Chelsea on fast track..

Luiz Felipe Scolari ignited the fire in Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea took a comepelling victory over Portsmouth, with a clear message to the rest of the league that they wont spare anyone.

Cole opened the scoring in the 12th minute which shows the attacking mentality of Scolari to gain the control of the game.

Nicolas Anelka made his first goal at home for Chelsea, Frank Lampard took the third as a penalty and the fourth one was by the 'Scolari favorite' Deco with a long ranger.

The veteran English player peter crouch couldn't find a opening in the Chelsea defense to give Portsmouth a break. Veteran Defoe also couldnt do anything....

Match Chart

Chelsea 4	Cole, J 12, Anelka 26, Lampard (pen) 45, Deco 89
Portsmouth 0

Hull City 2 - 1 Fulham

The new boy, Hull City howled like a gale to smash away the giants, Fulham.

Substitute Caleb Folan led Hull City to a victory and a three points lead against Fulham in the brand new season of EPL. This was Hull's first ever match in the top division of EPL.

The hosts Hull City fell behind to Seol Ki-Hyeon's header after eight minutes. Geovanni equalised the score before the first half.

Then with nine minutes remaining, Craig Fagan pick-pocketed Paul Konchesky and set up Folan to secure the points.

Fulham who won their last three away matches of last season to stay up, couldnt do finishing touches to the opportunities they got in the game.

Sunderland 0 - 1 Liverpool

Life line for Liverpool by Fernando Torres..

Liverpool managed to start new season with a win against the Sunderland.

After the substitution of his strike partner Torres found the net at the Stadium of Light.

Torres was picked out by Xabi Alonso and fired a low shot from 25 yards got past goalkeeper Craig Gordon and smooched the bottom left corner of the net.

Gunner's New Topgun....

Videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkKHneVsWPI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC3vqlozgBc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BDOJNL0wNM

http://hubpages.com/hub/Samir_Nasri

http://www.flixya.com/video/1337393/Samir_Nasri_skills_soccer_football_

http://101greatgoals.magnify.net/item/8T0D1S2V36BV0T48

http://www.metacafe.com/tags/nasri/

http://www.everythingworld.net/samir-nasri-fanatatic-goal/

http://www.ifutbal.com/videos/11784/arsenal-vs-west-brom-nasri-goal

http://www.zimbio.com/Live+Sport+TV+Links/articles/360/Highlights+Video+Ajax+vs+Arsenal

http://www.sportvideonews.net/view_news_link.php?nlid=66455&p=1

http://ligue1clips.blogspot.com/2007/06/samir-nasri-video-thread.html

http://tv.jubii.co.uk/video/iLyROoaftrsa.html

Arsenal 1- 0 WBA

Arsenal surpassed the new comers West Bromwich Albion in the first match in the new season of English Premier League 2008-09.

Samir Nasri scored in his debut in fourth minute as Gunners beat promoted West Bromwich 1-0 to open the season in English soccer's Premier League.

Nasri's goal came after just four minutes at Emirates Stadium in north London. The 21-year-old French international joined the Gunners last month from Marseille for 12 million pounds ($22.3 million).

The second half was rather slow even though the Gunners played well but failed to score more on WBA...

Who pays for EPL..?

Since 1993, the Premier League has been sponsored. The sponsor has been able to determine the league's sponsorship name. These are the sponsors so far..

* 1993–2001: Carling (FA Carling Premiership)
* 2001–2004: Barclaycard (Barclaycard Premiership)
* 2004–2007: Barclays (Barclays Premiership)
* 2007–2010: Barclays Premier League

New Boys...

Hull City

Hull City will play their first season of top-flight English football in 2008/09.

Hull had a third place finish in Championship. They secured promotion by beating Bristol City in the Play-off Final at Wembley Stadium on 24th May 2008, Hull native Dean Windass' stunning 38th minute volley the only goal of the match. It is a superb achievement when one considers that the Tigers were only promoted to the Championship in 2005.

Manager Phil Brown

The Kingston Communications Stadium is their home ground. Club moved there in 2002, having left Boothferry Park where they had played since 1946.

Relegation favourites Hull City have been busy in the transfer market as they look forward to their first season in England’s top division.

Brazilian Geovanni, signed on a free from Manchester City, and French defender Bernard Mendy (Paris St Germain) are among seven new signings but relegation still looms.

Stoke City

The 2008/09 season will mark Stoke City's first appearance in the Premier League. Manager Tony Pulis and his players won promotion by finishing second in the Championship, two points behind champions West Bromwich Albion. A goalless draw with Leicester City was enough to send them up on the final day.

Manager Tony Pulis

This is Pulis' second spell in charge at the club. He originally parted company with the Potters at the end of the 2004/05 season. Dutch manager Johan Boskamp stepped in but left at the end of the season after a mid-table finish.

