Editor William Geldart and the SportEngage team would like to thank our loyal readers for their support.

It is our sad duty to inform you that The Football Blog will cease publication as of today. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, it will no longer be possible to regularly publish and edit the same high-quality and in-depth content that our readers have become accustomed to.

On behalf of myself and former editor, Richard Bourne, we’d like to thank all of our readers and contributors for their continued support throughout the history of the blog. We’ve really enjoyed promoting and facilitating football opinion and discussion, for the fans, by the fans.

From last year’s World Cup, to Champions League finals and various non-league trips, we’ve covered a plethora of news stories from across the footballing pyramid. It has been a pleasure to have been able to deliver our content to a truly global audience and to interact with fans, well-wishers and critics alike.

Even though our weekly Premier League predictions will no longer be published, The Football Blog’s SportGuru Premier League prediction pool will remain active!

We wish all of you reading this message the best for the future.

If you have any favourite memories or articles from the TFB archives, please feel free to share them below!

Yours Sincerely,

William Geldart

Editor

Bruce Halling has been monitoring Birmingham City’s slow and steady progress and comments on other issues arising from the latest Football League weekend.

It is incredible how quickly a team can be forgotten in football. Early in 2011, Birmingham City were a team that a lot of people were talking about. The Blues possessed one of the best home records in the Premier League, they were Carling Cup winners, and seemingly on an upwards trend.

A poor end to the 2010/11 season, however, saw the team relegated, and this was followed by a summer of upheaval as a number of big players left and weren’t really adequately replaced. Alex McLeish left the club to join rivals Aston Villa, and question marks over the club’s financial stability as owner Carson Yeung was arrested on money-laundering charges. Needless to say, Birmingham had a stuttering start to the season and completely fell off the radar.

In some ways, however, this seems to have helped them, as Chris Hughton is really turning around the fortunes of the St. Andrews’ club and yet, bizarrely, nobody really seems to have noticed yet. Following a 0-0 draw against Brighton on Saturday, Birmingham are now unbeaten in eight games in all competitions and have climbed the table almost unnoticed, with two games in hand on most of the teams above them. It surely will not be too long before the early title contenders, Southampton and West Ham, will have to stand up and take notice.

Elsewhere in the Championship, Millwall are beginning to generate a little bit of momentum also. After a torrid run in which they had gone winless in almost two months, they’ve now not been beaten in four games and have been particularly impressive in their last two outings, recording convincing victories over Leicester City, a result which led to Sven-Goran Eriksson’s dismissal as Foxes manager, and Ipswich Town.

Kenny Jackett’s side do have some tricky away games coming up but their next three home games are against the three teams currently in the relegation zone, so the Lions will surely fancy their chances of getting on a roll at home and getting some decent points on the board.

For the real action of the weekend, however, we must turn away from the Championship and turn our attentions to League One, which produced a sensational afternoon of football. A third of the teams in the division found the net three or more times as an incredible 48 goals were scored in the twelve games played on Saturday afternoon, in which the highlight was undoubtedly the 4-4 draw between Sheffield United and Exeter City at Bramall Lane.

It was a game which Danny Wilson’s side really ought to have won on paper, but if it’s been said once, it’s been said a thousand times, football games aren’t played on paper and the match was a brilliant advert for the Football League.

The thrills and spills were certainly not limited to the one game, however, as the games at Glanford Park, Brunton Park and the Weston Homes Community Stadium all produced six goals apiece.

Bobby Grant netted twice for Scunthorpe, who found themselves twice battling from a goal down against Tranmere before eventually running out 4-2 winners, while Carlisle fought back from a 0-3 deficit to earn a point against Oldham, inspired by a magnificent individual performance from Francois Zoko.

The tie between Colchester and Notts County, however, was perhaps the most remarkable of all, as it went from being goalless at the break to a six-goal thriller by the time the final whistle blew, with Colchester blowing County away with a devastating eight minute spell midway through the second half in which Michail Antonio, Ian Henderson and Kayode Odejayi all found the back of the net.

League One also saw one of the most bizarre moments of the season so far in the game between Walsall and MK Dons. It had been an even game until an incident, just after the half-hour mark, in which Saddlers’ keeper Jimmy Walker stormed off his line to sweep up a loose ball, lost his bearings, quite clearly picked the ball up outside the box and despite protesting his innocence, was dismissed.

From this moment on, Walsall were up against it, partially through being a man down but also partially owing to having no substitute keeper on the bench, something which has become a worryingly common practice this season since the number of substitutes permitted in Football League games was reduced back down to five from seven.

Moving on now to League Two, and the first signs are perhaps beginning to emerge that the race for the title in this division could be fought out between just two teams. Crawley Town, who started the weekend top of the table, slipped up and were held to a draw by Accrington Stanley, allowing Southend United, who recorded a 2-0 win at Macclesfield, to go back to the top of the table.

The two sides have now pulled a six-point gap over the chasing pack, and with the form that both sides have shown this season, could be beginning to establish their places at the top of the table. I said in last week’s blog that both sides look like they have all the attributes necessary to challenge for promotion and I stand by that view.

With that said, Crawley do look the more vulnerable team when they don’t have their strongest eleven available to them, so that could be something to watch out for as the inevitable strain of a 46-game season takes effect.

On a final note for this week, I’d like to make a special mention for the teams that competed in the Carling Cup last week. Aldershot performed valiantly but I think it was inevitable that the class in Manchester United’s side would show through, and that was evident with the quality of the goals that they scored.

I still think, despite the defeat, that the experience of the game will help drive the players of that club on to want to move the club forward onto another level and that can only be a good thing for Dean Holdsworth’s team.

Elsewhere, Cardiff produced a battling performance to see off Burnley to book their spot in the quarter finals, where they will host Premiership strugglers Blackburn Rovers, but for me the performance of the round came from Crystal Palace who did a phenomenal job in making Southampton look very, very average.

They face a trip to Old Trafford in the quarter-finals and that will not be an easy game for Dougie Freedman’s side but they have nothing to lose now, and I would back them to be a bit of a nuisance and cause United a couple of headaches in that game.

Follow Bruce on Twitter @brucehalling!

