Is it a Mata United should bank on?

The record Mata move to United brings with it some sense of relief to a desperate Manchester side’s quest to implement damage control measures that may be beyond repair by now. All hope is not lost given that the brand , despite the vertical downward spiral, is massive domestically and internationally. Furthermore, David Moyes is threatening more purchases.

The best part of the Juan Mata move is the hunger of the player to proof one of the best coaches wrong. He fell out with Jose Mourinho for his mediocre interest to play without the ball and the two have been the worst best friends.

Manchester United’s ship sank fast and their desperation got them to buy Mata from the team highly interested in United’s best player, Wayne Rooney. The fact that they can do business with matter underlines the extent of United’s concerns. The price tag was one thing and to me, the louder message is that Rooney is going nowhere very fast. If ever he moves and does so to Stamford Bridge, Roman Abrahimovic will have to break a bank, if he still banks his cash.

Regardless, how much impact can Mata make, as an individual and who else would complement the Spaniard in the resuscitation efforts of the ailing champions. I got neither belief nor answer in the process or its success. A complete overhaul is needed, not the five Matas muted by the English press. The wish-list DM has, does not impress me to make United potential champions.

Besides, the cost will not be worth the while. These players will naturally cost more and worth less at this point in time. United needs just to play enough just to avoid relegation and build a proper team in the new campaign.

The good intention of Sir Alex Ferguson of building a team and believing the inheritance was going to help DM failed as a natural turn of events followed the script. Great managers build their own teams and success is never inherited. Once in a while we ride the crest and get the accolades after all has been forgotten about the predecessors, but that happens once in a blue moon.

Some managers I admired built teams and destroyed them several times. Brian Clough of Nottingham Forest relegated that team and promoted them again and again. It is that level of understanding and ability that a Manchester United needed. This is not to say that DM cannot or will not build United again. He can and he will.

All he needed was to do this building himself right from the start. The shortcut could have worked, had Wayne Rooney and Robin van Piersie been well and at their level best. That was not the case and the domino effect’s impact is causing the present pressing of panic buttons. Is this a Mata United can bank on? Time will tell.

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.

Moyes appointment would equate to nepotism

Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United's 26 year old reign comes to the gentlest gradient a coaching career can ever take. During these days when the football world was appreciating how German football is ckoke-slamming the Spanish, many had not even digested the greatness of Messi, seen by how much ordinary Barcelona are in his absence.

Many were still having another shot at the effectiveness of Jose Mourinho, given both his tightening of the screw against youthful and fluid Borussia Dortmund in the second leg and the interest of Chelsea to redeem themselves by rehiring him - to me an absolute mistake on the part of The Only One and Roman Abramovich.

All that aside, the speculation of SAF's end has always been speculated since the early part of the decade when he had effectively resigned but made a sudden U-turn. In subsequent years, we all looked for the signs and it became less interesting with time. Somehow, there were no hints even this time, and when it came, the most successful coach in sports had to call it quits.

The scheduling of his hip surgery for August 2013, when the season's preparations are supposed to be in full swing must have been kept secret but it then left all with no choice but to officially announce his retirement. Then the rumours of his possible successor emerged but it was more of speculation. David Moyes is favoured for whatever reason, but maybe, with all due respect to Moyes, Jose Mourinho is the man the manage that team.

The media wastes time narrating and detailing the success of SAF. Who does not know what he achieved? In our lifetime, you can be assured that no one will ever manage pull through for so long with one team. It may never be seen ever.

Jose Mourinho sets trends and records of a different nature and his attention span can never be close to that of SAF. Instead of the doomed grand re-entrance at Stanford Bridge, Mourinho would keep the SAF legacy alive at Old Trafford.

Moyes is able and like Fergie, Scottish. I guess I have an issue with that, because in Africa it would have been called nepotism. Maybe that was not the point but I smell a rat in a Scot replacing a Scot. Are the Scots revenging for the English ridicule at every opportunity, including the saying that copper wire was a result of two Sctos pulling a penny in a fight?  In all speculation since 2002, that name was never ever mentioned.

Ole Gunner Soljkaer, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes were a few tauted names, probably we were being sold a dummy. Moyes has a comfortable job at Everton who may have to bring in a new manager to replace Moyes if the deal goes through.

Anyway, maybe Rafa Benitez will be at the Merseyside next season as he paves way for Mourinho at Stanford Bridge. Whatever happens, Manchester United will have to disintegrate and then rebuild to be a force that it was under SAF. Some big names will surely leave, those loyal to him like Wayne Rooney to Real Madrid or PSG. The new man, say Mourinho will bring his own baggage like Cristiano Ronaldo. The moulding of the team will depend on that chemistry of bonding between the old and the new.

Whoever comes in and whatever they do, they will have a rebuilding exercise whose success will determine how close to the Man U that SAF built they come. It may be good and/or close but never the same.

Enjoy a Merry footballing Christmas

Merry Christmas to those it may concern. English Premier League players do not have much luxury to wine and dine as most are in camps for the Boxing Day fixtures. Go on, indulge yourself and treat yourself with an extra drink and cake slice on their behalf. If anyone asks, tell them I said so.

The weekend football was interesting and surprising in many ways but I will only sing praises for Swansea. You got to love this team. Their patient build up of every attack are so well thought out and their spirit is commendable. It is not just how they bullied Manchester United and drew out harsh criticism from Sir Alex Ferguson, they played what I call sweet football.

Let us mention Chelsea demolition of Aston Villa by an avalanche of an octa-salvo. It may have been the effects of the Fifa Club World Cup or just a frustration venting stampede and poor Villa were on their way. Not that Villa played badly though they could have done much with the ball and defended much better. It might have been the Rafa Benitez effect, whereby he induced some sense of guilt or just pure luck.

Many would wish not to remember Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid. I draw a lot of criticism of seeing that average team being just that - average. They are driven by too much money and hindered by even too much coaching. Frankly, The Only One is now a disservice to the Galatico. They play far too tense and very rigid.

