The English Premier League is coming home

 One of the hardest things in my football is dealing with the undeniable ascendance of Arsenal as real. The greatest thing in the English Premier League right now is the undoubted Luiz Suarez performance. Do not crucify him for his antics, but the professionals that he fools, should be the ones ashamed. Let us remember that Liverpool already have passed their cloud number nine, and seem to have hit the ceiling. It could be the resurgent Tottenham Hotspur that dwarfs their good run, but their scoring habits have shaken the league greatly. They could have been above the Gunners and duly claimed the ‘title contender’ tag, had their defending been sounder.

It sounds unrealistic to write so much positivity of the game without mentioning Manchester United. Since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, or is it the arrival of David Moyes, the wheels have come off the wagon. Depending therefore, it could be that SAF went with the wheels or DM is not skilled enough to fit them on. All is not gloom and doom as Manchester has City to fly the flag of town.

Manchester City are a safer bet by far to land the title, despite their questionable away performances, especially their defending. I am not a Manuel Pellegrini and I believe it is more of the quality of Aguero, Silva, Toure, Negredo, Navas, Nasri and the rest of the gang than the class of the manager. I am not saying he is bad, but his material is a universe more superior to any other in the league.

Spurs had the material before Gareth Bale left, and they added what I could have never bought, with all due respect to their purchases. AVB failed to formulate a system of any kind and he tried to play a game that I could recognize. It does not surprise me Tim Sherwood is reaping the results this easy. Jermaine Defoe is nowhere close to being finished and he never used him, Aaron Lennon was fading – injuries aside, Dembele was being sidelined. I will not mention Adebayor.

What interests me as much as it should interest you is the Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea. I was as sceptic about The Special One’s return Stamford Bridge as I was about both AVB’s pedigree and expenditure, as well as David Moyes’s suitability to Manchester United’s quest. Mourinho has proven me wrong. It is normal for him to cut, chop and change with amazing success. He has kept and used most of what he found there and the same players work differently.

There will be a lot to discuss but the obvious stories are ever the rise and rise of Roberto Martinez, the shrewdness of Brendan Rogers, the perennial troubles of Sam Alladyce of West Ham United and Paul Lambert of Aston Villa. As stingy as Arsene Wenger is, it would be a given to win the 2013/2014 title is Cristian Benteke arrived at the Emirates. As it is, the Gunners are pretenders. We will only call them zebras after we see the stripes.



GBP 35 000 000 for EPL tail-enders? I wonder.

Manchester United quickly named David Moyes as the replacement of the retired revered Sir Alex Ferguson who retired after over 26 years of serviced, leading the club in over 888 matches. However, Chelsea took some time in landing Jose Mourinho back to Stanford Bridge, maybe with good reason because The Only One still had a job to do at Real Madrid. Given the sack of bank notes to spend, it will be interesting who his targets are.

Manchester City are also managerless as we speak. Roberto Mancini was booted out by the Citizens after failing to win anything in the 2012/2013 season despite his enormous wage bill and talent to die for. Speculations about his replacement and his destination have been interesting. Manuel Pellegrini is front runner for the post but it still remains to be seen his interest and the true interest of the club in him.

Of course, there is speculation of Rafa Benitez leaving Chelsea and donning yet another blue shirt. The Interim One leaves Chelsea in an excellent shape indeed but The Special One will shuffle things around and enter the market as usual. While City may give him the petro-dollar, Everton would suit his project, or the Toffees project would suit him. Afterall, he lived at Merseyside.

 

However, Everton insiders will tell you Gustav Poyet is favourite but his experience may not be suitable to keep Everton up there. It would be Roberto Martinez's excellent destination and opportunity to fulfil his potential. There will be questions of who replaces Martinez at Wigan if he leaves. I guess it will be a question of when he leaves.

Real Madrid should scouting by now and Carlo Ancellotti has been tagged the front-runner, but the Italian expressed his contentment at PSG. His statements proves there was a possible shift for whatever reason despite his commitment that he will stay. He claimed he was staying although he wanted to sit and talk to the bosses. If he left, the new French champions will be entering the market for a new mentor.

Talking of commitment, Martin Jol also stamped his final decision of staying at Fulham. He quashed the rumours of a possible move elsewhere. The rumours were based on the small budget reported for the player transfer market. It seems Mohamed Al Fayed will be forking out a few millions for his manager's wish list.

Elsewhere, Wolverhampton Wanderers parted with Dean Saunders while Millwall had Kenny Jackett at the helm. Donchester are seeking the replacement of Brian Flynn and Hartlepool's John Hughes has moved on either for greener pastures or promoted.

Blackburn and Sheffield United are also managerless and will surely be looking at possible candidates from a list that includes the managers associated with City and Everton. Wigan will be hunting if Martinez leaves. With Queens Park Rangers and Reading going down to the Championship, it may be safe that they will keep their managers in a bid to come back quickly.

These managers earn much and may need health budgets to make their missions possible. This may never be compatible with the purses of their directors who have to cope with the busy schedules of the league as well as the experience of the league's seasoned campaigners. 

On the upside, I heard a very healthy rumour that the last team on the log pockets GBP35, 000 000. That cash should be sweet enough to bounce the team back in the Premiership. While this source was reliable, I was wondering how much Manchester United as champions get for their troubles. In any case, it is encouraging to come last if this is true.

Robin van Persie - Deal or no deal?

My football appetite really need nursing and the transfer market in the English Premiership is general a yawn, and the excitement over one particular deal saddens me. By it's nature, the Robin van Persie move from London's Arsenal to Manchester's United looks set to be most 'exciting' and probably 'significant' to both sets of fans and for obviously different reasons.

You are assured of a very balanced view because I am neutral. Without a shadow of doubt, RVP is bound to do well, and even remind the Old Trafford crew of one Rudd Van Nistelrooy. It must be remembered that he had been average for most of the years and blossomed only last season. Without wanting to be the one to curse him, it is common knowledge why. (We pray for the ankles to be intact.)

