Author: AnneMc

Leicester City Football Club and the King Power Stadium: Leicester City is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester. Having been crowned champions of the Football League Championship in 2013-14, the club was promoted to the Premier League and the Foxes finished the 2014-15 season in fourteenth place. Founded in 1884 as Leicester Fosse, the club played on a field near Fosse Road, moving to Filbert Street in 1891 where the Foxes would play for the next one hundred and eleven years. In 2002, the nearby Walkers Stadium became the new home of the…

Following  a cautious start, the game burst into life after eight minutes. Questions had been asked of M’Vila after the Frenchman was awarded a red card in an U-21 game for his new club but the summer loan signing answered his critics by opening his account for the Black Cats with a fine curling free-kick from twenty-five yards out eight minutes in to Saturday’s game at Villa Park. Three minutes later, Sinclair, back in the starting XI after scoring a hat-trick against Notts County in the Capital One Cup, was very obviously man-handled by Cattermole in the penalty area. Referee…

The Black Cats will arrive at Villa Park this afternoon desperate for points, having picked up only one from the opening three games of the 2015-16 season and on a six-game winless run. The hosts, meanwhile, will be hoping to secure their first home win of the season. History suggests that the encounter could be a fiery one, with five red cards issued in the sides’ last five meetings at Villa Park. Like the Villans, Advocaat’s men struggled against lower league opposition in the Capital One Cup earlier in the week and their performance showed the need for the manager…

Crystal Palace and Selhurst Park: Crystal Palace Football Club was formed at the glass palace that stood at the top of Sydenham Hill in 1905. The club entered the Southern League Division Two, playing its first match against Southampton Reserves on 2nd September 1905. After losing that first game, ‘The Galziers’ did not lose another game in the 1905-06 season and finished as champions. The outbreak of World War One led to the Admiralty requisitioning Crystal Palace and the club then moved to Herne Hill. After the club purchased some land from Brighton Railway Company, Selhurst Park officially opened on…

With Sherwood naming an unchanged side from the one that started the first game of the season, the Villans took to the pitch in front of a packed Villa Park for the season’s first home game. Neither side was able to maintain possession or mount a meaningful attack in the opening stages. The first opportunity fell to the visitors after sixteen minutes, when Schneiderlin ghosted towards the back post to meet Depay’s ball in. However, he was unable to steer the ball towards the target. Things could have gotten messy a few minutes later as Guzan crashed into Depay in…

Both Tim Sherwood and Louis van Gaal will be hoping to see their sides continue their winning starts to the 2015-16 season when the sides meet in the first Friday night Premier League game, excluding Christmas and Easter fixtures, since April 2004. The match, which had originally been scheduled for Saturday evening, was moved due to policing concerns because of an English Defence League march in Walsall on Saturday. Last weekend, Gestede’s powerful second half header secured the points for Sherwood’s side while the Red Devils earned their three points thanks to an own-goal by Spurs’ Walker. The visitors will…

Sherwood opted to start five of his new signings while his counterpart Howe largely kept faith with the men who had secured the club’s promotion to the Premier League, with the pacey King the only one of Howe’s summer signings who was involved from the start. The hosts, spurred on by the atmosphere, started well but chances were few and far between as the Villa defenders dealt with the pace of King and Wilson. With the Villans proving wasteful from set pieces, it seemed like the hosts could exploit their home advantage but, after nineteen minutes, Pugh’s header from the…

When these sides last met in January in the fourth round of the FA Cup, Villa fans were treated to a wonder goal by Carles Gil that helped the Villans march towards the FA Cup final that we’d now rather forget. The injured Gil won’t be scoring goals of any sort tomorrow, unfortunately, and Aston Villa fans are currently pondering who Sherwood will start in attack, after suggestions that a 4-3-3 will be 4-4-Tim’s preferred formation for the 2015-16 season. With Kozak having staked a claim to a starting spot in pre-season and Gestede familiar with Howe’s side, who to…

A.F.C. Bournemouth and The Vitality Stadium: A.F.C. Bournemouth’s roots date back to 1890 and Boscombe St. John’s Institute Football Club, which disbanded in 1899. From the remains of that club, Boscombe Football Club was born and began to compete in the Bournemouth and District Junior League, playing at a ground in Pokesdown. Local success followed and the club moved to King’s Park, which is adjacent to the club’s current home, in 1902. Estate owner J.E. Cooper-Dean leased some wasteland, formerly a gravel pit, next to King’s Park to the club in 1910 and the new ground there was named Dean Court…

Sherwood had his final opportunity to see his new signings in action ahead of next Saturday’s trip to the Vitality Stadium and he didn’t waste it, starting seven of his nine new signings. Crespo and Ayew were handed their first starts, while Veretout was named among the substitutes for the encounter at The City Ground. The visitors got off to the worst possible start, with the back line caught snoozing by the Reds’ captain Lansbury, who split the defence to release Blackstock, who slotted the ball under Bunn with ease. Keen to atone for his error and wearing the captain’s…