It is not their failure to defend that is amazing, but also the way they miss simple chances. Teams playing Madrid so far have scored so many simple goals that Madrid failed to convert. This turns out to be invitation to trouble as small teams smell blood and throw everything into the game. One thing a good team needs is never to prove that they can be beaten.

I still think that only a few players can win a place in the Barcelona, Bayern Munich, PSG, Manchester City or United line-ups. That is how bad they are. Cristiano Ronaldo is a highly talented player probably suffering the publicity fatigue. His dependability hit a knock every time there is strong comparison with Lionel Messi. In rare spells of brilliance, he dances with him toe-to-toe until he gives in to media attention disorder.

The Messi records dismembered his game completely at a time Madrid needed a players of his or Messi's calibre. The Bernebeu camp this season needed a talisman who could turn nothing into a win and exactly when that needed to happen, Ronaldo failed to turn up to the party. The team needs a crazy game changing player for now and if Cristiano cannot do it, who in the world can?

Just to quash one belief that everything looks bigger on TV, unless you watch them live week in and week out, you may just have a slight clue that Stoke City have tall players. Wait until you see the team, from back to front. Those guys are huge. I mean huge. TV does not do justice to their heights and sizes and in their case, they are much smaller on your screen than they really are.

Again, merry Christmas

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.

Manchester City beat United to top league

The Manchester United versus Manchester City derby in the English Barclays Premier League was a tense affair from start to finish, with the hosts, City, wasting possible match winners early on. Arguero could have silenced the prouder red side of Manchester, but his finishing came from the heart rather than the boot.

It took a dead ball situation and a defender to open the goals account when a Vincent Kompany thumping header nearly tore off the nets with a minute of the referee's optional time left in the first half. It proved to be a match, and potentially a championship winner as all toiled all night for naught.

The Manchester City coach tried to match the senior and revered mentor decision for decision throughout the encounter and was rewarded for reading his master well with the vital three points,maybe the biggest of his career.

United sought parity upon the restart piling pressure and pushing forward with men and mobility, and earning corner kicks and getting into vital positions. City refused to be bullied and intimidated as they pushed forward themselves to seal the deal. They kept possession much better and were a little settled and composed.

United became content shutting the back door and thwarting any further attack thrown at them. Evident desperate reactions from both sides were the order of the night as the second half got older and the match wore on. The obvious sterile attempts to thread the ball in early to the forwards by City was matched by United's thirst to defend well and feed Wayne Rooney who dropped deep either to collect balls or evade his markers.

Danny Welbeck was introduced as a replacement for the ineffective Park Ju Sung at the 58th minute to try to pry the City defence open. Smalling and Nani found themselves committing frustration-induced fouls in the midfield unnecessarily.

The hosts turned the fuel screw of the carburretor in as they sought to penetrate a negatively defensive United defence of four defenders and five linkmen. Joeleen Lescott and captain Kompany stood resolute and repelled all thrown at them, especially given an easy task of working against Rooney who fought a tough but lone battle upfront.

With a better final ball in the offensive third, the Citizens could have silenced the Red Devils for good quite early and even much later, but they delayed the party and the erratic passing in the box kept giving United hoping for the best upto the very last minute.

Midfield duels were always the contest to win as Roberto Mancini replaced the striker, Carlos Tevez with Nigel de Jong to step-up the combative battle with Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Nani and Michael Carrick in the centre of the park. It was a move meant to counter Sir Alex Ferguson's withdrawal of a midfielder by a striker, that is Park by Welbeck.

Valencia replaced Scholes as a measure of desperation. This should have increased the attacking power of Sir Alex Ferguson's side but as tackles started flying from both United and City, it was brutally going to be a blood sweat affair. de Jong and Carrick got carried away with unwarranted tackles in midfield.

As tactics became more relevant, United introduced Ashley Young for the too silent Nani as David Silver left room for right back Michael Richards in a counter-move by Mancini. At that point, the visible progress of City was too irritating for the knight in Alex Ferguson as he boxed Mancini verbally, almost physically.

With 3 minutes to go, Gael Clichy could have wrapped things up convincingly before Samir Nasri had an even better opportunity after a fine run by Yaya Toure on the left, but he took too much time on the ball. He had an option of feeding Arguero but the ball was too close to his feet making it difficult for him to release it timeously.

As would be expected in a United match, there was 5 minutes added time even though there were no injury stoppages, but that would not take away the fighting spirit out of the blue half of Manchester and it did not help. James Milner was introduced as a way to kill time and break the possible rhythm United may have been hoping for, replacing Nasri.

Patrice Evra's last minute earning of a corner gave them some hope as the last kicks involving Smalling were thwarted by Joe Hart who was fouled when the Devils hoped for a penalty.

City could never be denied their glory against United and with that, set a finale to the season-end with a potentially explosive conclusion to the title fight. The title tilted to the blue side of Manchester as all is in their hands(feet) with two matches to go.

It may boil down to how United bully Swansea and Sunderland and how brutal against Newcastle and Queen's Park Rangers will City be. Go on folks.

AVB - Chelsea money talks

Chelsea Football Club, unlike any other in the English Premier League, are not an investment. They are a savings entity. Let me gist you about the difference. In life terms, investing basically means growing money. The nature of the vehicles involved, this growth can tilt either side of zero. The pure intention is profit.

By contrast, saving means the keeping of what is there for a long time, possibly life. While growth is not a primary concern, loss of the capital is criminal. With Chelsea, Roman Abrahimovic should be understood as a man who had money he could have hidden under his pillow for the next 60 or so years. Instead of the pillow, he bought Chelsea as the mechanism of keeping the cash.

Over the years, that vehicle seemed sensible and safe, such that he continued pouring in any extra coins he could pick up in the street. If they laid eggs, those would be a welcome bonus. The club represented his personal wealth and retirement for him and family. As with a pillow, there would be morning he thought a coin fell from underneath his head, and he would make it his business, not his maid, to sweep the floor.