Man U will always catch the eye as the richest club and their deals will always attract our attention, even as their enemies. No matter how one looks at it, for whatever reason, this was a less exciting prospect than the acquisition of Ashley Young last season. That kept the whole market exciting, and Young is still to hit top gear.

As for RVP, as loud as they may appear, Man U fans are as blown away by the deal as they would have us believe, just as the Arsenal followers are not really spending sleepless nights at his departure.

The Dutch will slot into the team with easy, being the main man supported by Wayne Rooney, Nani, Young and sometimes twinning with the hungrier assassin in Danny Welbeck. His transfer is more of a headache or the Gunners when looking at options to replace him at the Emirates, and for many teams who wanted to buy him and championship contenders, that was a dream.

The whole point is to work at the championship path the day before the journey, clearing and paving the ways. Man City and Chelsea are ever indebted to Sir Alex Ferguson. At this point, the horse race has been trimmed to three and the chess games begin.

For the umpteenth time, Arsene Wenger has been castrated but still hopes to produce by May 2013. As much as it is very much possible, if it was that hard with the form of RVP, how much more tough now without a reliable goalscorer, goalkeeper, central defenders and probably the best anchor in the league, as Alex Song may be going soon?

Being optimistic is one attribute of the revered Frenchman, and he will tell you there is no panic and life goes on. One secret about the businessman mind of Wenger is that he is a realist. With all the talent and cash at their disposal, Man U, City and Chelsea will never win the Barclays Premier League in one season. It can only be one. If Chelsea take it, the costs of the Manchester side's wage bills, purchases of players and sundry will be enormous.

It also means, say United my end up third. After all the business transactions, and competing for third, it is way more astute to spend less, far less and pick up 4th spot and the result would just be the same -  UEFA Champions League football. Mr Wenger will get there, with or without RVP, and assembling a multi-billion squad is no guarantee to the glory and the calculation of risk prudently points to getting 'there' economically and 'stress-free'.

As for the final destination of the title, there is no question of the hunger to revenge the blue side by the Red Devils, but Chelsea may cunningly snatch it away from the brawling neighbours, but without Didier Drogba, it  will be a mountain to climb, not to say Chelsea was DD11, but surely DD11 was Chelsea.

Chelsea - The darkest hour is before dawn

The fundis have bombarded the cyber space with their educated opinions about how the European champions vanquished their foes on the way to an incredulous and obviously palatable throne.

Chelsea have since been basking in that glory and courting scrutiny on their next moves concerning one Didier Drogba, a man mountain who will never be replaced, should his imminent departure materialise, as well as the much anticipated replacement of Andreas Villas-Boas.

Stand-in manager in Roberto Di Matteo seemed to seal his fate with the FA Cup accolade just collected before the big one, the UEFA Cup. Having amassed that much weaponry to win his case, ascension to the hottest seat in football is still to be ascertained.

Instead of looking at how the Blues conquered Bavaria, given the history and stereo-type of German football mentality of Bayern Munich, all there is to savour are the lessons that can be gleaned from, not only that duel and the run to the Allianz Arena, but also from the surprise prowess Manchester City in the Barclays Premier League.

Football is played by toddlers by heart who genuinely see themselves as Ronaldos, Messis, Rooneys and Drogbas. That wishful thinking last as long as dew and they begin to act their age, their self. They will play and play-act that way. They believe they are just as lethal or better.

The professionals play at a way different level, the tactical and technical game. More tactic than technique increasingly influences the pattern and outcome of matches. As much as planning and management are crucial, the pivot hinges on the brilliance on a key individual massively gifted.

Chelsea had been very average throughout the past few years. There was never a question of their talent. Actually, there was; as to whether there was any team with as much individual technical ability.

With all the playing with the heart when they were psychologically superior to their peers, (their salaries played a huge part) they could only be rivalled by Manchester City, who, at one point, seemed too over-rated.

It may not be as obvious that Chelsea did not win because they are more talented than their semi-final victims, Barcelona or slaughtered Bayern Munich.

This distinguishing point was the championship mentality and a good footballing side. For many years, the world witnessed how much the beautiful football of the Catalans won matches and trophies. It was a new age of the game, after years of the dull finals always experienced the world over.

That phase came after the Brazilians and the Dutch introduced 'the beautiful game' and 'total football'. It was well while it lasted. The Germans introduced the dull straight forward game that the Italians solidified by the basketball defending tactics of Arrigo Sacchi.

Football was never the same until Barca successfully brought back the tiki-taka, historically known in South Africa as 'shoe-shine' piano, though in Africa it was more individual than a collective effort.

The Blues made a bold statement to our astonishment of what we all knew already. It does not matter how you play. No one remember those who came second.

The Londoners were neither too technical or tactical. They played not with their feet nor their hearts, but with their heads. That is the difference between a champion and a runner-up. It was not a game any more.

Now, the European champions did not require good fortune as many may want to to believe that they made their own luck with their hard work, confidence in their abilities and team spirit. All this, they had over the duration of the English Premier League.

All they did was dish out free lessons of how much one's life can change overnight regardless of their background. Where one is, where they were before, counts for nothing in dealing with life battles. Anyone person, have a Didier Drogba in themselves and getting him on there when you need him is key.

Whether you keep him after that success is another story. It may not be a guarantee that you contract your Di Matteo, but if you want to champion your own life and cause, impossible is nothing.

As much as this is about Chelsea, Manchester City proved the point that in life one can never give up. It is hardest just a moment from glory. They say it is darkest before dawn.

As a team,they were down and out, without any hope for silverware and qualification of Europe. They looked desperate and downtrodden, proof that you can be head and not the tail. 

Viva the Champions!

Manchester City were written 'English Champions 201/12' ages ago. Only me and you refused to read. You may still be refusing to congratulate them. I took this much time to post this article hoping by this time it will have sank. If not, it is not my fault and I refuse to go to the pit with you.

It would be incomplete to congratulate the fresh blue sight of Manchester without acknowledging the challenge of the red side,despite how they got to be 44 seconds away from stealing it.

