By Nick Harris SJA Internet Sports Writer of the Year 13 March 2012 During this equivalent week 16 years ago – or Monday, 11 March 1996, to be precise – I went to my dad’s funeral in the afternoon and then did something we’d done together so many times: I watched Southampton. It was an FA Cup quarter-final at […]

Brian Sears 3 February 2012 Manchester United have suffered only 107 defeats in the 20 seasons of Premier League football, or 107 in 756 games to date since 1992. That’s an average of only one defeat for every seven games played. The next best club at avoiding defeat in the long term, Arsenal, have totted up […]

By Sportingintelligence 21 December 2011 . This article was regularly updated until the Premier League’s 20,000th goal was scored … BUT IT’S OVER NOW PEOPLE. GO HOME .. 8.56pm. GOAL! And that’s it. Marc Albrighton of Aston Villa (v Arsenal) scored the 20,000th goal in Premier League history. Thank you and goodnight. ** Goes to […]

By Brian Sears 24 November 2011 As Swansea City’s manager Brendan Rodgers starts talks about a new contract, analysis by Sportingintelligence shows that Swansea and their fellow promoted teams in the Premier League – QPR and Norwich – each have at least a 76 per cent chance of survival this season, based on their decent […]

By Brian Sears 18 November 2011 The Premier League’s long-time elite quartet of Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea are under ongoing threat from Manchester City, Tottenham and even Newcastle (TBC), but ‘Big Four’ games still fascinate. And on Sunday we have the  234th such contest in the Premier League’s history when Chelsea meet Liverpool […]

By Nick Harris SJA Internet Sports Writer of the Year 24 October 2011 England’s Premier League is, by far, the nation’s most successful sporting export, watched live each week in more than 200 countries, and earning from foreign TV rights alone £1.437bn for the current three-year overseas deals (or £479m a year) as reported by sportingintelligence last […]

By Brian Sears 20 October 2011 Aston Villa are the most successful Midlands team in the Premier League’s 20-year history, being the only ever-present club in the revamped top flight and managing 1.43 points per game on average in their 742 games to date. West Brom are the least successful Premier League team from the Midlands in the […]

By Sportingintelligence 17 October 2011 At a conference in London on Monday, the chief executive of the League Managers’ Association, Richard Bevan, claimed there were foreign owners of Premier League teams who wanted to end relegation from England’s top division. A ‘closed shop’, he said, is attractive to owners who want to protect their investment. […]

By Brian Sears 4 August 2011 Charlton, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Preston and Huddersfield are the top five favourites in varying orders with most bookmakers to get promoted from League One this season. It is little coincidence that they are also the five clubs who have spent the most post-war years above the current division […]

By Sportingintelligence 17 June 2011 Premier League champions Manchester United will begin the 2011-12 league season against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on 13 August. The fixtures were released at 9am on Friday. Chelsea, runners-up in 2010-11, start at Stoke, while Arsenal begin next season on the road too, at Newcastle. Manchester City will […]