To draw a sharp contrast, Arsenal have been a true investment. Menial amounts of paper money were thrown into the system and they would mate and bear children overnight. As long as the fertility was in that direction, peaceful nights passed by, the slot machine ringing, such that the directors can hardly hear the fans crying for honours or trophies. There is absolutely no need to change any winning formular, hence, Arsene Wenger will be the equilibrium constant of the equation.

Having drawn the line and cleared the air over the extremes, let us look at the history of Chelsea under the Russian billionaire. Abrahimovic has always spent on players' purchases and wages without a wink. The Blues coaches' salaries have always been cool. The vision of the returns on the savings account would tickle even a small baby, but without peeping on the Chelsea owner's savings passbook or audit reports of the club, thinking he ever made bucks from football would be a long short.

Winning the English championship back to back under Jose Mourinho and the FA Cup as well as the UEFA Champion's League among others served only to stroke his personal ego. I would not bet on that having made him a better man even among his peers. It could have attracted useful change to reward his players more and even cushion the savings, probably by just replacing the pillowcase.

The current problems, as preceded by similar ones, befell Andre Villas-Boas when this pillowcase was dirty and could not be replaced. Depleting the savings to cushion the saving is like selling your only pillow to buy a pillowcase. Even the thought of that potential would draw the ire of a mentally disturbed man.

The issue of pride and status would have mattered at the Stanford Bridge, but to maintain a healthy wage bill, Chelsea needed to be going as further ahead of the pack, any pack, all packs, as possible. This attracted TV and fans. The commercial aspects made sure the huge wages budget does not haemorrhage the piggy bank.

AVB was assigned to guard the situation. Many think the man was able. Few understand how this was going to be impossible. At Manchester United and Arsenal, Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson  have been in the business for a long time. The economic waters favoured them in trying times of high and low tides. Their roots became deep in a way that made the institutions almost their personal properties.

The wage bills and recruitment of personnel in tightly under their control, exactly the opposite at Chelsea and for the reasons already given. The two veterans have a say on the wage bill. They choose their pick and call their tune. They pay the piper and face the music.

Chelsea bosses receive players whom they may not use. The material being availed to them comes at a price. With that tag, the feeling of invincible superiority. The well paid-gladiators, in due time, will know they make more money than the boss. The financial advantage over the manager addictively rubs off everyone and all control is lost.

Rivals like Man U and Arsenal will never have the players earning above the managers, unless other arrangements outside the club structures are made. This genuine concern shifts from the playing field. Everyone starts looking over their shoulder. Instead of the players knowing and adhering to the manager's strategy and not questioning his abilities and credentials, the attention is elsewhere.

Playing on your mind now might be how investments are of less interest than savings, or, why the clubs are not sacking coaches left right and centre. The gamblers lose all and still hope they will win it back tomorrow. They throw all the coins into the slot machine. They win some and lose some. It is a common principle.

Time to build success and stabilise the situation is limited. The constraints of trying to cement one's philosophy and implant discipline are not helped by lack of interest of the owner in club politics. This is not helped by the fact that when Abrahimovic goes to bed, he lifts the pillow and sees the state of his savings. There is no only who could perhaps survive the double-edged sword at the Bridge.

The Special One stubbornly built a side of mature warriors ready for battle. The same battle weary war horses have been recycles beyond repair. In trying to mould a new breed around the likes of Daniel Sturridge, things were bound to be worse as those benched due to the presence of youngsters threatened the up and coming boys. 

It will take a character of Jose Mourinho to build another team that excludes Frank Lampard, John Terry, Didier Drogba, Petr Czech, Flaurent Mouluda and other veterans. That clean sweep has to happens lightning fast and by the one who does not need to create a football profile. They should be able to tell Abrohimovic his story right in their face. 

If anyone thinks Mourinho is the man, they are deluded. It will not be surprising to see the two-man hug, but that will be the beginning of the end of Mourinho. Chelsea need to build from bottom up, with new faces, from manager to players

Barcelona are done.

I am not cursing anyone or any team with a curse. The days of the Catalan dominion of world football are nearing the end, but they entertained us while it lasted. I am of the opinion that the domination of La Liga by Barca is at the door on its way out, as is the status of Manchester United but both for different reasons.

In Spain, unless Jose Mourinho is quickly fed up as seen by his impatience which I deduced from the tactics he uses in El Classicos, Real Madrid have come of age and are pip the Catalans as the Real deal. The rest of the bunch is way off, but the change of the cockerel in the brood may give hope for resurgence at Valencia and Athletico Madrid.

As for United, there is a genuine lack of a challenger. Arch-rivals, City and Chelsea have the talent and financial muscle, but I question their football culture and ethics, which Tottenham Hotspur have. Spurs have no talent or money to guarantee staying power. Arsenal and Liverpool would be ideal, but their football is so far miles off the mark. Anyway, I was talking about Barca.  

In any case, I think time for Barca to disintegrate is here. Either by default or design, it’s time their best players moved on elsewhere and make the same impact out of the Nou Camp. Naturally, there is the fear in Iniesta to play in a team without Xavi and Messi, by Xavi to play without Messi and Fabregas alongside him and Villa without the supply of the three musketeers.

David Villa is an accomplished finisher who can make it anywhere though, as much as is Messi can, but the same cannot be said about the other members of the Catalan engine room. Unless they move to more polished machines with accomplished mentors like Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and United, Chelsea and Arsenal, they will struggle.

Going back to the coaches, I wish to say that in the event that Barca remains as they are now, Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho and Harry Redknapp can make it a better team than they are now. The same can be said about Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson will be of much better help by quitting United.

If you have been watching the same games as I have been, you should agree with me that while Swansea are novices in their play and approach, they could be in the top 8 of the log if managed by one of the coaches named above. The same goes for Stoke City, who I believe could be top 4 materials.

Barcelona have won everything there is to play for. They were incredible to achieve that feat with their latest FIFA Club World Cup. Unity and hunger for success under the conditions have been commendable, an example for many to follow but so hard to emulate that I think, even themselves, are questioning the ability to take that to the next level, or at least two seasons from now.

