Some bumper Premier League matches this weekend but will that mean we’ll be seeing bumper points totals in our predictions competition?

A Merseyside derby is probably the last match Liverpool’s Rafa Benitez wanted and if they lose, it will surely be the worse week of his managerial career. Club bosses say his job is safe but bottom side Portsmouth also gave their backing to Paul Hart just a few weeks ago…

New Pompey manager Avram Grant takes on Manchester United hoping it turns out better than the last time he met them in Moscow (see photo).

Oh, and I almost forgot, it’s Arsenal v Chelsea too! Let’s make that our double pointer this week. Remember you get one point for correct result and five for a correct score.

Here’s the panel’s latest standings with this weekend’s fixtures and their wild guesses underneath. Give us your predictions in the comments.

Reuters Soccer Blog panel: Patrick Johnston 129, Mitch Phillips 111, Paul Radford 106, Mike Collett 101, Simon Evans 89, Kevin Fylan 88, Mark Meadows 87, Miles Evans 86, Neil Maidment 81, Julien Pretot 74, Asia Sports Desk 68, Martyn Herman 46, Justin Palmer 38, Sonia Oxley 29

Portsmouth v Man United: Patrick Johnston 0-2, Mitch Phillips 0-1, Paul Radford 0-1, Mike Collett 0-3, Simon Evans 1-1, Kevin Fylan 1-2, Mark Meadows 0-2, Miles Evans 2-2, Neil Maidment, Julien Pretot, Asia Sports Desk , Martyn Herman 0-3, Justin Palmer 0-2, Sonia Oxley 1-0

Aston Villa v Tottenham: Patrick Johnston 2-1, Mitch Phillips 2-1, Paul Radford 2-1, Mike Collett 1-2, Simon Evans 2-1, Kevin Fylan 1-4, Mark Meadows 1-1, Miles Evans 1-3, Neil Maidment, Julien Pretot, Asia Sports Desk , Martyn Herman 1-1, Justin Palmer 2-1, Sonia Oxley 1-2

Manchester City v Hull: Patrick Johnston 3-2, Mitch Phillips 4-0, Paul Radford 4-0, Mike Collett 2-1, Simon Evans 5-0, Kevin Fylan 2-0, Mark Meadows 3-0, Miles Evans 3-2, Neil Maidment, Julien Pretot, Asia Sports Desk , Martyn Herman 1-1, Justin Palmer 4-0, Sonia Oxley 2-0

Wigan v Sunderland: Patrick Johnston 2-1, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Paul Radford 1-1, Mike Collett 2-0, Simon Evans 2-1, Kevin Fylan 1-2, Mark Meadows 1-2, Miles Evans 1-1, Neil Maidment, Julien Pretot, Asia Sports Desk , Martyn Herman 0-2, Justin Palmer 1-1, Sonia Oxley 2-1

Blackburn v Stoke: Patrick Johnston 2-1, Mitch Phillips 2-0, Paul Radford 2-0, Mike Collett 1-0, Simon Evans 0-0, Kevin Fylan 0-2, Mark Meadows 2-1, Miles Evans 1-2, Neil Maidment, Julien Pretot, Asia Sports Desk , Martyn Herman 1-0, Justin Palmer 2-0, Sonia Oxley 2-1

Fulham v Bolton: Patrick Johnston 3-0, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Paul Radford 3-1, Mike Collett 3-1, Simon Evans 3-1, Kevin Fylan 3-1, Mark Meadows 2-0, Miles Evans 2-0, Neil Maidment, Julien Pretot, Asia Sports Desk , Martyn Herman 2-0, Justin Palmer 2-1, Sonia Oxley 0-1

West Ham v Burnley: Patrick Johnston 3-2, Mitch Phillips 1-0, Paul Radford 2-1, Mike Collett 1-1, Simon Evans 1-2, Kevin Fylan 1-1, Mark Meadows 3-1, Miles Evans 2-0, Neil Maidment, Julien Pretot, Asia Sports Desk , Martyn Herman 1-1, Justin Palmer 3-1, Sonia Oxley 1-1

Sunday:
Arsenal v Chelsea: Patrick Johnston 1-2, Mitch Phillips 2-1, Paul Radford 1-1, Mike Collett 1-3, Simon Evans 1-1, Kevin Fylan 1-2, Mark Meadows 1-1, Miles Evans 2-2, Neil Maidment, Julien Pretot, Asia Sports Desk , Martyn Herman 1-3, Justin Palmer 1-1, Sonia Oxley 2-1

Everton v Liverpool: Patrick Johnston 1-1, Mitch Phillips 0-0, Paul Radford 0-2, Mike Collett 2-2, Simon Evans 2-1, Kevin Fylan 2-1, Mark Meadows 0-2, Miles Evans 1-2, Neil Maidment, Julien Pretot, Asia Sports Desk , Martyn Herman 0-1, Justin Palmer 2-1, Sonia Oxley 2-1

Wolves v Birmingham: Patrick Johnston 1-1, Mitch Phillips 2-2, Paul Radford 2-2, Mike Collett 1-0, Simon Evans 2-2, Kevin Fylan 1-1, Mark Meadows 3-3, Miles Evans 1-3, Neil Maidment, Julien Pretot, Asia Sports Desk , Martyn Herman 2-3, Justin Palmer 1-2, Sonia Oxley 1-1

Monday morning update 2: Mike Collett claims, with some justification it must be said, to have altered his predictions on Friday afternoon. I do indeed have an email from Mike asking me to change them, so I guess we’ll have to give him credit for getting Liverpool v Man City, the double pointer, bang on at 2-2. OK, Mike … but next time, one shot please.

