Soccerword's Premiership Team of the Week - 04

We're going with a 3-4-3 formation for this week's team:

Goalkeeper: Manuel Almunia (Arsenal)

Defenders: Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Kolo Toure (Arsenal)

Midfielders: Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Mikel Arteta (Everton), Tim Cahill (Everton), Chris Brunt (West Brom)

Forwards: Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal), Marlon King (Hull City), Jermain Defoe (Portsmouth)

Soccerword's Premiership Team of the Week - 01

Goalkeeper: Shay Given, Newcastle

Defenders: Jose Bosingwa (Chelsea), Vedran Corlucka (Man City), Andre Ooijer (Blackburn), David Wheater (Middlesbrough)

Midfielders: Mikel Arteta (Everton), Deco (Chelsea), Jonas Gutierrez (Newcastle), Samir Nasri (Arsenal)

Strikers: Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Dean Ashton (West Ham)

Honorable Mention: Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), David Dunn (Blackburn), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Julian Faubert (West Ham), Darren Fletcher (Man United), Obafemi Martins (Newcastle), Fernando Torres (Liverpool)

2 August 2007

Bela Balogh [MTK Hungaria - Colchester] Loan
Trevor Benjamin [Peterborough - Hereford] Free
Bostjan Cesar [Marseille - West Brom] Loan
Vedran Corluka [Dinamo Zagreb - Man City] Undisclosed
Emerse Fae [Nantes - Reading] £2.5m
Elano [Shakhtar Donetsk - Man City] £8m
Jack Haverson [unattached - Grays Athletic] Free
Javier Garrido [Real Sociedad - Man City] £1.5m
Justin Lawson [Southend - Grays Athletic] Free
Youssef Safri [Norwich - Southampton] Undisclosed
Tamas Vasko [Ujpest FC - Bristol City] Loan

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1 August 2007

Colin Cameron [Coventry - MK Dons] Free
Andy Griffin [Portsmouth - Derby] Free
Eric Lichaj [unattached - Aston Villa] Free
Mark Marshall [unattached - Grays Athletic] Free
Jon Munday [unattached - Kidderminster Harriers] Free
Giuseppe Rossi [Man Utd - Villarreal] Undisclosed
Gary Smith [MK Dons - Brentford] Free
Dennis Souza [unattached - Barnsley] Free
Steven Whittaker [Hibs - Rangers] £2m
Chris Zebroski [Millwall - Torquay] Loan

31 July 2007

Alan Bennett [Reading - Southampton] Loan
Kevin-Prince Boateng [Hertha Berlin - Tottenham] Undisclosed
Michael Brown [Fulham-Wigan] Undisclosed
Bailey Camfield [Leeds - Farsley Celtic] Free
Steve Cann [Derby - Rotherham] Free
Jose Fonte [Benfica - Crystal Palace] Loan
Graeme Law [Unattached - Farsley Celtic]
Anthony Llyod [Unattached - Farsley Celtic]
Pat McGuire [Bradford C - Farsley Celtic] Free
Colin Murdock [Rotherham - Shrewsbury] Free
Michael Roddy [unattached - Lincoln City] Free
Nick Smith [Bradford C - Farsley Celtic] Free

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30 July 2007

Hossam Ghaly [Tottenham - Birmingham] £3m
Kerrea Gilbert [Arsenal - Southend] Loan
Neil Kilkenny [Birmingham - Oldham] Loan
Ian Miller [Ipswich - Darlington] Loan
Jose Antonio Reyes [Arsenal - Atletico Madrid] Undisclosed
Darel Russell [Stoke - Norwich] Undisclosed
Stephane Seanla [Watford - Barnet] Free

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28 July 2007

Liam Green [Doncaster - Boston] Free
Tom Matthews [Hull - Boston] Free]
Filipe Morais [Millwall - Hibernian] Free
Ashley Nicholls [Grays - Boston] Free
Lee Peltier [Liverpool - Yeovil] Loan
Ludovic Quistin [unattached - Boston]
Roque Santa Cruz [Bayern Munich - Blackburn] Undisclosed
Patrick Sappleton [Crawley - Boston] Free
Anthony Tonkin [Yeovil - Forest Green] Free

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27 July 2007

Ollie Barnes [Bristol Rovers - Salisbury] Free
Matt Barnes-Homer [unattached - Kidderminster]
Matt Bloomer [Grimsby - Boston] Free
Paul Boertien [Derby - Walsall] Free
Lee Camp [Derby - QPR] £300,000
Gary Croft [Grimsby - Lincoln] Free
Terry Dunfield [unattached - Macclesfield]
David Gillies [Auchinlek Talbot - Airdrie Utd] Free
Nathan Joynes [Barnsley - Bradford] Loan
Joe Howe [unattached - Northampton]
Kyle Nix [unattached - Bradford]
Lewin Nyatanga [Derby - Barnsley] Loan
Allan Russell [Partick - Airdrie Utd] Free
Eddy Sonko [Xanthi Skoda - Walsall] Free
Tininho [Beira Mar - West Brom] £230,000
Gregory Vignal [Lens - Southampton] Loan
Simon Walton [Charlton - QPR] £200,000
Christian Wilhelmsson [Nantes - Bolton] loan
Darren Williams [Hartlepool - Bradford] Free
Tom Williams [Swansea - Wycombe] Free

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26 July 2007

Jerome Anderson [Oxford - Stevenage] Free
Leon Barnett [Luton - West Brom] £2.5m
Don Hutchison [Coventry - Luton Town] Free
Lucas Leiva [Gremio - Liverpool] Undisclosed
Paul McShane [West Brom - Sunderland] £2.5m
Lewis Price [Ipswich - Derby] Undisclosed
Ben Sahar [Chelsea - QPR] Loan
Derek Stillie [Dundee Utd - Gillingham] Free
Ross Turnbull [Middlesbrough - Cardiff] Loan
Marvin Williams [Millwall - Yeovil] Undisclosed
Luke Young [Charlton - Middlesbrough] £2.5m

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25 July 2007

Paul Butler [Unattached - Chester] Free
Michael Gray [Unattached - Wolves] Free
Thomas Harban [Barnsley - Bradford] Loan
Ben Leonard [Dinnington Town - Bury] Free
Sammy Moore [Ipswich Town - Brentford] Loan
Jim Provett [Hartlepool - Bury] Free

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24 July 2007

Jerome Anderson [Oxford - Stevenage] Free
Adam Boyd [Luton - Leyton Orient] Free
Drewe Broughton [Chester - MK Dons] Free
Lee Canoville [Boston - Notts County] Free
Scott Davies [Reading - Aldershot] Loan
David Farrell [Boston - Burton] Free
Mark Greaves [Boston - Burton] Free
Scott Phelan [Everton - Bradford] Free
Steven Pienaar [Borussia Dortmund - Everton] Loan
Justin Roberts [Unattached - Weymouth] Free

23 July 2007
Marvin Bartley [Hampton & Richmond - Bourmemouth] Free
Gordon Greer [Kilmarnock - Doncaster] Free
Lee McEvilly [Wrexham - Accrington] Free

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21 July 2007

Robbie Fowler [Liverpool - Cardiff] Free

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20 July 2007

Sagi Burton [Shrewsbury - Barnet] Free
DJ Campbell [Birmingham - Leicester] £2.1m
Jerzy Dudek [Liverpool - Real Madrid] Free
Michael Mancienne [Chelsea - QPR] Loan
Dennis Rommedahl [Charlton - Ajax] £680,000
Curtis Ujah [Unattached - Yeovil] Free

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19 July 2007

Lee Cook [QPR - Fulham] Undisclosed
Ged Dalton [Scarborough - Carlisle] Free
Luke Dimech [Unattached - Macclesfield] Free
Stuart Douglas [Unattached - Weymouth] Free
Clint Easton [Gillingham - Hereford] Free
Lee Hendrie [Aston Villa - Sheff Utd] Free
Alex Jeannin [Hereford - Oxford Utd] Free
Joel Legister [Southend - Cambridge Utd] Free
Tommy Miller [Sunderland - Ipswich] Free
Jimmy Smith [Chelsea - Norwich] Loan
Phil Trainer [Moor Green - Oxford Utd] Free

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18 July 2007

Grant Basey [Charlton - Brentford] Loan
Ian Harty [Airdrie Utd - Darlington] Free
Chris Senior [Halifax - Altrincham] Free
Paul Tierney [Blackpool - Stockport] Loan
Simon Wiles [Blackpool - Macclesfield] Loan

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17 July 2007

Oliver Allen [Barnet - Stevenage] Free
Carlos Carneiro [Panionios - Walsall] Free
Adam Cottrell [Millwall - Welling] Free
Dickson Etuhu [Norwich - Sunderland] £1.5m
Geovanni [Cruzeiro - Manchester City] Free
Stephen Glass [Hibernian - Dunfermline] Free
Claude Gnakpa [Swindon - Peterborough] Free
Marlon Harewood [West Ham - Aston Villa] Undisclosed
Raphael Nade [Carlisle - Ebbsfleet] Free
Arnau Riera [Sunderland - Falkirk] Loan
Robbie Ryan [unattached - Welling]
Filipe Teixeira [Academica de Coimbra - West Brom] £600,000

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16 July 2007

Neil Alexander [Cardiff - Ipswich] Free
Chris Brass [Bury - Hyde United] Free
Richard Butcher [Peterborough - Notts County] Free
Wayne Gray [Yeovil - Leyton Orient] Undisclosed
Paul Heckingbottom [Barnsley - Bradford] Loan
Stephen Jordan [Manchester City - Burnley] Free
Brad Maylett [Boston - Northwich] Free
Luke McShane [Unattached - Cambridge Utd] Free
Paul Peschisolido [Derby - Luton] Free
Kieran Richardson [Man United - Sunderland] Undisclosed
Rohan Ricketts [Wolves - Barnsley] Free
Allan Smart [Portadown - Burscough] Loan
Terry Smith [Oldham - Southport] Free

Greg Strong [Halifax - Northwich] Free
Rhys Weston [Port Vale - Walsall] Free
Kelvin Wilson [Preston - Nottingham Forest] £300,000

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15 July 2007

Aaron Ledgister [Bristol City - Cheltenham] Free

14 July 2007
Wayne Brown [Colchester - Hull] £450,000
Gelson Fernandes [FC Sion - Man City] Undisclosed

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13 July 2007

Ryan Babel [Ajax - Liverpool] £11.5m
Rolando Bianchi [Reggina - Manchester City] £8.8m
Robbie Blake [Leeds - Burnley] £250,000
Stephen Clemence [Birmingham - Leicester] £1m
Michael Chopra [Cardiff - Sunderland] £5m
Graham Coughlan [Sheff Wed - Rotherham] Free
Pablo Counago [Malaga - Ipswich] Free
Richard Edghill [Bradford - Macclesfield] Free
David Healy [Leeds - Fulham] £1.5m
Paul Konchesky [West Ham - Fulham] £3.25m
Thomas Pinault [Brentford - Crawley] Free

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12 July 2007

Chris Baird [Southampton - Fulham] £3.025m
Carl Baker [Southport - Morecambe] Undisclosed
Khalid Boulahrouz [Chelsea - Sevilla] Season-long loan
Yossi Benayoun [West Ham - Liverpool] Undisclosed
Ernie Cooksey [Boston - Grays Athletic] Free
Adam Hammill [Liverpool - Southampton] Loan
Gary Holt [Nottingham Forest - Wycombe] Free
Andy Lindegaard [Yeovil - Cheltenham] Free
Michael McIndoe [Wolves - Bristol City] Undisclosed
Simon Royce [QPR - Gillingham] Free
Bacary Sagna [Auxerre - Arsenal] Undisclosed

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11 July 2007

Chris Blackburn [Morecambe - Swindon] Free
Miguel Comminges [Reims - Swindon] Free
Harry Forrester [Watford - Aston Villa] Undisclosed
Emil Hallfredsson [Tottenham - Lyn-Oslo] Undisclosed
Michael Husbands [Port Vale - Macclesfield] Free
Lee McCulloch [Wigan - Rangers] £2.25m
Alex Meechan [Chester City - York City] Free
David Nugent [Preston - Portsmouth] Undisclosed
David Strihavka [Banik Ostrava - Norwich] Undisclosed
John Utaka [Rennes - Portsmouth] Undisclosed

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10 July 2007

Craig Bellamy [Liverpool - West Ham] £7.5m
Marc Bircham [QPR - Yeovil] Free
Graham Branch [Burnley - Accrington] Free
Stephen Crainey [Leeds - Blackpool] Free
Julian Gray [Birmingham - Coventry] Free
Jason Koumas [West Brom - Wigan] £5.3m
Florent Malouda [Lyon - Chelsea] Undisclosed
David Pipe [Notts County - Bristol Rovers] £50,000
Michael Ricketts [Preston - Oldham] Free
Trevor Sinclair [Manchester City - Cardiff] Free
Efe Sodje [Southend - Gillingham] Free
Gary Taylor-Fletcher [Huddersfield - Blackpool] Undisclosed
Paolo Vernazza [Dagenham - Weymouth] Free
Steve Watson [West Brom - Sheffield Wednesday]Free
Glenn Wilson [Rushden and Diamonds - Crawley Town] Free Michael Welch [Accrington - Northwich Victoria] Free