This is not to say it is impossible. Even at their prime, Liverpool and United did not hit the ceiling and stuck there perennially as the Spanish did. Like it or not, gravity acts on all objects alike and as for Barca, that time is now.

How sorry Arsenal have lost the plot.

As one of the world’s best football managers and analysts, Mr Wenger totally ignores one of the fundamentals of the game. Like it or not, Arsenal’s last real match was sometime when their team sheet had the name EMMANUEL ADEBAYUOR on it. Not that he was playing anything to talk about. I am trying to draw a timeline.

I will spare you the long story of ‘Boys to Men’ approach that we have been waiting for since his kidsnet looked like the iPad 2 of football at the time. After the expiry of their ‘sell-by date’, due to high levels of expectation, someone thought they saw the Gunners play like Barcelona and told these aged kids. Usually, I get a lot of love from Emirates residents on the blog but somehow, they must have missed one of my post.

Trusting they will read this one, Barcelona do not just play everything forward just like that. They penetrate by opening crevices with side way passes that are a problem to deal with tactically. Arsenal have turned themselves into ‘route 2 football’. You will remember Wimbledon F.C being the masters of ‘route 1’. The newer generation must imagine Stoke City at their worst to get an idea.

Leaving the Barca-Gunner comparison, here is why cabinets at the Emirates will be trophyless for a lengthy while. Their last drawn home match against Wolverhampton Wanderers typifies their game since the last day they played football years ago and I stopped supporting them after a two season grace period.

Arsenal emanate from too much greed. The world’s expectation of their talent coming of age was summed up by Wenger when he said they want it too much. They are just too hungry. I am surprised he saw this today.

Just like Sir Alex Ferguson who have spent a good chunk in the century as an employee of Manchester United, Jomo Sono of South African side Jomo Cosmos, share the same lengthy service but for a different reason. He is the owner of his club and SAF just an employee.  Given this contrast, it extends to the general fortunes of the two sides.

Arsene Wenger has the privilege of comparing well with both in that he has a credible decade and a half at the Emirates, a close second by any measure to the Manchester United manager and he proudly shares the fortunes of the club with that of Cosmos.

(To keep those who are unaware of South African diski, footy if you are from another planet, Jomo Cosmos is owned by Jomo Sono and have been relegated and promoted from the local league a record times and they have never changed the coach).

Direct to the scrotum, Arsenal spend 90 minutes of the match attacking, attacking and attacking. A lot of teams die to have the capacity and the luxury of that offensive movement. Why this is futile is this. Football fluency is based on a forward force called the momentum of attack. The Gunners present themselves with this opportunity only twice in a match; at the beginning of each half.

Simply put, they push their opponents against the wall and get stuck there, toiling all day huffing and puffing for nothing. To have a baby, you must remove the barriers and all contraception, and this is what Arsenal are not doing.

In the forward movement of the team, the momentum gets lost, just like a very good back swing with a hammer and a strike on the head of the nail. Prudent game plans call for the restarting of the formula as it were, drawing the opposition out of the comfort zone of good defending areas. They way Tottenham Hotspur plays now, they may not need a second swing of the hammer to crack the nut. Arsenal does, but all they do is swing once and push the hammer with their might. It is the way the two teams play, and Spurs being the best team by far in the Barclays Premier League.

This poor approach by Arsenal has too fatal effects. It drains the team’s mentality to methodically formulate and orchestrate penetrative and productive probes. The match is seen as entertaining with a lot of, but sterile, possession. There is no room left on the pitch for Theo Walcott to utilise. There is panic as the central midfielders and defenders push ahead leaving yawning gaps behind.

The second ill of the unfortunate pattern of play is that it horns the defending skills of the opposing team. It becomes like a practise session and the defenders and goalkeeper get better with every futile attempt. Arsenal becomes the best team to play against and getting a point becomes a bonus to an otherwise great outing by defenders.

Of late, you will agree with me that the Gunners have been far more direct in their attempt to break down opposition. This is a vital sign of impatience and lack of leadership on the pitch. Robin van Pierse is a very good man and player, but being a striker and the teams expectation being that high, the energy to organise the team gets swallowed by the duties of scoring, hence he is more scoring than pushing his team-mates’ performance.

Take solace, this phenomenon is normal where a coach stays too long with the same crop of players without much productivity. The solution has always been to change the coach or the whole team. Wenger is like Jomo at Arsenal and selling many players like Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy has not changed much fortune, but I actually think it is not necessary as Wenger can turn that around. For now, they will fight it out for fourth spot against Chelsea and Liverpool and watching a few Spurs matches won’t hurt. 

Man U won when they had to and Spurs lost the match they needed to lose.

In the interesting weekend events are highlighted by the final arrival of Wayne Rooney to the goal scoring charts and the baby cry from Spurs over their loss to Stoke City. Both teams are my favourite in the English Premier League and for different reasons.

Firstly and more importantly, Manchester United stood up to be counted and played a match they deserved to win on the balance of play. It could have been a result of a wake up call after the Red Devils found themselves booking a Europa League ticket when they had the opportunity of the real deal, the UEFA Champions League.

Barely a week after I tore their football behaviour to shreds, they picked themselves up, dusted off old form and scored a vital victory that even put neighbouring arch rivals off balance. Moneyed Manchester City came unstuck against a determined Chelsea and lost 1-2 on Monday night to keep United just 2 points behind them.

Victory for the Blues saw them climb to 3^rd, replacing Tottenham Hotspur who lost a thriller at Stoke. Spurs are 4^th on goal difference but they will be back and this is why.

For the few days before the next match, manager Harry Redknapp will be at pains to complement a good effort the team made and how the obvious blunders cost them an arm and a leg. He will tell the players they did a good job. That psychological massage has a sell-by date - the first half of the next match.

Spurs will feel like doubling their efforts to fend off committed teams and incompetent officials to make a statement about the Stoke match. The first 45 minutes of that match will show a resolute spirit of a wounded lion. Whether they will have anything to show for their sweat and blood, is another story.