Given everything thrown into the works, Manchester United easily run away with the title of 'The Luckiest Team of the Season' award. The accumulated points take cognisance of the referees and diving players. The score-sheet has been doctored not to reveal the 'Fair Play' index so as not to damage the reputation of the game. Knowing Sir Alex Ferguson, he will be the first to accept the fair share of their 86 points were courtesy of the generous officiating.

Talking of fortunes, without taking a very serious look at the figures, Liverpool were very prominent on the other side of the scale. They struck the posts record times. If Fifa took my suggestions of extending the goals, the title would have been at The Kop. For the balls that went in, few were such a beauty, especially from Luis Suarez. The Reds were therefore duly awarded 'The Unlucky Team of the Season for their troubles, or lack of.

'The Best Scorers of the Season' were surely Newcastle United. This was courtesy of Pappis Cisse and Demba Ba. The pair came with a 'Made in China' tag and whipped the ball in with exquisite excellence and extravagance. Cisse's goals could easily make the 2011/12 Top goals list for England, Europe and the world. They became prominent for sheer quality and significance as the Magpies ended the season on position 5. They could have easily been third if their peaking was not off by just two matches.

Swansea Football Club's footballing was the closest to what the game should look like. Way ahead of the sentimental passers, they exhibited some moves that Barcelona envied. Passing the ball around decisively mate with reception as well as movement. The dribbling and confidence of Dyer and Sinclair was a revelation. Swansea easily overcame Arsenal as 'The Technical team of the Season.'

Given the injury list and squad of average players, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club enjoyed a fruitful season owing to the veteran squad. Many were fooled to think they were a talented lot, but then, if one looked closer as to how many players City, United, Chelsea, Barcelona or Real Madrid would get, the list started with Luka Modric and ended with Gareth Bale, who had a quiet season by his standard. That made them 'The Tactical Team of the Season'.

Harry Redknapp did so much with that team. They were unlucky to lose focus in the end of the title race, mainly due to the officiating. The potential loss of the manager catalysed the downward spiral as many players began to look for possible destinations if Redknapp left.

I must say that a win is a win, especially the championship, but Roberto Mancini made it hard for both City's and United fans and bosses. He held neutrals at ransom with the difficult route he took to the throne. His paymasters were in a dilemma at one point trying to justify firing or keeping him. Winning it should have been a guarantee that he keeps his job with a huge bonus, but doing it that way was questionable as the Shaiks may have accumulated huge cardiovascular medical bills. It is likely that his contract stipulated the safety of his job after that glory without detailing how. Many believe in the four-year extension with a tax-free GBP5 million package. It was nice to see a very tight hug o Samir Nasri by Cisse of Queens Park Rangers after the final whistle as he congratulated his fellow countryman.

QPR did not realise they did not have to make things hard for City as their life was safe, but that went on to bring quality in the champions.

That match summed the season in a great way, and proved beyond reasonable doubt what this blog has been saying about football. The champions rise above technique and tactic when they have to. Physical condition is of no consequence as the difference the real deal and hopefuls. When all else, technique, tactics and fitness hit the ceiling, only the tough get going. It is this mental strength that landed the title at the Etihad Stadium. Psychological strength remained the only weapon when the grit of matters comes to a grind.

These facts reflected how Arsenal rose from 17^th position to third. It was the leadership of Arsene Wenger and not their football that made the difference. Newcastle showed weaker mental strength as they wilted just when they needed to pick two easy wins. The relegated teams, Wolves, Blackburn and Bolton showed less will-power though they had great matches and excellent players.

It must not be over emphasised that the Gunners' rise meant as much to them as did the championship to City, maybe much more. That team has no championship bone in it. It is easy to think of Robin van Persie as world-class, but that is it. RVP declared his undying love for his club and claimed to want winning things at Arsenal. It looked a bad idea when Nasri and Gael Clichy left for City. They must be telling him 'So long buddy'.

If the fat cheque story is true, he may play there after all. Treble his take-home pay is surely resistant-proof and Wenger will be rebuilding again next season. I mean, who can refuse 250 000 British pounds for a week's job? This guy will actually not be paid to work, but play. Wow!

As for the title, never has the championship depended on an individual as this particular one. It all hinged on the unwanted rebel and outcast – one Carlos Tevez. Not that it was a one man band as seen on the championship winning match. It needed spicing up by the errant self-made 'bad-boy', the controversial Mario Balottelli.

City lost their bearings when the Argentine played golf during his absence without official leave and all cursed him and his manager claimed he would never play for City again. Tevez joined the sunk ship, buoyed it afloat and steered it to the promised land.

Trouble-courting Balottelli became the difference between a 1-2 defeat and a 3-2 victory in the last 15 minutes of the season. He did not need to score to convince the club not to push him offshore.

It was such a marvelous season that saw Paul Scholes come back from retirement and for the first time in his 23 year-long career, Ryan Giggs did not get on the score-sheet. There may be a few miles left in those legs and United fans may celebrate that for now.

For the record, the world, particularly Africa needs more people. TV beams the game to so many homes around the world. The big companies pay billions annually to reach the masses in their lounges.

The promise to deliver messages to the global citizens is the reason why this money will increase perennially. As efficient as the process is, TV broadcasting quality improved over the years and revenue from sponsors to teams soared.

The cutting edge of the spot has sharply hit rock-bottom as match attendance figures are nose diving, especially in developing countries. Teams need the spur of the 12^th man at the stadia. As we leave the potato-coaches at home to watch on the fancy screens, we need to make more babies to take to the actual theatres to witness the action first-hands and give the games true value.

Let's make up for the dwindling numbers and quickly.

Manchester United were let down by their manager

The much anticipated weekend supposedly poised to determine the destination came and went without raising much excitement, probably after the realisation of the obvious scenarios of the expected win by both Manchester City and Manchester United, albeit with identical 2-0 score-lines.

There was a measure of frustration, first from Arsenal after their ping-pong 3-3 draw with Norwich City. The Gunners looked set to cement the Champions League spot with Robin van Persie late strike but the fat lady had not yet sung.

Matching the misfortunes of their arch-rivals, Tottenham Hotspurs failed to capitalise on the situation and succumbed to a dull 1-1 draw of their own.

