shinji Kagawa can step up and replace Paul Scholes.

Scholes has been one of the most effective players in terms of creativity and general midfield play at Old Trafford throughout his career.

His retirement creates huge anxiety at Manchester United over how David Moyes is going to go about trying to replace him, with several talented names mentioned ahead of possible transfers to the club.

owever, the club already own a player in Shinji Kagawa who is good enough to replace Scholes and he proved he can, outdoing Scholes in many key areas over the course of last season.

That was a title winning season where Kagawa was played out of position the majority of the time, which makes his limited impact all the more remarkable.

Of course Kagawa is never going to replace the physical element which Scholes have the United midfield but that is something Moyes can compensate for.

He can bring in an enforcer with the sole intention of protecting the back four and allowing Kagawa to settle into his natural and creative central role, a role that his former boss Jurgen Klopp suggested he was the best in the world at.

Phil Neville pitches for the vacant Everton manager's job

The special one is not bound for Stamford Bridge, according to Phil Neville; he has simply shifted along the M62. It could be bias or the insight from a career played entirely under Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes but either way, the former Everton captain is adamant that the Scot, not José Mourinho, is the perfect fit for Manchester United.

Few are better placed to assess Moyes's credentials as Ferguson's replacement than Neville, who worked alongside the Everton manager for eight years after leaving Old Trafford at the age of 28 in 2005. They could be reunited if Moyes opts to bring the 36-year-old on to his coaching staff at United though Neville has told Everton's chairman, Bill Kenwright, he wishes to succeed the Scot at Goodison Park.

Neville's immediate future may be uncertain, but his confidence in Moyes's ability to prove wrong the doubters who would have preferred the more glamorous and proven appointment of Mourinho is clear. "He is the best candidate, 100%," insists Neville. "You can put him alongside any coach in the world for that job and he is the best candidate. If José Mourinho came to Man United you would think, with his track record, that in maybe three seasons he would be gone. Man United are looking at the next 20 years. They've just given David Moyes a six-year contract. It is that kind of club. They invest in a certain kind of manager and that is why he is the best man for the job. There is no one else they could have invested in who would offer the same longevity as the previous manager."