The manager will get into that dressing room bellowing and barking at everyone about either failing to score half a dozen goals or just a single one for that matter. Either way, his point would be, ‘you think you have done enough, you think you are playing well. Do you think this is acceptable? Have you forgotten all your toil at Stoke City? What have you to show for it? Nothing! Nothing! You think I will accept this? No! Never! I want more and now.

This will be so regardless of the goals Spurs will have bagged by then. This line of thought will be the Spurs technical department strength and weapon. This makes Spurs more dangerous to play against. The problem will be the match officials who may want to prove a point. The referees may decide to compete with the inept officiating that was so embarrassing that the diplomatic Harry forgot his art of being a Mr Nice guy.

Let’s forget about bad jobs and talk about the good job Stoke did. City came in charged and with a particular game plan to make Spurs not to play. That killed all the flow Spurs would have. Gareth Bale, Rafael van der Vaart and Luka Modric never arrived till half time. Aaron Lennon was isolated and that eliminated Emmanuel Adebayour. To note, Scott Parker contributed more to Stoke’s cause and he donated possession with his usual precision.

That aside, the usual suspect in long throw-ins, Delap, was benched and that was enough to fool Assou Ekotto to push balls out for throw-ins. In the first half alone, and from the same spot, there were over 5 dangerous throw-ins by Shotton. Two of those were fatal.

Many can say that Redknapp was fed his own medicine. He has always been a fan of Peter Crouch. He loves target men who have an eye for goal. Crouch did not have to do much, but in Gallas and Kaboul, you could see Harry’s fear in them. They had no solution to his threat. Etherington, being ex-Spurs, like many others, cherished punishing the former pay master.

As much as Spurs toiled in vain and were surely robbed in broad daylight and with so many people watching, and the officials erred big time, Stoke worked well for their victory. It is not like it came on a silver platter. They should be commended for the way they made Spurs not play football for a moment, that when they actually did, City had goals to show for their efforts.

What football is the world watching?

Being bemused that United are out of the Champions League shows you are not watching football that is being played by the reigning Barclays Premier League champions, or the Barclays Premier League for that matter. The cyber space is literally littered with surprise comments and stories concerning the exit of faded Manchester United and moneyed Manchester City from the UEFA Champions League. United fans are basically shuttered while their foes are in jubilation.

Taking the current season by storm, City gave people the impression to be the real deal, which they might be soon, but for now, we have seen the separation of boys from men. Football is not played by hearts and emotions. Man U have not played football in ages and I have said it a million and one times, attracting the wrath of their faithfuls. Those receptive to facts and truth will attest to these claims.

There is two types of playing badly and winning. Sir Alex Ferguson has given us both in his colourful stay at Old Trafford. Only that now United have made it a tradition week in and week out to dish out the stale stuff and the bullied teams have just showed up and donated points. This charity only lasted in the Premiership. There are no favours in Europe.

To draw the contrast, on a regular basis, Manchester United have been well below par and that is being polite, because frankly, they have been boring. There is not much to say if the team is winning. However, there is Tottenham Hotspur, who will be out of sorts and pull off a stunt or two to win the match. The difference is the genuine failure to impress because their opposition come better prepared. Other teams make it a priority to stop Spurs from playing. United play badly no matter what.

Arsenal, who qualified well in advance, had the same problem of playing badly because al else went out to make their match unplayable. In those days, they also lost matches playing well sometimes. As for now, as a very mediocre team, writing about the Gunners is a strength supping exercise. You need a very good heart to finish their story.

Arsene Wenger has done well to win it with a match to spare and he had actually predicted the hard times at Manchester in qualifying. The superstitious will feel jinxed but then, who wanted to see the boring UEFA Champions League matches in the knock out stages! Well, as for Chelsea, it was a job well done, but frankly, the jubilation is only limited to qualifying. There is no rightful fan who will be banking on their passage after their inconsistency that is rumoured to emanate from dressing room issues.

Many believe that coach AVB is being undermined by seniors at Stanford Bridge because of his youthfulness. I do not buy that. Either it is his football or the general sabotage from his backroom staff. His troubles are a shade worse than Roberto Mancini of Manchester City. While the Citizens are sitting pretty on the EPL log, I am not convinced all is at peace. Carlos Tevez is finally going to Italy and he will surely fire parting shots soon.

Leading the EPL standings is a good feat and we will be asking questions when push comes to shove. The staying power will be vital and given the false impression that both Manchesters will perform better in the league as they devote their time and undivided attention to the domestic game, that may actually be their undoing. Chelsea have the experience to take the advantage of the dropped heads at both camps. It was going to be Arsenal and Liverpool's time to rise and shine, but they are far off the pace.

As much as I like the Spurs play, for them to have a say will need great character and an extra ordinary 4 months to win the Championship. If their game is anything to go by, this could be their time. I will not count them in but it is not impossible, but this is not about the England, but Europe.

This whole picture tells a story. The runaway leaders of the league and the reigning champions are out of Europe; the most feared teams with huge budgets. Is the league now so small? Maybe not, given that the nobodies of the league as in Chelsea and Arsenal are in with a shout.

Frankly, both will surprise me by passing through the next round. It will take a miracle. I think either England is finished or the rest of Europe is coming up. Generally, the English game has been a faded history affair since the 1966 FIFA World Cup. The national team has been near, yet so far in both the World Cup and the European Championship. 

I would hate to gon political, but unavoidably, there may be a man grinning ear to ear at this strange state of affair. Recently, there has been racial stories rocking the English game and then FIFA President , Sepp Blatter of Switzerland. United lost­ to a Swiss side, Basel, in Switzerland, the land of Blatter.

The English FA has been accused to be soft and moving slowly in dealing with the John Terry and Luis Suarez racial issues while calling for the FIFA boss, Blatter, to resign. It sounded hypocritical but could his toasting at the trivial victory of the loss of the English team be justified? I guess he can say he is having the last laugh. Many believe he hates England and he is football enemy number one.