I also decided to give Mitch a one-point bonus for his 5-0 prediction in the Spurs game (closer than anyone else), making him one of the week’s big winners with 18 points. Martyn Herman would have got 20, including a two-point bonus for being the only person to predict an Arsenal defeat, but I docked him two for trying to sneak in a 2-2 prediction on the Anfield game … after the final whistle.

So here’s the latest table here at Reuters Soccer Blog Towers. Let us know how you are doing. Just to recap, it’s a point for the right result, or five points for the correct score. Double points on Liverpool. A two-point bonus if you got Arsenal losing. More bonus points for style if you make a convincing argument in the comments.   

Reuters Soccer Blog panel: Patrick Johnston 129, Mitch Phillips 111, Paul Radford 106,  Mike Collett 101, Simon Evans 89, Kevin Fylan 88, Mark Meadows 87, Miles Evans 86, Neil Maidment 81, Julien Pretot 74, Asia Sports Desk 68, Martyn Herman 46, Justin Palmer 38, Sonia Oxley 29

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Original post: Tired of Thierry? Had enough of Henry? Exhausted at the attempts of headline writers around the world to come up with a catchy way of describing Ireland’s unfortunate World Cup exit? (The Hand of God II, Le Hand of God, La Main de Dieu, Thierrygate … and that’s just us on Reuters Soccer Blog).

If so, we have just the thing for you, as our predictions game is back with a bang following that pesky World Cup break.

Remember the name Rafa? The big big man is back, quite possibly with Sir Steven Gerrard, as the Premier League returns with a belter: Liverpool v Man City at Anfield, 1245 Saturday.

Elsewhere, Man Utd need to put the Chelsea defeat behind them at home to Everton, while Wigan Athletic will have to watch out for the angriest striker in the Premier League, Ireland frontman Robbie Keane, when they face Spurs.

For those new to our score predictions game, you get one point for getting the right result, but make that five points if you get the score exactly right. Pit your wits against us here at the Reuters Soccer Blog panel and just see how quickly you overtake us. Here’s the state of play at the moment.

Reuters Soccer Blog panel: Patrick Johnston 117, Paul Radford 102, Mitch Phillips 93, Mike Collett 88, Miles Evans 86, Simon Evans 85, Kevin Fylan 78, Mark Meadows 77, Julien Pretot 74, Neil Maidment 67, Asia Sports Desk 55, Justin Palmer 38, Martyn Herman 28, Sonia Oxley 26

Rest of the world: Keep your score and let us know in the comments. From next week I’ll try to keep tabs on how you’re doing and add you to the table.

Without further ado, here are this weekend’s matches … and your double pointer is Liverpool v Man City. They couldn’t lose again, could they?

Liverpool v Manchester City: Patrick Johnston 1-1, Paul Radford 2-1 (Gerrard winner), Mitch Phillips 3-0, Mike Collett 1-1, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 2-1, Kevin Fylan 1-2, Mark Meadows 1-0, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 2-1, Asia Sports Desk 2-1, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 2-2 (came in after match had finished, so points surely to be deducted), Sonia Oxley 1-2

Birmingham City v Fulham: Patrick Johnston 2-1, Paul Radford 0-0, Mitch Phillips 1-0, Mike Collett 1-1, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 1-1, Kevin Fylan 1-0, Mark Meadows 1-1, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 1-2, Asia Sports Desk 1-1, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 2-1, Sonia Oxley 1-1

Burnley v Aston Villa: Patrick Johnston 2-1, Paul Radford 1-2, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Mike Collett 1-2, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 2-1, Kevin Fylan 1-2, Mark Meadows 1-1, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 1-1, Asia Sports Desk 1-2, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 2-0, Sonia Oxley 1-2

Chelsea v Wolverhampton Wanderers: Patrick Johnston 4-0, Paul Radford 3-0, Mitch Phillips 4-1, Mike Collett 3-1, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 3-0, Kevin Fylan 4-1, Mark Meadows 3-0, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 4-0, Asia Sports Desk 4-0, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 5-0, Sonia Oxley 3-1

Hull City v West Ham United: Patrick Johnston 0-2, Paul Radford 0-1, Mitch Phillips 1-0, Mike Collett 2-2, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 1-2, Kevin Fylan 0-0, Mark Meadows 1-2, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 1-1, Asia Sports Desk 0-0, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 1-1, Sonia Oxley 2-3

Sunderland v Arsenal: Patrick Johnston 1-3, Paul Radford 0-2, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Mike Collett 1-2, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 1-1, Kevin Fylan 1-3, Mark Meadows 0-3, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 1-3, Asia Sports Desk 1-2, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 1-0, Sonia Oxley 0-2

