The Football Addick

Shell Houston Open: Texas is the home for this week's PGA Tour event as the players head to Houston. With The Masters just a week away, many of those playing on the biggest stage are playing this week in order to get some final practice in before the biggest week of the year. The field is therefore stacked, with Jordan Spieth, Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose just a few that will tee it up this week. The course is a par-71 measuring 7,457 yards. Scoring is usually low with scores regularly eclipsing 15 under par. Although usually a marquee event due to it being a week before the Masters, players with less prestige on tour tend to do well; with Jim Herman, D.A Points and Matt Jones all lifting the trophy in the past 5 years. Last Year:  Jim Herman would go into the final round with the 54-hole lead. The American was 179th in the world rankings and without a win. It looked as if he would be under a lot of pressure to achieve victory for the first time on the PGA Tour, with Henrik S...

Belgium never used to be a footballing powerhouse. Prior to reaching the quarter-finals of the World Cup in 2014, 'The Red Devils' had not even qualified for a major tournament since 2002. But a remarkable generation of Belgian footballers have emerged and many have chosen to ply their trade in the Premier League; beginning with Vincent Kompany in 2008. More have made the move to English soil year after year, to the point where the Premier League is now home to some of the most talented footballers that Belgium have ever produced. Narrowing down the list to just 5 is always a hard task and some may be surprised by some of the names I have chosen to emit.  Amongst the players that were considered  but have not made the list include Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United fans may be upset he was even considered), Christian Benteke, Thomas Vermaelan, Moussa Dembele and Kevin Miralles. In addition to them, t here is one player in particularly  that some will be dismayed that ...

Frenchmen have participated in the Premier League in their droves over the years, all to varying degrees of success. In his third edition of TOP 5, The Football Addick will now turn his attention to naming his TOP 5 Best Frenchmen to play in the Premier League, using facts and figures to reinforce his claims. There has been a multitude of talent that has crossed the English Channel to play in the Premier League in the last 25 years. Unfortunately, many extremely talented Frenchmen that have made their mark in the English game have had to miss out. Amongst the players that I considered but narrowly missed out include Patrice Evra, David Ginola, Robert Pires, Claude Makelele and Nicholas Anelka. All in their own right were fantastic servants to their English clubs, but unfortunately did not quite make the list. Now onto the list of the TOP 5 Frenchmen to play in the Premier League. Which former Chelsea defender made the list? Where did a legendary Arsenal midfielder finish in the top...

Puerto Rico Open Alongside the World Golf Championship in Texas this week, the PGA Tour will also host a lesser event in the shape of the Puerto Rico Open.  The tournament will be held at Trump International Golf Club, with the course a Par 72 measuring 7,569 yards. With most of the world's best players playing in Texas, this tournament will represent great opportunities for those playing. Not only does it provide lesser known players the chance to win a PGA Tour sanctioned event, but it also provides an opportunity for those that are fighting to retain/win their tour card to accumulate both money and FedEx cup points. This event is therefore a big week for all of its competitors. Last Year: Tony Finau won his maiden PGA Tour event as he emerged victorious following a playoff with Steve Marino. After both recorded -2 par rounds of 70 in the final round to tie for the lead, it was the big hitting American who would prevail after 3 extra holes. Unfortunately, Finau will not de...

Manchester City welcome Liverpool to the Etihad in what will be a tie which pits 3rd vs 4th. With Chelsea's relentless pursuit for the title showing no signs of faltering, both sides are looking as if they are now playing for a top 4 spot and with the sole intention of securing a coveted Champions League spot for next season. Manchester United were able to overcome Middlesbrough in the days early fixture, so both sides will be under pressure to get the 3 points and widen the gap to 5th place. Pundit's match predictions:  (1 point for correct winner and 1 point for correct result) 1) James Stroud  (Charlton fan - 7 points):   3-3 draw.   Both defences are weak. Both attacks are strong. This has the making of an entertaining, high scoring game which will end in a draw. 2) Adrian Ross   (Chelsea fan - 5 points):  2-2 draw.  Mane to continue his impressive form against City. (Mane has 3 goals and 1 assist in his last 3 games against Manchester Ci...

The Premier League has been fortunate enough to have hosted some of the world's most talented Spaniards to ever play the beautiful game. Although this list is probably not as prestigious as the Top 5 Dutchmen, the players listed below are still extremely talented players of which it could be argued are some of the best to ever grace the Premier League. In his second edition of Top 5, The Football Addick now turns his attention to the greatest Spaniards to ever play in the Premier League, using facts and figures to reinforce his claims. In contrast to the Top 5 Dutchmen, it was a little bit easier to choose my Top 5 Spaniards to grace the Premier League. Despite possessing a multitude of Spanish talent over the past 25 years, in my eyes there are a clear cut 5 who are more than deserving of being on this list. Nevertheless, there were those that came close to making the list but just missed out, including: Jose Manuel Reina, Juan Mata, Luis Garcia, Cesar Azpilicueta and Mikel Arte...

Arnold Palmer Invitational The PGA Tour makes the short trip across Florida from Palm Harbor to Orlando in order to contest the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Unfortunately, this will be the first event played after the passing of the late Arnold Palmer, ensuring the week will be one filled with emotion. Nevertheless, given that this is one of the marquee events on the PGA Tour, the field will comprise of a number of the world's top players who will no doubt be inspired to play their best in memory of the late great. In terms of the course, Bay Hill is a par 72 measuring 7,419 yards. Despite it's lengthy yardage scoring is usually low, with the last 5 editions being won with a score of -13 or lower. Last Year: Jason Day held the 54 hole lead at -15 and a 2 shot lead over his nearest competitors, but proceedings weren't plain sailing for the Australian as he opened with 3 bogeys in his first 5 holes. This allowed Kevin Chappell to make his mark, and the American held the le...

This is it. It's the big one. The quarter final draw brought up a treat this year, with 2 giants of the game battling against each other with a place in the semi finals on the line. With Tottenham, Manchester City and Arsenal waiting in the last 4, regardless who comes out on top in this tie we are guaranteed to have 2 titanic clashes in the semi final stage of the competition. Chelsea will go into the contest as very much the team in form. After a dismal start to the season, things looked bad for Antonio Conte and his men and it looked as if the charismatic Italian manager would not last long in West London. However, having switched to 5 at the back in what has turned into a genius move, his side have soared up the table and now find themselves in 1st place, with a 10 point advantage at the top. They're also on a 21 game unbeaten streak in all competitions, and will undoubtedly be high in confidence as they go in search of more silverware this season. United are also in good...

Tottenham host League 1 side Millwall at White Hart Lane with a place in the Semi Finals of the FA Cup up for grabs. With Arsenal and Manchester City already securing their place in the last 4, the home side will undoubtedly be keen to avoid an upset and ensure a high quality last 4 will hoist the trophy this year. They may be in good form and find themselves second in the Premier League, but the league one side have been in good form themselves and therefore present a considerable threat. After a slow start to the season, Millwall have soared up the table; they now find themselves in 6th place and in reach of an automatic promotion berth having gone 17 games unbeaten in all competitions. A large part of their success has been down to their solidarity in defence, having only conceded 6 goals from those 17 games. Spirits are clearly high in East London and this feel good factor could help them to an unlikely victory. Pundit's match predictions: (1 point for correct winner and 1 p...