By Brian Sears 29 March 2013 QPR face a London derby this Easter weekend that will partly determine whether their season can be resurrected. That one is played on Monday, and a week later the two clubs from Manchester – champions-elect United and champions (reigning) City – will also meet in a derby, at Old Trafford. […]

By Brian Sears 15 March 2013 It’s run-in time in the Premier League with every team having nine or 10 games remaining. Those at the bottom end of the table are nervous, fretful, adding up the possible points that can get them to safety. Those around the top four are hoping to edge into it […]

By Brian Sears 28 February 2013 So Rafa Benitez isn’t feeling the love from the Chelsea fans, who have made plain their disdain for their Spanish manager. He doesn’t like being interim, or at least hates being called ‘interim’, and the animus aimed at him is damaging Chelsea’s chances of a top-four finish. So he […]

By Brian Sears 22 February 2013 QPR have 12 Premier League games remaining to try to maintain their top-flight status, hanging in the balance as they lie seven points adrift of safety before the weekend’s action. Two wins in 26 league games this season, away at Fulham and at home to Chelsea, tell their own […]

By Brian Sears 8 February 2013 Winning away from home in the Premier League is not easy. In the entire 21-year-history of revamped top division, only one club has won more than half of their away games, and that is Manchester United, the dominant force of the era. United have played 399 Premier League games […]

By Brian Sears 1 February 2013 Premier League draws are happening at record rates – and the midweek spate of six draws in 10 games has only cemented that pattern. In the 8,086 Premier League games played since the era of the revamped top division began in 1992, there have been 2,182 draws, or 27 […]

By Brian Sears 18 January 2012 The ominous news for Manchester United’s major rivals in the Premier League is United have never had as many points at this stage of a season (22 games) and have rarely  been as far ahead of the pack as they are at this stage. The gap between United and […]

By Brian Sears 10 January 2013 Arsenal have played 395 games at home in the Premier League, winning 251, drawing 94 and losing 50. Those 50 defeats have been shared among 21 of the 44 clubs to have visited Highbury or the Emirates over the last 21 seasons. That means 23 clubs have come and gone without achieving […]

By Brian Sears 26 December 2012 Manchester United have played 394 Premier League games at Old Trafford in 21 seasons, winning 296, losing 32 and drawing 66. Sixteen different teams have beaten them in those 32 home defeats in the PL era but the visitors on Boxing Day, Newcastle, are not among those 16. Newcastle have […]

By Brian Sears 14 December 2012 Arsenal fans continue to bemoan the woeful returns of the Arsene Wenger era: three titles (two as Doubles, one as Invincibles), four FA Cup wins, a Champions League runners-up slot, no finish outside the Premier League top four in Wenger’s time and 13 consecutive seasons in the Champions League. […]