Is Newcastle's Andy Carroll really Kevin Federline in disguise?

Decide for yourself Geordies. 

I won't be surprised in a few months to see The Northern Echo  reporting Mr. Carroll backup dancing down at the Quayside...or busting out rhymes like this.

All kidding aside, it's nice to see a hometown kid do well in the black and white stripes. It feels good to see Newcastle back at the top tier and I hope they stay up for a while. It doesn't even feel like they left. The key to their success this year is the big man Carroll up front combined with Joey Barton's mustache.

Arsenal fans ALWAYS have hope

Freaking Goooners....

I don't know how many times I've seen it. Enough times where I would feel safe to throw down some money and bet on it.......and probably win 75% of the time. What exactly would this bet be?

Arsenal ALWAYS score in the last five minutes of a match....but only if they are trailing. Over the past 2-3 years I have noticed it more and more and today they struck again in the 90th minute against my beloved Liverpool. They are the only team that does this on a consistent basis. It's amazing.

I went to the watch the game at Brits Pub in downtown Minneapolis with my girlfriend. The game was getting in the later minutes and I turn to my girl and say, "you can never trust a lead against Arsenal, they always are a threat to score in the last 5 minutes." Sure enough, a ball gets sent into the box and Pepe bobbles it... it proceeds to roll right in the back of the net. Like clockwork.

If anyone who reads this is a betting man and is looking for a little late drama, don't even think twice about NOT putting a bet down on Arsenal leveling or taking the lead in the last 5 minutes. I won't be able to log into Paddy Power fast enough.

There are 37 more league games to go and who knows how many cup/tournament games Arsenal have left....but chalk today down as the first of the season. We here at Calcio Covenant headquarters will keep a tally for you.

My Premier League Predictions

Alright, the Community Shield game was this past Sunday which everyone knows acts like the pep rally  to kick-off the new Premier League season. Congrats to Man U for winning their 18th shield....they are getting closer to being able to use all those shields as dinner plates for a pre-match feast.

I am going to warn you now, if you are looking for incredible insight and nights of research and pints poured into this pre-season prediction list, your going to be disappointed. It's just a simple list you can compare with yours. At the mid point of the season I'll review this to see how if I'm an incredible football mind, or if stink at making predictions.

I am basing these predictions off of a few things: Past performances, players bought and sold, player fitness, and schedule. Here is my prediction for the outcome of the 2010-2011 Premier League season. Below the table are my predictions for the awards. Enjoy

20. Blackpool
19. Wolves
18. West Brom
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17. Newcastle
16. West Ham
15. Wigan
14. Fulham
13. Stoke
12. Bolton
11. Sunderland
10. Birmingham
9. Blackburn
8. Aston Villa
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7. Everton
6. Tottenham
5. Arsenal
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4. Liverpool
3. Man U
2. Man City
1. Chelsea

There ya have it, love it, hate it, it's all good. the Big 4 are becoming the big 5 or 6 pretty quick.

Individual Awards

Player of the year - Joe Cole

Golden Boot - Fernando Torres

Golden Glove - Shay Given

Manager of the year - Roy Hodgson