Saturday clockwatch – live!

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<div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.24.1.1/11990?ns=guardian&pageName=Saturday+football+clockwatch+*+live%21+%7C+Scott+Anthony%3AArticle%3A1792531&ch=Football&c3=GU.co.uk&c4=Football%2CSport&c5=&c6=Scott+Anthony&c7=12-Aug-25&c8=1792531&c9=Article&c10=Match+report%2CMinute+by+minute&c11=Football&c13=Clockwatch&c25=&c30=content&c42=Sport&h2=GU%2FSport%2FFootball%2F" width="1" height="1" /></div><p class="standfirst">• Hit F5 for the latest or select our auto-refresh button below<br />• <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/matches">Live scoreboard: follow all the day's goals as they go in</a><br />• <a href="http://guardian.touch-line.com/">Stats centre: latest tables, team info and much more</a><br />• And email your thoughts to <a href="mailto:scottanthon@googlemail.com">scottanthon@googlemail.com</a><br />• <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/aug/25/premierleague-sunderland">Sunderland v Reading - POSTPONED</a></p><!-- Block 35 --><p><strong>HALF-TIME LEMONS AND EMAIL<br /></strong></p><p><strong>Man Utd v Fulham</strong><br />'Subject: RVP, Torres, Tomahto, Tomayto' <br />"Don't know what Allan Castle is worried about. Talismanic striker, carried the team, scored the bulk of their goals, sold on at tremendous prophet to a premier league rival? Hasn't worried me in the slightest..." Matt 'Liverpool Fan' Dony. </p><p>You mean aside from Chelsea winning the Champions League and the FA Cup? Are you nuts?! I think Man Utd fans would be happy with that.</p><p><strong>Aston Villa v Everton</strong><br />"We're already that short of confidence? First home game of the season? Another fun season coming by the look of it. LAMBERT OUT!", writes Elliot Carr-Barnsley. @What's the average age of the side? About 23? A total lack of ambition in the transfer market has done us in since O'Neill. In what way could we have not done with a Michael Owen or y'know, defenders?" </p><p>Fear not, Lambert will sort it. (I think.) Or he'll be like Owen Coyle and flatter to deceive. Either way, good as he was, Michael Owen surely isn't the answer. </p><p><strong><del>Mike Giggler</del> Peter Hamer writes:</strong><br />Can't be often that rain has seen of a couple of football matches but a game of cricket continues unhindered.</p><!-- Block 34 --><p><strong>HALF TIMES<br /></strong><br /><strong>Premier League</strong><br />Aston Villa 0-3 Everton<br />Manchester United 3-1 Fulham<br />Norwich 1-1 QPR<br />Southampton 0-0 Wigan Athletic<br />Tottenham 0-0 West Brom</p><p>And notables from elsewhere...</p><p><strong>Championship </strong><br />Brighton 3-1 Barnsley<br />Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Millwall</p><p><strong>League One</strong><br />Brentford 2-0 Crewe<br />Coventry 2-0 Bury<br /><strong><br />League Two</strong><br />Bradford 5-1 Wimbledon<br />Wycombe 1-3 Bristol Rovers</p><p>It is, in all seriousness, too soon to make realistic predictions but... After a stuttering finish to last season's campaign 2012/13 is already looking like a tough season for Wimbledon.</p><!-- Block 33 --><p><strong>GOAL! ASTON VILLA 0-3 EVERTON</strong> Nikica Jelavic scores his first of the season. Job done for the Toffee men already. Next up for Villa... In-form Swansea.</p><!-- Block 32 --><p><strong>'Fulham's Diarra is having a shocker,' writes Scott Stricker accurately.</strong> 'Dembele and Hangeland seem to be doing well enough breaking up play, but when they play an out ball to Diarra he turns and passes to someone in a red shirt.' He'll be off in the next week, I fear. (And has maybe packed up mentally now.)</p><!