The Newcastle defeat by City shifted the interest from the top two Manchester sides to who will deputise their dominance. There is no shadow of doubt that many neutrals will be interested in that battle for third than the actual championship.

With Wolves and Blackburn relegated, that end also looks less attractive to worry about now. A few fans will be looking forward to the revenge of Liverpool over Chelsea over the FA Cup's controversial goal that. Given the cool stakes, it will not matter to The Blues as they prepare for the UEFA Champions League final, but The Reds will want to nail it still.

Revisiting the excitement of the City-Newcastle encounter as well as the drool of the United-Swansea affair, it was interesting how the two matches proceeded.

There was entertainment value in the first and panic in the second. The Citizens were more cautious and with good reason, given the Magpies' deadly form of late. The match revolved around a two-forked Cisse/Ba versus Lescott/ Kompany battle, the later pair being a formidable partnership, for me the best anyway in Europe.

City would always boast of the central defensive pairing even without say Joelen Lescott as Koloe Toure is as impenetrable. The presence of Nigel de Jong as well as Yaya Toure proved the difference in cutting supply to the sublime finishers of the St James Park duo. It turned out to be a Yaya show as the Alan Pardew's men had no answers to neutralise his forward forays.

It was however the mind-boggling Sir Alex Ferguson who turned up with a line-up spearheaded by the quiet Chicharito. He was ably assisted by Ashley Young, Wayne Rooney and Antonio Valencia in that pyramidal order. The intentions were clear and he would have been a hero of many had it worked out the way it was supposed to

For many, Dimitri Berbetov may have started alongside Rooney as a pyramid that would have a base that included Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick. While the obvious urgency of the team could not be questioned, the methods of unlocking the comprehensively patient Swansea was very wrong.

The rhythm of play and changing of tempo was never going to bother the inexperienced visitors. That match could have easily been lost and United would be fielding a second rate team in their last match of the season. City would have been presented with the Championship even before their second last match.

The goal difference did not start to matter with two matches left and it was not any one's fault. That line-up represented the panic mode of one revered SAF. If he showed that much lack of nerves, the routine Scholes' coolness in taking the first one cannot be a judging parameter, but Young's goal is. The team was more mentally prepared that their mentor.

Newcastle now two very unlikely events to finish third; the loses of Arsenal and Spurs against West Brom and Fulham respectively. For one, Spur will blast Fulham while the Gunners will scrap a point. Their champions league spot will depend on the fate of the title. The Blues will have to lose it for them to be in  it.

Manchester United won titles because of great players and in the season they needed their manager the most, he let them down.

The moment has come, but not Spurs.

It has been a while since we started beating the drums for Tottenham Hotspur. When they face Real Madrid in the 2010/11 UEFA Quarter-final at the Santiago Bernebeu, it will be the time for them to strum their own instrument. If the tune is good, we will dance. As for now, we just pay the piper.

Spurs have been a force in English football for just 2 years now, and their prowess has been limited to sporadic domestic shows and stunning revelations in Europe. For all their antics, it all boils to this week's challenge. The moment has come, but not Spurs.

Spurs have beaten Inter and AC Milan to reach this point, but all that is almost forgotten. They may beat Madrid and even dispatch Manchester and/or Barcelona along the way.  Even then, unless they lift the Cup, no one will remember them.

It has always been inability to balance domestic league, Cup and International form, that has been their achilles. While there are these big names ahead standing between them and glory, we all know that betting against them is a risky affair. Nonetheless, while the road may end here and now, Harry Redknapp has bigger fish to fry. Gary Bale, Rafael van der Vaart, Steve Pienaar, Aaron Lennon and the rest of the gang, want to play at the same level next season. They are however not seen to be working towards that.

The Barclays Premier League is experiencing confusion that may work in their favour. No one has seen such regular inconsistance in football. The league is so unpredictable, that Man United always win even when they are not playing. As for the rest, I guess they play, but never win. That's a topic for another day, but as it stands, Spurs are risking being a distant memory in the near future if they they lose it now and fail to secure the spot for next season. They can actually do both under the circumstances.

Arsenal only win when United win

In 7500 BC, boats made of reeds were being manufactured and used in the Middle East. It is not clear whether that is the reason the region has been blessed with the fuel to propel these. However, the first ever known beer was being brewed in Mesopotamia about 6000 BC, the same time that the wheel is believed to have been inverted in Sumeria. I agree with you here that the whole point was to transport the beer as the boys were getting tired of rolling huge drums of the alcohol. (Source; Jim Cowan) 

My last look at the Barclays Premier League showed how bottom teams are cramped at the bottom. Bottom seems a little harsh given that there is basically no base at the anchor. I say this because, Wigan Athletic, though occupying that position, can be 7th 4 matches later. That is assuming all teams above them do not register more than 7 points each in that period. That is very much possible. By the same token, the 7th placed Bolton are just as relegation candidates.

Wigan begin that bid at home against a team that is central-defenceless and preparing for the biggest match of their lives, a UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernebeu, next week. Birmingham will host Bolton Wanderers, while Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea travel to West Ham, West Brom and Stoke City respectively. These are not easy matches for the big boys. Arsenal and Manchester City will have the privilege of playing a home fixture against Blackburn and Sunderland, very tough customers indeed.

As we all know by now, the Gunners will have an outstanding performance, but, as for the result, it will depend on others. Arsenal will have a handsome win provided Manchester United will win. Any draw and lose for United will see a bad result at the Emirates. Chelsea and Liverpool are just unpredictable. You can bank on a depleted Spurs beating any team before a Champions League match. We all know what happens after all the hype of a good show they will put against the Galatico.

I await your respected opinions about the weekend.

The bottom is more interesting for me

The Barclays Premier League weekend has come and gone with the usual Manchester United scrappy 1-0 win over Bolton, weekly flops by usual suspects in both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur as they drew with West Brom and West Ham respectively, wasting opportunities to close gaps to stay in touch with their aspirations, the unpredictable Chelsea 2-0 victory over the not-so-concerning Manchester City.