Carla Palmer gives her thoughts on a lack of black managers and coaches in the English game and the challenges aspiring black coaches continue to face. She is the wife of Leicester City development centre coach and scout Andrew Palmer and this is her account of a continuing lack of opportunities in English football for black managers and coaches.

There are 92 professional football clubs in the UK and about 25% of the players are black. Despite the fact that the number of black players has continued to rise there are only two black managers.

This situation is contributed to by a lack of recognition and opportunities for community, grass roots and youth coaches. Many of these coaches dedicate their time and energies into working with the youth from inner city areas that rely on football as a way to stay out of trouble.

Many of these are black and desperately in need of role models during their youth and as they progress in the game. “They need people who understand their backgrounds and the issues they face as young black men”. These are the words of Leicester City FC development centre coach and Scout Andrew Palmer from Nottingham.

Despite having worked successfully with many children and young people from Nottingham for over 15 years as a coach, scout and mentor Andrew says, “it is extremely difficult for me to progress within the FA”.

There are not only a lack of opportunities it may seem for black players to progress into top coaching and managerial jobs. It is practically impossible for black coaches who have not been players to secure positions in the boardroom regardless of how much knowledge they have of the game, how many years they have dedicated to coaching or how effective they have been. They have a uniquely valuable connection with their communities and invaluable relationships with the young players they coach, scout and mentor. This it seems, is overlooked.

Given his history in youth football in the Midlands, a coach like Andrew should be turning down job offers. Despite sending several job applications for positions within the FA he has not even been invited for an interview. He, like many others suspects that this has to do with having a face that does not fit. On this Andrew says, “ I don’t know if it’s because I am black or because I haven’t been a professional player and don’t have a reputation in the media or a combination of all of these things”.

Andrew’s experience and history in football include becoming the first black coach and manager for the Nottingham City Schools Football Association in their 117-year history. He was invited by the Nottingham City Schools Football Association to accompany the Nottingham under-14s team on a trip to Karlsruhe, Germany.

“We played against two club sides-Siemens Football Club and former Bundesliga Champions Karlsruhe SC,” he says. He ran the under-13s and has coached all age groups starting from under-11s up to the under-15s culminating in playing the English Schools Football Association Cup.

He has guided various age groups, won numerous trophies and cup finals since 2005 and became the first black manager to lead the team to a cup final at the Nottingham Forest F.C Academy and also at Meadow Lane, home of Notts County F.C. Andrew is surely deserving of more recognition for his hard work and dedication.

Andrew successfully scouted and mentored youngsters who are currently at Leicester City FC, three of whom are scholars at the Academy. Two are currently scholars at Notts County FC, one of whom is Curtis Thompson. He made his first team debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and played against Juventus in Turin.

Subsequently, Curtis has just signed a professional contract with Notts County FC at 18 years of age. On this Andrew proudly says, “I coached Curtis from the age of 12 and selected him to play for the Nottingham side. For four years I took him to the Leicester City Academy three times a week for training and to matches playing against the likes of Chelsea, Man United and Scunthorpe. After he wasn’t selected for Leicester for a scholarship I contacted someone from Notts County for him to be signed there so I am very pleased that all my hard work paid off.”

Andrew has also scouted and mentored three scholars at Burton Albion FC amongst others.

As well as coaching, Andrew has been a tutor and worked in schools as a Learning Mentor, coach and PE teacher. He set up and coached girls and boys teams for primary schools that played in the Nottingham Schools Football Association Area League. Andrew says, “there is a desperate need for change” and hopes that by sharing his story others will be encouraged to speak out despite the fact that conversations about race make people feel uncomfortable.

On the merits of his CV following one telephone conversation and a few emails Andrew was invited to be Camp Director for Premier Soccer Camps held in Lawrenceville New Jersey and Cornwall on Hudson, New York in July and August of this year.

This confirmed his feelings that  “taking FA coaching badges in the UK is a waste of time and there are better opportunities elsewhere. America has opened my eyes to the fact that there are places where no matter what colour skin you have you are rewarded and given recognition for hard work.”

Given the different response to his experience and skills working with young people by those he has met in the US, Andrew is certain that the future of his career in football lies in finding opportunities outside of England and perhaps the whole United Kingdom.

This is unfortunate for English football since people with Andrew’s skills and experience are so highly valuable. They shape the young people who go on to become the million dollar signings of professional clubs, yet are continually overlooked for top positions.

As well as opening the door for more professional players to progress into leadership roles in football, there also needs to be more opportunities for coaches to progress up the ranks of English football and recognition for those who work so hard at grass roots level. Without these people English football will have an uncertain future.

You can follow Carla Palmer on Twitter by clicking here: http://twitter.com/#!/MrsP1304

So, another former England manager bites the dust with Sven-Goran Eriksson leaving big spending Leicester City after an inconsistent start to the season.

Unrivalled promotion favourites, City currently sit 13th in the nPower Championship after a disappointing season which so far has seen them win only five of their opening 18 games, writes Dan Whitelegg.

The Foxes spent big in the summer with wealthy Thai owners King Power demanding Premier league football be brought to the stadium that bears the group’s name. A host of names were brought in with the likes of David Nugent, Kasper Schmeichel, Paul Konchesky and Matt Mills arriving, making them clear favourites with the bookies to retain their place in England’s top flight after a 10-year absence.

However, as many Championship rivals may have hoped, perhaps too many signings were made and Leicester are so far struggling to match up to the pre-season expectations.

As a result Sven has agreed to leave the club via mutual consent and admits he is saddened he won’t be leading the club into the Barclays Premier League. Many on the other hand, will possibly be pleased to see that money can’t buy you everything in football as more and more foreign owners think that a large wallet is all that is needed to bring success.

The big question now is who is going to take on the big spenders with Martin O’Neill already being cited as the preferred and undoubtedly most qualified man for the job.

O’Neill is regarded as one of the most successful Leicester bosses in recent history after leading the club to two League Cups and impressive Premier League finishes in his five-year spell at the club which ended in 2000 after moving to Celtic.

He has been out of football since leaving Aston Villa in August 2010 and is always one of the most sought after managers. He will be without doubt the fans’ number one choice.

However, other names have also been linked with the job with the always outspoken Billy Davies also being backed by the bookies, as well as the more seemingly unlikely names of Carlo Ancelotti and Slaven Bilic. Under normal circumstances you wouldn’t expect such names to drop down to a Championship club, but as Sven did before them, they may become attracted by the money, ambition and the chance to get back into English football.