Manchester United v Everton: Patrick Johnston 2-0, Paul Radford 2-1, Mitch Phillips 2-0, Mike Collett 2-0, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 2-0, Kevin Fylan 2-0, Mark Meadows 1-0, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 2-0, Asia Sports Desk 2-0, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 2-0, Sonia Oxley 2-0

Bolton Wanderers v Blackburn Rovers: Patrick Johnston 2-3, Paul Radford 1-1, Mitch Phillips 2-1, Mike Collett 2-1, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 1-1, Kevin Fylan 1-1, Mark Meadows 1-2, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 2-1, Asia Sports Desk 2-2, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 0-1, Sonia Oxley 2-1

Tottenham Hotspur v Wigan Athletic: Patrick Johnston 4-1, Paul Radford 3-1, Mitch Phillips 5-0, Mike Collett 1-1, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 2-0, Kevin Fylan 2-0, Mark Meadows 3-0, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 2-1, Asia Sports Desk 2-1, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 2-1, Sonia Oxley 3-2

Stoke City v Portsmouth: Patrick Johnston 2-1, Paul Radford 2-0, Mitch Phillips 1-0, Mike Collett 1-1, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 2-1, Kevin Fylan 2-0, Mark Meadows 2-1, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 2-0, Asia Sports Desk 1-1, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 1-0, Sonia Oxley 2-1

TUESDAY UPDATE: Whatever you think about the penalty which gave Liverpool a 2-2 draw with Birmingham, it certainly made a difference to our prediction league.

Miles Evans got a full five points for correctly predicting that score while he was even more pleased that John Terry ignored some newspaper headlines and secured a 1-0 win for Chelsea over Manchester United.

That game was our double pointer for the weekend so Miles received 10 points and finished as our top scorer for the weekend with 16 overall to jump into fifth place.

One of our contributors, Sean, did even better because he even specified that Terry would grab the only goal with a header. Where’s your crystal ball, Sean? I desperately need it! Have an extra five points.

Here are the updated scores for the Reuters Soccer Blog panel. Please let us know how you did in the comments.

Reuters Soccer Blog panel: Patrick Johnston 117, Paul Radford 102, Mitch Phillips 93, Mike Collett 88, Miles Evans 86, Simon Evans 85, Kevin Fylan 78, Mark Meadows 77, Julien Pretot 74, Neil Maidment 67, Asia Sports Desk 55, Justin Palmer 38, Martyn Herman 28, Sonia Oxley 26    

Mark Meadows
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LAST WEEK’S POST: Where would we be without Fridays and the chance to show the world just how much you know about football? Well, you’ll find out next weekend because it’s the international break, so please, make the most of it today.

Reuters Soccer Blog had a pretty good week last week, as we ran riot with a series of excellent scores. Not me, though. I think I managed five, and I’m falling back into mid-table mediocrity faster than you can say Rafa Benitez and Andriy Voronin.

To briefly recap: have a go at picking the score for this weekend’s matches in England’s Premier League. You get a point for every correct result, but make that five points if you get the score spot on. We’re doing so badly as a panel that you can join in any time and be sure of catching us up within a few weeks. Don’t be shy!

Here’s the way we stand at the moment:

Reuters Soccer Blog panel: Patrick Johnston 105, Mitch Phillips 89, Paul Radford 87, Mike Collett 76, Simon Evans 74, Mark Meadows 72, Kevin Fylan 71, Miles Evans 70, Julien Pretot 69, Neil Maidment 62, Asia Sports Desk 53, Justin Palmer 38, Martyn Herman 20, Sonia Oxley 10 (plus belated bonus from last week, =15)

Fraid I’ve lost count of the Rest of the World scores but please let me know where you stand. And don’t forget to add in your score from Wednesday…

One final thing: Double points this week on Chelsea v Man Utd, and bonus points available for predicting goals from the Drogmeister or Berbatov. You can lose points as well, though… so think carefully!

SATURDAY:

Aston Villa v Bolton: Patrick Johnston 3-1, Mitch Phillips 3-1, Paul Radford 3-1, Mike Collett 2-0, Simon Evans 2-0, Mark Meadows 2-1, Kevin Fylan 1-1, Miles Evans 2-2, Julien Pretot 2-1, Neil Maidment 2-1, Asia Sports Desk 2-0, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 2-0, Sonia Oxley 1-0

Blackburn v Portsmouth: Patrick Johnston 2-1, Mitch Phillips 2-0, Paul Radford 2-0, Mike Collett 1-2, Simon Evans 0-0, Mark Meadows 1-1, Kevin Fylan 1-2, Miles Evans 1-3, Julien Pretot 2-2, Neil Maidment 1-3, Asia Sports Desk 1-1, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 1-2, Sonia Oxley 1-2

Man City v Burnley: Patrick Johnston 3-0, Mitch Phillips 2-0, Paul Radford 4-0, Mike Collett 2-1, Simon Evans 2-2, Mark Meadows 2-0, Kevin Fylan 4-1, Miles Evans 3-1, Julien Pretot 2-0, Neil Maidment 3-1, Asia Sports Desk 3-1, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 4-1, Sonia Oxley 3-1

Spurs v Sunderland: Patrick Johnston 1-2, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Paul Radford 1-1, Mike Collett 1-1, Simon Evans 3-1, Mark Meadows 3-2, Kevin Fylan 3-0, Miles Evans 1-1, Julien Pretot 2-1, Neil Maidment 2-1, Asia Sports Desk 1-1, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 2-1, Sonia Oxley 2-1