-- Block 31 --><p><strong>GOAL! MANCHESTER UNITED 3-1 FULHAM. </strong>Rafael scores with a header just minutes after having another goal chalked off for offside. It is going to be a long afternoon for the west London side.</p><!-- Block 30 --><p><strong>3.37pm: </strong>Blackburn are 1-0 up over Leicester courtesy of Nuno Gomes, while fellow Premier League exiles Wolves are 1-0 over Derby County after a strike from the excellent Kevin Doyle.</p><!-- Block 29 --><p><strong>GOAL! MANCHESTER UNITED 2-1 FULHAM.</strong> Shinji Kagawa taps in Man Utd's second. The Reds are firmly in control at Old Trafford.</p><!-- Block 28 --><p><strong>GOAL! ASTON VILLA 0-2 EVERTON</strong> Marouane Fellaini scores his second header of the week as David Moyes' men take advantage of a Villa side that is outrageously short on confidence.</p><!-- Block 27 --><p><strong>3.23pm: </strong>Harry Arter, Scott Parker's skillful but super surly brother-in-law, has been sent off for AFC Bournemouth against Preston.</p><!-- Block 26 --><p><strong>LEYTON ORIENT v HARTLEPOOL - POSTPONED </strong> A bank holiday monsoon plus traffic issues puts paid to the O's game.</p><!-- Block 25 --><p><strong>Play has been suspended at Aldershot v Cheltenham,</strong> as a bank holiday monsoon sweeps the nation.</p><!-- Block 24 --><p><strong>3.24pm: </strong> In the Championship, Sheffield Wednesday are one up against Millwall. Wednesday are unbeaten in the 17 games that Dave Jones has been in charge.</p><!-- Block 23 --><p><strong>'Ok, that goal hurt,' admits Allan Castle, </strong>before twisting the knife, 'But the shot of Waistline Wayne on the bench afterwards helped.'</p><!-- Block 22 --><p><strong>3.17pm: PENALTY to QPR! NORWICH 1-0 QPR</strong> Debutant Sebastian Bassong brought down Cisse. Cisse... MISSES the penalty but Bobby Zamora scores the follow up. <strong>NORWICH 1-1 QPR.</strong> QPR needed that. They looked lost.</p><!-- Block 21 --><p><strong>It's raining goals!</strong> (Apart from in Sunderland, where it is just raining.) In the Championship, Bristol City beat Cardiff City 4-2, Brighton are 2-0 up against Barnsley (the second from Wayne Bridge, remember him?), Huddersfield lead Burnley 1-0 and Leeds United are one up at Peterbrough. </p><p>In League One Carlisle are 1-0 up at home to Portsmouth and Brentford are winning at Crewe and in League Two, Exeter, York, Bradford, Chesterfield and Port Vale are all one up.</p><!-- Block 20 --><p><strong>GOAL! Norwich 1-0 QPR. </strong> Simeon Jackson finished a fabulous move with a thumping header.</p><!-- Block 19 --><p><strong>GOAL! MANCHESTER UNITED 1-1 FULHAM</strong> Robin Van Persie marks his debut with a trademark fizzing left footed strike.</p><!-- Block 18 --><p><strong>GOAL! ASTON VILLA 0-1 EVERTON. </strong>Steve Pienaar scores a cracker from the edge of the penalty area.</p><!-- Block 17 --><p><strong>3.02pm: MAN UTD 0-1 FULHAM!</strong> Sensational! Damien Duff scores after a free-kick. 'Someone, needs to tell Ashley Young that you don't get penalties for diving in your OWN area, grumbles Justin Kavanagh.'</p><!-- Block 16 --><p><strong>'I am so over RVP,' says Allan Castle. </strong>I am going to save the rest of the email for after he scores for Man Utd. And Arsenal fail to against Stoke.</p><!-- Block 15 --><p><strong>'At last!,' says Robin Barwick,</strong> 'some-one else who shares my inherent pessimism about Fulham's prospects. I'm sick of all this 'decent mid-table side' nonsense. Fulham are a tiny club whose continued presence in the Premiership each year continues to shock and delight me - probably because I had to wait 40 years to see them playing in the top flight.'</p><p>Fulham surprise and delight me too. I really hope I am wrong. But everything about their recent moves in the transfer market screams RUN OUT OF MONEY.</p><!