The Leicester City job will be seen as a great opportunity by many managers with all the potential the club has to continue growing, and there is no question that with the squad that has already been assembled at the King Power stadium, a promotion could still very well be on the cards for the east Midlands club.

Tonight’s Carling Cup fourth round ties are all-Premier League affairs with Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City all facing difficult away trips.

Will we see any upsets when the above take on Everton, Stoke City and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively? Elsewhere, Blackburn Rovers host Newcastle United at Ewood Park, eager for a cup tonic and a platform to improve upon their poor league form, writes William Geldart.

Pardew’s buoyant Magpies aim to inflict another defeat on Rovers

Blackburn prepare for the visit of Newcastle this evening with the supporter’s ire towards manager Steve Kean and owners Venky’s threatening to boil over. Suffice to say, after a record of just six wins from 30 games in charge, rumours that those in power are planning to offer Kean a new contract have not gone down well.

The Wild Blackburn Rover blog has posed the question: “How long before the Rovers fans turn away from Steve Kean momentarily and take aim with their (proverbial) cannons at the people running the whole show… Venky’s?”

Rovers are likely to be without Michel Salgado again while David Dunn and Ryan Nelsen are definitely ruled out.

Magpies striker Shola Ameobi’s woes continue, with news that he is will be out for around six weeks because of a hamstring injury.

Cheik Tiote and Steven Taylor are also likely to be sidelined, with a knee injury and broken nose respectively.

Blackburn, 2002 League Cup winners, have an impressive recent record in the competition. Last season was the first time in four years that they had failed to reach at least the quarter-finals.

The Magpies have won their last four matches in the League Cup, however. Alan Pardew’s men have equalled a club record 12 game unbeaten run in the Premier League and they will be confident of piling more misery on beleaguered Rovers.

Chelsea youngsters aim to lay down a marker and restore pride

Defeat to west London rivals Queens Park Rangers at the weekend has certainly dented the pride of Chelsea. The subsequent furore surrounding allegations against captain John Terry and a possible racial slur aimed towards Hoops defender Anton Ferdinand has done little to focus the side on tonight’s Carling Cup game.

The Blues could do with some positive publicity and their fringe players will be given the chance to lift the mood at the club. Manager Andre Villas-Boas is expected to play youngsters Oriol Romeu, Ryan Bertrand, Josh McEachran and Romelu Lukaku against Everton tonight. Fernando Torres could also make an appearance after serving a three-match domestic ban.

Everton could recall Seamus Coleman and Tim Cahill and Louis Saha could start after scoring against Fulham at the weekend.

The Toffees are unbeaten against Chelsea at Goodison Park since 2008, however, they have only reached the quarter-finals once in the last 23 years.

Meanwhile, four-times League Cup winners Chelsea have failed to reach the quarter-finals in only three of the last 10 seasons.

Despite a recent 3-1 defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League, Saha is upbeat about Everton’s prospects against the Blues in their Carling Cup match-up.

He told the club’s official website: “It will be different because we are at home, that is a big boost to have the fans backing you.

“It’s the Carling Cup as well so maybe we will be facing a different Chelsea side. We have a great chance to upset Chelsea.”

Stoke searching for goals against record winners Liverpool

Stoke have failed to score in six of their last nine games against seven-time winners Liverpool. Former Reds striker Peter Crouch will be relishing the opportunity to perform against one of his previous employers. Everton fan Jon Walters could also be waiting to pounce once again after his penalty secured a 1-0 win for the Potters against Liverpool in September.

Jonathan Woodgate and Danny Higginbotham could return for the home side while Jermaine Pennant is doubtful to play against his former club.

Lucas is available again for the visitors after a suspension and defender Daniel Agger may start after coming on as a substitute against Norwich City on Saturday.

Stoke have only lost one of their last seven home League Cup ties but this will be their third match in six days owing to their domestic and Europa League commitments. Kenny Dalglish’s men have failed to score in only one of their last 40 League Cup games and their fresher squad could stretch the home side to the limit.

McCarthy and Wolves search for morale boosting win to get fans back onside

Mick McCarthy has branded fans that booed and jeered his substitutions in Wolves’ 2-2 draw with Swansea City on Saturday ‘mindless idiots’.

A win against high-flying Manchester City would help build bridges with an increasingly irate section of the home support but everyone at Molineux will be under no illusions that securing victory tonight will be incredibly difficult.

Such is the strength in-depth of Roberto Mancini’s squad, he is likely to name the likes of Kolo Toure, Costel Pantilimon, Nigel De Jong and Adam Johnson in his starting line-up. Owen Hargreaves misses out because of a calf strain.

Wolves could be without striker Steven Fletcher again as he nurses a calf injury of his own, while Ronald Zubar is lacking match fitness.

The home side have not made the League Cup quarter-finals since the 1995-1996 season but they have won two of their last three home games against Manchester City.

A win for Wolves this evening would be a massive boost, especially given that they travel to Manchester to play City this weekend in the Premier League.

Will the home faithful continue to back their side if City are in the same rampant mood that has taken them five points clear at the top of the league?

Wolvesblog.com has these words for the manager and players: “The fans, as is their right, will continue to probe and debate, but I don’t see what good the players and particularly the manager speaking out can do.

Just get on with it.”

So there.

What do you think will happen in tonight’s Carling Cup fourth-round ties? Will Chelsea come unstuck against the Toffees? Stoke might be knackered but the fans at the Britannia Stadium could spur them on to victory against inconsistent Liverpool. Please leave a comment below!

A much-changed Manchester United side travel to Hampshire to face Aldershot Town this evening. Can they salvage some pride after Sunday’s derby defeat?

It’s just one of four Carling Cup fourth round ties taking place tonight, with a place in the quarter-finals up for grabs, writes William Geldart.

Cup fever hits Hampshire as Shots look to pounce on wounded United

Aldershot recorded a thumping 5-2 away win at Dagenham and Redbridge on Saturday, the perfect preparation for one of the biggest games in their history since reformation in 1992.