Wolves v Arsenal: Patrick Johnston 1-4, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Paul Radford 1-3, Mike Collett 1-3, Simon Evans 1-2, Mark Meadows 0-3, Kevin Fylan 0-3, Miles Evans 1-2, Julien Pretot 0-2, Neil Maidment 0-4, Asia Sports Desk 0-2, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 1-4, Sonia Oxley 1-3

SUNDAY:

Chelsea v Man Utd: Patrick Johnston 1-1, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Paul Radford 2-0, Mike Collett 1-0, Simon Evans 3-2, Mark Meadows 2-0, Kevin Fylan 2-2 (one for Drog, one for Berba), Miles Evans 1-0, Julien Pretot 2-1, Neil Maidment 2-0, Asia Sports Desk 2-2, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 1-1, Sonia Oxley 2-1 (two goals for Drogba)

Hull v Stoke: Patrick Johnston 1-2, Mitch Phillips 1-0, Paul Radford 1-1, Mike Collett 0-2, Simon Evans 2-2, Mark Meadows 0-0, Kevin Fylan 1-2, Miles Evans 1-2, Julien Pretot 1-1, Neil Maidment 0-1, Asia Sports Desk 0-1, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 0-2, Sonia Oxley 2-0

West Ham v Everton: Patrick Johnston 1-2, Mitch Phillips 2-1, Paul Radford 1-2, Mike Collett 1-1, Simon Evans 3-1, Mark Meadows 2-1, Kevin Fylan 1-2, Miles Evans 2-0, Julien Pretot 1-1, Neil Maidment 2-1, Asia Sports Desk 1-1, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 2-3, Sonia Oxley 2-2

Wigan v Fulham: Patrick Johnston 2-1, Mitch Phillips 0-1, Paul Radford 1-1, Mike Collett 0-1, Simon Evans 1-1, Mark Meadows 0-1, Kevin Fylan 1-0, Miles Evans 2-0, Julien Pretot 0-1, Neil Maidment 1-2, Asia Sports Desk 2-0, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 2-0, Sonia Oxley 1-1

MONDAY:

Liverpool v Birmingham: Patrick Johnston 2-0, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Paul Radford 3-0, Mike Collett 3-0, Simon Evans 4-1, Mark Meadows 1-0, Kevin Fylan 4-0, Miles Evans 2-2, Julien Pretot 3-1, Neil Maidment 2-0, Asia Sports Desk 2-0, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 2-1, Sonia Oxley 4-0

PHOTO: Dirk Kuyt tots up his points during the Champions League draw with Olympique Lyon at the Gerland stadium in Lyon, November 4, 2009. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier

Monday morning update, by Kevin Fylan: This was the weekend that the Reuters Soccer Blog panel struck back. Mark Meadows managed a stonking 22 points from the 10 games, the first time we’ve really had a score to shout about. Can anyone beat that? Leader Patrick Johnston got a solid 13, while Neil Maidment has made a great leap forward with 18. In any other week, Neil…

Remember, you bag five points for getting the score spot on, and just one if you got the result right but the wrong score. Here’s our updated league table. Where do you stand?

Reuters Soccer Blog panel: Patrick Johnston 105, Mitch Phillips 89, Paul Radford 87, Mike Collett 76, Simon Evans 74, Mark Meadows 72, Kevin Fylan 71, Miles Evans 70, Julien Pretot 69, Neil Maidment 62, Asia Sports Desk 53, Justin Palmer 38, Martyn Herman 20, Sonia Oxley 10 (plus belated bonus from last week, =15)

Original post from Friday: It’s that time of the week again. Yes time to humiliate ourselves by hopelessly trying to guess which Liverpool side will turn up, how many players will be out with swine flu and whether Dimitar Berbatov will actually resemble the good player he is supposed to be.

Apart from Mitch Phillips, who downright cheated, last weekend’s Premier League predictions contest was a sad tale of woe for all and this time it looks just as tricky.

Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur is always a feisty affair, just ask any North Londoner (not that there will be many on the pitch). 

Even avid Spurs fans (you know who you are) would be hard pressed to deny that Arsenal play the most beautiful football in England but Tottenham are seriously threatening to break into that top four this term and what better way to show your worth that to win away at the Gunners.

The derby will be our double pointer for this week. Remember one point for the correct result and a massive five for the correct score.

Below are the running scores for our not-so-expert panel at Reuters Soccer Blog Heights followed by this weekend’s fixtures and our predictions. Please play along in the comments and see if you can rival our top contributors like Chipking, Sean and maid.