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9 July 2007

Matthew Connolly [Arsenal - Colchester] Loan
Ryan Crowther [Stockport - Liverpool] Undisclosed
Danny Granville [Crystal Palace - Colchester] Free
Tommy Mooney [Wycombe - Walsall] Free
Andy Todd [Blackburn - Derby] Undisclosed
Kelly Youga [Charlton - Scunthorpe] Loan

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6 July 2007

Pawel Abbott [Swansea - Darlington] £100,000
Leon Best [Southampton - Coventry] Tribunal
Gary Borrowdale [Crystal Palace - Coventry] Tribunal
Dean Coleman [Unattached - Kiddderminster] Free
Dorus De Vries [Dunfermline - Swansea City] Free
Freddy Eastwood [Southend - Wolves] £1.5m
Geremi [Chelsea - Newcastle] Free
Jerahl Hughes [Crystal Palace - Yeovil] Free
Michael Hughes [Crystal Palace - Coventry] Free
Shaun Newton [West Ham - Leicester] Free
Michael Oakes [Wolves - Cardiff] Free
Lloyd Owusu [Brentford - Yeovil] Free
Rafael Schmitz [Lille - Birmingham] Season-long loan
Philip Turnbull [Hartlepool - York] Free
Andriy Voronin [Bayer Leverkusen - Liverpool] Free
Boudewijn Zenden [Liverpool - Marseille] Free

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5 July 2007

Mark Allott [Chesterfield - Oldham] Undisclosed
Anthony Charles [Barnet - Aldershot] Free
Kieran Charnock [Northwich - Peterborough] Undisclosed
Paris Cowan-Hall [Rushden & Diamonds - Portsmouth] Undisclosed
Frederic Daquin [Dunfermline - Dundee] Free
Chris Davis [Shortwood Utd - Forest Green] Non-contract
Steven Davis [Aston Villa - Fulham] Undisclosed
Michael Flynn [Gillingham - Blackpool] Free
Paddy Gamble [Nott'm Forest - Stalybridge] Loan
Luke Guttridge [Leyton Orient - Colchester] Free
John Hills [Sheffield Wednesday - Blackpool] Free
Joe Jacobson [Cardiff - Bristol Rovers] Free
Younes Kaboul [Auxerre - Tottenham] Undisclosed
Matt Lockwood [Leyton Orient - Nott'm Forest] Undisclosed
Arnold Mvuemba [Rennes - Portsmouth] Undisclosed
Gary Naysmith [Everton - Sheffield United] £1m
Kevin Nicholls [Leeds - Preston] Undisclosed
Curtis Osano [Reading - Rushden & Diamonds] Work experience
Shane Paul [Cheltenham - Halesowen] Free
Nigel Reo-Coker [West Ham - Aston Villa] £8.5m
Callum Reynolds [Rushden & Diamonds - Portsmouth] Undisclosed
Lloyd Skinner [Brighton - Burgess Hill] Loan
Ryan Smith [Derby - Millwall] £150,000
Sean Thornton [Doncaster - Leyton Orient] Free
Gary Twigg [Airdrie Utd - Oxford Utd] Free
Ben Watson [Bognor Regis - Grays] Free
Andy Williams [Hereford - Bristol Rovers] Tribunal
Chris Winterton [Brighton - Burgess Hill] Loan

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4 July 2007

Karl Broadhurst [Bournemouth - Hereford] Free
Jonathan Forte [Sheff Utd - Scunthorpe] Free
Jonathan Hayes [Reading - Leicester] Free
Jeff Hughes [Lincoln - Crystal Palace] Undisclosed
Phil Jagielka [Sheffield Utd - Everton] £4m
John McCombe [Huddersfield - Hereford] Free
Scott McNiven [Unattached - Farsley Celtic] Free
David Marshall [Celtic - Norwich] Undisclosed
Tyrone Mears [West Ham - Derby County] £1m
Martin Paterson [Stoke - Scunthorpe] Tribunal
Russell Perrett [Luton - Bournemouth] Free
Teddy Sheringham [unattached - Colchester]
Jake Sedemore [Kidderminster - Altrincham] Free
Kris Taylor [Walsall - Hereford] Free
Svetoslav Todorov [Portsmouth - Charlton] Free
Fernando Torres [Atletico Madrid - Liverpool] Undisclosed
Nicky Weaver [Man City - Charlton] Free
Richie Wellens [Oldham - Doncaster] Free
Myles Weston [Charlton - Notts County] Free
Mark Wilberforce [Scarborough - Farsley Celtic] Free
Richard Wright [Everton - West Ham] Free

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3 July 2007

Nicky Bailey [Barnet - Southend] £175,000
Craig Beattie [Celtic - West Brom] £1.25m
Julien Brellier [Hearts - Norwich] Free
Darrell Clarke [Hartlepool - Salisbury] Free
Danny Coyne [Burnley - Tranmere] Free
Daniel de Ridder [Celta Vigo - Birmingham] Free
Luis Garcia [Liverpool - Atletico Madrid] Undisclosed
Geremi [Chelsea - Newcastle] Free
Danny Guthrie [Liverpool - Bolton] Season-long loan
Olly James [Tranmere - Forest Green] Free
Richard Kingston [Antalyaspor - Birmingham] Free
Michael Leary [Luton - Barnet] Free
Jack Obersteller [Millwall - Tranmere] Free
Havard Nordtveit [FK Haugesund - Arsenal] Undisclosed
Clive Platt [MK Dons - Colchester] £300,000
Chris Porter [Oldham - Motherwell] Free
Lee Ridley [Scunthorpe - Cheltenham] Free
Mark Roberts [Northwich - Accrington] Tribunal
Jonathan Smith [Morecambe - Forest Green] Free
Lee Thorpe [unattached - Brentford]
Darren Ward [Crystal Palace - Wolves] Undisclosed
Dominik Werling [Sakaryaspor - Barnsley] Free
Mark Yeates [Tottenham - Colchester] Undisclosed
Reto Ziegler [Tottenham - Sampdoria] Undisclosed

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2 July 2007

# Anderson [FC Porto - Man Utd] Undisclosed
Steve Basham [Oxford - Exeter] Free
Tommy Black [Crystal Palace - Southend] Free
Robert Burch [Tottenham - Sheff Wed] Free
Giles Coke [Mansfield - Northampton] Tribunal
Barry Conlon [ Mansfield - Bradford] Free
Alan Connell [Hereford - Brentford] Free
Darren Currie [Ipswich - Luton] Free
Richard Garcia [Colchester - Hull] Free
Lee Grant [Derby - Sheff Wed] Free
Richard Hinds [Scunthorpe - Sheff Wed] Free
Sam Hird [Leeds - Doncaster] Free
Tomasz Kuszczak [West Brom - Man Utd] Undisclosed
Shelton Martis [Hibernian - West Brom] £50,000
# Nani [Sporting Lisbon - Man Utd] Undisclosed
Gunnar Nielsen [BK Frem Copenhagen - Blackburn] Undisclosed
Craig Pead [Walsall - Brentford] Free
Maceo Rigters [NAC Breda - Blackburn] Undisclosed
Simon Rusk [Boston - Northwich] Free
Eduardo da Silva [Dinamo Zagreb - Arsenal] Undisclosed
Neil Sullivan [Leeds - Doncaster] Free
Richard Sutton [Crewe - Stafford] Free
Peter Thorne [Norwich - Bradford] Free
Gavin Ward [Tranmere - Chester] Free

# Combined transfer fee for Anderson and Nani was £30m

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1 July 2007

Marciano Bruma [Sparta Rotterdam - Barnsley] Free
Mark Convery [York - Cambridge Utd] Free
Julien Faubert [Bordeaux - West Ham] £6.1m
Owen Hargreaves [Bayern M - Man Utd] Undisclosed
Rene Howe [Kettering - Peterborough] Undisclosed
Andy Johnson [Leicester - Barnsley] Free
Arturo Lupoli [Arsenal - Fiorentina] Free
Jamie McGuire [Cammell Laird - Droylsden] Free

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30 June 2007

Arjan De Zeeuw [Wigan - Coventry] Free
Ellery Cairo [Hertha Berlin - Coventry] Free
John Curtis [Nottingham Forest - QPR] Free
Shane Herbert [Cambridge Utd - Cambridge City] Free
Tom Kemp [Grays - Kettering] Free

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29 June 2007

Godwin Antwi [Liverpool - Hartlepool] Loan
*Darren Bent [Charlton - Tottenham] £16.5m
Jan Budtz [Doncaster - Hartlepool] Free
Jamie Cureton [Colchester - Norwich] Undisclosed
Robert Earnshaw [Norwich - Derby] £3.5m
Stuart Fleetwood [Hereford - Forest Green] Free
Ben Futcher [Peterborough - Bury] Free
Bryan Hughes [Charlton - Hull] Free
Olivier Kapo [Juventus - Birmingham] £3m
Antony Kay [Barnsley - Tranmere] Free
David McKenna [St Mirren - Stirling] Free
Darren Mullings [Bristol Rovers - Torquay] Free
John Murphy [Macclesfield - Chester] Free
Angel Rangel [Terrassa - Swansea] Undisclosed
David Rozehnal [Paris St Germain - Newcastle] £2.9m
Neil Saunders [Team Bath - Exeter] Free

28 June 2007

Mark Arber [Dagenham & Redbridge - Stevenage] Free
Matty Blinkhorn [Blackpool - Morecambe] Undisclosed
Ian Henderson [Norwich - Northampton] Free
Jean-Paul Kalala [Yeovil - Oldham] Free
Colin Larkin [Chesterfield - Northampton] Free
Guy Madjo [Stafford - Crawley] Undisclosed
Garry O'Connor [Lokomotiv Moscow - Birmingham City] £2.7m
Jon-Paul Pittman [Doncaster - Crawley] Free
Marek Saganowski [Troyes - Southampton] Undisclosed
Tim Sills [Hereford - Torquay] Free
Tyrone Thompson [Halifax - Crawley] Free

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27 June 2007

Russell Anderson [Aberdeen - Sunderland] £1m
Guillem Bauza Mayol [Espanyol - Swansea] Undisclosed
Tony Bedeau [Walsall - Torquay] Free
James Bittner [Woking - Salisbury] Free
Lewis Chalmers [Altrincham - Aldershot] Free
Tony Craig [Millwall - Crystal Palace] Undisclosed
Craig Davies [Verona - Oldham] Undisclosed
Andy Frampton [Brentford - Millwall] Undisclosed
Matthew Gilks [Rochdale - Norwich] Free
Alan Goodall [Rochdale - Luton] Free
Chris Hall [Burton - Gainsborough] Free
Aaron Hughes [Aston Villa - Fulham] £1m
Jefferson Louis [Havant & Waterlooville - Weymouth] Free
Yves Makaba-Makalamby [Chelsea - Hibernian]
Nikolay Mihaylov [Levski Sofia - Liverpool] Undisclosed
Daniel Nardiello [Barnsley - QPR] Undisclosed
Graeme Smith [Kilmarnock - Rangers] Free
Jake Speight [Bury - Northwich] Free
Ivan Sproule [Hibernian - Bristol City] Undisclosed
John Sutton [St Mirren - Wycombe] Free
Chris Todd [Exeter - Torquay] £7,500

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26 June 2007

Neil Austin [Barnsley - Darlington] Free
Scott Barron [Ipswich - Millwall] Free
Eugen Bopp [Rotherham - Crewe] Free
Andy Duncan [Cambridge Utd - Chelmsford] Free
Derek Duncan [Leyton Orient - Wycombe] Free
David Edwards [Shrewsbury - Luton] Tribunal
Kevin Ellison [Tranmere - Chester] Undisclosed
Leon Johnson [Gillingham - Wycombe] Free
Torben Joneleit [Monaco - Hibernian] Loan
Paul Morgan [Lincoln - Bury] Free

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25 June 2007

Nicky Forster [Hull - Brighton] £75,000
Robin Gibson [Stafford - Droylsden] Free
Thierry Henry [Arsenal - Barcelona] £16.1m
Mark Hotte [Scarborough - Droylsden] Free
Chris Lane [Southport - Altrincham] Free
Ged Murphy [Stafford - Droylsden] Free
Alan O'Brien [Newcastle - Hibernian] Undisclosed
Rob Purdie [Hereford - Darlington] Free
Jose Semedo [Sporting Lisbon - Charlton Ath] Free
Phil Senior [Northwich - Droylsden] Free

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23 June 2007

Spencer Weir-Daley [Nott'm For - Notts County] Free

22 June 2007

Steven MacLean [Sheff Wed - Cardiff] Free
Garry O'Connor [Lokomotiv Moscow - Birmingham City] £2.6m
Lee Phillips [Exeter City - Torquay] £17,500
Gavin Rae [Rangers - Cardiff] Free
Tuncay Sanli [Fenerbahce - Middlesbrough] Free