They had never been past the third round of the competition before this season and it’s difficult to see them negotiating an unlikely passage to the next stage.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s second string Manchester United side is still likely to contain the talents of Dimitar Berbatov, Ji-Sung Park, Michael Owen and Antonio Valencia. It’s also been reported that Ferguson is likely to name captain Nemanja Vidic in the starting line-up.

The United boss is reportedly unhappy with Vidic playing for Serbia in a recent Euro 2012 qualifier against Slovenia, despite him carrying a calf injury. He has already suffered the ignominy of being omitted from the squad that faced Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday and the Serb could be forced to lead his team out in the more humble surroundings of the tight Hampshire ground.

Still, no matter who United choose to field this evening, it’s not going to deter the Shots who are not going to adhere to past preconceptions of what might happen when lower league teams come up against top-flight opposition. Financially, the Shots’ £90,000 per month wage bill is nothing compared to United’s £1.4m per week costs but when it comes to physical conditioning, there is a level playing field.

In the last decade, fitness and lifestyle changes have filtered down to all levels of the professional game, even into non-league football.

Shots boss Dean Holdsworth enjoyed a career that took in 16 clubs, one of them Bolton Wanderers where he plied his trade under Sam Allardyce.

Holdsworth told the Daily Mail: “He (Allardyce) taught me if they’re not good enough, get them fit enough”.

Understandably, tickets have been hard to come by for the visit of the champions. The Shots’ atmospheric and ramshackle Recreation Ground will be packed to the rafters. It has been announced that the final 7,359th ticket had been sold last Friday.

Gunners hope to erase painful memories as Bolton search for their own respite

Arsenal might have even more incentive to win this season’s trophy given their calamitous 2-1 defeat to Birmingham City in last year’s final.

They welcome Bolton Wanderers to the Emirates, with both sides likely to make a glut of changes to focus on their league priorities.

Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny could be rested for the Gunners while Trotters boss Owen Coyle could name a host of fringe players including Adam Bogdan, Zat Knight, Gretar Steinsson, Fabrice Muamba, Mark Davies, Ricardo Gardner, Ivan Klasnic and Tuncay Sanli in his line-up.

This will be the first meeting between the two sides in the League Cup, a competition Arsenal have not lost in at the Emirates Stadium since moving there in 2006.

More ominously for the visitors is the fact that Arsenal have reached the quarter-finals in each of the past eight seasons whereas Bolton have not got to the last eight since the 2005-2006 campaign.

History is there to be made though and the Wanderers have won two of their last three away matches. They will be looking to exploit the remaining psychological scars of their hosts’ Final defeat last February.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has admitted to the Daily Telegraph that the last-minute defeat to Birmingham will haunt him for the rest of his life.

“It will hurt me forever because we never forget disappointments,” said Wenger. “That’s part of life at a managerial level, you do not only have successes but disappointments, too.”

Two all-Championship ties could serve up tasty quarter-finals

Cardiff City, Burnley, Crystal Palace and Southampton are all established Championship sides and famous clubs who will be looking to forge a path to the quarter-finals and the opportunity to take on one of the Premier League giants.

Cardiff and Burnley meet in the Welsh capital with the statistics promising a goal-fest. The Bluebirds’ last three matches have produced 19 goals, with the home team scoring ten of them.

Meanwhile, Burnley have scored 11 goals in the Carling Cup this season and the Clarets have not failed to score in their last 15 games in this competition.

The away side also reached the semi-finals of the competition two years ago and have been victorious in all three of their past League Cup meetings with Cardiff.

Cardiff’s options up-front are likely to be depleted by the absence of forward Rudy Gestede and one of his strike-partners, Kenny Miller.

Burnley hope to have striker Charlie Austin available as they attempt to beat a Cardiff side that has only lost once so far this season.

And finally, Crystal Palace and Southampton square-off at Selhurst Park this evening. Both sides are flying high in the Championship table and changes are likely to be made to prioritise their respective league commitments.

Saints boss Nigel Adkins has already announced that promising 16-year-old Jamie Ward-Prowse will make his debut. The midfielder is the latest Academy product of the south-coast club tipped to do well and he has featured for the England Under-17 side as well as trained with the first-team.

Adkins said: “He plays in the middle of the park and he has something about him. He is intelligent, has a great attitude and this shows we have a commitment to youth here at Southampton.”

Goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski and Aaron Martin are likely to start the game for the visitors while Palace will add midfielder Owen Garvan to their squad.

The table-topping Saints represent a tough obstacle for Dougie Freeman’s transformed Palace team, however, their home record in the League Cup is impressive.

The Eagles have won 16 of the last 18 League Cup matches at Selhurst Park and have lost only two of 29 – a run that stretches back to October 1995.

Which of tonight’s four Carling Cup matches are you looking forward to the most? Please leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts!

It seems like only a few short weeks ago that the Football League season was just kicking off, and yet here we are, almost one third of the way through the season already, writes Bruce Halling.

The one conclusion that I have been able to draw at this stage of the season is that I believe we are set for one of the best seasons in the Football League for a very long time, especially in the Championship.

At this stage of the season, while I have been hugely impressed with Southampton, in both the way they have adapted with ease to playing at a higher level and the way in which they have gone about their football this season, they are just one of over a dozen teams who could win promotion from this division this season.

To illustrate this point, all I have to do is talk about tonight’s game, which sees Brighton & Hove Albion face West Ham. After a great start to the season, Brighton currently find themselves in 12^th position in the Championship table, while West Ham currently occupy fourth place. Should Brighton win tonight, they will climb above their opponents. That is how close and competitive it is.

The most beautiful thing of all about this is that any team can seemingly beat any other team on any given day. Ipswich Town are one place above Peterborough United in the table at current, yet earlier in the season the Tractor Boys were demolished 7-1 by Darren Ferguson’s side, and at that stage it looked like Peterborough were definitely marching towards the top six, while Paul Jewell had a lot of things to figure out defensively.

Now, the only difference that particular result has made in the overall scheme of things is that Ipswich currently have the worst goal difference of any team in the top half of the table.

It is a similar story in League One at present, although there are a couple of teams that definitely stand out from the others, and it is no coincidence that they are the two teams currently occupying the automatic promotion places.