Thinking for a moment that United and City will have the advantage in the domestic game, or that they had diminished interest in the competition is notorious. They wanted it so bad and now that they are out, they are doomed, United more than City. Even the Europa League they will participate in will take a toll on them. They may want to use the league as a punch back for their fringe players.

The concept may work or kill the rhythm of the team. The merits of the state of affairs will be seem in not so distant future. At the end of the day, fans and foes of United seem to be feeling hurt and celebrating respectively. SAF was quoted as saying, "Of course we are disappointed. There is no other way you can feel. We had so much possession and opportunities in the last third but the finishing part of our game, you have to say, has let us down. We were careless. We let ourselves down badly." 

With all due respect, this is a very dishonest statement. The respected mentor should have known ages ago, before last season, that his non-deserved wins will catch up with him. If I saw it, come on, SAF should have known better, and not just yesterday or last year. The writing has been on the whole in flashing LED coloured flashing lights.

What is boring about this is the general observation of United’s mediocrity only now by so many. I don’t know what football the world is watching.

As football coach, champion your cause

How many times have we seen coaches shouting instructions to players, and the players respond by giving a thumbs up? Many. Ask the player after the match about what the coach was saying. They will tell you they heard nothing. If you listen to player interviews where they are asked about what the coach said at half-time, they all say the same thing. "The coach said 'go out there and enjoy yourselves' and so we did''. Those are parting word after a long lecture.

There are so many men and women aspiring to coach football teams one day and my advise is, believe not only in your dreams to be coaches but in other people's dreams to be led by yourselves. That is far from enough. Success only comes to people who have the assurance that they will be great coaches, that they can deliver.

Why does one desire to be a coach? Hopefully, it is not to be like Gavin Hunt, Keutsepilemang Ndebele or Joseph Mourinho. Having a yardstick is encouraged, but then, be your own man. Do whatever you can to curve out your football. Be the architect of your own designer football.

The desire to be a football coach becomes futile if one looks at the money and the fame that goes with it. Stress is part and parcel of the package and you cannot escape it. In doing football at a high technical level, forget EVERYTHING you have ever heard from football commentators, analysts and reporters because, entertaining as they are, they are not knowledgeable at all. Their analysis is good to the ear and for arguments, but it is fatally dangerous for your consumption as a professional.

That goes to all media people as well, like myself. They are great people and do a good job in providing information, because, normally they get access into where no Jack and Jill can. Sometimes they get access to information you need as a coach and it will be worthwhile to get them closer so you can have visuals or audio to do your job.

You must become a coach to portray a pattern of the game that is only in your head alone. Stop dreaming and fooling yourself trying to think what Sir Alex Ferguson says to his team. It is never about what anyone says. Words are the most irrelevant and behaving like a traffic cop on the touch-line making a nuisance of yourself is meant for circus. It is what one does at training that gets translated on match day on the pitch.

I say this because many people expect a coach to tell his players to do this and that, play here or there and so forth. That is the best way to express your ignorance about the game. Players are not to be told anything, they are to be coached football at the training ground. As a coach, teach them football during the week and wait for them to show the world what you taught them from training on the match day.

However, somehow the most marketable coaches are those speaking the language of the layman. They are in good books with the media and the administrators. They operate and the same level with them -  birds of a feather. That is why national teams fail. The board members interview national coaches and when the coach talks the football language, the interviewers laugh when he leaves the room, and then go on t give the job to the one who makes them nod heads in approval. We all know where that leaves the national teams.

Become that kind of coach and get good jobs with good salaries and produce nothing. You tend to have a lot of sweet football words without depth. This type of coaching also translate to a lot of talk during team talks and half time. There is too much emotion and shouting and the chairmen and owners who gate crush the dressing room enjoy the scenario because he believes you are really 'telling them'. That is a lot of dust.

This boils down to a mentality or a philosophy. You want to achieve a certain football result that only you can produce and in your own way. It becomes necessary for the club culture to share components with what you can, and want to achieve. In this regards, keep good friends around including journalists and administrators so they can source you tools you need.

The concepts and their applications as you want them must be researched, planned for by you and practised over and over until well understood. Repetition is key to any training. However, national team coaching becomes more interesting and less laborious as more tactical work is done.

Understand football rules and their limitations so you can utilise and sometimes exploit them and then work out what you want attack or defence to mean to you. Learn to define what you call success. As said before, if certain people around you start to shout your praises, watch out and do not be carried away and begin to lose focus.

Having a football strategy that you exhibit to the world successfully week in and week out makes you a good coach. It makes you feel good and very selfish football-wise, which is good. It is for this reason that qualified people step on each other's toes if placed under the same roof. Most stay together to keep their jobs because they have families to feed.

As a potential coach yourself, know what you want and map a way to achieve it. Go out and study trends and developments. Sit down and draw up practical plans and get the players you need. Gather data, pictures, videos, talk to those who know, ask questions, invite experienced mentors to your teams and to watch your sessions and matches.

Consultation does not mean copying and pasting other people's ideas. The point is to polish your own. It means you want to see how your football can be similar or different, better. It is about trying new things and maybe remodelling the status quo. You need useful information that may make your football more relevant or useless. It helps keep your game at your finger-tips and strive to be better than yourself.

You will remember that when I formed KFA, most of the best players were registered with other teams and the particular group I eventually worked with were said to be rebels and thugs. Using reverse psychology, this is the tool I used to make KFA fearsome. It was my straight talk with the players, because I told them in their faces that I heard they were criminals and unruly.

While they were concerned to start with, I told them that is exactly why they will not be beaten in football. The thuggery energy was suddenly converted to a spirited weapon that detonated at each kick-off. We went on a rampage and thrilling fans and referees in 2nd Division. We refused a few penalties offered for free and quite a lot of favours. Actually, the only two losses from our 40 games came when entertained referees tried to help us.