Playing Saturday:

Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur: Patrick Johnston 5-2, Mitch Phillips 2-2, Paul Radford 2-0, Simon Evans 1-2, Mike Collett 2-3, Kevin Fylan 2-4, Miles Evans 3-1, Julien Pretot 3-1, Mark Meadows 1-1, Asia Sports Desk 3-1, Neil Maidment 2-1, Justin Palmer 2-2, Martyn Herman 3-1, Soxley 2-2

Bolton Wanderers v Chelsea: Patrick Johnston 1-2, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Paul Radford 0-3, Simon Evans 1-2, Mike Collett 0-2, Kevin Fylan 1-2, Miles Evans 2-2, Julien Pretot 0-2, Mark Meadows 1-2, Asia Sports Desk 1-3, Neil Maidment 0-2, Justin Palmer 1-1, Martyn Herman 0-2, Soxley 0-2

Burnley v Hull City: Patrick Johnston 2-0, Mitch Phillips 2-1, Paul Radford 2-0, Simon Evans 3-2, Mike Collett 4-1, Kevin Fylan 2-1, Miles Evans 1-1, Julien Pretot 1-1, Mark Meadows 2-0, Asia Sports Desk 1-2, Neil Maidment 2-0, Justin Palmer 1-1, Martyn Herman 2-1, Soxley 1-1 

Everton v Aston Villa: Patrick Johnston 1-1, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Paul Radford 1-2, Simon Evans 1-2, Mike Collett 1-2, Kevin Fylan 1-0, Miles Evans 2-2, Julien Pretot 1-1, Mark Meadows 1-1, Asia Sports Desk 1-2, Neil Maidment 1-1, Justin Palmer 2-0, Martyn Herman 2-2, Soxley 1-1            

Fulham v Liverpool: Patrick Johnston 1-0, Mitch Phillips 2-2, Paul Radford 1-2, Simon Evans 0-1, Mike Collett 1-2, Kevin Fylan 2-1, Miles Evans 0-1, Julien Pretot 1-2, Mark Meadows 1-1, Asia Sports Desk 1-4, Neil Maidment 1-2, Justin Palmer 2-3, Martyn Herman 2-1, Soxley 0-2            

Portsmouth v Wigan Athletic: Patrick Johnston 1-1, Mitch Phillips 2-0, Paul Radford 1-2, Simon Evans 2-2, Mike Collett 2-1, Kevin Fylan 0-1, Miles Evans 1-2, Julien Pretot 1-0, Mark Meadows 0-0, Asia Sports Desk 0-1, Neil Maidment 1-2, Justin Palmer 0-0, Martyn Herman 1-1, Soxley 0-1         

Stoke City v Wolverhampton Wanderers: Patrick Johnston 3-0, Mitch Phillips 2-0, Paul Radford 2-0, Simon Evans 2-1, Mike Collett 1-1, Kevin Fylan 2-0, Miles Evans 4-1, Julien Pretot 2-1, Mark Meadows 1-1, Asia Sports Desk 1-1, Neil Maidment 3-1, Justin Palmer 3-1, Martyn Herman 0-0, Soxley 0-0

Sunderland v West Ham United: Patrick Johnston 2-1, Mitch Phillips 2-0, Paul Radford 3-1, Simon Evans 2-1, Mike Collett 3-1, Kevin Fylan 0-0, Miles Evans 1-2, Julien Pretot 2-0, Mark Meadows 2-2, Asia Sports Desk 1-1, Neil Maidment 2-2, Justin Palmer 0-1, Martyn Herman 1-2, Soxley 3-2

Manchester United v Blackburn Rovers: Patrick Johnston 2-1, Mitch Phillips 3-1, Paul Radford 1-0, Simon Evans 5-0, Mike Collett 3-0, Kevin Fylan 4-0, Miles Evans 2-0, Julien Pretot 4-0, Mark Meadows 2-0, Asia Sports Desk 3-0, Neil Maidment 3-0, Justin Palmer 3-0, Martyn Herman 1-0, Soxley 2-1          

Playing on Sunday:
 Birmingham City v Manchester City: Patrick Johnston 0-1, Mitch Phillips 2-1, Paul Radford 0-3, Simon Evans 0-2, Mike Collett 1-1, Kevin Fylan 1-2, Miles Evans 1-2, Julien Pretot 2-2, Mark Meadows 1-2, Asia Sports Desk 0-3, Neil Maidment 1-3, Justin Palmer 1-2, Martyn Herman 0-3, Soxley 1-2

PHOTO: Robbie Keane (L) of Tottenham Hotspur is tackled by Arsenal’s Bacary Sagna during their English Premier League soccer match at White Hart Lane in London February 8, 2009. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh

So it was an even worse week than usual. Ok, there were some surprise results but generally it was pitiful, some panelists only picked up one point and even most of our outside contributors struggled despite showing us up in recent weeks.

On behalf of all of us, I’d like to point out that the Premier League is more evenly balanced than it has been for a while (see Kevin’s blog) so we have a slight excuse….

Mitch Phillips was the only one to come out of the weekend with any credit, leaping into second spot after getting two scores bang on including West Ham 2-2 Arsenal, which sadly for the rest of us was a double-pointer.

To avoid a plethora of emails from Mitch and to keep it tight at the top, we will let his prediction of a draw in Wolves v Villa stand despite him sending in his entry after the match had started!