Boskamp's departure came as former-chairman Peter Coates was completing a takeover of the club and he reappointed Pulis who, after leading the club to eighth in the 2006/07 season, guided them to promotion.

Gudjon Thordarson, their first overseas manager brought them "The Auto Windscreens trophy" in 2000. It was their most recent victory. He led them to promotion into the First Division in 2001.

Source: www.premierleague.com

Fight of the 4....

After a summer marked by intense transfer activity, speculation and denials, the new English Premier League season begins this weekend with one thing still the same, the big four way ahead of the rest.

The heat is on the champions Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool teaming up for the major football trophies. With their new manager Luis Felipe Scolari, Chelsea ready to test United's two-year lead at the top.

Having been pipped by United to the title on the final day of last season, and lost to them on penalties in the Champions League final, Chelsea are bent on revenge, tempting Scolari to leave his job as Portugal coach to take over from Avram Grant as coach.

"Big Phil" as Scolari is affectionately known, is a big personality and he has already set his sights on the title, saying: There is no reason, if all goes well, that we cannot win every competition we enter."

Scolari's first move was to bring his Portugal playmaker Deco from BarcelonaJose Bosingwa to fill the right-back role. With Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack having stayed despite tempting offers to move abroad, Chelsea should be stronger this season.

And Scolari is ready to have mind games with his veteran counterpart,Sir Alex Ferguson, usually the king of the mind games.

"I read that Scolari is more experienced than me," Ferguson said. "What have I been doing for the last 34 years? I must have missed something or been asleep.


Ferguson has told his side to forget about their achievements of last season and get on with the job in hand and that job could be tough with the club not having signed anyone to boost their ranks, yet.

Although ManU is suffering from the injury of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney is also struggling for full fitness, they are in full confidence.

The return of club captain Gary Neville to full fitness after a year out is a boost but defender Nemanja Vidic admitted that it will be a tough season and that Chelsea are the team to watch for.

Arsenal will have to manage with the loss of Mathieu Flamini and Alexander Hleb as they too look to wrest the title from United.

Manager Arsene Wenger has however, signed talented Welsh teenager Aaron Ramsey France midfielder Samir Nasri and Amaury Bischoff, considered one of the biggest Portuguese talents.

With Cesc Fabregas leading the midfield and Emmanuel Adebayor in the front, with Theo Walcott to make it happen.


The same goes for Liverpool, who have spent big on Tottenham striker Robbie Keane, who will make a formidable partnership alongside Fernando Torres, arguably the player of last season.

With Andrea Dossena coming in at full-back and Xabi Alonso looking set to stay after the protracted transfer of Gareth Barry from Aston Villa has so far not yielded fruit, Rafael Benitez's side also ready for the run.

"They (Chelsea and Manchester United) can spend 20 million pounds on players just for the bench, but my belief is unshakable that we can compete with them," Benitez said.

Behind the big four, Tottenham Hotspur look the side most likely to break in, having spent a fortune in the summer, led by the signing of Luka Modric, the Croatia playmaker, who will add class to their midfield.

Portsmouth, pushing for a place in Europe again, look strong after the signing of Peter Crouch, while Aston Villa are improving and it will be interesting to see what Mark Hughes does as manager of Manchester City after moving from Blackburn Rovers.

At the bottom, it looks like being a tough season for the promoted sides, West Bromwich Albion, Hull City and Stoke City, whose manager Tony Pulis admitted his club faced a huge challenge to maintain their top-flight status.

Premier League comes out with a "Behavior Charter"

To ensure the cleanup image of the league to avoid damaging accidents, EPL made the managers and players signing a charter spelling out acceptable standards of behavior.

Last season was caught in red hand for the decline of respect shown toward referees. The unwanted behavior from Chelsea defender Ashley Cole turning his back on Mike Riley while being booked for a reckless challenge, ignited this charter bomb.

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill joked that he had just signed his death warrant.

O'Neill was sent off last August for disputing the amount of injury time.

"It's me signing my death warrant," quipped O'Neill. "I'm slightly concerned I'll be the first sent to the stands as I was last year for a rather innocuous decision last season ...

"But I think the idea's terrific to cut out the excesses."

The managers are prevented from viewing the TV replays and the talk after them.

Captains will be expected to help referees to control games, meeting them before kickoff in Premier League matches and being called upon to help the officials stamp out incidents of dissent during matches.

"It's unfair to pick one person or player or one club," the England defender, Chelsea skipper, John Terry said. "I could show you a hundred videos of players committing offences. We've all done it.

Terry welcomed the clarity in the new guidelines after being uncertain about who can approach referees without it appearing to be a hostile approach.

Younes Kaboul pictures