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21 June 2007

Hasney Aljofree [Plymouth - Swindon] Undisclosed
Kevin Nicholson [Forest Green - Torquay] Free
Richie Partridge [Rotherham - Chester City] Free

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20 June 2007

Chris Adamson [Sheff Wed - Stockport] Free
Chris Beardsley [Mansfield - York] Free
Aaron Brown [Swindon - Gillingham] Free
Barry Cogan [Barnet - Gillingham] Free
Delroy Facey [Rotherham - Gillingham] Free
Andy Ferrell [Hereford - Kidderminster] Free
Matt Jarvis [Gillingham - Wolves] Undisclosed
Chris Hargreaves [Oxford - Torquay] Free
Yassin Moutaouakil [Chateauroux - Charlton] £400,000
Jon Parkin [Hull - Stoke] £250,000
Chris Robertson [Sheff Utd - Torquay] Free
Ross Smith [Ebbsfleet - Dagenham & Redbridge] Free

19 June 2007

Jeremie Aliadiere [Arsenal - Middlesbrough] £1.5m
Neil Barrett [Woking - Ebbsfleet] Free
Ashley Bayes [Grays - Crawley] Free
Roscoe D'Sane [AFC Wimbledon - Accrington] Free
Andreas Granqvist [Helsingborg - Wigan] Undisclosed
Sergio Hellings [Anderlecht - Leicester] Free
*Sam Hird [Leeds - Doncaster] Free
Radostin Kishishev [Charlton - Leicester] Undisclosed
Jo Kuffour [Brentford - Bournemouth] Free
Stuart Nelson [Brentford - Leyton Orient] Free
Mark Robinson [Torquay - York] Free
Onome Sodje [Ebbsfleet - York] Undisclosed
Jamie Stevens [Boston - Crawley] Free
*Neil Sullivan [Leeds - Doncaster] Free
Bradley Thomas [Yeovil - Crawley] Free
Adam Vass [Stoke - Brescia] Free
Magno Vieira [Barnet - Crawley] Free
Tristram Whitman [Alfreton - Farsley] Free
Dean Windass [Bradford - Hull] £150,000

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18 June 2007

Elliot Benyon [Bristol City - Torquay] Free
Steve Bushell [Altrincham - Halifax] Undisclosed
Charley Hearn [Fisher Athletic - Grays] Undisclosed
Paul Hinshelwood [Brighton - Torquay] Free
Malvin Kamara [Port Vale - Huddersfield] Undisclosed

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15 June 2007

Francis Green [Boston - Macclesfield] Free
Peter Holmes [Luton - Rotherham] Free
Mark Hudson [Huddersfield - Rotherham] Free
Mark Jackson [Rochdale - Farsley Celtic] Free
Colin Kazim-Richards [Sheff United - Fenerbahce] Undisclosed
Jamie McCunnie [Dunfermline - Hartlepool] Free
Martin McIntosh [Huddersfield - Mansfield]
Mario Melchiot [Rennes - Wigan] Free
*Miguel Mostto [Cienciano - Barnsley] Undisclosed
Danny Thomas [Hereford - Macclesfield] Free
John Thompson [Nottingham Forest - Oldham] Free

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14 June 2007

Mark Albrighton [Boston - Cambridge Utd] Free
Joey Barton [Man City - Newcastle] £5.8m
Tal Ben Haim [Bolton - Chelsea] Free
Mark Crossley [Fulham - Oldham] Free
Karl Hawley [Carlisle - Preston] Free
Gordon Lennon [Albion Rovers - Partick] Free
Paul Terry [Yeovil - Leyton Orient] Free

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13 June 2007

Ferry Bodde [Den Haag - Swansea] £50,000
Marc Bridge-Wilkinson [Bradford - Carlisle] Free
Liam Feeney [Hayes - Salisbury] Free
Steve Fletcher [Bournemouth - Chesterfield] Free
Paul Hayes [Barnsley - Scunthorpe] Fee to be decided
David McCracken [Dundee Utd - Wycombe] Free
Matty McNeil [Macclesfield - Stockport] Free
*Jon Otsemobor [Crewe - Norwich] Free
Gregor Robertson [Rotherham - Chesterfield] Free

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12 June 2007

Neil Bishop [York - Barnet] Free
*Billy Jones [Crewe - Preston] Undisclosed
Richard Graham [Barnet - Dagenham and Redbridge] Free
Steve Guinan [Cheltenham - Hereford] Free
Shane Huke [Peterborough - Dagenham and Redbridge] Free
Neil Lennon [Celtic - Nottingham Forest] Free
Andy Marriott [Boston - Exeter] Free
Matt Taylor [Team Bath - Exeter] Free

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11 June 2007

*Gary Alexander [Leyton Orient - Millwall] Free
Craig Easton [Leyton Orient - Swindon] Free
Greg Halford [Reading - Sunderland] £2.5m
David Hibbert [Preston - Shrewsbury] Nominal
*Danny Spiller [Gillingham - Millwall] Free
Eifion Williams [Hartlepool - Wrexham] Free

The 2007-08 fixtures (team schedules for those of us in the United States) have been announced for the Premier League and all divisions of the football league. Click on the link below to find out your favorite club's fixtures:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/6742061.stm

10 June 2007

Simon King [Barnet - Gillingham] £200,000

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9 June 2007

Scott Buist [Oakley Utd - Alloa] Undisclosed

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8 June 2007

Marciano Bruma [Sparta Rotterdam - Barnsley] Free
Danny Carlton [Morecambe - Carlisle] Free
Carl Cort [Wolves - Leicester] Free
Paul Edwards [Oldham - Port Vale] Free
Andy Johnson [Leicester - Barnsley] Free
Keith Lowe [Wolves - Port Vale] Loan
Charlie MacDonald [Ebbsfleet - Southend] Free
Gavin McCann [Aston Villa - Bolton] £1m
Craig Rocastle [Oldham - Port Vale] Free

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7 June 2007

Kevin Gray [Carlisle - Chesterfield] Free
Gary MacDonald [Woking - Ebbsfleet] Free
John McAliskey [Huddersfield - Mansfield] Free
Chris McCready [Tranmere - Crewe] Free
Dan Martin [Notts County - Mansfield] Free
Robbie Simpson [Cambridge - Coventry] Tribunal
Mark Viduka [Middlesbrough - Newcastle] Free
Andrew Whing [Coventry - Brighton] Free

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6 June 2007

Craig Armstrong [Cheltenham - Gillingham] Free
Michael Charles [Farnborough - Woking] Free
Jay Gasson [Farnborough - Woking] Free
Danny Graham [Middlesbrough - Carlisle] Free
Richard Hope [Shrewsbury - Wrexham] Free
Paddy McCarthy [Leicester - Charlton] £650,000
Tamika Mkandawire [Hereford - Leyton Orient] Free
JJ Melligan [Cheltenham - Leyton Orient] Free
Scott Parker [Newcastle - West Ham] £7m
Matt Pattison [Farnborough - Woking] Free
Martin Rice [Exeter - Torquay] Free
Justin Richards [Peterborough - Kidderminster] Free
Ricky Sappleton [QPR - Leicester] Free

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5 June 2007

Chris Barker [Cardiff - QPR] Free
Jobi McAnuff [Crystal Palace - Watford] £2m
Matthew Woods [Rotherham - Doncaster] Free

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4 June 2007

Titus Bramble [Newcastle - Wigan] Free
Paul Hall [Chesterfield - Walsall] Free
Tom Kennedy [Bury - Rochdale] Free
Ben Muirhead [Bradford - Rochdale] Free
Gareth Owen [Oldham - Stockport] Undisclosed
Stephen Purches [Bournemouth - Leyton Orient] Free
Simon Rayner [Lincoln - Torquay] Free
Antoine Sibierski [Newcastle - Wigan] Free

2 June 2007

Jon Brady [Cambridge Utd - Kettering] Free
Richard Hope [Shrewsbury - Wrexham] Free
Darren Tinson [Burton - Altrincham] Free

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1 June 2007

Ross Flitney [Barnet - Grays] Free
Martin Foster [Halifax - Rushden & Diamonds] Free
James Krause [Ipswich - Rushden & Diamonds] Free
Callum Lloyd [Mansfield - Kettering] Free
Conall Murtagh [Southport - Wrexham] Free
Stuart Parnaby [Middlesbrough - Birmingham] Free
Danny Philliskirk [Oldham - Chelsea] Undisclosed
Claudio Pizarro [Bayern Munich - Chelsea] Free
James Spencer [Stockport - Rochdale] Free

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31 May 2007

Dean Cracknell [St Albans - Hemel Hempstead] Free
Martin Gritton [Lincoln - Macclesfield] Free
Owen Hargreaves [Bayern Munich - Man Utd] £17m
Paul Mayo [Lincoln - Notts County] Free
Andy Oakes [Swansea - Darlington]
David O'Brien [Stirling - Dundee] Free
Kayode Odejayi [Cheltenham - Barnsley] £200,000
Gary Mills [Rushden - Tamworth] Free
Robert Olejnik [Aston Villa - Falkirk] Free
Hector Sam [Walsall - Notts County] Free
Tim Sandercombe [Plymouth - Notts County] Free
Adam Tann [Leyton Orient - Notts County] Free
David Weatherston [Queen's Park - St Johnstone] Free
David Worrell [Rotherham - Dundee] Free
Lukasz Zaluska [Korona Kielce - Dundee United] Nominal

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30 May 2007

Kenny Arthur [Partick - Accrington] Free
Jon Ashton [Rushden & Diamonds - Grays] Free
Eugen Bopp [Rotherham - Crewe] Free
Glynn Garner [Leyton Orient - Shrewsbury] Free
Stephen Henderson [Aston Villa - Bristol City] Free
Darran Kempson [Crewe - Shrewsbury] Free
Gabor Kiraly [Crystal Palace - Burnley] Free
Marc Pugh [Bury - Shrewsbury] Tribunal

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29 May 2007

Andrew Cook [unattached - Carlisle]
Gary Dicker [UCD - Stockport] £40,000
Phil Gulliver [Hereford - Rushden & Diamonds] Free
James Hayter [Bournemouth - Doncaster] Undisclosed
Billy Jones [Exeter - Crewe] £65,000
Darren Moss [Crewe - Shrewsbury] Free
Max Porter [Bishop's Stortford - Barnet] Undiclosed

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28 May 2007

Jon Challinor [Exeter - Rushden & Diamonds] Free

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26 May 2007

Mart Poom [Arsenal - Watford] Undisclosed

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25 May 2007

Adnan Ahmed [Huddersfield - Tranmere] Free
Gareth Bale [Southampton - Tottenham] £10m
Tony Capaldi [Plymouth - Cardiff] Free
Tim Cole [Dagenham & Redbridge - Thurrock] Free
Matty Collins [Fulham - Swansea] Free
Willo Flood [Cardiff - Dundee United] Season-long loan
Danny Harrison [Tranmere - Rotherham] Free
Hermann Hreidarsson [Charlton - Portsmouth] Free
Dimitrios Konstantopoulos [Hartlepool - Coventry] Free
Jlloyd Samuel [Aston Villa - Bolton] Free
Danny Sonner [Port Vale - Walsall] Free
Jason Scotland [St Johnstone - Swansea] Nominal
Dale Tonge [Barnsley - Rotherham] Free
Craig Woodman [Bristol City - Wycombe] Free

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24 May 2007

Patrick Ada [Exeter - Histon] Free
John Brackstone [Hartlepool - Darlington] Free
Tom Cahill [Matlock - Rotherham] Free
Danny Jackman [Gillingham - Northampton] Free
Matt Jackson [unattached - Watford] Free
Charlie Lee [Tottenham - Peterborough] Free
Kevin McBride [unattached - Darlington]
Scott Wiseman [Hull - Darlington] Free

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23 May 2007

Sylvain Distin [unattached - Portsmouth]
Carl Heggs [Hinckley Utd - Tamworth] Free
Neil MacKenzie [unattached - Notts County]
Scott Rendell [Crawley - Cambridge Utd] Free
Tony Thorpe [Stevenage - Tamworth] Free

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22 May 2007

Matt Gray [Sutton United - Woking] Free
Arran Lee-Barrett [Coventry - Hartlepool] Free
Danny Potter [Stevenage - Cambridge Utd] Free
Douglas Rinaldi [Veranopolis - Watford] £250,000
Steve Sidwell [Reading - Chelsea] Free

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21 May 2007

Dominic Blizzard [Watford - MK Dons] Free
Chris Iwelumo [Colchester - Charlton] Free
David O'Brien [Stirling Albion - Dundee] Free
Glenn Poole [Grays Athletic - Brentford]
Michael Proctor [Hartlepool - Wrexham] Free
Luke Varney [Crewe - Charlton] £2m

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18 May 2007

Paul Bastock [St Albans - Rushden & Diamonds]
Karl Murray [Woking - Grays]
Krisztian Timar [Ferencvaros - Plymouth]

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17 May 2007

Lee Boylan [Chelmsford City - Cambridge Utd] Free
Craig McAllister [Woking - Grays]

Mark Molesley [Aldershot - Stevenage]
Stephen Reed [Unattached - Cambridge Utd]
Andy Todd [Accrington - Rotherham]
Anthony Williams [Carlisle - Wrexham]

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16 May 2007

Peter Halmosi [Debreceni VSC - Plymouth] £400,000
John Mackie [Leyton Orient - Brentford]

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15 May 2007

Stephen Foster [Scunthorpe - Darlington]
Ben Gill [Watford - Cheltenham Town]
David Hunt [Northampton - Shrewsbury]
Chris Whelpdale [Billericay Town - Peterborough]
Alan White [Notts County - Darlington]

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14 May 2007

James Hunt [Bristol Rovers - Grimsby]
Dean Keates [Walsall - Peterborough]
John Martin [Grays - Stevenage]
Justin Miller [Leyton Orient - Port Vale]
Chris Neal [Preston - Morecambe] Loan
Frank Sinclair [Burnley - Huddersfield]
Shane Tudor [Leyton Orient - Port Vale]
Chris Westwood [Walsall - Peterborough]

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11 May 2007

Jamie Clark [Boston - Grimsby] Free
Jake Edwards [Tamworth - Burton] Free
John McGrath [Tamworth - Burton] Free
Nuno Morais [Chelsea - Apoel Nicosia] Undisclosed
Fabrice Muamba [Arsenal - Birmingham] Undisclosed

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10 May 2007

Tony James [Weymouth - Burton]
Andy Warrington [Bury - Rotherham]

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9 May 2007
Colin Daniel [Eastwood Town - Crewe] Undisclosed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8 May 2007

Dan Gleeson [Notts County - Cambridge United] Free

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7 May 2007

Chris Howarth [Bolton - Carlisle] Free

Derby County 1 - 0 West Brom
Stephen Pearson scored the only goal of the match as Derby County defeated West Brom in the Championship playoff final. After twice failing in the playoffs as manager of Preston, Billy Davies has now secured promotion for Derby County in his first season in charge.