Here are the updated scores:

Reuters Soccer Blog panel: Patrick Johnston 92, Mitch Phillips 81, Paul Radford 79, Simon Evans 71, Mike Collett 70, Kevin Fylan 66, Miles Evans 63, Julien Pretot 59, Mark Meadows 50, Asia Sports Desk 48, Neil Maidment 44, Justin Palmer 36, Martyn Herman 10, Soxley (newbie) 2

Mark Meadows

(more…)

TUESDAY UPDATE:

The scores are in and it hasn’t been quite as bad a week as usual for most of the Reuters Panel. Still, we’re not tearing up any trees, as the big man would have said, so still plenty of chance to make us look like fools. Here’s the updated table:

Reuters Soccer Blog panel: Patrick Johnston 89, Paul Radford 77, Simon Evans 71 (shocker), Kevin Fylan 65, Mike Collett 64 (outstanding performance), Mitch Phillips 62 (another shocker), Miles Evans 60, Julien Pretot 57, Neil Maidment 43, Mark Meadows 42, Justin Palmer 36, Asia Sports Desk 35, Martyn Herman 7

Don’t forget to let us know your scores in the comments section, if you haven’t done so already. Remember: five points for getting the score on the nose; one point for the right result but wrong score.

Kevin Fylan

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If you are suffering a post-World Cup qualification hangover then fear not, the Reuters Soccer Blog Premier League predictions contest is back!

While Diego Maradona was sliding on his belly, our panel of so called experts were licking their wounds after a distinctly average few weeks with one notable exception.

Patrick Johnston had a stormer last time out to jump to the top of the standings. But like everything in football, controversy is never far away.

His stunning performance prompted Asia Sports Desk to sign Patrick in a multi-million pound transfer, leaving the predictions league referees with a real quandary.

When he goes off to work in Singapore, do we allow him to continue as an individual panel member or should he be consumed by Asia Sports Desk’s combined team?

Bottom side Asia are hoping they can steal his points but as yet no decision has been taken.

With some tough matches to call this weekend, Asia could well find themselves further adrift although bonus points will be awarded if their prediction that Burnley will have two players sent off in Sunday’s derby at Blackburn Rovers comes true.

Former contest leader Simon Evans and I are from East Lancashire and we know how niggly a Blackburn-Burnley derby can get…on and off the pitch.

So while maid streaks ahead among our outside contributors, here are the running scores for the panel with this weekend’s matches and predictions underneath. Please have a go yourself in the comments and let us know how you are doing.

Reuters Soccer Blog panel: Patrick Johnston 76, Simon Evans 68, Paul Radford 63, Mitch Phillips 59, Kevin Fylan 56, Mike Collett 50, Julien Pretot 48, Miles Evans 47, Neil Maidment 43, Mark Meadows 38, Justin Palmer 36, Asia Sports Desk 28

Saturday
Aston Villa v Chelsea: Patrick Johnston 1-1, Simon Evans 1-1, Paul Radford 1-2, Mitch Phillips 1-2, Kevin Fylan 1-2, Mike Collett 0-2, Julien Pretot 1-3, Miles Evans 1-2, Neil Maidment, Mark Meadows 0-1, Justin Palmer, Asia Sports Desk 1-1, Martyn Herman (very late new entrant) 1-2

Arsenal v Birmingham City: Patrick Johnston 3-1, Simon Evans 3-0, Paul Radford 4-0, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Kevin Fylan 3-0, Mike Collett 3-1, Julien Pretot 3-0, Miles Evans 2-0, Neil Maidment, Mark Meadows 3-0, Justin Palmer, Asia Sports Desk 4-1, Martyn Herman 4-0

Everton v Wolverhampton Wanderers: Patrick Johnston 3-1, Simon Evans 2-0, Paul Radford 2-0, Mitch Phillips 1-0, Kevin Fylan 2-0, Mike Collett 2-0, Julien Pretot 1-0, Miles Evans 4-0, Neil Maidment, Mark Meadows 1-0, Justin Palmer, Asia Sports Desk 2-0, Martyn Herman 1-0

Manchester United v Bolton Wanderers: Patrick Johnston 2-1, Simon Evans 3-1, Paul Radford 2-0, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Kevin Fylan 2-1, Mike Collett 3-0, Julien Pretot 4-1, Miles Evans 1-0, Neil Maidment, Mark Meadows 1-0, Justin Palmer, Asia Sports Desk 4-0, Martyn Herman 3-1

Portsmouth v Tottenham Hotspur: Patrick Johnston 2-1, Simon Evans 1-1, Paul Radford 1-2, Mitch Phillips 0-2, Kevin Fylan 0-2, Mike Collett 0-1, Julien Pretot 1-2, Miles Evans 2-2, Neil Maidment, Mark Meadows 1-3, Justin Palmer, Asia Sports Desk 0-1, Martyn Herman 1-1

Stoke City v West Ham United: Patrick Johnston 1-0, Simon Evans 2-2, Paul Radford 2-1, Mitch Phillips 1-0, Kevin Fylan 2-0, Mike Collett 2-1, Julien Pretot 1-0, Miles Evans 1-0, Neil Maidment, Mark Meadows 1-2, Justin Palmer, Asia Sports Desk 2-0, Martyn Herman 2-1

Sunderland v Liverpool: Patrick Johnston 1-1, Simon Evans 0-2, Paul Radford 2-0, Mitch Phillips 0-2, Kevin Fylan 3-0, Mike Collett 0-0, Julien Pretot 2-3, Miles Evans 1-1, Neil Maidment, Mark Meadows 1-1, Justin Palmer, Asia Sports Desk 1-2, Martyn Herman 0-1