Have a very strong belief in your own football. Read the game well, see the wrongs in general terms, and see the good. Give solutions to the problems your players have. Sometimes it can be done on the spot, but usually, major tactical problems are to be noted and trained upon during the week.

This actually makes your starting point. That you must have players play football and give them solutions to the problems they face. You can not start giving the solutions to the problems they do not have, and may never have.

I have seen revered coaches who find teams playing football and then they try to give half-time pep talk. You can only give advise and corrections to students you have taught. Otherwise, just let them play and enjoy. The essence of coaching gets drowned in the emotions and theories sometimes. Under all circumstances, know the parameters under which you are operating and adjust accordingly.

As a coach, you must always remember that, you do not play Arsene Wenger or Jose Mourinho's football. You play your very own football. Players and clubs play your own football. Get the data and statistics you need, sit and plan. Go to the field and follow your plan to the letter. Do not create or accept short cuts. Make very simple and practical exercises in areas that resemble the game situation. It is either you will go along the trends or against the grain.

Be involved and be part of the players and make fun. Let the whole thing be enjoyable. Come match day, all you did during the week becomes your team talk. That goes for half-time pep-talk in the dressing room. You do not go in there and shout out things that players are not aware of. Calm down, and then go over the game plan, what is going right and what is going wrong. In either case, you state why you are right and why things are going wrong. You will need statistics to prove your points. Ask questions from players about where they are finding difficulty and how they think they can solve the problems. All within the scope of your work with them.

In my case, I become calmest when I am losing and the situation is bad, but somehow players will tell that the boss is mad. They will try to make things happen for you. It becomes a very hard noisy push when the win is big (2-0 and up) and could have been bigger. You must be tactful to know your players. Some people you do not take it lightly the use of a loud voice or public address while others will only hear and act if facing open ridicule.

Either way, they are playing your football.  While fans may be clapping and cheering for you and your team, and commentators are revving and screaming your praises, remember someone may be sitting somewhere in a corner laughing at how much of a moron and a clown you are. It is unfortunate they never really get time to sit down and ask you what exactly you were trying to do.

In most cases, 5 to 10 minutes will sell out your tactics and depending, one coach may be changing their tactics to counter yours, or turning the screw to stamp their authority. Depending on your ability and strength of mind, you may be one coach or the other.

Arsenal’s time is over

Let’s agree, as much as Fernando Torres is a has-been and Wayne Rooney a just-gets-by, Arsenal, as the jewel of English football, are done. They are finished and enterTottenham Hotspur, as much as you may not like them. Maybe, given his unfair and sad past, enter Njemba Ba also. I hope he is here to stay.

I do not want to spoil Sir Alex Ferguson’s moment of glory in celebrating a quarter of a century on the job non-stop by saying that his days of winning the championship playing badly are numbered. Let him bask in the glory of history, and I can tell you now, never shall a human being stay in a coaching job that long, not even Arsene Wenger.

The reign of Manchester United is being brought to its knees by, as witchcraft is, a homeboy. Manchester City may not be here to stay, but their antics are restoring a new football order in England, and it is a necessary one. Chelsea are not really playing any better, having tremendously retrogressed since the days of The Special One. Andreas Boas-Villa may be trying a little to hard to emulate that feat. It will work for a while and the bubble will eventually burst.

Back to my point. Only now can one get a bowl of popcorn and a very cold drink, sit down and relax and enjoy a very fluid and result oriented game of football, when Spurs take to the field. The same can no longer be said when it’s the Gunners playing. Guaranteed entertainment comes from the one and only White Hart Lane and you can take that to the bank.

It is not like I am ungrateful for what Arsenal gave us when I was still a Gunner for life. I am now a Spurs fan and like I was for Arsenal, for life. It was good while it lasted but it’s over now and life goes on.

Let me make it clear here. Maybe my attributes as a good coach come into play here, I am not sure. You may be wondering why, if I was a Gunner for life, I no longer go for them. I can only get to the grave and that’s it. I was with them while they lived, but they can now rest in peace.

Admittedly, Robin van Pierse has been on fire lately and the results have been coming from Emirates, sometimes against all odds and at others just. The kicks of a dying horse are dangerous but the horse is, honestly, dying. It has not been a slow death unfortunately, coming six years down the line.

The problem of the fall included the premature move of Thierry Henry to Barcelona which was followed by an ill-advised transfer of his heir to his throne to Manchester City. Emmanuel Adebayor might have been an outcast at the Emirates but he was the man Arsenal needed to make all the difference then.

The double vacuum grew twice and then thrice with the Samir Nasri deal and the vessel is collapsing. Not that Arsene Wenger does not care. The man is an astute businessman. In football you can either do business or coach. As an example, Jose Mourinho is an astute coach. Reeding of Adebayor for Maroune Chamakh was really bad business. Nicklaus Bendtner was not ready to carry the yoke.

Let’s draw a contrast between the two. Wenger has always complained about high salaries and football being too much of a money thing than a game. He thinks players are too expensive and salaries are too high, and that it is not football anymore. Fairly, Wenger is a nice guy.

Mourinho will pay anything for a player to deliver what he wants. He is a customer who tips well for a good service. He knows what he wants, and naturally, like all good coaches, selfish. That is what makes him special. He has a certain football in his head that only certain people can deliver for him and he gets those by hook or crook.

At Arsenal, they want whoever they get, to rise and shine and be moulded into a force to be reckoned with. They are house-wife-like bargain hunters. This worked (at least for them) a few years back when technology and game dynamics were very slow. Now things have changed direction, and they do so very fast. By the time a player matures to deliver for Wenger, the other ones have passed their sell-by dates and the dynamics of the game have scurried off in another direction.

If fate has it that these players reach a certain tactical level at the same time, the tactical playing field will have been evened by those like Manchester City who are willing to break banks. Arsenal are not a little behind the times but to see the bigger picture and solvelong-term problems, they have to remain an average team for a while longer like Liverpool. The transition period for them means a new generation of players and a new generation coach. Meanwhile, Spurs will occupy their space keeping it safe until their eventual return.