Charlton have made a fantastic start to the season and are playing some magnificent football. Bradley Wright-Phillips has finally come of age and is now looking like a striker that will be able to score goals at a higher level, but he is by no means the only player attraction attention in Chris Powell’s side. Powell has done a brilliant job turning around the fortunes of a club that looked in terminal decline prior to his arrival and I think it will be very difficult stopping them taking the title in that division this season.

If there’s one club definitely capable of finishing top of the pile though, it’s Huddersfield Town. Unbeaten in league football in 2011, in what has been an unbelievable streak for Lee Clark and his side; they look like the real deal.

The way in which they swept aside Preston North End, who are by no means easy opposition, only served as a warning to the rest of this division that they have only one target in mind this season, that being the League One title. If Jordan Rhodes continues in his current vein of form, having scored thirteen goals in his last five games for club and country, the Terriers will take some stopping.

Elsewhere in the division, there are a number of other teams who look like they could also challenge. Both Sheffield teams are up the right end of the table, early pacesetters MK Dons aren’t too far away although they have not looked as strong since the departure of Sam Baldock to West Ham, and there are a number of other teams who are not too far away either, including Preston and Hartlepool, who are both currently just outside the playoff places in the division, but both with a game in hand in which victory would put them back into the top six. The only complication? Their game in hand is against each other.

Moving on to League Two, there are again around ten to twelve teams that look like they could be in the running for promotion this season.

Crawley Town and Southend United are right at the top of the table and look like they have all the attributes of a team that will be fighting for the league title this season, despite a completely different approach in both cases. Crawley have been able to just throw money at the situation and comfortably outspend most, if not all other clubs in this division and are reaping the rewards from this at current.

Southend, on the other hand, have had to go through a period of transition and rebuilding after a difficult couple of years off the pitch, which they now appear to have put firmly behind them, and are now getting the benefits of the hard work that has been done off the pitch.

They are by no means the only contenders. Gillingham and Shrewsbury Town are hovering there or thereabouts and have been all season so far, Cheltenham look like a very tough-to-beat team this time around, and Morecambe have had an incredible start to the season so far under new boss Jim Bentley.

I wouldn’t rule out Wimbledon, Oxford or Swindon either. All have shown glimpses of brilliance at times but just need to find a little more consistency to take that final step from being on the fringes of the playoff places to being right in the mix. They’re not short of time to make that step either.

On a final note, I wish the five Football League clubs still competing in the Carling Cup the best of luck this week.

Aldershot head into their game with Manchester United on Tuesday in ideal fashion, having outclassed Dagenham & Redbridge 5-2 while seeing United dismantled by Manchester City. United may well be a little bit vulnerable in the early stages of Tuesday’s game, and if Dean Holdsworth can get his side fired up and in the faces of their more illustrious opponents, they genuinely could make a game of it.

Elsewhere, the remaining four will become two as there are two all-Championship clashes, with Cardiff hosting Burnley and Southampton travelling to Crystal Palace. Both games will be worth watching, but in particular the game at Selhurst Park, as both teams are high in both form and confidence. I wouldn’t like to pick a winner.

Follow Bruce on Twitter @brucehalling!

TFB editor William Geldart takes another look at the reaction from the mainstream media and bloggers to this weekend’s Premier League action.

Manchester City’s 6-1 demolition of neighbours United has set tongues wagging after the Citizens’ blistering movement and finishing blew their main rivals away at Old Trafford yesterday.

Meanwhile, the tempestuous west London derby between QPR and Chelsea has produced a massive online reaction after allegations that Blues and England captain John Terry racially abused QPR’s Anton Ferdinand, a claim strongly denied.

United suffer worst home defeat since 1955 as City lay down their title marker

As Edin Dzeko scored his second goal of the day, just 23 minutes after coming on as a substitute, and Manchester City bagged six goals in the process, Old Trafford had already emptied significantly.

In putting Manchester United to the sword so emphatically, City were creating history in more ways than one. Their thirty-three goals scored in total over the club’s opening 9 Premier League matches equalled the all-time record over the same period, set by Everton way back in the 1894/1895 season.

TFB’s weekly Premier League review isn’t about cold, hard statistics, however. We prefer to trade in raw emotion and heartache.

The United blog 7 Cantonas certainly oozed plenty of the latter. Matthew Galea described the outcome as “undoubtedly one of the darkest days in the modern history of Manchester United.”

Mario Balotelli’s brace to match Dzeko’s contribution, besides goals from Sergio Aguero and David Silva inflicted the Red Devils’ worst-home defeat since 1955.

Darren Fletcher’s sublime consolation strike offered little comfort. Jonny Evans’ sending-off early in the second-half arguably vanquished any United hopes of getting back into the match against a rampant City team.

The BBC’s chief football writer, Phil McNulty, has taken the opportunity to describe how the result and City’s performance represents a seminal moment in Premier League history.

“Was this the most significant result in recent Premier League history? Was this the day the tide finally turned, not just in Manchester but in England?” he pondered.

McNulty added: “The significance of the result, and the manner of it, must not be questioned. The backdrop to the derby was framed in the context of Roberto Mancini’s approach and whether City had the self-belief to flex their growing muscles on their neighbours while coping with the pressure of leading the Premier League.”

City certainly didn’t freeze on one of the biggest occasions in their most recent history. Hyperbole aside, despite opening up a five-point lead at the top of the table, the Sky Blues are all too aware that the ultimate aim is to secure a maiden Premier League title.

Manager Roberto Mancini was keen to downplay talk of his side usurping their great rivals just yet: “United are still one yard above us and we can only change this if we win the title. After that it might be different but until then United are better than us” were the Italian’s sage words in his post-match press conference.

Tempestuous west London derby as Chelsea see red and Rangers take the points

A Sunday full of thrilling action continued at Loftus Road as Queens Park Rangers saw off nine-man Chelsea courtesy of a Heidar Helguson penalty.

Jose Boswinga and Dider Drogba saw red for the visitors, although Andre Villas-Boas’ side had chances to draw level despite their numerical disadvantage.

Much of the post-match discussion has focussed on the John Terry racism allegations, with videos appearing online that appear to indicate Terry launched a foul-mouthed attack on Hoops defender Anton Ferdinand.

Ultimately, the Blues’ indiscipline in the first top-flight encounter with their pumped up rivals for 15 years, cost them. David Luiz’s nudge on the back of Helguson that led to the penalty dispatched by the Icelander typified Chelsea’s lack of control and the young Brazilian’s erratic display poses massive questions regarding his defensive and positional awareness.