The way the match started, it didn't look like Derby would previal. West Brom dominated most of the match, but they could not find the back of the net. Diomansy Kamara, Jason Koumas, and Paul Robinson all forced saves from Derby keeper Stephen Bywater, and Kevin Phillips hit the crossbar late in the first half.

The key moment perhaps occurred early in the match. Jason Koumas dribbled into the box for what looked like an excellent scoring chance, but a sliding tackle from Tyrone Mears prevented a shot. The West Brom announcers were sure it was a penalty, but referee Graham Poll (it had to be Poll didn't it?) waved play on.

With the score still 0-0 nearing the hour mark, Billy Davies sent on Giles Barnes as a substitute. And within two minutes, Barnes helped set up the winning goal. Steve Howard played a pass through to Barnes, whose low cross was turned into the goal by Stephen Pearson. It was his first goal for Derby.

West Brom manager Tony Mowbray responded with several attack-minded substitutions, and the Baggies pressed for a tying goal. Although the final third of the match was mostly played in the Derby County half, West Brom were not able to score. After just over four minutes of stoppage time, in which several Derby players were booked for time wasting, Graham Poll blew the final whistle. Derby fans celebrated, but it was hard luck on the Baggies who played well enough to win. Where it counted, though, Derby were one goal better. So Congratulations to Derby County, the third place club from the Championship. The Premiership awaits.

Blackpool 2 - 0 Yeovil Town
Blackpool won the League One playoff to earn promotion to the Championship. Robbie Williams put Blackpool in the lead just before half time when his curling free kick found the back of the net. And seven minutes into the second half, Keigan Parker made it 2-0 with a curling strike from outside the area. Blackpool had control for most of the match as Yeovil failed to duplicate the performance that enabled them to win 5-2 at Nottingham Forest in the semi-final. Blackool finished third in League One and now join Scunthorpe and Bristol City in promotion to the Championship.

Bristol Rovers 3 - 1 Shrewsbury Town
Bristol Rovers won the League Two playoff final to earn promotion to League One. Rovers fell behind in the 3rd minute when Shrewsbury's Stuart Drummond headed in Neil Ashton's free kick. But Richard Walker scored twice in the first half to give Rovers the lead. Walker's first goal came from Ryan Green's low cross in the 21st minute, and his second goal was a left-footed lob from nearly 20 yards. Shrewsbury's comeback was thwarted when Marc Tierney was sent off in the 89th minute for his second yellow card. In injury time, with the Shrews keeper pushed forward, Sammy Igoe scored into the empty net to seeal victory and promotion for Bristol Rovers.

Celtic 1 - 0 Dunfermline
Celtic cruised to the SPL title this season, building a huge early second lead and ending up 12 points ahead of second place Rangers. Dunfermline, meanwhile, were relegated after finishing in last place, 52 points behind Celtic. Yet these two clubs from either end of the Scottish Premier League table met in the Scottish Cup final today. You may have predicted a big win for Celtic, but it took a late goal from Jean-Joel Perrier Doumbe to break a scoreless tie. In the 85th minute, Craig Beattie's pass was deflected to Doumbe, who scored from close ranges. The win gave Celtic their 34th Scottish Cup, and a league and cup double for the 2006-07 season.

AC Milan 2 - 1 Liverpool
In a rematch of the 2005 final, AC Milan turned the tables on Liverpool to win the 2007 Champions League. Liverpool controlled most of the possession in the first half, but AC Milan scored against the run of play just before the half time whistle. Andrea Pirlo's free kick was inadvertently deflected by Pippo Inzaghi into the Liverpool net as keeper Pepe Reina was wrong-footed. Liverpool pressed for the tying goal in the second half, but could not find a finishing touch. In the 82nd minute, Milan's Kaka played a through ball to Inzaghi who rolled the ball under a diving Reina and into the goal for a 2-1 lead.

Pippo Inzaghi scores his second goal to put Milan up 2-0.

Liverpool didn't give up, though, and were rewarded with a goal in the 89th minute. A corner kick from Harry Kewell was flicked on by Daniel Agger, and Dirk Kuyt headed in at the back post. But time ran out on Liverpool's comeback this time as AC Milan held on for a 2-1 win.

Chelsea 1 - 0 Manchester United

Extra Time
FINAL WHISTLE: CHELSEA 1 - 0 Man United

(120:00) Yellow Card: Paulo Ferreira, Chelsea.

(116:00) GOAL: Didier Drogba, Chelsea. Drogba played a brilliant one-two with Frank Lampard to set up the goal. Drogba played a lobbed pass out to Lampard, who chipped the ball over the defense with his first touch. Drogba got behind the United defenders to volley the ball past an on-rushing Van der Sar. 1-0 to Chelsea.

(115:00) Alan Smith fouled Jon Obi Mikel. Free kick to Chelsea in the center of the pitch.

(114:00) Salamon Kalou dribbled into the box, and curled a shot just wide of the right post.

(112:00) Man United Substitutions: John O' Shea on for Michael Carrick. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on for Ryan Giggs.

(110:00) Rooney ran onto a long ball in the Chelsea box, but Cech is there to take the ball away.

(108:00) Chelsea Substitution: Ashley Cole on for the injured Arjen Robben.

(107:00) Rooney cut in from the left, but his shot went high and wide.

(104:00) Wayne Rooney played a cross into the box from the right wing. Giggs's sliding attempt on goal came off his knee and was smothered by Cech right on the line as Giggs collided with the keeper. Giggs appealed that the ball crossed the line, but the linesman said no goal.

(99:00) Paul Scholes shot well wide from outside the area.

(93:00) Chelsea Substitution: Salamon Kalou on for Shaun Wright-Phillips.

(92:00) Man United Substitution: Alan Smith on for Darren Fletcher.

Second Half
(90:00+2:00) End of the second half. Extra time is needed.

(90:00+) Man United free kick from the right wing. Ryan Giggs curling kick into the box was headed over by Vidic.

(90:00) Two minutes of extra time. Rooney shrugged off Ferreira and dribbled into the box, but Essien was there to kick the ball out for a corner kick. Giggs's corner was cleared away by Drogba.

(88:00) Ronaldo dribbled into the Chelsea box, but his shot was pulled wide of the right post.

(87:00) Lampard stole the ball in the United box, but he was dispossessed quickly by a block from Ferdinand.

(85:00) Yellow Card: Vidic, Man United, for grabbing the shirt of Lampard. Free kick to Chelsea. Lampard's kick hit the wall.

(84:00) Yellow Card: Claude Makelele, Chelsea. Makelele was whistled for a late tackle on Scholes. Ryan Giggs had the ball and was driving, but Steve Bennett whistled for the foul rather than playing the advantage.

(79:00) Ferreira fouled Giggs near the left side line. Free kick to United. Giggs' kick goes out for a corner kick.

(77:00) Drobga powered into the box, but there were too many United defenders. Drogba went to ground, but there was no foul.

(75:00) Robben lobbed the ball into the box. But noone was there except for the keeper. Van der Sar caught the ball comfortably.

(70:00) Giggs beat the offside trap, but Essien blocked his cross out for a corner kick.

(67:00) Wes Brown took down Arjen Robben with a hard tackle near the side line. Robben came up limping and then went back down for treatment. Robben stayed on the pitch, but he didn't look 100%.

(65:00) The ball hit Makelele's arm just outside the box. Free kick to Man United. Ronaldo's shot hit the wall.

(64:00) Rooney ran past Michael Essien into the Chelse box, but Petr Cech took the ball off Rooney's feet with a brave dive.

(63:00) Arjen Robben ran past two defenders down the left wing, but his cross was blocked away by van der Sar.

(59:00) Yellow Card: Paul Scholes, Man United. Scholes tripped Lampard just outside the box. Free kick to Chelsea. Drogba's low, driven shot hit the outside of the right post.

(57:00) Paul Scholes lobbed a pass to Ryan Giggs cutting in from the left, but Giggs' shot sailed over the bar.

(47:00) Wayne Rooney's shot from just outside the box was saved by Petr Cech. Ryan Gigg's rebound shot was also saved, but the whistle had blown for offside.

(45:00) Chelsea Substitution: Arjen Robben on for Joe Cole

First Half
No goals in the first half, but there were a few chances, mainly from Chelsea. Frank Lampard's long range shot skimmed the top of the net. Shaun Wright-Phillips had a couple chances in front of goal, but he mis-hit one attempt, and the other sailed over the bar. Didier Drogba also had a long range shot that curled wide of goal. Chelsea's best chance came when Paulo Ferreira cut in from the left and played the ball into the path of Frank Lampard, running into the right side of the box. But Lampard's low shot back across goal was saved by Edwin van der Sar.
For United, Wayne Rooney was whistled off-side several times, and his only shot was a tame effort that Petr Cech handled easily. I expect Sir Alex will change things up for the second half and introduce either Alan Smith or Solskjaer up front.

Starting Lineups
Chelsea: Cech, Paulo Ferreria, Terry, Essien, Bridge, Makelele, Mikel, Lampard, Wright-Phillips, Joe Cole, Drogba.
Subs: Cudicini, Cole, Robben, Kalou, Diarra

Manchester United: Van der Sar, Brown, Vidic, Ferdinand, Heinze, Fletcher, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs, Ronaldo, Rooney.
Subs: Kuszczak, Evra, Smith, Solskjaer, O'Shea

Referee: Steve Bennett

It's shaping up as a classic FA Cup Final. The first final at the new Wembley Stadium features the new Premiership Champions, Manchester United, and the champions from the past two seasons, Chelsea. Clearly, these are the two best clubs in England. Man United won the league, and Chelsea have already captured the Carling Cup. So the winner of the FA Cup will have won a double of some sort.

Chelsea won the last FA Cup final at the old Wembley, so it's fitting that the Blues are in this cup final. But the story leading up to the match has been the injury situation. Chelsea will be without central defender Ricardo Carvalho, Ashley Cole, Michael Ballack, and Andriy Shevchenko. Arjen Robben is also a doubt. Man United will play without Gary Neville and Louis Saha.

Even with the injuries, the clubs are still evenly matched. And since Man United won the league, I think Chelsea will win the FA Cup. Neither club is clearly superior to the other. So you have to figure that they will share the two biggest prizes in English football. Man United gets the Premiership, Chelsea gets the FA Cup. Makes sense, doesn't it?

Okay, if you want more specific analysis, let's take a look at a position by position basis.

Goalkeepers
Chelsea: Petr Cech
Man United: Edwin van der Sar

Defenders
Chelsea: Wayne Bridge, John Terry, Michael Essien, Paulo Ferreira
Man United: Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic, and Wes Brown

Midfielders
Chelsea: Makelele, Lampard, Joe Cole, Robben, Wright-Phillips, Jon Obi Mikel.
Man United: Scholes, Giggs, Carrick, Ronaldo, Flether, Richardson

Forwards
Chelsea: Drogba, Kalou
Man United: Rooney, Smith, Solksjaer

There isn't much to separate the two clubs if you look position by position. That's why many pundits have singled out the absence of Ricardo Carvalho as the deciding factor. But I think it comes down to who has a better match, Didier Drogba or Cristiano Ronaldo. They are the players who can single handedly change the game. Drogba does it with his power and strength in the air. Ronaldo does it with his pace and diving. If Steve Bennett isn't fooled into awarding free kicks and penalties by Ronaldo's antics, I think Chelsea will win. And by the way, Ronaldo does leave his trailing leg out to initiate contact with the sole purpose of drawing a whistle. It's a poor tactic, and I hope Bennett doesn't reward it.