Chelsea are within reach of the title, while City are no longer in it practically. City are said to be rocked by the Coach-Bollatelli relationship breakdown. Such pandemonium usually affect team rhythm badly. Anyway. with the luck at United's side, the last thing one can do is to bet against them. That would be a fatal business deal.

I will not waste time and energy on the top 5 teams separated by 11 points, assuming teams with 29 matches win their games in hand, meaning that 4 matches later, the dynamics will render the picture mathematically so different. What is of interest is that the same scenerio is much more visible at the bottom. The last team has 30 points. 4matches later, they can find themselves 6th, with 42 points. The relegation zone is far more interesting for me than the top.

Upto 11th spot, it's a matter of 2 matches.

Manchester United look dangerous for Arsenal's liking

Manchester United played a match Arsenal should have not watched. The Red Devils devoured Marseille 2-1 in a UEFA Champions League encounter last night, proving to be both lucky and well managed.

At this point of the season, all teams hope to see fatigue setting in in other teams to their advantage. United, having an inside out season and being at the summit of the Barclays Premier League, seemed to be peaking. For their fans, it is welcome news.

The fans and players on chasers, Arsenal and leaders, United is justified given the Gunners will have far less matches to play than Manchester United. It is tempting to suppose they will rest more, being fresher for most of their league matches and suffering fewer injuries. United could be thought to be at risk with the opposite happening in their camp.

However, shrewd as Sir Alex is, United may be getting all the high level practice there is to collect his second or third treble. There is no reason to believe they will burn out, given their main striker is playing the final 20-30% of the matches these days.

Top scorer, Dimitr Berbetov has been set aside by SAF who is giving Chicharito and Wayne Rooney more playing time. The Mexican is proving to be hungry to cement the starting 11 place and is impressing. This makes United very dangerous, and as a Gunner fan, this is not the news you should be reading.

When lightining strikes

Lighting strike twice. In Africa, it can be purchased and be sent to strike. The female one is the dearer one because of its prowess and devastating cruel strike. It is even more dangerous if it is on heat. The buyer has to play the husband or purchase the male to go with it. Does the bill fit Manchester United's march to glory, Arsenal's glory at Wembley or Barcelona's dominance in La Liga?

The Gunners have earned their road to Wembley as they date Birmingham City in the Carling Cup final. It has been a long while that they were here. They are on course to come back twice more, in the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup if they dispatch Barcelona and League Two outfit Leyton Orient and then United and so forth. Do they have the pedigree to achieve the feat. I can only say that the 2 immediate obstacles standing in their way mirrors their fortunes to date; football giants Barca they beat and football minnows Orient they failed to beat. They still have to prove their brand of football is not a counterfeit version of Barcelona football.

In the Barclays Premier League, Manchester United are the wounded displaced champions. Of course Gunners here look a little dangerous. However, the Red Devils look multi-horned to gore all evil coming their way after their win against Wigan Athletic. They are on heat. Sir Alex Ferguson has forgotten who Chelsea and Manchester City are, and rightly so. The pretenders have since faded into their rightful places. On this front, Arsenal are unlikely to take the lead anytime this season. It is not easy to be inconsistent and then stand on the rooftop and scream for a donation of 4 points. United still have fixtures.

With an embarrassing draw 0-0 against Deportivo La Coruna, Real Madrid have kissed it goodbye. Jose Mourinho is an astute tactician of unequalled proportion. Barcelona beat Real Mallorca by 2-0. All the Galactico can achieve now is the Champions League. While The Special One will tell you there is still a chance for the title. Realistically, Madrid can only save face by glory in Europe. I guess this will be more sweeter to Jose than the title as this will set a record no one may ever equal. His bosses are fed up with the Catalan making them wives, but for the great one, it will always be more personal.

As for the road to Wembley, Arsenal are likely to panic and wilt under the heat of expectation. Apart from their pay masters and fans, they feel they owe it to themselves to win and put to rest the monkey that has been on their back for six years. One thing for sure, monkeys do not give up rides that easy. All the best to the Gunners.

The most fireable managers of the Premiership

The 2010/2011 season transfer window has spectacularly changed the landscape of the Barclays Premier League managers’ job security, even if only just. As we have seen with the movements of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll to Liverpool and Fernando Torres, the focus at the bottom side of the table will lose some shine.

Arsene Wenger remains the manager number one to lose his job under the circumstances. Arsenal will need to win the FA Cup to drop him from the number one spot. This is basically because of his tired young side that desperately needs to win something. Until then, unless some senseless chairmen exhibit their rabies infected decision, Wenger heads the list. Frankly, at this point, Arsenal are not championship material, and you cannot put your money on them winning the champions league, but if they win either, Arsene will drop way below even Sir Alex Ferguson.

Chelsea's Italian Carlo Ancellotti is a close second. The reigning champions brought in Fernando Torres for a good sum. He gets paid well too. Ancellotti leans on the argument that Torres’s arrival came a little too late. It depends on how much money left does Roman Abrahimovic to buy that story. Otherwise, Chelsea will have to retain their title and/or win the champions league. They have the pedigree to achieve either or both feats, albeit with some difficulty.

Italians are usually a closely knit society and Roberto Mancini is just as close to Ancellotti in this index. For now, he will be buying time based on their current position and the fact that they did not enter the market to increase their firepower. His employers however, already have a huge wage bill and their big investment in the names they brought to Eastlands should be bearing fruit by now. They are within touching distance of the championship but Mancini needs both luck and the championship to keep his job. It will boil to the volatility of the character of his employers to remain there until May 2011.

Next in this list is Liverpool legend, Kenny Daglish. The new Liverpool manager wisely made sound business deals that will make both fans and employers happy. They offloaded under-performing Torres for red-hot Suarez and Carroll. The two have not much time to settle and need to hit the ground running. That is a possibility and I believe they will. However, should fortunes not turn and luck abandons them, any slide down the ladder will render Daglish unemployed by the end of the season. One would expect The Reds to be close to their best with the new-look side.