Take nothing away from Neil Warnock’s QPR, however. They took the game to their neighbours and should have pressed home their advantage but lacked the necessary composure in front of goal.

A packed Loftus Road raucously celebrated their side’s first win over Chelsea since 1995 and the Rangers boss beamed that “they’ll still be talking about in 30 or 40 years”.

North London advances on the top-four and Everton record smash and grab victory

North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur also managed to grab precious wins yesterday afternoon.

Gunners captain Robin van Persie came off the bench to help secure a 3-1 win over Stoke City at the Emirates. Gervinho had opened the scoring before Peter Crouch’s equaliser for the Europa League weary Potters.

The Ivorian linked up well with van Persie when he came on, helping set-up the Dutchman’s double salvo and the forward signed from Lille could prove to be an important player for Arsene Wenger’s side.

Tottenham’s 2-1 victory away at Blackburn Rovers keeps up the pressure on the top-four and piles more misery on beleaguered Rovers boss, Steve Kean.

Amidst a backdrop of more fan protests at his managing of the team, Kean saw his side downed by two Rafael van der Vaart strikes after Mauro Formica had cancelled out the Dutchman’s fifteenth-minute opener.

Blackburn hustled Spurs but two moments of quality from Van der Vaart proved to be the difference between the sides, with the home team lacking the desired quality to finish their chances.

Kean maintains an admirable optimism, as do the owners Venky’s who continue to back the Scot. However, after just six wins in 30 games in charge and sitting bottom of the Premier League, comments to local media outlets claiming that his side are not too far off a top-ten finish are making the manager look increasingly delusional.

Everton got the better of Fulham at Craven Cottage in yesterday’s other game. An exciting contest saw the Toffees triumph 3-1 although it could have been so different had Cottagers striker Bobby Zamora not blazed wide late on when the scores were level.

Royston Drenthe’s sublime long-range effort had given the away side the lead before Costa-Rican Bryan Ruiz showed the home faithful what he is capable of with an exquisite chip to restore parity.

Louis Saha and Jack Rodwell snatched victory for Everton in the final few minutes of the game and Toffees fans were rewarded with even more good news to savour last night.

The Liverpool Echo announced Saha is to return to Twitter after his micro-blogging exile following comments he made about David Moyes’ team selection. Or rather, his omission from the side. Alls well that ends well, eh?

Magpies continue to soar, Liverpool falter and a round-up of the other games…

Elsewhere this weekend, Chelsea’s slip-up has allowed the irrepressible Newcastle United to gain ground on them and the rest of the top three. A scrappy 1-0 win against a Wigan Athletic side who deserved more means the Magpies are now three points above Tottenham who sit in fifth-place.

Yohan Cayabe’s glorious effort from just outside the area broke Wigan hearts on Saturday nine minutes from time. The Frenchman has been nicknamed ‘Dreamboat’ according to local reports and his beautiful finish earned him the adulation of the St. James’ Park faithful on Saturday.

A new half-price season ticket initiative could also ensure that the 52,143 capacity ground is full to the rafters in future as Newcastle march on.

Liverpool were made to pay for their inability to finish off Norwich City at Anfield on Saturday evening. Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll were guilty of misses, Carroll’s a poor misdirected header from close-range towards the end of the match.

Barrel-chested Canaries striker Grant Holt came off the bench to rescue a point for the impressive visitors, who had their own chances to snatch a win. Craig Bellamy had given the Reds the lead shortly before half-time against one of his former clubs.

Prior to the 1-1 draw the ‘This is Anfield’ blog had posed the question: ‘Is a Liverpool win over Norwich a formality?’ Well, they got their answer.

And finally, woe is Mick McCarthy as he continues to fight his own battle with a small contingent of Wolverhampton Wanderers fans unhappy with his team selection and decision making. Wolves did recover well though on Saturday, to salvage a point in their 2-2 draw with Swansea City.

Kevin Doyle and Jamie O’Hara both scored in the final ten minutes after first-half goals from Danny Graham and Joe Allen has put the Swans in control.

Aston Villa were left to rue the controversial sending-off of Chris Herd as they crashed to a 2-1 home defeat against neighbours West Bromwich Albion.

The defender was adjudged to have stamped on Baggies left-back Jonas Olsson, although no evidence has been brought forward to support the linesman’s decision to award a penalty that Chris Brunt sliced wide, or to substantiate Phil Dowd’s decision to brandish a red card.

Darren Bent had given the Villans a first-half lead through their own spot-kick before Olsson rubbed salt into home side’s wounds with the equaliser and Paul Scharner notched the winning goal just before the hour mark.

Tip your hat to under-fire Sunderland boss Steve Bruce. The Black Cats recorded only their sixth win in their last 25 league games at Bolton Wanderers. Stephane Sessegnon and Nicklas Bendtner provided the firepower the Wearsiders have been sorely lacking recently to consign Owen Coyle’s Bolton to a fifth straight defeat at home. Heads will inevitably roll in the next few weeks as sacking season gets under way. Bruce may have just pushed his above the parapet, for the time being at least.

How did your team get on at the weekend? Think we’ve missed something important out or you’d just like to have a rant? Please leave a comment below!

All eyes will be on Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon as Manchester City make the short trip to face rivals United for a potentially explosive encounter.

Other highlights include the west London derby between QPR and Chelsea at Loftus Road and a Midlands tussle on Saturday afternoon between Aston Villa and West Brom at Villa Park, writes William Geldart.

Our Premier League prediction pool is starting to become extremely competitive. ‘Growler’ has hung on to top spot for the second consecutive week, the first time anyone has done so this season. ‘Sitout747’, ‘dougthehead’ and ‘PedroFalcon’ are still fighting hard just behind our leader, all anxious to win the Premier League shirt of their choice while having some great fun along the way. Congratulations to last week’s Yellow Cap winner, ‘stegs73’, for an impressive performance that puts them in contention at the top of the leaderboard.

Whilst we don’t wish to brag, last week we called the Stoke v Fulham, Chelsea v Everton and Arsenal v Sunderland results bang on the money. Maybe the guys over at The Betting Blog will let us have a go at tipping…

Wolves v Swansea

Saturday lunchtime’s kick-off pits two teams together who will be both desperate to pick up a point or three.