So I hope it's a clean match and doesn't go to penalty kicks. If that happens, expect Chelsea to prevail 2-1.

Nottingham Forest 2 - 5 (4-5 aggregate) Yeovil
Yeovil Town recorded a 5-2 win over Nottingham Forest to complete a stunning comeback from a 0-2 first-leg deficit to win the semi-final 5-4 on aggregate. Yeovil scored twice in the last ten minutes of regulation to force extra time, and Arron Davies scored the winning goal in the 109th minute.

Leading 2-0 after a leg one victory at Yeovil, Nottingham Forest looked to have all but clinched a spot in the playoff final. But nobody told Yeovil Town. The visitors cut the aggregate lead in half when Arron Davies scored in the 22nd minute of the second leg. Just after half time, Scott Dobie scored to restore Forest's two-goal aggregate lead and everything seemed to be back on track for the home side. But an Alan Wright own goal in the 82nd minute opened to door for Yeovil. And in the 87th minute, Marcus Stewart's headed goal made it 3-3 on aggregate. Jest before the whistle to end regulation, it got even worse for Forest as substitute David Prutton was sent off for his second yellow card.

Forest would have to play extra time with ten men. After only a minute of extra time, Yeovil were in front 4-3 thanks to a Lee Morris goal. Gary Holt quickly responded for Forest with a right-footed volley from 18 yards that made the score 2-4, and 4-4 on aggregate. In the second half of extra time, Arron Davies scored his second goal of the match to incredibly put Yeovil ahead once again, 5-2 in the second leg, and 5-4 on aggregate. Yeovil held on for an historic victory (or was it an historic collapse on the part of Nottingham Forest?) as they advance to the League One playoff final.

For Yeovil Town, it is another giant-killing performance, and another step towards an unlikely promotion to the Championship. For Nottingham Forest, the result is a bitter disappointment as they were three minutes away from Wembley before Marcus Stewart's late goal forced extra time. Forest will have to wait at least one more year to climb back up to where they believe they belong.

West Brom 1 - 0 (4-2 on aggregate) Wolverhampton
West Brom enetered this match leading 3-2 from the first leg thanks to a late Diomansy Kamara winner. Kevin Phillips scored the other two goals in the first leg, and his headed goal in the 65th minute of the second leg booked the Baggies spot in the final. West Brom will play Derby County in the final at Wembley.

Derby County 4 - 4 (4-3 on penalties) Southampton
Derby County prevailed 4 - 3 on penalty kicks to defeat Southampton in a thrilling playoff semi-fianl. The Rams led 2-1 after the first leg, and they led 4-3 on aggregate until former Derby player Grzegorz Rasiak scored in the 90th minute to force extra time. After a scoreless 30 minutes of extra time, it went to penalties and Derby prevailed as Southampton's Leon Best and Inigo Idiakez missed their spot kicks. All four Derby players - Jones, Howard, Barnes, McEveley - made their kicks to send the Rams to Wembley for the final. Derby will play the winner of Wolves and West Brom in the other semi-final.

Trailing 1-2 after the first leg in Southampton, George Burley's side needed to win at his former club Derby County to have a shot at reaching the playoff final. Steve Howard scored both goals in Derby's first leg victory, but it was defender Darren Moore that extended the Rams lead within the first two minutes of the second leg. Moore headed in a corner from Matt Oakley to give Derby a 3-1 aggregate lead. But Southampton quickly responded with a Jhon Viafara goal to make it 3-2 to Derby.

Early in the second half, Viafara scored again to make it all level on aggregate. But Derby went ahead again when Leon Best deflected a corner kick into his own goal in the 66th minute.

Late in the match, Burley countered by sending on former Derby players Grzegorz Rasiak and Inigo Idiakez as substitutes. With just a minute remaining in regulation time, Rasiak scored to force extra time and give Southampton renewed hope.

The first 15 minutes of extra time passed without a goal as the tension built inside Pride Park. Rain began to fall in the second half of extra time as both clubs searched for a winner. Rasiak had a chance on goal, but his shot drifted wide. After a late shot deflected off Darren Moore, Southampton had one last chance from a corner kick. Bywater caught Skacel's corner kick to end the threat as the match went to penalty kicks to decide who would play in the playoff final at Wembley. The penalties were taken at the South End where the Southampton supporters were gatherered.

Penalty Kicks
Goalkeepers: Stephen Bywater (Derby), Kelvin Davis (Southampton)

1. Southampton - Best: missed wide left
1. Derby County - Jones: scored low to the left
2. Southampton - Surman: scored down the middle
2. Derby County - Howard: scored high into the net
3. Southampton - Skacel: scored low to the left
3. Derby County - Barnes: scored high down the middle
4. Southampton - Rasiak: scored low in the right corner
4. Derby County - McEveley: scored near top corner
5. Southampton - Idiakez: missed high

Derby manager Billy Davies and the Rams players celebrated in the rain as fans rushed onto the field at Pride Park.

Premiership Table
1 Manchester United - 89
2 Chelsea - 83
3 Liverpool - 68
4 Arsenal - 68

5 Tottenham - 60
6 Everton - 58
7 Bolton - 56

8 Reading - 55
9 Portsmouth - 54
10 Blackburn - 52
11 Aston Villa - 50
12 Middlesbrough - 46
13 Newcastle - 43
14 Manchester City - 42
15 West Ham - 41
16 Fulham - 39
17 Wigan - 38 (-22 goal dif)

18 Sheffield United - 38 (-23 goal dif)
19 Charlton - 34
20 Watford - 28

1-4: Champions League qualification
5-7: UEFA Cup qualification
18-20: Relegated to Championship League

Man United 0 - 1 West Ham (FT)

Sheffield United 1 - 2 Wigan (FT)

FULL TIME: Sheffield United 1 - 2 Wigan
Wigan get the win they needed to survive. Phil Jagielka's hand ball and David Unsworth's resulting penalty kick gave Wigan the crucial winning goal.

(16:59) Sheffield United send keeper Paddy Kenny up field for a long throw-in. It goes out for a goal kick, and that looks to be it for the Blade. The final whistle sounds and Sheffield United go down.

(16:57) Gillespie hits the side netting for Sheffield United. Goal kick to Wigan.

(16:56) 5 Minutes of added time at Bramall Lane. The Blades need a goal or they will go down.

(16:56) FULL TIME: Man United 0 - 1 West Ham
The Hammers are safe. Wigan or Sheffield United will be relegated.

(16:55) Paul Scholes' curling shot is tipped over the bar by Green.

(16:51) Sheffield United's Chris Morgan flicks on for Jonathan Stead, but Stead's weak shot is right at the keeper.

(16:44) John O'Shea is tackeld in the box, but no penalty is given. Ryan Gigg's follow-up shot sails high and wide. Still 1-0 to West Ham.

(16:44) Free Kick for Sheffield United: Kazim-Richards's kick headed over the bar by Morgan.

(16:42) Wigan Substitution: Caleb Folan in for Denny Landzaat.

(16:39) Robert Green pulls off a kick-save from Cristiano Ronaldo's shot.

(16:39) RED CARD: Lee McCulloch, Wigan (second yellow card)

(16:32) West Ham's Nigel Reo-Coker wins the ball in the box, but his shot hits the left post. Reo-Coker appeals for a penalty for a tug of the shirt, but it is not given.

(16:28) Wayne Rooney's deflected shot rolls just wide of the left post.

(16:21) Sheffield United Substitution: Colin Kazim-Richards in for Stephen Quinn.

Man United Substitutions: Ryan Giggs in for Patrice Evra, Paul Scholes in for Michael Carrick, Cristiano Ronaldo in for Alan Smith.

(16:20) Sheffield United's Danny Webber is free on goal, but his shot hits the post.

The second half begins. Sheffield United Substitution: Danny Webber in for Christian Nade.

HALF TIME: If the current scores hold up, Sheffield United will be relegated.

(15:53) GOAL: David Unsworth, West Ham
Former Blade David Unsworth places his spot kick into the bottom corner to give Wigan the lead. As it stands, with West Ham leading at Old Trafford, Sheffield United will be relegated.

(15:52) PENALTY for Wigan: Handball by Phil Jagielka, Sheffield United

(15:49) GOAL: Carlos Tevez, West Ham
Tevez runs onto a high bouncing ball in the box, and slots the ball past Van der Sar to give West Ham the lead.

(15:41) Wigan Substitution: David Unsworth in for the injured Ryan Taylor

(15:39) GOAL: Jonathan Stead, Sheffield United
Stead scores on a cross from Phil Jagielka before colliding with Wigan keeper Mike Pollitt. Stead and Pollitt look shaken up, but both players will stay in the game. It's 1-1 at Bramall Lane. As it stands, Wigan will be relegated.

(15:34) Benayoun jumps high to head Alan Smith's shot off the line for West Ham. It's still 0-0 at Old Trafford.

(15:32) Wigan Substitution: Josip Skoko in for the injured Arjan De Zeeuw

(15:31) West Ham Substitution: Jonathan Spector in for the injured George McCartney

(15:15) GOAL: Paul Scharner, Wigan
Wigan take the lead at Bramall Lane. If the current scores hold up, Sheffield United will be relegated.

(15:00) The matches kick off, and the Sheffield United fans sing the Greasy Chip Butty Song. Here are the starting lineups.

Sheffield United v Wigan

Sheff Utd
01 Kenny
06 Jagielka
05 Morgan
16 Kilgallon
26 Geary
19 Gillespie
17 Montgomery
18 Tonge
28 Quinn
27 Nade
08 Stead

Substitutes
13 Bennett, 04 Davis, 10 Webber, 21 Leigertwood, 32 Kazim-Richards

Wigan
12 Pollitt
19 Taylor
06 De Zeeuw
17 Boyce
26 Baines
16 Valencia
18 Scharner
14 Landzaat
08 Kilbane
09 Heskey
10 McCulloch

Substitutes
01 Filan, 07 Camara, 20 Folan, 24 Skoko, 25 Unsworth

Man United v West Ham

Man Utd
01 Van der Sar
22 O'Shea
06 Brown
04 Heinze
03 Evra
20 Solskjaer
16 Carrick
24 Fletcher
23 Richardson
14 Smith
08 Rooney

Substitutes
29 Kuszczak, 07 Ronaldo, 11 Giggs, 15 Vidic, 18 Scholes

West Ham
21 Green
02 Neill
19 Collins
05 Ferdinand
06 McCartney
15 Benayoun
20 Reo-Coker
24 Noble
13 Boa Morte
25 Zamora
32 Tevez

Substitutes
23 Walker, 10 Harewood, 17 Mullins, 18 Spector, 27 Davenport

(14:55) It's the last day of the Premiership season, and the matches are about to kick off. Watford and Charlton have already been relegated, and three other teams are battling to stay up: Sheffield United, West Ham, and Wigan. West Ham play at Manchester United, while Sheffield United host Wigan. This site will provide live updates of these matches and the relegation situation.

Here is how the teams begin the day:

16 Sheffield United - 38 points (-22 goal dif)
17 West Ham - 38 points (-25 goal dif)
18 Wigan - 35 points (-23 goal dif)

It's playoff time in the lower divisions. Here are the semi-final matches:

Championship
Southampton v Derby

1st leg: Saturday, 12 May 2007
2nd leg: Tuesday, 15 May 2007

Wolverhampton v West Brom

1st leg: Sunday, 13 May 2007
2nd leg: Wednesday, 16 May 2007

League One
Yeovil v Nottingham Forest

1st leg: Friday, 11 May 2007
2nd leg: Friday, 18 May 2007

Blackpool v Oldham

1st leg: Sunday, 13 May 2007
2nd leg: Saturday, 19 May 2007

League Two
Bristol Rovers v Lincoln City

1st leg: Saturday, 12 May 2007
2nd leg: Thursday, 17 May 2007

Shrewsbury v Milton Keynes Dons

1st leg: Monday, 14 May 2007
2nd leg: Friday, 18 May 2007

With one match day left in the season, there is not much to play for in the Premier League. Man United have clinched the title, Chelsea are secure in second place, and Arsenal and Liverpool have clinched the other two Champions League places. At the bottom of the table, Charlton and Watford have been relegated, but there are three other teams competing to avoid the drop: Sheffield United, West Ham, and Wigan.

16. Sheffield United - 38 points (-22 goal dif)
17. West Ham - 38 points (-25 goal dif)
18. Wigan - 35 points (-23 goal dif)

Let's start with West Ham. The Hammers play at Man United, which would normally mean a loss. But with the title clinched and an FA Cup final on the horizon, Sir Alex isn't likely to play many first team regulars. A draw is all West Ham needs for survival, but if the Hammers lose, they may need to get some help from Sheffield United.

