It’s time to start looking forward to football again

On what the BBC are dubbing ‘one of the the most eagerly awaited days on the domestic calendar’, the FA have announced the next season’s fixtures. Aside from King Kev’s visit to Old Trafford, there’s not much happening on the opening weekend:

Opening weekend fixtures - Saturday, 16 August

Arsenal/ West Brom
Aston Villa/ Man City
Bolton/ Stoke
Chelsea/ Portsmouth
Everton/ Blackburn
Hull/ Fulham
Man Utd/ Newcastle
Middlesbrough/ Tottenham
Sunderland/ Liverpool
West Ham/ Wigan

Also, there are no games scheduled between 28th December and 10th January - surely they haven’t done away with the New Year fixtures?

See the full 2008/09 fixture list here.

Wondering how the Premier League’s most obnoxious individual is getting on?

That little scamp Joey Barton has been ringing in the New Year at Her Majesty’s pleasure, but how has he been getting on without his eye-burning cigars and his best fighting jumper? Has he been CS gassed yet? Is he running errands for a large man called Sally? Find out with our exclusive “New Year at Barton’s” snapshot album.

Click here