Licence to Thrill

It's been six days since 'The Special One' had his 'special' backside booted out of Chelsea and was replaced by a bloke who wears the permanent look of someone who's just missed his train.

No-one expected Avram Grant to get a result at Old Trafford, and he didn't let anyone down. Having had just two days to prepare his team for the match, and one of those he took off because of Yom Kippur, Grant was on a hiding to nothing going to Manchester. In the event, United didn't really have to play that well to see off a side who were already demoralised even before Mike Dean made things worse with his harsh sending off of John Obi Mikel. Or Mikel John Obi or whatever he calls himself. John will do.

United are now looking to stick the boot further in by complaining to the FA over Grant's lack of the coveted 'UEFA Pro Licence,' a document so sacred that every manager in the Premier League requires one.

Now call me stupid, many do, but surely United are going about this the wrong way. If Grant isn't allowed to manage Chelsea, then they'll get someone better won't they? Marco Van Basten, Jurgen Klinsmann and Guus Hiddink have been mentioned.

How typical of United that they feel the need to complain about something that has nothing to do with them. They weren't happy when Glenn Roeder took over at Newcastle and Gareth Southgate at Middlesbrough under similar circumstances either.

Now, Grant excepted, which one of the other nineteen Premier League managers do you think doesn't have the Pro Licence? That's right, United's own Sir Alex Ferguson, who is exempt from needing it because he was already managing at Old Trafford when it was introduced. He's been there so long, that rumour has it United are also exempt from backpasses, the new offside law and goalkeepers wearing gloves too.

But apparently Sir Fergie is a big supporter of making others do it, and as such is loudly proclaiming that Grant be ordered off to a cheap pub with the other Freshers in preparation for his course.

What will he learn there? Luckily I've been given a copy of the timetable for his first day:

9:00 - TRANSFERS - Lecturer: Mr R. Abramovich

Students will be taught which players they are supposed to sign by this wealthy Russian guest lecturer with many years' experience in throwing money at people. In particular they will be taught how important it is to sign over-the-hill Ukrainians for five times what they are worth, and that no matter what you think about a player, your oil tycoon boss who's only been watching football for four years will know better.

11:00 - DEALING WITH THE MEDIA - Lecturer: Sir A. Ferguson

This vastly experienced lecturer received a knighthood for his services to fortunate last minute goals eight years ago, and has many, many, many years' experience in dealing with the media. He will teach you how to ban journalists from press conferences for even questioning the colour of your tie, how to refuse to answer questions from the country's main television channel and how to accuse said channel of bias towards your main rivals because they once decided to read out their score ahead of yours on the 10 o'clock news one night.

13:00 - IMAGE AND EGO - Lecturer: Mr. J. 'Special One' Mourinho

Students will be taught how important their self-image is by a master of self-promotion. They will be instructed just how the right amount of make-up and pouting can distract attention away from the latest boring, robotic 1-0 win that left fans demanding their £60 back. They will learn how splashing their faces across billboards, magazines and adverts for credit cards is more important than humility and that latest semi-final defeat to that Spanish bloke who always outwits you despite his lack of a Prada wallet, a pretentious nickname and his failure to check if the cameras are on him every five seconds.

15:00 - HOW TO MAKE CHELSEA THE BIGGEST CLUB IN THE WORLD - Lecturers: Mr. R. Abramovich, Mr. P. Kenyon & Mr. B. Buck

Module no longer exists because no-one believes in it.

The Ego has crash landed

So, come on then, who saw that coming? Imagine my bleary eyed surprise this morning when I switched on the TV to find out that Jose Mourinho was no longer manager of Chelsea. As shocks go it was up there with Keegan quitting Newcastle, Fowler returning to Liverpool and Dirty Den dying in Eastenders, then coming back to life, then dying again.

Sadly for Chelsea fans, there is little chance of Jose coming back from the dead to take the reins again at Stamford Bridge (unless this is some brilliant PR exercise) and I suppose the question has to be asked, why has he gone? With six trophies in three years and an astonishing record of never having lost a home league game under his belt, just what did he do wrong?

When Roman Abramovich took over at Chelsea in 2003, the question all football fans asked was: 'what happens when he loses interest?' Surely he would leave at some point, leaving debts of hundreds of millions at the door. Chelsea followers' response, and a perfectly valid one at that, was simply: 'well what if he never loses interest?'