Sunday
Blackburn Rovers v Burnley: Patrick Johnston 2-1, Simon Evans 1-2, Paul Radford 1-1, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Kevin Fylan 0-0, Mike Collett 2-0, Julien Pretot 2-0, Miles Evans 1-3, Neil Maidment, Mark Meadows 1-1, Justin Palmer, Asia Sports Desk 2-0 (Burnley down to nine men), Martyn Herman 2-2

Wigan Athletic v Manchester City: Patrick Johnston 1-3, Simon Evans 0-1, Paul Radford 1-3, Mitch Phillips 1-0, Kevin Fylan 2-0, Mike Collett 1-1, Julien Pretot 1-2, Miles Evans 1-1, Neil Maidment, Mark Meadows 0-2, Justin Palmer, Asia Sports Desk 2-2, Martyn Herman 0-2

Monday
Fulham v Hull City: Patrick Johnston 3-0, Simon Evans 3-0, Paul Radford 1-0, Mitch Phillips 1-0, Kevin Fylan, Mike Collett 2-1, Julien Pretot 1-1, Miles Evans 2-0, Neil Maidment, Mark Meadows 1-0, Justin Palmer, Asia Sports Desk 3-1, Martyn Herman 0-0

PHOTO: A fan sits in the stands at Turf Moor stadium ahead of the English Premier League soccer match between Burnley and Everton in Burnley August 23, 2009. REUTERS/Nigel Roddis

There’s one game left to go (Aston Villa v Manchester City later on Monday) but frankly this weekend’s prediction league is already all sewn up.

Arise Sir Patrick Johnston, who with a bit of luck at Villa Park, could be romping towards the top of the table having so far predicted four scores bang on and only missed out on points in two games.

To be fair to Patrick, none of our “elite(?)” panel and few of our contributors reckoned Manchester United would draw at home to Sunderland.

However, his psychic powers said Chelsea would overcome Liverpool 2-0 while he was one of five at Reuters to guess that Burnley would beat Birmingham 2-1. Unfortunately our leader Simon Evans, who hails from those parts, did not have the same faith in the men from Turf Moor.

We’ll have a full update with all the scores later after Villa and City destroy much of Fabio Capello’s already-announced England squad by kicking each other.

PHOTO: Manchester United’s Dimitar Berbatov shoots to score against Sunderland during their English Premier League soccer match in Manchester, northern England, Oct. 3, 2009. REUTERS/Nigel Roddis

While the IOC are busy making a rather more important decision in Copenhagen, it’s time again to make fools of ourselves by trying to predict the weekend’s Premier League scores.

There’s no President Obama to help you make your mind up, just gut instinct or my preferred way — the toss of a coin.

Chelsea v Liverpool is the standout game. After all their up and down contests at home and in Europe over recent years it is a tough one to call. That’s exactly why I’m making it this week’s double-pointer, so you’d better study hard.

Their last few results don’t help much in the prediction stakes. The Reds were truly dreadful in the first half of their 2-0 defeat at Fiorentina on Tuesday while Chelsea only beat Apoel Nicosia by one goal having surprisingly lost at Wigan last weekend.

Speaking of which, after a stewards’ inquiry which lasted long into the night, Mitch Phillips has been awarded five extra points after producing documentary evidence that we promised him a bonus for at least guessing the end of Chelsea’s winning run.

So here are the updated scores from the Reuters Soccer Blog Panel: Simon Evans 59, Mitch Phillips 57, Kevin Fylan 56, Patrick Johnston 48, Paul Radford 46, Mike Collett 43, Miles Evans 38, Justin Palmer 35, Neil Maidment 34, Julien Pretot 32, Mark Meadows 30, Asia Sports Desk 28

In the outside world, maid leads with an enormous 80!

See if you can catch him up this week with the following games. Put your Premier League predictions in the comments below and your Olympic 2016 guess here. I’m voting for Scarborough.

Playing Saturday:
Bolton Wanderers v Tottenham Hotspur: Simon Evans 1-1, Mitch Phillips 1-0, Kevin Fylan, Patrick Johnston 1-2, Paul Radford 0-2, Mike Collett 0-3, Miles Evans 2-1, Justin Palmer 0-0, Neil Maidment 0-2, Julien Pretot 1-2, Mark Meadows 1-2, Asia Sports Desk

Burnley v Birmingham City: Simon Evans 1-1, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Kevin Fylan, Patrick Johnston 2-1, Paul Radford 2-0, Mike Collett 2-1, Miles Evans 2-1, Justin Palmer 0-0, Neil Maidment 2-1, Julien Pretot 2-1, Mark Meadows 1-0, Asia Sports Desk

Hull City v Wigan Athletic: Simon Evans 2-2, Mitch Phillips 1-0, Kevin Fylan , Patrick Johnston 2-1, Paul Radford 1-2, Mike Collett 1-3, Miles Evans 1-3, Justin Palmer 0-2, Neil Maidment 0-2, Julien Pretot 1-3, Mark Meadows 0-0, Asia Sports Desk

Wolves v Portsmouth: Simon Evans 2-1, Mitch Phillips 2-2, Kevin Fylan , Patrick Johnston 1-2, Paul Radford 1-1, Mike Collett 1-3, Miles Evans 0-2, Justin Palmer 2-1, Neil Maidment 1-2, Julien Pretot 2-1, Mark Meadows 0-1, Asia Sports Desk