The Blades finish the year at home against Wigan. A win by Sheffield United or a draw means West Ham and the Blades are safe, with Wigan dropping down a division. But, if Wigan were to win the game, they would leap over Sheffield United on goal difference. A Wigan win and a West Ham result at Old Trafford would result in Sheffield United going down. Or, a narrow Wigan win and a West Ham loss would mean the Hammers would be relegated on goal difference. It's an odd situation in which each team can control it's destiny.

Here are the ways each team could get relegated:

Wigan is relegated if. . .
- Wigan fails to win at Sheffield United

West Ham is relegated if. . .
- West Ham loses at Man United AND Wigan beats Sheffield United by 3 goals or fewer

Sheffield United is relegated if. . .
- Sheffield United loses to Wigan AND West Ham gets a draw or win at Man United

The only other yet to be decided in the Premiership is the matter of European qualification. Currently, Everton, Spurs and Bolton are in the UEFA Cup spots (5th, 6th, and 7th), but Reading and Portsmouth are still in the hunt.

Here are all of Sunday's matches:

Blackburn v Reading
Bolton v Aston Villa
Chelsea v Everton
Liverpool v Charlton
Man Utd v West Ham
Middlesbro' v Fulham
Portsmouth v Arsenal
Sheff Utd v Wigan
Tottenham v Man City
Watford v Newcastle

MyFootballClub is offering 50,000 people the chance to own an equal share in a newly purchased football team. Register at:

http://myfootballclub.co.uk/

When you register, you pledge a £35 membership fee to be collected when 50,000 members have registered. That would add up to about £1.4 million to be used to purchase a football club. It’s free to register with MyFooballClub and you will be alerted by email when your £35 membership fee is required. This fee will be annual. There is no obligation renew membership after year one if you prefer not to.

£27.50 will go in the club Purchase Fund and will be used to buy the club. The remaining £7.50 pays for your annual MyFootballClub membership, giving you access to the MyFootballClub site, which will include voting on team selection, player transfers and club business.

Members will attempt to guide the club up the leagues, sharing equal ownership and control. Just like a football management game – but for real.

If the chosen football club isn’t purchased within 12 months, members will be refunded. All interest earned will be donated to the football charity Alive and Kicking.

Visit the website for more information. When you register, you get to vote on which team to purchase. Here are the current top 15 teams in the voting:

1 Leeds United
2 Cambridge
3 Accrington
4 Brighton
5 Nott'm Forest
6 QPR
7 Arsenal
8 Torquay
9 Barnet
10 Brentford
11 Liverpool
12 Man United
13 Bradford City
14 Halifax Town
15 Woking

Check it out at:

http://myfootballclub.co.uk/

Soccerword's Premier League Awards for 2006-07

Player of the Year: Didier Drogba, Chelsea

Manager of the Year: Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United

Premiership Player of the Year
2006-07: Didier Drogba, Chelsea
2005-06: Frank Lampard, Chelsea
2004-05: John Terry, Chelsea

Premiership Manager of the Year
2006-07: Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United
2005-06: Alan Pardew, West Ham
2004-05: Jose Mourinho, Chelsea

Soccerword's Championship Awards for 2006-07

Player of the Year: Dean Whitehead, Sunderland

Manager of the Year: Roy Keane, Sunderland

Championship Player of the Year
2006-07: Dean Whitehead, Sunderland
2005-06: Phil Jagielka, Sheffield United
2004-05: Jason Roberts, Wigan

Championship Manager of the Year
2006-07: Roy Keane, Sunderland
2005-06: Steve Coppell, Reading
2004-05: George Burley, Derby County

Soccerword's League One Awards for 2006-07

Player of the Year: Billy Sharp, Scunthorpe

Manager of the Year: Nigel Adkins, Scunthorpe

League One Player of the Year
2006-07: Billy Sharp, Scunthorpe
2005-06: Freddy Eastwood, Southend
2004-05: Stuart Elliott, Hull City

League One Manager of the Year
2006-07: Nigel Adkins, Scunthorpe
2005-06: Steve Tilson, Southend
2004-05: Martin Allen, Brentford

Soccerword's League Two Awards for 2006-07

Player of the Year: Izale McLeod, Milton Keynes Dons

Manager of the Year: Richard Money, Walsall

League Two Player of the Year
2006-07: Izale McLeod, MK Dons
2005-06: Karl Hawley, Carlisle
2004-05: Lee Trundle, Swansea

League Two Manager of the Year
2006-07: Richard Money, Walsall
2005-06: Paul Simpson, Carlisle
2004-05: Gary Johnson, Yeovil

This weekend's games for Chelsea and Manchester United typified their seasons. Chelsea couldn't cope with an injury to a central defender, and Man United won on a penalty kick earned by Cristiano Ronaldo. How many times this season has that been the case?

Arsenal 1 - 1 Chelsea
Needing to win to keep their slim title hopes alive, Chelsea were missing one of their central defenders, Ricardo Carvalho, and did not have an adequate replacement. As a result, Khalid Boulahrouz started the match along side John Terry in defense. In the 43rd minute, Boulahrouz fouled Emanuel Adebayor in the box, and Gilberto stepped up to score from the spot. Boulahrouz was sent off for the challenge. Down 0-1 and down to ten men, Chelsea battled back and tied the match on a Michael Essien header in the 70th minute. Despite playing with 10 men, Chelsea pressed forward and nearly scored the tying goal. Joe Cole found the net but was ruled offside, and Salamon Kalou forced Jens Lehman to stretch and tip the ball over the cross bar. With Chelsea throwing men forward, Arsenal had chances to win it on the counter attack, but Petr Cech made a couple fine saves, and Emmanuel Eboue's shot hit the crossbar. After four minutes of stoppage time, Arsenal held on for a 1-1 draw, and Manchester United were the champions for the first time since 2002-03.

Man City 0 -1 Man United
On Saturday, United won the Manchester Derby thanks to a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo. Just two minutes into the match, Cristiano Ronaldo went to ground following a bump from a City player. Apparently thinking Ronaldo had gone to ground too easily, Michael Ball stomped on the winger's chest. Somehow, the referee didn't see the foul, and Ball wasn't booked. In the 34th minute, however, Ball gave away a penalty when he stepped on Ronaldo's toe. Ronaldo had just completed a series of step-over manuevers when Ball attempted to kick the ball away from him. Ball missed the ball and came down on Ronaldo's toes. Ronaldo flung himself to the ground dramatically, but there was definitely contact in the box. Ronaldo converted the resulting spot kick for the only goal of the match. It turned out to be the goal that won the Premiership title as it forced Chelsea to beat Arsenal to stay in the race.

Championship

88 - Sunderland (automatic promotion)
86 - Birmingham (automatic promotion)

84 - Derby County (playoffs)
76 - West Brom (playoffs)
76 - Wolverhampton (playoffs)
75 - Southampton (playoffs)

74 - Preston
73 - Stoke
71 - Sheffield Wednesday
69 - Colchester
67 - Plymouth
65 - Crystal Palace
64 - Cardiff
62 - Ipswich
57 - Burnley
57 - Norwich
56 - Coventry
53 - Queens Park Rangers
53 - Leicester City
50 - Barnsley
49 - Hull City

42 - Southend (relegated)
40 - Luton Town (relegated)
36 - Leeds (relegated)

In the Championship, the top 2 clubs are automatically promoted to the Premier League. The teams in 3rd through 6th place enter the playoffs for the third promotion spot. The bottom three clubs are relegated to League One.

Sunderland win the 2006-07 Football League Championship.

League One

91 - Scunthorpe (automatic promotion)
85 - Bristol City (automatic promotion)

83 - Blackpool (playoffs)
82 - Nottingham Forest (playoffs)
79 - Yeovil (playoffs)
75 - Oldham (playoffs)

72 - Swansea
68 - Carlisle
67 - Tranmere
66 - Millwall
63 - Doncaster
60 - Port Vale
60 - Crewe
59 - Northampton
59 - Huddersfield
59 - Gillingham
54 - Cheltenham
53 - Brighton
52 - Bournemouth
51 - Leyton Orient

47 - Chesterfield (relegated)
47 - Bradford City (relegated)
38 - Rotherham (relegated)
37 - Brentford (relegated)

In League One, the top 2 clubs are automatically promoted to the Championship League. The teams in 3rd through 6th place enter the playoffs for the third promotion spot. The bottom four clubs are relegated to League Two.

League Two

89 - Walsall (automatic promotion)
88 - Hartlepool (automatic promotion)
85 - Swindon Town (automatic promotion)

84 - Milton Keynes (playoffs)
74 - Lincoln City (playoffs)
72 - Bristol Rovers (playoffs)
71 - Shrewsbury (playoffs)

71 - Stockport
66 - Rochdale
65 - Peterborough
65 - Darlington
62 - Wycombe
62 - Notts County
59 - Barnet
59 - Grimsby Town
55 - Hereford
54 - Mansfield Town
53 - Chester
51 - Wrexham
50 - Accrington Stanley
50 - Bury
48 - Macclesfield

46 - Boston United (relegated)
35 - Torquay (relegated)

In League Two, the top 3 clubs are automatically promoted to League One. The teams in 4th through 7th place enter the playoffs for the fourth promotion spot. The bottom two clubs are relegated to the Conference.

AC Milan 3 - 0 (5-3 on aggregate) Manchester United
So much for a Chelsea vs Man United cup final. A day after Liverpool ended Chelsea's Champions League campaign, AC Milan dumped Man United out of the cup. Trailing 2-3 from the first leg at Old Trafford, Milan stormed to the lead courtesy of another goal from Kaka in the 11th minute. Clarence Seedorf put Milan ahead on aggregate in the 30th minute, and substitute Alberto Gilardino sealed the win with a late goal, running onto the ball in acres of space and beating Edwin van der Saar with a well-placed shot into the corner. Late in the match, AC Milan played the ball out of bounds so that Kaka could get treatment for an apparent injury. According to football customs, Man United should have returned to ball to Milan following their throw-in. But that didn't happen, and it prompted an angry response from Milan's players, especially Gennaro Gattuso who was booked for his protests. In any event, Milan's win sets up a rematch of the 2005 Champions League final against Liverpool.

Liverpool 1 - 1 (4-1 penalty kicks) Chelsea
Liverpool advanced to the Champions League final after a 4-1 win on penalty kicks. The Reds trailed Chelsea 0-1 after the first leg, but a first half goal from Daniel Agger made it 1-1 on aggregate. Neither team could score the decisive goal during 90 minutes and 30 minutes of extra time, and Liverpool prevailed on penalty kicks. Zenden, Alonso, Gerrard, and Kuyt made their spot kicks for Liverpool, while Robben and Geremi had their shots saved by Pepe Reina. Liverpool are in the final for the second time in three years, and both times they eliminated Chelsea in the semi-final round.

Derby County's 0-2 loss at Crystal Palace today means that Birmingham and Sunderland have clinched the top two places in the Championship League and automatic promotion back to the Premiership.

Sunderland started the season poorly with chairman Niall Quinn acting as manager. After five games in charge, Quinn appointed Roy Keane manager and the club's fortunes began to turn around.

See how Keane took Sunderland to the top:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/sunderland/6588831.stm

Sunderland 3-2 Burnley
Sunderland's promotion charge culminated in a thrilling 3-2 victory over Burnley on Friday. Daryl Murphy scored in the 14th minute, and when Sunderland were awarded a penalty, it looked like they would kill the game off. But David Connolly's penalty was saved, and Burnely were awarded a penalty later in the first half. Andy Gray scored from the spot to tie the match, and then early in the second half, Wade Elliot scored from 25 yards to give Burnley the lead. Less than five minutes later, Sunderland were given another penalty chance, and Connolly converted this time to make it 2-2. With 10 minutes remaining, Carlos Edwards completed the comeback with an angled shot into the net. And promotion was clinched when Derby lost at Palace on Sunday.

Birmingham 2 - 0 Sheffield Wednesday
Birmingham's win over Wednesday wasn't quite as dramatic, but it was no less important as Steve Bruce's side bounced back to the Premiership after just one season in the second tier. Still, the game was tied 0-0 late in the second half, and Birmingham's Fabrice Muamba was sent off for two yellow cards. But in the 78th minute, Cameron Jerome put Birmingham ahead, and Seb Larsson scored a late goal to seal the victory. As with Sunderland, Birmingham had to wait until Derby County's loss on Sunday to celebrate promotion to the Premier League.

Leeds 1 - 1 Ipswich Town
At the other end of the table, a bizarre game at Elland Road ended with a late goal from Ipswich, a pitch invasion by over 100 fans, and relegation for Leeds. Needing to beat Coventry City to have any chance of catching Hull, Leeds led the match 1-0 thanks to an early goal from Richard Cresswell. But with two minutes remaining, Alan Lee scored on a header to tie the match. What followed was a mass pitch invasion that forced Michael Jones, the referee, and the players to head for the dressing rooms. After a 20 minute delay, the referee and the players returned. Play went on for about a minute, and then Jones blew the final whistle and raced off the field. With one game left to play, Leeds are three points behind Hull with a much worse goal difference. To escape relegation, Leeds would need to beat Derby by 8 goals and have Hull lose to Plymouth on the final day. If that happens, there needs to be some kind of investigation. Unfortunately for Leeds, appointing former Chelsea captain Dennis Wise as manager did not work out as well as Sunderland's appointment of former Man United captain Roy Keane.