This move shows that Abramovich still sees Chelsea as his plaything. He hasn't lost interest. But for possibly the first time since the Russian parked his helicopter on top of the Shed End, Chelsea fans are faced with a question: Is he good for the club?

Sure Chelsea weren't pretty to watch at times under Mourinho, but they cantered to the league title twice in his first two years. The Portuguese was perfect for the new Chelsea. Brash, loud, arrogant, and he knew it. He positively encouraged an ongoing battle with Liverpool's Rafa Benitez, the other high profile foreign manager to arrive in England at the same time as him. As a result relations between the two clubs cooled to the point of freezing, and after the nation tired of the petulant, pizza-throwing battles between Manchester United and Arsenal, English football's new major rivalry was born.

How annoying for Mourinho then that come the really big clashes between the pair, in the FA Cup and more specifically the Champions League, Benitez would always find a way to come out on top. The Spaniard is unlikely to shed a tear at today's news.

Neither are many other Premier League bosses, but while Mourinho upset fans of virtually every single club he faced during his time in England, he was loved at Stamford Bridge, and Abramovich now faces a revolt.

Mourinho's name will be sung by Chelsea's fans at Old Trafford on Sunday, if United continue their indifferent form it'll be the only thing you can hear. Yes his teams didn't play exciting football, but Chelsea fans didn't care (have you ever tried talking to them about football?) and the vast majority are deeply upset he's gone.

Abramovich has taken a masssive gamble here. He wants his team to play 'exciting football' (don't we all?) but that doesn't always mean trophies. The Russian is like a child who has seen a shiny new toy and wants it. Manchester United won the league last year playing attacking football, Arsenal and Liverpool have shown similar styles this year. Sitting in a half empty Stamford Bridge watching his team stutter to a draw against Norwegian whipping boys wasn't on his agenda when he bought the club.

And so Jose bit the bullet. There are better managers (Ferguson, Wenger and Benitez are far better tacticians) but we are unlikely to see one like him again. The Special One has ridden off into the night, leaving a trail of trophies behind him.

Your move Roman. And it had better be a good one.

Big Sam, Big Mouth, Big Head

'They're not a Premier League winning side. They don't have the mentality to win that.'

The words of Sam Allardyce. Who's he speaking about? Any team that he's ever managed? He could be, but no, Allardyce is talking about Liverpool, and goes on to say that:

'Rafa Benitez would be very lucky to be in a job if he hadn't got to two Champions League Finals, because they've had some very, very poor finishes in the Premier League.'

So basically, this manager is lucky to still be working because he's only guided his team to two finals of the biggest competition in the world in the past three years. He's lucky to have masterminded an astonishing victory in 2005 with players of the calibre of Antonio Nunez, Josemi, Igor Biscan and Anthony Le Tallec to work with. He's lucky to have won the FA Cup, qualified for the Champions League every year and started this season with a swagger and style that has the look of champions about it. Oh, and those 'very, very poor' finishes? Fifth, third and third. Not great, but better than 'Big Sam' has ever done.

In Allardyce's world, Rafa Benitez shouldn't be managing Liverpool. He probably thinks he should be.

Because that is what this latest attack is about. Jealousy. Allardyce thinks he deserves a crack at a top four club because he shouts a lot and got Bolton up the league ladder by using that revolutionary tactic of kicking people and elbowing them in the head.

He thought he should have been England manager too, and despite getting all of his mates in the media to basically try and pimp him out to the FA for the best part of six months, they still preferred a quieter bloke who won't win them anything, but will probably save them money on pies in the long run.

He is now at Newcastle, possibly the only club in the world who consider themselves great just because they have a big ground. Their fans have nothing to sing about other than themselves, every song has the word Geordie in it, and they've been getting away with their own self-satisfied smugness for a while now. The perfect job for him then.

This attack of course is in response to Liverpool's goalless draw at Portsmouth, a result that saw Rafa's boys go from title certainties to no-hopers. Benitez changed his team and didn't win, so obviously he's hopeless isn't he? The result was just another excuse for rent-a-quotes like Allardyce like stick the boot in.

