Fixture list

West Ham will open the 2007-08 Premiership season by hosting Manchester City at Upton Park on 11 August. Just two weeks later, the Irons will host Wigan Athletic in an early grudge match over the Carlos Tévez affair. The Premiership announced the fixture list this morning.

West Ham's fixture list perhaps indicates that a strong start will be needed to avoid the problems of last season. In between Manchester City and Wigan, the Irons will travel to Birmingham City, one of the promoted sides in the Premiership. September brings Middlesbrough to Upton Park and a trip to Newcastle United. The toughest stretch appears to be from late November through the end of the year. It starts on 24 November against Tottenham at Upton Park, then at Chelsea, at Blackburn, home to Everton and at Middlesbrough, leading up to the holiday schedule: home to Reading on Boxing Day, home to Manchester United three days later and then at Arsenal on New Year's Day.

My best shot -- well, the most convenient date, anyway -- at attending a match at Upton Park is against Chelsea on 1 March. It's the time of the year that TMG and I are planning to visit her sister in London, and it's before college basketball's tournaments begin. Blackburn on 15 March is another possibility, although a lot of Americans like to be in the British Isles around St. Patrick's Day, so the fares could be dearer. I was worried that the 2008 NCAA men's basketball tournament would be starting that weekend, but it doesn't get underway in full until the following Thursday (after the play-in game on Tuesday). I would be missing the Big Ten conference tournament, but I attended the entire tournament this year, as it was in Chicago. I could stand to miss it this year when it's in Indianapolis, and I would be watching on TV anyway. Blackburn could work, and it has the added advantage of being the favorite side of my friend BT, who roots for the Rovers because their keeper, Brad Friedl, is from the same town outside Cleveland that BT's family is from.

I hope to have more later today on the latest transfer rumors and Sheffield United's ridiculous stunt in Parliament.