Championship Table
1 Birmingham 86
2 Sunderland 85

With the two automatic promotion places clinched by Birmingham and Sunderland, and the three relegation places determined (Leeds, Southend, Luton Town), the only thing left to be decided in the Championship is who will make the playoffs.

3 Derby County 81
4 West Brom 73
5 Wolverhampton 73
6 Southampton 72
7 Stoke 72
8 Preston 71

Derby County have made the playoffs, but the other three spots are still up for grabs. And of course Birmingham and Sunderland are still playing for first place. All of the relevant matches will be played next Sunday:

Derby v Leeds, 13:00
Leicester v Wolverhampton, 13:00
Luton v Sunderland, 13:00
Preston v Birmingham, 13:00
QPR v Stoke, 13:00
outhampton v Southend, 13:00
West Brom v Barnsley, 13:00

With one week left in the season, the promotion and relegation races are nearly decided. Here's a look at League One and League Two:

League One
1 Scunthorpe - 88
2 Bristol City - 82
3 Nottingham Forest - 81
4 Blackpool - 80
5 Yeovil - 76
6 Oldham - 72
7 Swansea - 72

Scunthorpe have already clinched automatic promotion and the league championship. One of Bristol City, Nottingham Forest, and Blackpool will also earn automatic promotion. The two that don't will make the playoffs along with Yeovil. Oldham and Swansea will claim the fourth playoff place. They aare level on 72 points, but Oldham have a slightly better goal difference (21 to 19). Oldham will play Chesterfield next week while Swansea hosts Blackpool. Advantage Oldham.

21 Chesterfield - 47
22 Bradford - 46
23 Rotherham - 38
24 Brentford - 37

Four teams go down to League Two, and the current bottom four in the league cannot escape the relegation zone. It wasn't that long ago that Bradford were in the Premier League. Next year, they'll be in the fourth division of English Football.

League Two
1 Walsall - 88
2 Hartlepool - 88
3 Swindon - 84
4 MK Dons - 81
5 Lincoln City - 71
6 Shrewsbury - 70
7 Bristol Rovers - 69
8 Stockport - 68

Walsall and Hartlepool have clinched automatic promotion, and Swindon will grab the third automatic promotion spot unless they lose by 2 or more and MK Dons win by 2 or more next week. More likely, MK Dons will enter the playoffs along with three of the following teams: Lincoln, Shrews, Rovers, and Stockport.

21 Wrexham - 48
22 Macclesfield - 47
23 Boston United - 46
24 Torquay - 34

Two teams will be relegated out of the football league. Torquay is one of them. The other team will be Wrexham, Macclesfield, or Boston United. The key match on the final day: Wrexham v Boston United. If Boston wins, they will avoid relegation. If they draw or lose, they will go down.

At half time, Chelsea were leading Bolton 2-1, and Man United were trailing Everton 0-1. If those scores would have held up Chelsea would have finally caught United at the top of the table. But at the final whistle, the scoreboard at Stamford Bridge read 2-2, and United had scored four second half goals to win 4-2 at Goodison Park. Instead of a tie at the top of the table, United were leading by five points and the Premiership title is now within their grasp.

Chelsea 2 - 2 Bolton
Poor defending from set pieces were to blame for both goals Chelsea allowed. Bolton took a suprise early lead when Lubomir Michalik poked the ball past Petr Cech following a free kick. Chelsea quickly tied the game on a Saloman Kalou header from a nice cross from Wayne Bridge. Later in the first half, Chelsea got another goal from a Kalou header. Officially, it was ruled an own goal, as the ball came off the cross bar and went in the goal off the leg of the Bolton keeper. As important Kalou's goals were, the critical moment of the first half was when Ricardo Carvalho had to leave the game with a knee injury. Frank Lampard came on to replace him, with Michael Essien having to once again assume a central defensive position. In the second half, Kevin Davies was left unmarked in the box, and headed in Gary Speed's free kick to even the scoreline. All season, Chelsea have been hurt by injuries to their defenders and a lack of defensive substitutes. And that lack of cover cost the Blues again today.

Everton 2 - 4 Manchester United
Alan Stubbs put Everton in front when his shot defelcted off Michael Carrick and into the goal. Everton maintained that lead into half time, and extended it in the 50th minute on a Manuel Fernandes blast into the top corner of the goal. At that time, Chelsea were ahead in their match against Bolton, and it looked like Man United might see their Premiership lead evaporate. But United rallied once again for four second half goals in what will probably be the defining match of the season.

In the 61st minute, after Everton keeper Iain Turner failed to catch the ball from a corner, John O'Shea scored from close range. Then, United were given a life line by former Red Devil Phil Neville's own goal in the 68th minute. Neville tried to clear the line after a Ronaldo header, but his attempt found his own net. By now, the Chelsea match was 2-2, and it seemed inevitable that United would go on to win it. And it was former Everton player, Wayne Rooney, who came up with the winner. In the 79th minute, Rooney scored from a cross that Everton couldn't cope with. Chris Eagles completed the scoring just before the final whistle to complete an impressive comeback that puts United on the verge of winning the title.

League One: Top of the Table
1. Scunthorpe - 88
2. Bristol City – 82

3. Nottingham Forest - 78
4. Blackpool – 77
5. Yeovil – 73
6. Oldham – 69

7. Swansea – 69
8. Carlisle – 68

There is not much drama left in League One. Scunthorpe have already clinched automatic promotion, and their superior goal difference over Bristol City means the title race is all but over. Meanwhile, Bristol City are just one win or one Nottingham Forest loss away from clinching the other automatic promotion spot. That means that 3rd place Nottingham Forest and 4th place Blackpool will have to settle for the playoffs, with four other teams chasing the other two playoff spots: Yeovil, Oldham, Swansea, Carlisle.

Of those four clubs, Yeovil is a good bet to make the playoffs given their four point lead over the other three. That leaves Oldham, Swansea, and Carlisle competing for the final playoff spot. If Carlisle can make the playoffs, then they would be on track for their third straight promotion. Two years ago, they were playing in the Conference. But it won’t be easy for them. The Cumbrians host playoff hopeful Swansea this Saturday and travel to the league champions Scunthorpe for the final match of the season. Perhaps the Iron will be complacent having already clinched the league title.

In addition to having to play Carlisle this weekend, Swansea have a home match against Blackpool on the last day of the season. Blackpool may rest some players for the playoffs, so it’s hard to tell how much of a fight they will put up. Advantage may go to Oldham, who have the easier schedule. Oldham finish the season with games against Brighton (a club that has nothing to really play for) and Chesterfield (a team that will have already been consigned to relegation). Oldham also have the best goal difference of the three clubs.

My verdict: If Swansea beats Carlisle, then I think the Swans will overtake Oldham for 6th place. Otherwise, Oldham will join Yeovil, Blackpool, and Nottingham Forest in the playoffs. In the end, though, I don't think it will make any difference who gets the fourth playoff spot. Nottingham Forest will win promotion via the playoffs and return to the second tier of English Football.

Bottom of the Table
21. Bradford City – 46
22. Chesterfield – 44
23. Rotherham – 38
24. Brentford – 34

At the bottom of the table, Brentford and Rotherham are already relegated, and Bradford City and Chesterfield will almost certainly be the other two clubs to drop down to League Two. Their only chance to stay up depends on either Cheltenham or Bournemouth losing their last two games.

Chelsea 1 - 0 Liverpool
Joe Cole's first half strike gives Chelsea the advantage heading into the second leg of their semi-final with Liverpool. Chelsea dominated the first half and took the lead just before the half hour mark. Ricardo Carvalho dribbled the ball out of defense and played a long pass forward to Didier Drogba. Drogba collected the ball on the right wing and dribbled past Daniel Agger with a nice behind the back touch on the ball. Drogba's cross into the box was steered into the back of the net by a sliding Joe Cole to give Chelsea the lead.

Joe Cole celebrates his goal.

The Blues could have extended their lead, but Liverpool keeper Pepe Reine twice saved blasts from Frank Lampard. In the second half, Liverpool began to control possession, but they created very few scoring chances. The best chance of the night came on a left-footed strike from Steven Gerrard, but Chelsea keeper Petr Cech made a nice diving save.

Contrary to Liverpool manager Rafael Benetiz's pre-match comments, it did seem like Liverpool players tried to convince referee Markus Merk to show a yellow card to Didier Drobga. Jamier Carragher clearly gestured for a booking. A yellow card would have ruled out Drobga for the second leg at Anfield next Tuesday, but the only yellow shown by Merk was for Javier Mascherano's tackle from behind on Frank Lampard.

Chelsea players were also upset at some of Merk's decisions, especially an out of bounds decision. And captain John Terry was clearly upset at Merk at the final whistle, but I'm not sure what that was all about. In fairness to Merk, I thought he called a good game and showed discretion when it was called for.

For me, Didier Drogba was the man of the match. Not only did he set up the only goal with a great run, a deft touch on the ball, and a perfect cross to Joe Cole, he also provided an outlet for Chelsea's midfielders and defenders when they were put under pressure. Critics may claim Chelsea played long ball too much, but with Drogba up front it's not simply a case of hoof it and hope. Drogba is so adept at shielding off two or more defenders and controlling the long pass. When a Chelsea player is closed down, kicking the ball long is not just conceding possession to relieve the pressure. Drogba makes it a viable attacking option. And he holds the ball up and distributes it to attacking midfielders and his strike partners very well.

Fans and critics alike have repeatedly asked why Frank Lampard doesn't score for England like he does for Chelsea. The answer may be that England doesn't have a striker like Didier Drogba on the team. For me, Didier Drogba has been the player of the year. He's scored more goals , he has more of a physical presence, and he dives margainally less often than Ronaldo.

In any event, the 1-0 win is a fantastic result for Chelsea. The Blues have a lead going into the second leg and they kept Liverpool from scoring an away goal. That means Chelsea will advance to the final with a draw or a one-goal loss in which they score a goal. If the Blues score in the second leg, Liverpool will need three goals to reach the final.

Manchester United 3 - 2 AC Milan
An injury time winner from Wayne Rooney gave United a 3-2 advantage heading into the second leg in Milan. Despite giving up the late goal, AC Milan scored two important away goals and can still make the Champions League final with a 1-0 or 2-1 win in the second leg. But Rooney's late goal means that a draw in the second leg is all United need to reach the final.

The match started well for Man United and the home side took the lead in the 6th minute. Ryan Giggs' corner kick was headed on goal by Cristiano Ronaldo, and the AC Milan keeper, Dida, was only able to palm the ball into the goal. Currently, it is being ruled a goal by Ronaldo, but that could be changed to an own goal.

Man United's lead didn't last long, and thanks to two strikes from Kaka, AC Milan took a 2-1 lead into half time. Kaka raced past Gabriel Heinze to score his first goal in the 22nd minute, and a defensive error enabled him to score a second goal 15 minutes later. Heinze and Patrice Evra got in each other's way, allowing Kaka to score from close range.

Kaka's second goal puts Milan in front 2-1.

In the second half, Wayne Rooney led the way for United. Just before the hour mark, Paul Scholes lobbed a pass over the Milan defense to Wayne Rooney. Dida got a piece of Rooney's shot, but it still rolled over the line to tie the match. In injury time, Rooney came up big again, firing a 20 yard strike past Dida to set off wild celebrations in Old Trafford.

Rooney scores in injury time.

Man United's work is not done yet, but they have the advantage heading into the second leg. A draw will do. For AC Milan, their best chance at making the final is through the away goals tie-breaker. A 1-0 or 2-1 win at the San Siro will see AC Milan through to the final. Chelsea and Liverpool will play the first leg in their semi-final tomorrow.

With only two matches remaining per team in the lower divisions, the promotion and relegation races are really heating up. Here's a look at the Championship League, the second tier of English Football. Who is going up to the Premiership and who is going down to League One? Here are my predictions (We'll tackle the crazy naming of English football leagues - League One is really the third division - later):

Championship League
1. Birmingham - 83
2. Sunderland - 82
3. Derby County - 81

Two of these three teams will claim the top two spots and the automatic promotion that comes with it. Birmingham play at home against Sheffield Wednesday and then at Preston. Sunderland host Burnley before traveling to already-relegated and last-place Luton. And Derby finish the season at Crystal Palace and at home to relegation-battling Leeds. Sunderland probably have the easiest schedule, so I'm picking the Black Cats to win the league. Give credit to manager Roy Keane for turning their season around. When he took over, the club had lost their first four league matches of the year. Since Keano arrived, it's been a steady climb up the table. Birmingham's two-point lead over Derby should be enough for Steve Bruce's club to claim second place and bounce back to the Premiership on the first try. That leaves Derby having to take the play-off route to promotion. Which brings us to the other clubs chasing one of the four playoff spots.

