Following Aston Villa’s 3-0 opening day win over West Ham, Stilian Petrov amongst others has called for the appointment of caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald on a permanent basis. There is no doubting MacDonald is due praise for steadying the ship just five days after Martin O’Neill’s resignation, as well as for his bold inclusion of Ciaran Clark and Marc Albrighton in the starting line up. However, a quick trawl through the recent history of caretakers who have made the step up to full-time manager suggests that the Villa board should proceed with caution.
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With the opening round of Premier League fixtures now complete, both Chelsea and Manchester United have laid down an imposing marker to the chasing pack. OK, so we are just one game in and the opposition they both brushed aside were newly promoted sides, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that that last season’s top two sides have effortlessly hit their stride in the new season. Is this a sign of things to come for the nine months ahead?
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So the new Premier League season is up and running and not without its talking points. Amongst the highlights from the weekend, Blackpool’s victory aside, it was the goalkeeping displays which drew much of the attention. Following on from Robert Green’s high profile blunder in the World Cup this summer, along with some others in the tournament, the men between the posts appear to have retained the spotlight going into the domestic season although not necessarily for all the right reasons.
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Unless you’ve been hiding under the bed sheets for the past few weeks, it won’t have escaped your attention that the 2010/2011 Premier League season kicks off tomorrow. It looks like it could be a close run affair both at the top and the bottom of the league and there are plenty of new faces looking to prove their worth. If you’re still suffering from a World Cup hangover and are feeling a certain amount of apathy towards the season ahead, here is a last minute guide to raise your interest levels.
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In the final part of our Premier League preview, and with the new season now just two days away, we assess the chances of Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United, Wigan Athletic and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the nine months ahead. Let us know your thoughts on how these teams will perform and where they can expect to be in the league come May.
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