Following that trend, Harry Redknapp has an excuse to his employers. They failed to secure all three of his targets. Tottenham Hotspur had Diego Forlan in their shopping basket. They signed Bongani Khumalo and Steve Pienaar when I think they should have gotten very solid central defenders. Khumalo will need to get experience to secure a position in the team. William Gallas is dependable but his pace is coming to question now and then. Redknapp is the hottest manager in the league and he is making history at White Hart Lane. People and his employers love him. It remains to be seen how the team will tackle the champions' league safari. After such a long break, the team may implode and glide down. Their experience players are old war horses you cannot put your money on. The rest are either novices or injury prone. His job, until he decides he wants to be English coach, is the second most secure in the league.

There is little doubt of the intentions of Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson is the most experience and astute manager in the league. He once threatened to quit, citing lack of challenge, wanting to rest and all. That is all forgotten and United are on their way to winning the umpteenth championship and the champions league. SAF will remain the top manager no matter the form of The Red Devils. His team is not playing anyway near their best and yet they are where they want. On his side, there are no likely candidates to replace him if he left. For that and more, he has the most secure job in football management, today and probably the rest of his career.

The rest of the managers, for different reasons, fall somewhere in between. Some have the problems of their undoing while others are in low budget teams. Usually, either way, it does not matter. Those in the precarious relegation zone are likely to keep their jobs until they have sunk the teams to the reef. They usually bounce back with promoted teams to sink them again.

The Premiership is very weak

This is now for Manchester United to lose, they say. Jose Mourinho was cocky when asked about the best League in the world. His Real Madrid side then led Barcelona by a point after dropping 2 points through draws with 12 matches played. In England, the leaders then, Chelsea, had already dropped over a dozen points. He should have just said 'Not the English Premiership'.

Since then, faded Manchester United have managed to regain both their form and top spot without breaking a sweat. United can afford to play badly and win the championship. It is all about them and nothing else. Sir Alex Ferguson have been strolling in the park, and seem to be engaging higher gears. No one is raising a voice and they know it.

Basically, the Barclays Premier League is very low in quality. A one man band. Emerging teams like Manchester City and Spurs, do not have the pedigree to match The Red Devils at all. Chelsea have failed to collect a 'registered mail' United sent them. They are a proud lot delivering less. Arsenal are the perenial nearly men until Arsene Wenger goes or the team is overhauled. Under archiving knows them by name. I cannot even type Loserpool, but it is early days, as you may say.

It was a class act of former Tottenham Hotspur hitman, Dimitr Berbetov who scored a hat-trick and Darren Bent's debut goal that won it for Aston Villa after switching for a cool sum from Sunderland, making the headlines. Manchester United walloped Birmingham City 5-0 and their neighbours, Manchester City lost by a solitary goal to relegation threatened Villa. Arsenal romped to a confortable 3-0 win at the Emirates against Wigan Athletic, with Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Pierse on song.

Liverpool had a fantastic victory over Wolves, winning 0-3 away. Fernando Torres rewarded Kenny Daglish with a great performance and good goals, while Spurs were in a disappointing Newcastle 1-1 draw, Aaron Lennon stealing the point at the dearth. Everton were held 2-2 at home by West Ham.

Spurs were the losers, but SAF strokes 'Arry'

With all Barclays Premier League matches drawn this Sunday, the biggest winners in the stalemates were Manchester United, and of course, the losers Tottenham Spur. In an entertaining and blood warming romance between the two protagonists, it turned out to be just a sterile affair, both teams spilling wide of the target finishing 0-0.

United were obviously the beneficiary of 'soon-to-be-fair-refereeing' (I am trying hard to be polite here) having travelled, got a point, maintained an unbeaten run and shot to the summit of the league above neighbouring arch rivals, Manchester City. By contrast, Spurs were at home and could have overtaken Chelsea for the top four spot. Despite what happened, Harry Redknapp was not ready to call any decision a 'farce'.

As we have come to expect, Spurs will not be surrendering points easily, as they refused to be charitable to championship contenders. Any good coach knows that if you are to win it, one has to beat fellow aspirants yourself and win home and away. For that reason, Spurs will be hoping someone beats United for them and that is not a championship material mentality at all. They, however, did not give much away.

Sir Alex Ferguson, usually expected in big match mind games, went straight between his opposite number's legs, gently stroking Redknapp's balls, saying Spurs are the contenders. Fortunately Harry is experienced and a realist enough to tell you somebody will have to give it to them. Spurs are not yet good enough to subdue City, Arsenal, Chelsea and United beside party spoilers, over the stretch of the season. 

Both managers showed respect for each other on the pitch, fortifying the rear to protect the point they had at kick-off. The tactics seemed to unfold simultaneously to cancel any decisive offensive raids. They praised central defenders of both their sides. Spurs felt a little undone by failing to score, and rightly so, but gave United a lot of respect. Any team failing to beat United now are average and that is not what Spurs need to be, both for their Premiership campaign and the UEFA Champions League.

Kenny Daglish started off well with a point after a home 2-2 derby draw against Everton. The fading Reds have been notorious for changing coaches like nappies and hopefully, the former icon and Liverpool legend will see them through tough times. Sunderland and Newcastle finished 1-1, as did Birmingham City and Aston Villa.

Now, who is the Boss?

Chelsea are like a guy ladies love to hate. He comes across with all the bling and cute smile, strong with a symmetrical shape of a true movie hunk or porn stud. He provides an ideal world and seduces you with romantic moves of a fantasy world, sensitive and a good listener. When it matters the most, he flatters to deceive.

The Barclays Premier League season started with The Blues sweeping us off our feet and dazzling us with crisp movements on and off the ball. They scored willy-nilly and provided top draw entertainment and value. They tore apart teams with mercilessness of Alexander The Great. Die hard fans thought, 'This is it'.

Only yesterday, did Chelsea record a second win in 8 matches. By any standards, it is a bad statistic for reigning champions and title contenders. That as it may, is their worst run in over a decade. Signs have been coming, with their hot/cold fluctuations in which Didier Drogba's scoring touch deserted him.

Initially, Drogba was the top dog, supplying his team-mates with seaters to finish off. They never reciprocated. Technically, Chelsea broke down. Nicolas Anelka and Flourent Malouda became their trump cards, scoring regularly. The reshuffling of the technical staff may be underplayed, but those closer to the dance floor will tell you how much impact it is having.