Compare Allardyce and Benitez and you see just why clubs prefer foreign managers. Big Sam can go on complaining about everything and claiming he could do a better job for as long as he wants. Rafa will just stick to the trickier business of winning trophies.

England Expects. (A bit too much)

Is it any wonder that the stereotype about footballers being thick still exists? Every time you hear one of them being interviewed about the possible pressures they are under they always seem to say 'oh it doesn't bother me because I don't read the papers.' The rumours are that if England win Euro 2008 next summer John Terry and his team are looking forward to shaking Prime Minister Tony Blair's hand before heading off to a lavish reception with Princess Diana.

But perhaps where England are concerned the players are right not to take too much notice of the media circus around them. Today's newspaper informs me that the 'countdown to the crunch Euro qualifier' has now reached three days. Really? Wednesday is three days away from Saturday? Well thanks for clearing that up. Countdowns might be common in space launches or Channel 4's afternoon scheduling but to a home qualifier against a nation who have qualified for precisely one World Cup in their history? Give me a break.

The countdown sums up the amazing hype and expectation placed upon this England team. Everything is sensationalized. An injury to Wayne Rooney and suspension for Peter Crouch constitutes a 'striking crisis,' conveniently ignoring the dozen or so top class strikers Steve McClaren has left to choose from. The one he seems to have plumped for is Emile Heskey, how convenient, here's someone else the 'fans' can boo instead of you, Steve.

This hype of course reaches fever pitch once every two years. You know it's coming, you've seen those white flags with a red cross sticking out from the back of your neighbour's car, draped outside your local and heaven forbid, even painted on the faces of excited pre-teens. Oh god, England are in a major championships.

But no, England aren't just in the tournament, they are going to win it. It's not even up for debate. 'The Boys of 66' (who've been woken from their two year slumber) are inspiring them to do it, dear old Sir Alf is willing them on from up above and inevitably, they have 'the best squad in the competition.'

I'm not being anti-English, far from it, I'm just looking at it from the outside in, the people I'm getting at here are those who utter the dreaded phrase 'I don't really support a club, but I always watch England when they're on.' Has there ever been a more annoying statement uttered? It's right up there with 'and this is the new James Blunt song.'

A sense of perspective is needed. It appears as though England's only chance of winning this weekend lies in the toe of a drugged-up Steven Gerrard (and they used to say Liverpool were a one man team). Israel's players will hardly be shaking in their boots, but England's might.

Guus Hiddink might have been onto something when he said that England's players were 'scared to win'. It's more complicated than that, but he has a point. There is always a villain with England, it's never simply that their opponents were better than them. The players performances are dissected touch by touch. Flawless league form will be overlooked in favour of half an hour in a friendly in your wrong position (the main reason Jamie Carragher decided that he'd had enough).

England will win on Saturday, I'll even stick my neck out and say they'll labour to a 2-0 success (hopefully with two goals from Heskey, that'll show them) but that probably won't be good enough. Be prepared to read overanalysis of the performance in the Sunday papers. Of course by then it'll only be four days to the Russia game...

Johnny Foreigner

Chelsea and Manchester United fans, you know those two players who electrified last season for you, Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo? Yeah, well it's their fault that England are rubbish. Arsenal supporters, you shouldn't be cheering on Cesc Fabregas because just by being here he's harming your country. And any Liverpool fan bearing the name 'Torres' on the back of your shirt, hang your head in shame. Because apparently it's Johnny Foreigner's fault that Steve McClaren's men are languishing mid-table in their Euro 2008 group.

I mean honestly, are we supposed to believe this rubbish? England's problems are all of their own doing, and no amount of blaming and pointing at the Premier League's foreign legion can change that. How about instead of looking at the foreign players, you look at who you have got to choose from, namely players from three of the top clubs in the world in Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool and top performers from a dozen or so clubs in a rapidly improving Premier League.

Why should top flight managers care about the England team? Only eight out of the 20 are English. Should Rafa Benitez ditch Pepe Reina, Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres in favour of Chris Kirkland, Danny Murphy and Emile Heskey? No, because the Spanish trio are much better players.

Offer any English supporter of a Big Four club the choice between their club winning the Champions League or their country winning the World Cup and 99 times out of a 100 they'll choose the former. Fans of Liverpool and Manchester United will laugh at you for even posing the question.