You may be wondering what all this means, given SAF is just as old school as Wenger. Manchester United’s football has been dynamic, and so has been their players over time. The Gunners stagnated their style while waiting for the maturing players and recycling a few veterans. Man U have always done the opposite, managing to fiddle around with generation gaps and tactics. It never failed them until Jose Mourinho came to England.

What Mouriunho brought to England changed the whole game in a certain big way. English football always had players kissing the club badges and celebrating goals by raising their hands to the fans. Remember  Les Ferdinand, Ian Wright, Michael Owen and Allan Shearer to name a few?

With Jose, they ran to him, they hugged him, they embraced each other. You will remember that the players uncontrollably sobbed like they were at a funeral when he left.  They played his football and not club football. This took the game to another level as football began to idolise the people who tailored and fashioned tactics. It made managers more relevant and much more useful and powerful. It cultivated a culture of a specific work ethic. Clubs ceased to be successful because they are Liverpool, Arsenal or Manchester United for that matter.

In short, Gunners played the Arsenal way, while Chelsea played the Mourinho way. As for Man U, there has never been a club or manager’s way. It has always been the talented players' magic. That is why, even at this stage when Sir Alex is celebrating 25 years at Old Trafford, his greatest 11 put by pundits can easily look smaller that the next 11 you can pick yourself.

Think with me. In that 11, there is no Andy Cole or Dwight Yorke. The pair formed the most lethal partnership in the Premiership history. My point is that Man U have always been spoilt for talent that they did not need this or that, given that in that SAF's great 11, there was Eric Cantona, David Beckam, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Peter Schmichael. With those players, it would always be a question of when than how.

As for now Tottenham will give you that nice flow the Gunners gave us, the sleek passing entertaining fluid football that thrills. There is no guarantee as to how they will be doing this. This is for three reasons.

Spurs attract injuries with chilling consistency. They hardly get their best 11 on the pitch two matches in a row. It is not that they have the best squad in the league, but if they would manage to be spoilt for choice within their modest ranks, it would be interesting to see how far they can go.

The second reason is the age factor. This one affects Spurs in a different way from normal. Their good players are keen to end their careers in ‘big clubs’ like Manchester United, City and Chelsea. They dream about going to Real Madrid or Barcelona. For a Spurs player, a big club means more money because Spurs is big enough as a club.

The possibility of Harry Redknapp coaching England within months also threatens the smooth operation of Spurs addictive football. Arry has always loved beautiful football from the time he was at West Ham. His recruitment of African footballers is evidence enough of his belief in good technique and tactical awareness. He will take that away with him and his successor may not be that versatile.

While doing England duties, it will be interesting how players like Aaron Lennon, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Ashley Young will be competing with Theo Walcott for the wingers' positions. With Redknapp, if he has his liberty, you may wake up one morning with all four playing in the same team. That is the shrewdness of the man whose game has become so unEnglish that his country so much needs.

For now, sit down, chill and relax and watch the next Spurs match with the confidence of getting your money’s worth. Only if I could guarantee that it would last a life-time.

This is what makes the coach special

The El Classico has come and gone with Barca putting Madrid to the sword by a 2-0 scoreline in the UEFA 1st Leg Quarter-final, with the final version to close the chapter on the corner. More on that with the EXTRA TIME with Vususmuzi Mourinho Ndlovu tomorrow. As for now, I have been keeping an Eagle’s eye and keeping my mouth shut about how bad Manchester United and how good Arsenal are. I have been tempted to say how average Chelsea and Spurs have become. All I manage to say was that the bottom of the English Premiership is now of more interest than the top.

There has not been lack of questions about the 2nd place and the final top 4. After their home 2-2 draw, Harry Redknapp showed how much of a top-notch coach he is. This is one man who does not put any pressure on the players. He puts things into perspective and realistically push players to give their best. This is his reaction in a post match interview.

“It’s going to be difficult but it’s still all to play for. I find it hard that now everyone expects us to be in the Champions League. Tottenham had never been in it before until this season and suddenly it is like ‘we have to be in the Champions League’. Manchester City have gone out and spent God knows what to get above us. Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea are there every year, Liverpool will be there next year. It’s difficult to get fourth. It has been a great season but it’s not over yet.”

 The issue of managers took a centre stage for a moment when people started thinking Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola are both heading for the Premier League. Sir Alex Ferguson once hinted opting out of Old Trafford years back but stayed put. He has not given a hint of leaving and already it’s like Jose will replace him tomorrow. Redknapp and Guardiola have been linked with Chelsea but then it is reported Chelsea have met Andre Villas-Boas’s agent in an attempt to lure the 33-year-old Porto manager to West London in the summer.

The void Mourinho leaves at Madrid is said to be an Arsene Wenger’s space. If Guardiola goes to Chelsea, who takes over at Barcelona? Who will replace Wenger should he go to Madrid and will Redknapp take the England job after Fabio Capello leaves, and who will be in charge at White Hart Lane?

(Originally from http://www.tsendex.wordpress.com/)

Leave Jose alone

Jose Mourinho is one of the greatest coaches of the game. I rate him the best. He has said he respects Spurs and their ability since they beat Inter and AC Milan. Any team with that pedigree, can beat anyone on their day.

The Special One is never one to mince his words or beat by the bush. He has always expressed his love for English football. When he mentioned again this week, the world is abuzz as if the man is leaving Real Madrid tomorrow.

Leave Jose alone. He has a contract to fulfil and a mission to accomplish. He is a man who will not walk away from a chaleenge. Chances are, good money, as it can do to any man, will. The only monied team with a budget muscle are Manchester City.

Mourinho has once said, for the respect of Sir Alex Ferguson, he will not go to City. Arsene Wenger is not retiring soon either. Carlo Ancellotti's job is as secure as Marmur Gaddaffi's future, but there is nothing special to get fron Stanford Bridge for Jose, but again, Roman Abrahamovic can buy anything he wants.

There are all combinations and possibilities of the destination of the best tactician of all time, but it will not be soon. 

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.