Manchester United always had their finger on the pulse, monitoring and measuring Chelsea's progress with an eagle's eye. Was that ill advised? Because for them, as they said, Manchester City and Arsenal were never a thread. Today, City are on the throne. As it may only be for a moment, their intentions are clear and United would be well advised to re-adjust their rear view mirrors and the blind spot.

United have a few hours to take the honours away from their bitter blue side with a win at Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon. Negotiating with Harry Redknapp may not be an easy task for Sir Alex Ferguson, but he has to promise him the English management job to grind out a result at White Hart Lane. It remains to be seen if Harry responds to SAF's seduction and flattery.

Spurs have the opportunity to topple Chelsea and keep the 4th spot. It may not be an easy task, but they are capable and you bet, Redknapp will not mind a bit of Scotch whisky after 90 minutes.

Manchester United beats Arsenal 1-0 to go top

Manchester United came into the Barclays Premier League home encounter against leaders, Arsenal, with a sole mandate to outnumber them, basically by inviting the full participation of goalkeeper van der Sar. Naturally, the Gunners front runners lost a lot of energy chasing loose ball and ran out of steam when they had solid and sound decisions in passing the final ball.

United midfield bullied the disjointed Arsenal link, winning all second balls and forcing the blunt preparation zone work of the visitors to constantly retreat. It developed to be a one way traffic as Arsene Wenger failed to have any answers to Sir Alex Ferguson's not so clever tactics. Sir Alex ensured all attacks bypassed the zone that is operated by Alex Song, eliminating him off the equation, and drawing Samir Nasri off offensive areas to the centre line.

The long ball always caught the Gunners defence wrong footed, with crosses from both wings troubling the young and inexperienced goalkeeper. Worse still, the lad had a lot of nerve-wrecking moments with numerous back-passes to deal with far too early and very often. Generally, Arsenal played not to lose and that was exactly what they were inviting.

The tirade of United attacks found Nani probing the right channel and delivering a deflected cross that almost shaved Ji Sung Park's forehead skin off before hitting the inside second post and nesting in the net for an opening goal. Arsenal failed to having any telling passes in the final third of the field. They could not get their rhythm at all and surely were outplayed.

Andrei Arshavin and Tomas Rosiscky were quite prominent in the opening stages, eventually running out of steam with time, as Michael Carrick, Rafael, Nani and Park dominated the midfield with amazing ease. As expected, Chamakh suffered a great deal of 'ball malnutrition' until after half time.

The second half saw the Gunners up the stakes early on, increasing their ball possession statistics and creating more obvious chances, but not troubling van der Sar. Arsenal were lucky not to sink further after Rooney fed Anderson who fluffed the golden chance against the run of play in the 54th minute. The match began opening up and Chamakh nearly got an equaliser a minute later, only for Fletcher to clear the ball for a corner. United started to depend on counter attacks as Arsenal pinned them in their own half.

Fabregas and Robin van Persie came in for Rosiscky and Jack Wilshire and almost changed the Gunners' fortunes. Clichy conceded an unfortunate penalty that Rooney ballooned over the bar. Theo Walcott had to replace Arshavin with 12 minutes of play remaining while Ryan Giggs came in for Anderson in the 84th minute. Rooney nearly made up for the missed penalty but found the keeper alert, but it really didn't matter.

Are Manchester United back to winning ways for good, or it was a fluke?

Chris Hughton firing by Newcastle is racist, period.

Newcastle United fired Manager, Chris Hughton, for racist reasons. He is not white enough. Earlier this year, I had queried the absence of black managers in the Barclays Premier League. As much as it sounds odd and awkward to discuss gays, especially if you do not understand their act, we beat by the bush, hiding behind a finger. There was always going to be a politically correct way to justify his dismissal.

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley and managing director Derek Llambias found the correct phraseology, "show business enough''. It may not have been them with a racist attitude, but the Sky News that they claim did not visit St James' Park often enough as each visit from the television station pockets the club £500,000. Maybe Sky TV have a valid point. Their viewers may be racist enough to switch off their sets every time Theo Walcott, Jermaine Defoe, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Micah Richards, Darren Bent or indeed, Chris Hughton appeared on their channel.

So many black players turn up for Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers and many others. Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Adebayor, Salomon Kalou, Michael Essien and Alex Song are the cream of the Premiership. There is a long list of fantastic black footballers who drive the clubs, literally.

Hughton was expected to submit predictions for future games which he then had to discuss and compare with the Newcastle chiefs' own set of tips. Ashley and Llambias expected Hughton to listen to the bosses valuable input before matches. They considered themselves fundis of the game.

The accusation that he was 'milking the crowd' after a 5-1 Newcastle beating of Sunderland, in the Tyne-Wear derby when the fans chanted his name is just as ridiculous. These issues are familiar to many of us if the team is doing well and the management have an eye on someone. I was once accused of winning matches by goals from wingers, defenders, or by 1-0 margins.

Hughton suffered further crazy inputs from his bosses. His treatment of players like adults was perceived as 'weakness' by the men in charge. The man was managing his team his own way and it was effective. I was very much surprised how pedestrian they were in the last few matches. I guess the goons paid players to lose.

As of now, Martin Jol and Alan Pardew are rumoured to take the post. Former Liverpool ace, Peter Beardsley is in charge in the interim. Jol quit his Ajax jobs hours ago. There is a claim of Andy Carroll leaving as a result of his closeness to the former manager. It is a player many teams will try to land at their training grounds.

Newcastle football experts claimed the club needed someone with experience. If Hughton took the team from the Championship to the Premiership, achieved two club records in the process; 102 points to secure promotion and the longest sequence of unbeaten 17 league matches, they will need a man of Messianic powers to do much better. Maybe the Magpies will be in the top 4 this season and eventually champions the next.

If you ask me, it may be the other way round. Those players are a fragile lot with volatile characters. Above all, why should racist mentalities and ideologies rank high and file above good? It is a big shame for the team and indeed the Barclays Premier League. All the best Chris.