Wolves’ five-match run of defeats, including last weekend’s Black Country derby loss at West Brom, has had critics questioning the strength of Mick McCarthy’s side since their decent early season form has petered out.

Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers will have been disappointed with last weekend’s 3-1 defeat to fellow new boys Norwich and he will be eager to see signs of improvement.

Wolves are likely to be without top scorer Steven Fletcher again as the Scot continues to struggle with a calf injury. Sylvain Ebanks-Blake could return and make his first league start of the season.

For the Swans, defender Steven Caulker is ruled out with a knee problem while Vangelis Moras could make his debut.

The Welsh side have lost all of their four matches in the Premier League when crossing the border and they have not won on their last four visits to Molineux.

They are unbeaten in their only two top-flight encounters with the hosts, however, and Wolves are on their longest losing streak in the highest division for 27 years. It could be a nervy afternoon for the home faithful, and Swansea have got to start picking up points on the road sometime.

The Football Blog prediction: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-1 Swansea City

Aston Villa v West Brom

Another derby beckons for West Brom, and a tricky trip to face Aston Villa who will be smarting after losing their unbeaten record last week, being drubbed 4-1 by Manchester City.

Defender James Collins should return to Alex McLeish’s side and Barry Bannan could be recalled. West Brom’s Steven Reid will play after minor hand surgery and striker Peter Odemwingie could start.

The Baggies have not won at Villa Park in the league since 1979 and the home side have a decent derby record, only losing one of their last 11 local skirmishes in the Premier League.

Albion will be buoyed by last week’s victory and clean sheet, however, and in striker Shane Long, Roy Hodgson knows he has someone who will work tirelessly for the cause and chase balls forward.

The last four meetings have ended with a 2-1 scoreline, Villa triumphing in three of those encounters. We can’t see past the same outcome tomorrow.

The Football Blog prediction: Aston Villa 2-1 West Bromwich Albion

Bolton v Sunderland

Bolton manager Owen Coyle, the players and fans of the Wanderers would have been mighty relieved to see their team claim all three points in last weekend’s Lancashire derby at Wigan.

The Trotters still occupy a place in the bottom three but now they have the chance to put another fellow struggler to the sword, this time in the comfort of their own home surroundings.

Sunderland were unfortunate to lose late on at Arsenal last Sunday but that will be of little consolation to the Black Cats. They have won just four of their last 22 Premier League games.

At least they will have on-loan striker Nicklas Bendtner back after he could not play against parent club Arsenal. Phil Bardsley will also feature again after serving a six-week suspension. Bolton are likely to remain unchanged.

The Trotters have lost their last six home games in the league and Sunderland have done the double over them in the past two seasons. We don’t anticipate a classic on this occasion, or even a win for either side.

The Football Blog prediction: Bolton Wanderers 0-0 Sunderland

Newcastle v Wigan

Shola Ameobi’s late equaliser against Tottenham last Sunday preserved the Magpies’ unbeaten record. Alan Pardew’s side will be looking to pile more misery upon a Wigan team who have lost five league games in a row and who are joint-low scorers in the league so far this season.

An unchanged line-up from the home side is expected at St. James’ Park whereas Maynor Figueroa could replace the hapless Steve Gohouri for Wigan after the latter’s horror show performance against Bolton.

The Latics have never won on Tyneside in six attempts and this fixture is a daunting one, although Roberto Martinez’s side have been known to upset the odds, including winning at Stoke last season to preserve their top-flight status.

Raised expectancy levels could lead to Newcastle’s downfall if it’s forthcoming but we expect them to motor on and dispatch of the visitors tomorrow.

The Football Blog prediction: Newcastle United 2-1 Wigan Athletic

Liverpool v Norwich

The return of Steven Gerrard, coupled with the captain’s goal against their bitterest rivals Manchester United last weekend should lift the spirits at Anfield.

The Reds may feel they should have taken more from that match, however, they have the perfect opportunity to make more ground on the top-four when they entertain Norwich in Saturday’s evening kick-off.

Glen Johnson could return after coming through unscathed in Liverpool’s midweek friendly defeat to Rangers. Likewise, fellow defender Daniel Agger could also make a comeback.

Lucas is suspended after picking up a fifth booking of the season, whereas Norwich will be close to full-strength with Zak Whitbread, Grant Holt, Ritchie De Laet, Andrew Surman and Chris Martin all available again.

Although the home side will be looking to record a fifth successive win against the Canaries, Norwich have already shown they are not overawed when travelling to play the bigger teams in the league.

Some hope for Paul Lambert’s men might come in the statistic that Liverpool lost four of their six games against newly-promoted sides last season.

Also, the Reds have kept just two clean sheets in 10 league and cup games this season whereas Norwich are yet to record a shutout. We’re predicting an entertaining game full of goals.

The Football Blog prediction: Liverpool 3-2 Norwich City

Arsenal v Stoke

Arsene Wenger described his Arsenal team as making ‘baby steps’ of progress following their midweek Champions League win against Marseilles.

They meet a resolute Stoke side at the Emirates on Sunday, buoyant from their own European triumph this week (a 4-0 win against Maccabi Tel-Aviv), but perhaps not as fresh as manager Tony Pulis would like.

The Gunners sit just two points behind the visitors and they will be eager to continue their forward momentum.

You have to go back to August 1981 to find Stoke’s last away win against Arsenal, a slender 1-0 triumph at Highbury in the old First Division.

Arsenal only narrowly managed to beat the Potters by the same scoreline in the corresponding fixture last season, however, Stoke have started to leak goals on their travels. They’ve conceded six times in their last two trips away from the Britannia Stadium.

It’s too premature to assume Arsenal will glide back into the top-four positions in the league, but they should have enough to just about see off their possibly jaded opponents this weekend.

The Football Blog prediction: Arsenal 3-1 Stoke City

Fulham v Everton

The Cottagers will be bitterly disappointed about their Europa League defeat to Wisla Krakow last night but their domestic form is in need of desperate attention too. Fulham have only won one of their opening eight Premier League games.

Martin Jol’s side are likely to welcome back Bobby Zamora and Clint Dempsey, while they sweat on the fitness of captain Danny Murphy.