Because that is the cold hard fact. The Premiership doesn't care about England. The national team's supporters are mainly made up of fans of lower league clubs. Sure when the big tournaments come around the hype will begin, you'll be given the illusion that the whole country is cheering on the 'Three Lions' (those of us in Wales aren't by the way) but fans of the big clubs couldn't really care less.

Until England realise that the problems lie with their poor management and not the Spanish, African and Portuguese influence in the top league, then their problems will continue. How do they sort it out? That's for another day...

Football. It's not a matter of life and death...

Sorry Bill, you know that I agree with you on most things but I'm going to have to draw the line here.

The start of the football season has been overshadowed by tragic events off the field. The death of young Queens Park Rangers forward Ray Jones was tragic, and followed on from the shocking murder of 11-year-old Everton fanatic Rhys Jones in Croxteth, Liverpool.

All the images of Rhys released after his death show him as a smiling, happy boy, always in his Everton shirt and no doubt proud of his club's achievements. He'd have been looking forward to watching David Moyes' men tackle the UEFA Cup this season and in seasons to come. Sadly, he will never see his beloved team again.

Ray Jones was a supremely talented young player. At just eighteen, he had already made a mark on the Championship and in the England under-19 team. QPR have retired his number 31 shirt in his honour, but how their players are supposed to pick themselves up after his terrible car accident only they know. They have the best wishes of all football fans in their attempts to do so.

Last week 16-year-old Anton Reid, a youth team player at Walsall, collapsed and died during a training session while, at the time of writing, reports over in Spain claim that 22-year-old Sevilla midfielder Antonio Puerta has died after suffering a heart attack in his side's opening match of the La Liga season against Getafe.

These tragic events put football into perspective, and while it is easy for us all to get carried away when supporting our teams, a sense of realism is needed.

I can remember attending a Liverpool vs Manchester City match at Anfield in 2003. Nicolas Anelka struck twice for City, the second a late winner to leave Liverpool's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League in tatters. There were plenty of disgruntled Liverpool fans there that day, all upset that their club had suffered defeat. Just over a month later, and the man who ran the midfield for City that day, Cameroon international Marc-Vivien Foe, was dead.

At Anfield tonight, Liverpool FC will pay tribute to Rhys by playing Everton's Z-Cars anthem before the second leg of the Champions League qualifier with Toulouse. A remarkable, unique gesture and one that will surely bring a mischeivous grin to young Rhys' face. Everton themselves have already paid their own tributes, and the gestures from both clubs have been well received.

So while these tragic events have shown us that Bill Shankly's words may have been wide of the mark, we have seen that the game can provide a very small solace in a family's grief.

Amid all of the hype and glamour surrounding today's game, perhaps that is the one thing we should be truly thankful for.

So, what have we learnt so far?

So here we are, two and a bit weeks into a Premier League season that's already been full of great goals, huge controversies and managerial unrest, but what have we learnt so far?

Sven is actually quite good. Who'd have thought it? He couldn't sort out England's pampered, overpaid stars but give him a bunch of foreigners, most of whom who aren't even household names in their own household, and he turns them into a winning team. He's been helped by Peter Schmeichel deciding to hand over the clone of himself he made back in 1992. Young Kasper has excelled between the sticks and looks as though he could enjoy similar success to his father. Luckily he hasn't inherited the red nose either.

Fernando Torres is worth every penny. However much Rafa Benitez paid for his compatriot, ranging from £18m to £27m depending on what you read, it looks a bargain. Torres has taken to the Premiership like a duck to water. He impressed on his debut at Villa Park, but exploded onto the Premier League scene when he raced away from Tal Ben Haim and coolly slotted beyond Petr Cech at Anfield a week later. He might not score 20+ goals this season, but his pace and movement will trouble every defender he faces.

Tottenham Hotspur are still mental. Just when Spurs appear on the verge of something good, they try their best to cock it up. Sure the defeats to Sunderland and Everton were poor, but the pressure put on Martin Jol after them was unacceptable. Jol is a good manager, and seemingly a nice bloke, and he has a very good squad at his disposal. The Spurs board have to learn that just because they have spent £40m it doesn't guarantee Champions League football, and they'll be fine under Jol.