The Barclays Premier League is at its weakest now

This week, the Barclays Premier League news is awash with the fact that all teams were on the score sheet in their fixtures for the first time since 1992/3 season and a record 41 goals were scored equaling other 2 seasons gone by. Thanks to a classic top drawer Dimitr Berbetov's fine 5 against disinterested Blackburn Rovers. As an attack minded individual, I appreciate the statistics, but then, someone was not defending well for this to happen. Probably, everyone defended badly. I can not stand bad defensive behaviour at all.

At the beginning of the season, we saw half a dozen goals being scored by traditionally bigger teams against emerging teams with ever so much ease. I raised the question of whether the gap between the top teams was getting bigger. I realised it had nothing to do with big or small. Many teams had players coming from the FIFA World Cup being rested and the replacements having a point to prove. Those who played straight from South Africa were in peak form, but are they on the decline after a burn out?

There has been surprises by big teams of late and prizes for smaller ones. Defending champions, Chelsea are suddenly struggling after hitting a double dozen in the opening 5 matches or so. Manchester United are very far off their best and are at the top of the League. Arsenal have the weakest defence in the league after Tottenham Hotspur, but no one is scoring much against them to match the porosity of the central defence as seen by the 17 goals they conceded so far.

Spurs had been making it a good habit of missing penalty kicks without even consequently losing those matches. There is no pedigree to punish any sloppiness. The league is down, down, down. All coaching concepts of either punishing or being punished for mistakes is history. These teams have the weakest defence technically and tactically but statistics do not necessarily support that. Any movement towards the middle causes them more discomfort than does the cross to the vampire. It is so easy penetrating their defenses they wonder how teams do not bypass Alex Song and then walk through the nets.

With all their talent and cash, Manchester City are nowhere near where they should be. They huffed and puffed against Stoke City who could have taken them to the cleaners, with 5 or even 6 goals, had Fuller taken full advantage of their jitters and taken responsibility in the box. With a little composure and accuracy, Stoke would be sitting pretty.

The state of the league is shocking to say the least. The match Chelsea played against Newcastle left a bitter taste in the mouth for both sides' fans. The Magpies were so sloppy and care-free that the Zimbabwe Asiagate came to mind. Many can claim that The Blues have boardroom instability, but then, are Newcastle playing is solidarity with the enemy. Remember that the St James Park side just hit some big team for a good number but at the weekend, the looked deliberately lost.

Would bringing in Rangers and Celtic strengthen the Premiership? Is it a case of good teams playing whichever way they want and get the result? Judge yee!

Man U maintain top spot, thanks to inept Chelsea.

Chelsea were just the usual pathetic outfit that has been running out of attacking power of late. Newcastle were guilty of not even trying to resist any attack from The Blues, exhibiting the 'STOP IT, I LIKE IT' attitude towards Dider Drogba, Nicholas Anelka, Flourent Malouda and Salomon Kalou.

Andy Carrol and Ameobi never got a supply they thrive on. Alex was so sympathetic that he gave Carrol the killer pass to beat Petr Cech. After that, the Magpies never bothered to threaten the visitors at all and they were unperturbed when Chelsea equalised through Kalou.

Tottenham Spurs were forced to made 2 first half early changes due injury to both Van der Vaart and Kaboul. Defoe and Bassong replaced the two and their contribution was not so positive to start with, struggling to come to terms with the tempo of the match.

Skrtel stabbed in a poorly defended free-kick before the break, to break the Spurs heart. The Liverpool defender headed the ball to a David Ngog's arm and it dropped at his feet and he toed the ball past Gomes. Jamie Garragher cleared Defoe's effort off the line before he felled Peter Crouch for a clear penalty case never given.

Defoe had a luxury of a now boring routine penalty miss that Spurs seems to be specialising in. At least they managed to grab an equaliser from the same Skrtel who turned a Modric cross past Pepe Reina. An action packed nail biting affair was almost decided when Defoe finished off an Aaron Lennon headed pass that was nodded by Crouch but the referee ruled it offside. Lennon was to complete a change of fortunes as Spurs recorded a rare Barclays Premier League victory after a Champions League campaign.

He was almost on target with a swift move starting in  his own half, and racing all the way taking on a few defenders is his wake, only to strike wide with the last kick of the match from an acute angle. Modric could have touched the ball in, had he not lackened the momentum of his run. Liverpool showed a heart of a lion in this fight which they almost won. Are their days of glory back?

The Monster in United finally comes out as Arsenal does do enough

A 5 goal salvo by Dimitr Barbetov in a 7-1 drubbing of pedestrian Blackburn saw Manchester United shake off what had been very boring exhibitions of how not to play football. United were the devastating self of old against a team that had no interest whatsoever in their fixture.

Wayne Rooney started the match and showed some class on and off the ball even though he did not score. Nani and Park Ji Sung scored the other 2. The fine performance took them to the Barclays Premier League summit after Arsenal had taken the top spot from champions, Chelsea.

The writing was on the wall just 2 minutes as the floodgates opened. From there on, Man U were on the roll and without really going an extra mile but managing to cut through Rovers like a very sharp hot knife gliding into very soft butter. That should never take away the shine United displayed, given it is common knowledge that they are capable of doing that week in and week out.

Arsenal had coach Arsene Wenger carry his heart in his hands for 90 minutes despite dispatching Aston Villa 4-2 away. It was a usual 2-0 lead that looked like slipping away with every breath. At 2-1 and the 3-2, Wenger was the least enviable person in the world for most part of the match until the final whistle. While it was the previous trends that have characterised the Gunners, it was that particular match's fragility that was a major concern.

Tomas Rosicky seems to be losing his shine with frightening consistency while Andrei Arshavin rediscovered his old touch and was very incisive in his penetration. Evergreen Samir Nasri was on target in great fashion, blasting a first half volley from a corner kick. Chamakh had given the visitors the lead earlier on, and scored his second early in the first half. Jack Wilshire scored his first ever Premier League goal from a pass from Chamakh who was marginally offside.

Do you think Manchester have rediscovered themselves or they are capitalising on the weakness of the nearest rivals?