-- Block 14 --><p><strong>TEAM NEWS - MAN UTD V FULHAM <br /></strong><br />Man Utd: De Gea, Da Silva, Carrick, Vidic, Evra, Cleverley,<br />Anderson, Valencia, Kagawa, Young, van Persie. Subs: Lindegaard,<br />Evans, Rooney, Giggs, Hernandez, Welbeck, Scholes.</p><p>Fulham: Schwarzer, Riether, Hughes, Hangeland, Briggs, Duff,<br />Diarra, Dembele, Kacaniklic, Ruiz, Petric. Subs: Stockdale,<br />Kelly, Baird, Sidwell, Kasami, Rodallega, Halliche.</p><p>As you might have heard Wayne Rooney drops to the bench so RVP can make his debut. Shy and retiring Usain Bolt, as guest of honour, is gamboling on the Old Trafford pitch. It's going to be a massacre, I tell you.</p><!-- Block 13 --><p><strong>TEAM NEWS - Southampton v Wigan<br /></strong><br />Southampton: Kelvin Davis, Clyne, Fonte, Hooiveld, Fox,<br />Steven Davis, Schneiderlin, Lallana, Do Prado, Rodriguez,<br />Lambert. Subs: Gazzaniga, Sharp, Ward-Prowse, Richardson, Shaw,<br />Seaborne, Puncheon.</p><p>Wigan: Al Habsi, Alcaraz, Caldwell, Kone, Boyce, McCarthy,<br />McArthur, Figueroa, Ramis, Di Santo, Maloney. Subs: Pollitt,<br />Jones, Crusat, Watson, Gomez, Boselli, Beausejour.</p><p>Rickie Lambert - the man they'll soon be calling the new Grant Holt - gets a deserved start after scoring again Man City last week, in what should be an attractive and open game as Wigan start life without Victor Moses.</p><!-- Block 12 --><p><strong>RESULT: SWANSEA 3-0 WEST HAM</strong> A time for Swans fans to take a screen grab of the Premier League. P2 W2 F8 A0. Why be churlish and say 'it's early days?' It's a fantastic start already.</p><!-- Block 11 --><p><strong>TEAM NEWS - ASTON VILLA v EVERTON </strong></p><p>Aston Villa: Given, Lowton, Vlaar, Baker, Clark, N'Zogbia,<br />Herd, El Ahmadi, Bannan, Delfouneso, Bent. Subs: Guzan, Ireland,<br />Holman, Delph, Weimann, Lichaj, Burke.</p><p>Everton: Howard, Neville, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Osman,<br />Pienaar, Gibson, Naismith, Jelavic, Fellaini. Subs: Mucha,<br />Heitinga, Mirallas, Gueye, Barkley, Coleman, Anichebe. </p><p>Paul Lambert takes charge at home for the first time in the Premier League. The Villains who finished last season abysmally, really do need a win. We're also interested to see if new-signing Kevin Mirallas comes on for Everton. The Belgian is a class act.</p><!-- Block 10 --><p><strong>'Afternoon Scott!' says cheery Ryan Dunne. </strong>'Re: nicknames. Surely Cardiff are now the ''Red Dragons'' which, suggestive as it is of magic monsters from the Bible, fabby Hannibal Lector novels, the ship where the first ever performance of Hamlet was given, etc, is at least as cool as they fey "Bluebirds" ?'</p><p>Yes, although Swansea's red, white and green away strip shows that they are having a tilt at the 'Club Wales' market too.</p><p>Newly butch or no, Cardiff are now 1-3 down at Bristol City.</p><!-- Block 9 --><p><strong>TEAM NEWS - NORWICH V QPR</strong> </p><p>Norwich: Ruddy, Russell Martin, Bassong, Barnett, Garrido,<br />Snodgrass, Howson, Johnson, Pilkington, Jackson, Holt. Subs:<br />Rudd, Surman, Hoolahan, Morison, Tierney, Ryan Bennett,<br />Chris Martin.</p><p>QPR: Green, Traore, Hill, Ferdinand, Da Silva, Mackie, Diakite,<br />Park, Hoilett, Cisse, Zamora. Subs: Murphy, Derry, Johnson,<br />Taarabt, Wright-Phillips, Onuoha, Bosingwa. </p><p>Bassong and Garrido make their debuts for Norwich as both sides look to get their first points on the board after losing heavily last week.</p><!-- Block 8 --><p><strong>TEAM NEWS - TOTTENHAM v WEST BROM</strong></p><p>Tottenham: Friedel, Walker, Gallas, Vertonghen, Assou-Ekotto,<br />Livermore, Sandro, Lennon, Van der Vaart, Bale, Defoe. Subs:<br />Cudicini, Naughton, Jenas, Sigurdsson, Adebayor, Townsend,<br />Caulker.</p><p>West Brom: Foster, Reid, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell, Mulumbu,<br />Yacob, Dorrans, Morrison, Fortune, Long. Subs: Myhill,<br />Rosenberg, Brunt, Lukaku, Gera, Dawson, Jones.