4. Preston - 71
5. West Brom - 70
6. Wolves - 70
7. Southampton - 69
8. Stoke - 69
9. Colchester - 69
10. Sheffield Wednesday - 68

One of Birmingham, Sunderland, and Derby will finish third and claim one playoff spot, but no fewer than 7 other teams are competing for the three other places: 4th, 5th, and 6th. Tony Mowbray's West Brom club led this league at one point, but they have been dropping like a stone of late. Likewise, I had high hopes for George Burley's Southampton, but the Saints are currently on the outside looking in. But their +20 goal difference could be the tie-breaker they need, and playing against Norwich and Southend doesn't hurt either. I think the Saints will make the playoffs along with West Brom, who have a favorable schedule (at Coventry, vs Barnsley) and the winner of the Stoke vs Colchester match on April 28. If that match isn't a draw, then the winner will have 72 points and a fairly easy matchup the last day of the season. Stoke finish the year at QPR and Colchester are at home to Crystal Palace to end the season. If Stoke and Colchester draw, then I think Preston will grab the final playoff spot. What about Wolves, you ask? Although they're currently in 6th place, Wolves have two things going against them. Their -2 goal difference is the worst of all the playoff contenders, and Mick McCarthy is their manager.

21. Hull
22. Leeds
23. Southend
24. Luton

There's not as much drama at the bottom of the table. Luton are going down and Southend are nearly relegated. That leaves Leeds and Hull fighting for 21st place and safety. Leeds are only a few years removed from the Champions League semi-finals. At that time it was unthinkable that they would be on the verge of dropping down to the third division today. But that's what will happen unless they can overtake Hull. Dennis Wise hasn't inspired much confidence since taking over at Elland Road. And the schedule-maker hasn't done Leeds any favors - they finish the year at automatic promotion candidates Derby. I'm afraid it's another relegation for Leeds.

Remember, pay attention to that Stoke vs Colchester match. The winner, if there is one, is going to make the playoffs.

Tomorrow, I'll tackle League One.

With four matches remaining, the Premiership title race is down to two clubs - Man United and Chelsea. But there is excitement at the other end of the table as well. Last place Watford have already been relegated, but five other clubs are battling to avoid the other two relegation places.

Bottom of the Table
15. Fulham - 36
16. Wigan - 35
17. Sheffield United - 35

18. Charlton - 33
19. West Ham - 32
20. Watford - 24

Schedules
Fulham: @ Arsenal, v Liverpool, @ Middlesbrough
Wigan: v West Ham, v Middlesbrough, @ Sheffield Utd
Sheffield Utd: v Watford, @ Aston Villa, v Wigan
Charlton: @ Blackburn, v Spurs, @ Liverpool
West Ham: @ Wigan, v Bolton, @ Man United

Verdict
Charlton and West Ham have been in the bottom three most of the season, and I'm afraid they will remain there. Fulham have a difficult schedule, but even if they just get one point out of their remaining three matches, I think that - 37 points - will be enough. I can't see Charlton or West Ham reaching the 37 point mark. Charlton have an equally tough schedule and I can't see them winning any of their matches. West Ham may win at Wigan, but that would just take the Hammers to 35 points, and they would still need to beat Bolton or Man United to reach the 37 point mark. Sheffield United have a relatively easy schedule. A win at home against already relegated Watford would take the Blades to 38 points. If that doesn't happen, then it sets up a nervy final day of the season against Wigan. Which brings me to the only scenario that could save Charlton or West Ham: Wigan losing their last three matches. If that happens then Charlton or West Ham would have a shot. But I think Wigan will at least get a couple draws if not a win from the final three. So my prediction is for Charlton and West Ham to join Watford in relegation with Wigan just staying up in 17th place. I think the magic number will be 37 points this year.

Newcastle 0 - 0 Chelsea
With a win, Chelsea would have cut Manchester United's lead to just one point at the top of the Premiership. But a goalless draw at Newcastle means that the Blues remain three points behind. There were few chances for either side. For Chelsea, Frank Lampard shot over the bar, Salamon Kalou had a weak shot cleared off the line, and Joe Cole shot just wide of the goal in injury time. For Newcastle, Kieron Dyer foreced a save from Petr Cech and Obafemi Martins headed over the bar from a corner kick. At the end of the match, the home fans cheered as if it was a win. For the away fans, it must have felt like a loss. Now, Chelsea don't control their destiny. For the Blues to win the title, they must win their four remaining games (including a game against Man United), and hope United slip up in one more match. It's a much easier path for United. Even if they lose at Chelsea, the title will be theirs if they win their other remaining games.

Here are the games remaining for the top two:

Man United (82 points, +54 goal difference)
at Everton
at Man City
at Chelsea
vs West Ham

Chelsea (79 points, +40 goal difference)
vs Bolton
at Arsenal
vs Man United
vs Everton

Manchester United 1-1 Middlesbrough
Manchester United have opened the door for Chelsea to get back in the title race. After losing at Portsmouth two weeks ago, United have now been held to a draw by Middlesbrough. And it could have been even worse as Middlesbrough were denied a penalty claim in extra time when Dong-Gook Lee was brought down by John O'Shea.

It started well for United who took the lead in the third minute. Wayne Rooney beat the off-side trap and ran onto Paul Scholes lobbed pass in acres of space. Rooney dribbled around the keeper and the ball rolled into the path of Kieran Richardson who easily scored into the open net.

Rooney dribbles past the keeper and sets up Richardson for the goal.

After going a goal down, Middlesbrough did well to get back into the game and create chances of their own. Just before half time, Stewart Downing crossed the ball from the left wing, and Mark Viduka drifted behind a limping Rio Ferdinand to head the ball into the back of the net.

Viduka's flying header dents United's title chances.

In the second half, Middlesbrough continued to control the match and actually seemed more likely to score a winning goal. Jonathan Woodgate in defense and Lee Cattermole in midfield were particularly impressive. As the 90 minute mark approached, Wayne Rooney had several chances on goal, but shot wide on each occasion.

In stoppage time, Dong-Gook Lee controlled a long pass with his chest and dribbled into the box. Although John O'Shea did not touch the ball with his challenge, the referee failed to whistle for a penalty. It wasn't the first time Middlesbrough were hard done by a penalty decision. Boro were knocked out of the FA Cup by United on a controversial penalty decision given for a Cristiano Ronaldo dive.

United had two late chances from a free kick and corner kick, but Boro defended each of them and held on for a draw. It wasn't just Boro fans cheering at the final whistle. I'm sure there was also quite a roar coming from Chelsea. If the Blues win at Newcastle tomorrow, United's lead at the top of the table will be just one point. And as United still have to play at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea now know that they control their destiny. If the Blues win the rest of their matches, including the game against United, they will win the league for the third season in a row. It should be an exiting finish to the season.

Chelsea 2 - 1 Blackburn
Michael Ballack's extra time goal was the difference as Chelsea advanced to the FA Cup final at the expense of a battling Blackburn team. Chelsea dominated the first half, and took the lead in the 16th minute. Didier Drogba controlled keeper Petr Cech's long pass and played the ball into the path of Michael Ballack. The German midfielder played a nice forward pass that FranK Lampard ran onto. Lampard skipped over a defender and finished with a well placed shot into the left corner of the goal. Chelsea could have extended their lead, but Joe Cole fired over the bar from close range and Shevchenko stumbled over the ball after a nice pass from Drogba set him up in front of goal.

Chelsea were made to pay for their missed opportunities in the second half. A free kick from Morten Gamst Pedersen was deflected into the goal by Jason Roberts to tie the match at 1-1. As 90 minutes approached, Blackburn looked most likely to produce a winner. Pedersen headed just wide from inside the box, and Petr Cech had to make a diving save to prevent an own goal from John Terry. In extra time, however, Chelsea finally put the game away with a Michael Ballack goal in the 109th minute. The win by the Blues keeps their quest for the quadruple (Carling Cup, FA Cup, Premier League, Champions League) alive and sets up a classic FA Cup final against Manchester United in what could be a preview of the Champions League final.

Michael Ballack is congratulated after scoring the winner.

Manchester United 4-1 Watford
Saturday's semi-final lacked the drama of Chelsea's win, but Man United produced several fine goals to see off a stubborn Watford side. Seven minutes into the match, Wayne Rooney cut in from the left and blasted a curling 20 yard strike into the top corner of the goal to give United the lead. Watford responded, however, in the 26th minute with an overhead kick from Hameur Bouazza. Less than two minutes later, Cristiano Ronaldo restored United's lead when he turned in Rooney's cross. In the second half, Rooney added a second goal from close range in the 66th minute, and Kieran Richardson chipped home a goal 8 minutes from time to complete the scoring.

Rooney punches United into the FA Cup Final.

Today's games lacked the goals and the drama of yesterday's Champions League matches, but Liverpool and AC Milan won't mind. Already ahead 3-0 from the first leg, Liverpool had all but booked their place in the semi-finals. Apparently, their opponents PSV Eindhoven agreed that the result was a foregone conclusion because they hardly troubled the Liverpool defense. Both clubs basically went through the motions, but the Liverpool fans were content to cheer the club's passage through to the next round. PSV's Marcellis was sent off in the second half, and Peter Crouch scored a goal for Liverpool shortly thereafter. Otherwise, it was a forgettable 90 minutes.

In Munich, Bayern had the advantage of two away goals after a 2-2 draw in the first leg in Milan. But AC Milan erased that advantage with two first half goals from Seedorf and Inzaghi. After that, Milan's defense kept a clean sheet to secure their spot in the semi-finals. It's worth noting that AC Milan were originally kicked out of this season's Champions League for their role in the Italian football scandal. But that decision was overturned on appeal. Now, Milan are the only non-English club in the Champions League semi-finals. Milan will play Man United in one semi-final while Liverpool face a rematch with Chelsea in the other.

Quarter-final Results
Chelsea 3-2 Valencia
Man United 8-3 Roma
Liverpool 4-0 PSV Eindhoven
AC Milan 4-2 Bayern Munich

A few weeks ago, I wrote that Chelsea and Man United were on an FA Cup collision course. Now it appears that prediction might apply to the Champions League as well. But the two clubs took much different paths to reach the semis. United bounced back from a 1-2 first leg loss at Roma to thrash the Italian club 7-1 in the second leg. Chelsea, however, relied on a last second strike from Michael Essien to complete a comeback from 0-1 down in the secong leg against Valencia.

Valencia 1 - 2 Chelsea
Chelsea were on the verge of elimation after their old nemesis Fernando Morientes put Valencia ahead with a first half goal. Morientes played for the Monaco side that knocked Chelsea out of the 2003-04 Champions League at the semi-final stage and he played for Liverpool when the Reds knocked Chelsea out at the same stage a year later. But Chelsea fought back in the second half. Andriy Shevchenko scored from close range, and Michael Essien struck just before the final whistle to win it for the Blues.

Chelsea players celebrate Michael Essien's late winner.

Last summer, Chelsea signed Andriy Shevchenko to bolster their Champions League hopes. Although Shevchenko's goal output in the Premiership has been below par for his standards this season, he came through with a vital goal in today's match. Just seven minutes into the second half,
Didier Drogba's shot was deflected to Andriy Shevchenko, and Sheva slammed the ball home from close range.

With the score tied 1-1 (2-2 on aggregate), another goal for Chelsea would give them the away goals advantage and book their place in the semis. Five minutes from time, it looked like Chelsea had their goal, but Valencia's keeper Santiago Canizares pulled off a miraculous save, diving low to somehow deflect Michael Ballack's headed attempt over the bar.

With time running out and extra time looming, Michael Essien beat Cannizares with a shot just inside the near post to send Chelsea on to the final four.

Jose Mourinho celebrates Chelsea's win.

After the match, Mourinho praised his team's efforts: "It is maybe our best performance away from home in three seasons. This is an unbelievable group and what we are doing this season is amazing. . . We have won a competition and are in two semi-finals. . . We have a difficult semi-final on Sunday but hopefully we can be in the FA Cup final and we are still fighting for the Premiership."

Manchester United 7-1 Roma
Man United's six-goal thrashing of Roma lacked the drama of Chelsea's win, but the Old Trafford fans were treated to a fine display of attacking football. Given the extent of United's victory, it's hard to imagine that the result was in doubt, but at the beginning of the match, United trailed 1-2 on aggregate. But that didn't last long at all.

Michael Carrick but United ahead with a goal in the 12th minute. A 1-0 score line would have been enough to see United through on away goals, but United made it much more comfortable than that. Surprise starter Alan Smith made in 2-0 in the 17th minute, and Wayne Rooney added a third goal two minutes later. Cristiano Ronaldo got into the goal scoring act just before half time to make it 4-1. Ronaldo and Carrick each added second half goals before Patrice Evra completed the rout in the 81st minute. De Rossi scored a consolation goal for Roma, but it was far too little and much too late. The United fans taunted Roma by chanting "Are you Man City in disguise." Or is that a taunt of Man City?

Michael Carrick scores his second - United's 6th - goal of the match.

With Liverpool comfortably ahead after their first leg win over PSV Eindhoven, it now looks like there will be three English clubs in the Champions League semi-finals. Chelsea and Liverpool will meet in a rematch of the 2004-05 semi-finals while Man United awaits the winner AC Milan and Bayern Munich.