Manchester United v Sunderland: Simon Evans 4-0, Mitch Phillips 2-1, Kevin Fylan , Patrick Johnston 3-1, Paul Radford 3-0, Mike Collett 3-1, Miles Evans 2-0, Justin Palmer 3-0, Neil Maidment 3-0, Julien Pretot 4-0, Mark Meadows 2-0, Asia Sports Desk

Playing on Sunday:
Arsenal v Blackburn Rovers: Simon Evans 3-0, Mitch Phillips 2-0, Kevin Fylan , Patrick Johnston 3-0, Paul Radford 3-1, Mike Collett 3-0, Miles Evans 4-1, Justin Palmer 1-1, Neil Maidment 3-1, Julien Pretot 3-0, Mark Meadows 4-1, Asia Sports Desk

Everton v Stoke City: Simon Evans 2-0, Mitch Phillips 3-1, Kevin Fylan , Patrick Johnston 1-1, Paul Radford 3-1, Mike Collett 2-1, Miles Evans 1-3, Justin Palmer 2-1, Neil Maidment 2-1, Julien Pretot 1-1, Mark Meadows 3-1, Asia Sports Desk

West Ham United v Fulham: Simon Evans 2-0, Mitch Phillips 2-0, Kevin Fylan , Patrick Johnston 1-1, Paul Radford 2-1, Mike Collett 1-0, Miles Evans 2-1, Justin Palmer 2-1, Neil Maidment 1-2, Julien Pretot 2-2, Mark Meadows 1-0, Asia Sports Desk

Chelsea v Liverpool: Simon Evans 2-1, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Kevin Fylan , Patrick Johnston 2-0, Paul Radford 2-0, Mike Collett 1-2, Miles Evans 2-1, Justin Palmer 1-1, Neil Maidment 3-2, Julien Pretot 2-3, Mark Meadows 2-2, Asia Sports Desk

Playing on Monday:
Aston Villa v Manchester City: Simon Evans 1-1, Mitch Phillips 1-0, Kevin Fylan , Patrick Johnston 2-1, Paul Radford 1-1, Mike Collett 2-0, Miles Evans 1-2, Justin Palmer 2-1, Neil Maidment 2-3, Julien Pretot 2-2, Mark Meadows 2-2, Asia Sports Desk

PHOTO: Chelsea’s Didier Drogba (L) beats Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel to score his goal during their Champions League quarter-final second leg soccer match at Stamford Bridge in London April 14, 2009. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh

Are Bolton Wanderers so bad that not one of our Reuters Soccer Blog predictions panel thought they would win at Birmingham City?

Ye of little faith. Manager Gary Megson may not be very popular with the Bolton fans but his side will always fight. A 2-1 win at a promoted club wasn’t all that shocking.

Obviously Chelsea losing at Wigan was a real eye-opener so let’s not beat ourselves up about not guessing that. Kudos to Mitch for at least predicting a draw but he’s not getting the extra points he claims we promised him.

Generally it was a pretty dreadful weekend all round, even for the many of you out there like Chipking who have been showing us up in recent weeks.

Scores were only swelled by Stoke v Manchester United being a double-pointer.

This meant leader Simon Evans, Kevin’s Dad (making a guest appearance and adding to Kev’s total), week winner Mitch Phillips, Mike Collett and Asia Sports Desk all got 10 for rightly predicting that Ryan Giggs would come off the bench and inspire a 2-0 victory.

We threatened minus points for those who got Man U wrong but we’ll defer any penalties given Miles only got three points overall anyway…

My crystal ball is obviously geared towards the first and last game of the weekend programme but useless otherwise.

I was the only one of the panel to score a full five for Saturday’s early game where Everton, I thought unsurprisingly, beat bottom club Portsmouth 1-0 while I was also out on my own saying money bags Manchester City would overcome West Ham 3-1 on Monday.

So here are our running scores, let us know how you did in the comments. Don’t gloat too much.

Reuters Soccer Blog: Simon Evans 59, Kevin Fylan 56, Mitch Phillips 52, Patrick Johnston 48, Paul Radford 46, Mike Collett 43, Miles Evans 38, Justin Palmer 35, Neil Maidment 34, Julien Pretot 32, Mark Meadows 30, Asia Sports Desk 28

PHOTO: Bolton boss Gary Megson REUTERS/Nacho Doce

We’ll be updating the points to the prediction league on Tuesday after Manchester City v West Ham later so please check back to see how appallingly badly we’ve all done.

Personally I was very pleased with Portsmouth 0-1 Everton which gave me a full five points, especially given my dismal showing so far.

Chipking reckons he’s had a bad week so he needs something spectacular up at Eastlands but spare a thought for Paul Radford and Kevin’s Dad who both said Liverpool 6-0 Hull.

Why did Geovanni bother to score one goal for Hull? Could he not have saved it for a game where they didn’t concede six?

PHOTO: Liverpool’s Fernando Torres (R) shoots past Hull City’s Ibrahima Sonko to score during their English Premier League soccer match at Anfield in Liverpool, northern England, September 26, 2009. REUTERS/Phil Noble