Everton re-signing James McFadden is unlikely to feature as he recovers his fitness and Victor Anichebe is a long-term absentee.

The Toffees have only won once at Craven Cottage in the Premier League, a last day of the season victory in 2009.

The visitors are looking to avoid a fourth consecutive league defeat and they will look towards Tim Cahill to provide inspiration once again, although the Aussie is yet to score for the club in 2011.

There has only been one away win in all 20 Premier League matches betweeen these two sides and we don’t expect that to change on Sunday.

The Football Blog prediction: Fulham 1-0 Everton

Manchester United v Manchester City

This weekend’s Manchester derby takes on added importance and significance with both teams fighting it out at the top of the Premier League. A win for City could extend their advantage over their rivals to five points whereas a United victory would see them at the summit once again.

Much of the pressure is on Roberto Mancini and City. Will he continue to accommodate the tempestuous Mario Balotelli in the side given that the Italian has scored three goals in his last 3 league games?

Sergio Aguero returned from injury in midweek to steal a vital three points for the club in their Champions League group-stage victory against Villarreal while Edin Dzeko has been out of sorts after a blistering start to the season. But, will either of them make way for Balotelli on Sunday?

Meanwhile, United’s recent form has been criticised, especially after their arguably fortuitous draw at Liverpool last weekend and a laboured European win over Romanian minnows Otelul Galati in midweek.

Still, you’d never bet against the Red Devils in these type of games and Sir Alex Ferguson’s side enjoy the upper hand in recent encounters.

United are unbeaten in their last six league matches against their rivals, winning five of those games.

A plethora of ex-players, pundits and commentators have their own views splashed across print publications and online. We’ll just add our twopence and plump for a high-scoring draw.

The Football Blog prediction: Manchester United 2-2 Manchester City

Blackburn v Tottenham

Under-fire Blackburn boss Steve Kean is set to face the wrath of the home fans once again, as another protest is planned to call for his dismissal. With just one league win so far this term, and sitting bottom of the table, those calls may grow louder if his team fail to beat Tottenham on Sunday.

The Scot has no new injury problems though, with David Dunn and Morten Gamst Pedersen still struggling to be fit in time for the visit of Spurs.

Harry Redknapp’s team have defensive problems with William Gallas, Ledley King, Vedran Corluka and Michael Dawson all ruled out.

There are no such difficulties up-front, however, with Jermain Defoe, Emmanuel Adebayor and Rafael van der Vaart all scoring three times each over the course of Spur’s five-match unbeaten run.

Tottenham have done the double over Blackburn in each of the last two seasons and it’s difficult to see them not notching another win at Ewood Park this weekend.

The Football Blog prediction: Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur

QPR v Chelsea

QPR will be hoping that this west London derby doesn’t have a similar outcome to the last one they contested: their 6-0 drubbing at Fulham, where Adel Taarabt left the stadium after being substituted.

Neil Warnock’s side will have to start showing some togetherness if they are to pull off a famous victory against their rivals in Sunday’s late afternoon game. Chelsea have been in rampant form of late and their new found rhythm under Andre Villas-Boas is starting to win admirers.

John Terry, Juan Mata, Daniel Sturridge and Didier Drogba are all in line to return after being rested for the Blues’ 5-0 thrashing of Genk in midweek.

Danny Gabbidon is likely to be missing for the Hoops as he battles against a knee injury while last week’s goalscorer Heidar Helguson could be preferred to Jay Bothroyd up-front.

Chelsea have lost just one of their last 14 league and cup games against QPR and the last time the home side won a London derby in the Premier League was 3-0 against West Ham on 27 April 1996.

Rangers may not get the first home win of the season they crave against their fierce rivals but they have enough to come close. Buoyed by a vociferous Loftus Road crowd, QPR will provide a stern test for their illustrious opponents.

The Football Blog prediction: Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Chelsea

Also, check out Ginx TV’s Premier League Playthrough, where Anthony Richardson simulates this weekend’s fixtures on Fifa 12 and gives his own analysis. Watch here.

After nearly two weeks of speculation and a revolving door of high-profile names linked to the job, Steve Cotterill has finally been given the task of reviving the fortunes of Nottingham Forest.

Dan Whitelegg asks: with Cotterill perhaps being one of the lesser names on the list, is he the right man to take on one of the biggest clubs in English football which is seemingly in turmoil?

Forest, consecutive European champions in the 1980s under the leadership of the infamous Brian Clough, came into this Championship season with high expectations of promotion, with the apparently reinvigorated Steve ‘Wally with a Brolly’ McClaren hoping to rebuild his reputation in the English game after the national team debacle.

However, poor results on the pitch accompanied with unrest off it, led to the club hovering above the trap door and McLaren’s imminent departure as well as the chairman revealing he will also be stepping down at the end of the season.

The immediate concern though was to name a successor to McClaren, and surely a club held in such high esteem would be overwhelmed with high-quality applicants and impessive track records. Many were linked to the role including fan favourites Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane, as well as the likes of Alan Curbishley, Paul Ince, Darren Ferguson and also the unlikely return of Billy Davies.

All these names, admittedly some more suited to the job than others, are all big names in the English game, however Forest have opted for notable hard worker and Portsmouth boss Steve Cotterill.

Cotterill is no stranger to adversity and hardship, with his last two jobs hardly being the easiest. We all know the problems he faced at his last club Portsmouth, but despite all the financial turmoil, transfer embargos and the inability to name a full bench on match days, he still managed to steer them to mid table last season and had had a promising start to this one.

Preceding that was his tenure at now neighbouring Notts County, where after taking over amidst complications behind the scenes after seeing Sven Goran Eriksson leave the board as well as all the promised money from owners, he still led them to promotion to League One.

It is safe to say that Cotterill has been a mini success over recent seasons and perhaps deserves his chance at a club such as Forest. However, the one thing that he will have to overcome which perhaps weren’t present at his other clubs is expectation. A club as big Nottingham Forest demands success and ultimately this is what became Billy Davies’s downfall, who twice failed at the last hurdle to get them into the Premier League.

If Cotterill can cope with this added pressure he may have a chance at bringing pride back to the City Ground and if his first game is anything to go by, a 2-0 win at Middlesbrough, a good season could still lie ahead.