</p><p>Vertonghen makes his debut and Van der Vaat starts despite the rumours circulating about his possible exit from Spurs. Early days but AVB could do with three points.</p><!-- Block 7 --><p><strong>BREAKING NEWS: </strong>Robin van Persie is set to start for Man Utd while Wayne Rooney is set to drop to the bench. </p><p>'Fulham won 5-0 last week, you realise,' says Vaclav Panic, 'they're not going down.' To which I say <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/aug/13/qpr-bolton-wanderers-premier-league">this</a>. In a way, it's a shame that Martin Jol can't stick stick the blog post to the wall 'and let the team talk give itself.' But Fulham are going to lose. </p><p>As for Wayne Rooney, a return to Ronaldo-era sidelines beckons, at least temporarily, if Man Utd win big today.</p><!-- Block 6 --><p><strong>2.12pm: </strong>We'll also be keeping an eye out on all the action from the Football League. Fixtures that caught our eye before kick off include:</p><p>Championship<br />Blackburn v Leicester<br />Blackpool v Ipswich<br />Charlton v Hull City</p><p>League One<br />Colchester v Sheffield United<br />Swindon v MK Dons</p><p>League Two<br />Burton Albion v Fleetwood Town<br />Oxford United v Plymouth</p><p>But the beauty of this time of the season is that you can't be sure who to look out for. Who would have thought that Bristol City would be sitting atop of the Championship? The Robins are 2-0 up against Cardiff City in the early kick off. Does anyone know what the Bluebirds are called now they play in red?</p><!-- Block 5 --><p><strong>GOOOAAL: Swansea 3 (Danny Graham 64) - 0 West Ham</strong></p><!-- Block 4 --><p><strong>2.03pm: </strong>Today's Premier League 3pm kick-offs:<br />Aston Villa v Everton<br />Man Utd v Fulham<br />Norwich v QPR<br />Southampton v Wigan<br />Tottenham v West Brom</p><p>Chelsea v Newcastle kicks off at 5.15pm.</p><!-- Block 3 --><p><strong><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/aug/25/premierleague-sunderland">SUNDERLAND v READING - MATCH POSTPONED</a></strong></p><p>There's a very strong fixture list today, but Sunderland v Reading is no longer one of them. It's been rained off.</p><!-- Block 2 --><p><strong>Hello. </strong>Only 38 more weeks to go. Or if you prefer, it's the second week of the new season. All eyes today will be on Old Trafford where Robin van Persie is expected to start against Fulham. The west London club have a horrible record at Man Utd. They have avoided defeat once in the last 49 years. They haven't scored in their last five trips up the M6. They've conceded sixteen in their last six visits. Anything other than a Man Utd victory will be a surprise. A thrashing looks a distinct possibility. For what it's worth, the Cottagers look a decent outside bet to go down. You can't not warm to Martin Jol, though.</p><p>In the early kick-off Swansea are leading West Ham 2-0. The Swans new Spanish midfielder Miguel Michu is again among the goals. A super early-quite-probably-jumping-the-gun-because-what-will-he-be-like-on-a-rainy-night-at-Wigan contender for bargain of the season, as the cliche-mongers would have it. </p><p>You can follow the second half with Scott Murray <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/aug/25/swansea-city-west-ham-live-mbm-report">here</a>.</p><!-- Block 1 --><p>Scott will be here shortly with the latest team news as it filters through.</p><div class="author"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/scottanthony">Scott Anthony</a></div><br/><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> &copy; 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. 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