Here we go again. The reason my heart sank when I heard details of the latest revelations concerning John Terry’s extra-curricular activities was nothing to do with the nature of his misdemeanours, but the thought of once more having to endure months of hypocritical hand-wringing amongst our supposed moral guardians in the tabloid press, and also the re-appearance of Max “holier than thou” Clifford on our TV screens. Without wishing to trivialise Terry’s despicable behaviour, it is hardly a surprise when you witness the pathetic example set for him by the tawdry pair who gave him his start in life and dragged him up, but all of this endless talk we have to endure about his position as England captain merely serves to give the tabloids more fuel, and misses the obvious point about potential replacements. Let’s look at a possible list and think about what unites all of them: Cole, Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard, Beckham. The connection is a string of headline-grabbing behaviour including affairs, bar-room brawls, sex tapes and brothel visits, so I, for one, am more than happy to simply leave the decision to Fabio Capello, for whom episodes such as this are undoubtedly part of the job. Carlo Ancelotti made his decision clear immediately regarding Terry’s position at Chelsea, and I’m sure Fabio Capello will shortly do the same regarding the England position. Let’s leave it to him, accept whatever decision Capello makes, and move on.

The Premier League returns with a full programme this weekend, starting with a tasty looking lunchtime kick-off on Saturday:

1) Liverpool v Everton: Everton’s unbeaten League run now stands at nine matches. The last team to beat them? That’s right, Liverpool, and the Reds will not only be looking to end their rivals’ impressive run on Saturday, but also to extend the Toffees’ wait for a win at Anfield that dates back to 1999. Everton have arrived at Anfield on occasions in the last few years showing form capable of coping with whatever Liverpool can throw at them, but the barrier to them actually winning there sometimes appears to be mental as much as anything else. There can be no excuses this time around, as Liverpool remain unimpressive despite their own unbeaten run of six League games, but three of the last four renewals of this fixture in League and Cup have ended all square, and I think we can expect a similar outcome this time around.

2) Bolton v Fulham: I am writing this prior to Fulham’s midweek fixture, but the Cottagers had previously run up five consecutive defeats in the League, and a trip to the Reebok is a tricky prospect for a side whose away form remains a bit of a shambles. Last season’s 3-1 victory there was their first in their last six League and Cup visits, and having scored just eleven goals away from home all season in the League, I see no reason to believe Fulham will repeat that victory on Saturday. I would fully expect Bolton to try and bombard their visitors from the outset, and if they can get their noses in front, they should be able to hold on for a much needed three points.

3) Burnley v West Ham: I have to say, I’m really relishing the excitement of the relegation battle from now until the end of the season. The quality of football may be relatively low, but the frantic nature of the battle to survive can provide some terrific entertainment, and this match should be no exception. The reverse encounter ended 5-3 to West Ham, which is in stark contrast to the more recent attacking form of both sides, as Burnley have managed just two goals in their last six League matches, while West Ham have scored just once in their last four. Possible debuts for Benni McCarthy and Mido should enable the Hammers to improve that statistic in the near future, and Burnley’s relative strength at home should ensure an end-to-end, error-strewn encounter that may well end up in a high-scoring draw.

4) Hull v Man.City: Useless fact of the week – City haven’t won a League match at Hull since shortly after Louis Bleriot became the first man to fly across the English Channel (which was a novel way to escape having to watch Stoke v Blackburn) in 1909. Actually, City have only ever played seven League matches there, so it really is a useless fact, and the 2010 version of City couldn’t be better placed to gain another success. Having said that, they have still registered just three away wins so far, so if Hull can get at them rather than sit back and let City dictate the pattern of the game, they may be able to repeat last season’s 2-2 draw.

5) Man.U. v Portsmouth: You may remember last week’s statistic about Portsmouth’s last win at Man.City coming 47 years ago. The last time they avoided a League defeat at Old Trafford was another six years further back, so good luck boys, as this could be an embarrassment.

6) Stoke v Blackburn: You may not be surprised to hear that four of the last five renewals of this fixture have ended 1-0 or 0-1, and with neither side having significantly strengthened during the transfer window, I don’t expect anything more spectacular this time around. Blackburn’s poor total of eight goals scored on the road is actually double the number Stoke have achieved, but City are a different prospect in front of their own fans, and can be expected to pile the pressure on Rovers here and bludgeon their way to three points.

7) Sunderland v Wigan: Following Sunderland’s ineffective performance on Monday against Stoke, they have now taken just four points from the last thirty available, and are in a worrying tailspin. Wigan, though, are not in much better form themselves, having taken just five points from their last eight matches, and both sides are now hovering perilously close to the drop zone. I would be more concerned for Sunderland at the moment, as it was a complete lack of imagination that led to them dropping points against Stoke, whereas Wigan have at least shown glimpses of ability at times in recent weeks, even if their results have been disappointing on the whole. They also have a quite decent record at Sunderland, having lost just one of their last six visits in League and Cup, so I imagine that they would be able to pick up at least a point here. 

8) Tottenham v Aston Villa: Villa’s League goal drought had to end sooner rather than later, and Gabriel Agbonlahor’s double brought them three valuable points at Craven Cottage last week. They now face a tremendously promising trip to White Hart Lane, where they have the chance to climb above their hosts in the ever more intriguing battle for the fourth Champions League spot. This is usually a thrilling fixture, and only once in the last six renewals have there been fewer than three goals in the match. You may also remember the epic battle between these sides a couple of seasons ago when Spurs came back from 4-1 down with twenty minutes to go to draw 4-4 with Villa. I’m sure both sides will produce an open display of attacking football, but I’m not sure that Spurs will be able to overcome their visitors, who seem to be playing with far more confidence at the moment.

9) Birmingham v Wolves: Wolves gained an extremely valuable point at the KC last Saturday, as defeat would have allowed Hull to leapfrog them and plunge them into the bottom three, but the manner in which the point was gained was unconvincing, particularly in the ludicrous manner of their first equaliser, which Anthony Gardner will be forced to re-live via DVD own goal compilations for the rest of his days. I can’t imagine that City will be as accommodating at the back as Hull were, and considering that Birmingham have conceded just seven goals at home all season, Wolves’ misfiring forwards may have another disappointing afternoon ahead of them.

10) Chelsea v Arsenal: When Arsenal look back on this season, they will regret their performances against Man.U. and Chelsea in particular as they have been shown to have insufficient strength in depth and strength of character to cope with the very best that the Premier League has to offer. Having said that, the same accusation was being thrown at them last season, and they then popped up with a surprise victory at Stamford Bridge, coming back from a goal down to win 2-1 courtesy of two van Persie goals. Van Persie’s absence has been a bigger blow to Arsenal’s ambitions than I expected since his serious injury, but as these fixtures between the top sides have a habit of throwing up the odd surprise result, I still wouldn’t write off the Gunners’ chances in this one.

Five selections for this week’s suggested accumulator, and £10 staked with bet365 on Man.U., West Brom, Bournemouth, Hibs and Cowdenbeath would return £69.36 if all won their matches.

Good Luck!