Manchester United are a good team with two great players. And when they are without those two players they can look ordinary. Rooney and Ronaldo are their heartbeat, without them they lack creativity, and quite obviously goals. Amid all the fuss over Carlos Tevez, it was seemingly forgotten that he didn't score for West Ham until March last season. Now they've finally won there's no doubt that they'll be up there again come the end of the season, but is the headstart they've given everyone else too big?

Arsenal do still function without Thierry Henry. But they can't go on snatching late goals all season, and their lack of a 'proper' frontline striker could cost them when it comes to the more difficult games where they'll get less chances. Henry hasn't been directly replaced, but if his departure can inspire the likes of Fabregas, Hleb and Rosicky to get amongst the goals more often then his absence won't be felt as much as people feared.

It's the same old Chelsea. Forget talk of Mourinho going on the offensive, he's still singing from the same hymn sheet. Grinding out successes like the one against Portsmouth and pinching that point at Anfield showed that Chelsea are still their machine-like selves. There's nothing wrong with that of course, clubs should play to their strengths, and Chelsea are certainly playing to theirs. An injury to Drogba though, and they could be in trouble.

The goalkeepers are still on their holidays. Jens Lehmann, Paul Robinson, Tony Warner, Brad Friedel, Petr Cech. All have made errors that have led to goals, some more high profile than others of course. If I'd have told you ten years ago that the shining example of goalkeeping in this country would be David James then you'd have laughed. Well now I am. Laugh away.

Liverpool might finally have got it right. Rafa Benitez appears to have finally got the knack of this winning away from home lark, given the Reds' performances at both Aston Villa and Sunderland, and but for the incompetence of a certain Mr Styles they'd have beaten Chelsea too. Rafa has a massive squad, the most talented in Liverpool's recent history, and they are beginning to look the part. Liverpool are slowly but surely getting there, and will be there or thereabouts come May.

Managers need to sort out their wardrobe. Chris Hutchings and his seemingly endless array of pink shirt/pink tie combinations, Steve Bruce and his 80s crooner style and German boss Joachim Low's casual attire. What happened to the old tracksuit managers? Like the backpass, the old offside law and Andriy Shevchenko's ability, have they disappeared from the game for ever? Stay tuned to find out.

They're tough at the top, but tougher at the bottom

I took in two matches at the weekend, ranging from the foot of the football league ladder to its summit.

On Saturday, I watched Wrexham, who only preserved their league status on the last day of last season, play a Morecambe side who were playing the first ever away league match in their history.

Then the following day it was to a soaking wet Anfield for the sixteenth meeting of Liverpool and Chelsea in the last three years. From Brian Carey to Benitez, McIlroy to Mourinho, the contrasts were obvious.

Both games were entertaining, both produced good goals and many talking points, and while the gap in quality between League Two and the Premier League was as wide as you’d expect it to be, none of the 5,504 hardy souls who made it to the Racecourse Ground (some by boat no doubt, given the weather) could feel short-changed at what evolved into the classic ‘game of two halves.’

The home side were dominant from the kick off, their team a mixture of homegrown talent and journeyman pros who’ve seen better days. Michael Proctor, who once scored a winner for Sunderland against Liverpool in the Premiership, soon had them in front, glancing in a cross from Welsh international Chris Llewellyn.

Proctor looked sharp, quickly adding a second goal when he raced into a gap in the Morecambe defence that was big enough to drive several team buses through. Nevertheless, he produced a smart finish to put his side 2-0 up and seemingly on the way to a convincing victory.

The way Morecambe reacted after the break deserves huge credit though. It would have been easy for the league new boys to lie down and let their more established opponents walk all over them, but substitute Jon Newby’s strike early in the second half, Morecambe’s first ever goal in league football, was just reward for their new attacking attitude. Newby is a former Wrexham player, and his goal seemingly reminded the locals of his uneventful spell in North Wales. He was booed for the remainder of the match.

Wrexham clung on to their 2-1 advantage for dear life, throwing bodies at any visiting player who approached goal, and their eventual success was deserved for their first half attacking display alone.

It was perhaps no coincidence that both sides were so inept going forward in the half that they were attacking Wrexham’s Kop end. Rebuilding work meant that the entire population of the old stand consisted of two hard working ballboys and, lets be honest, who wants to score in front of an empty stand? It’s a problem that Middlesbrough’s forwards face every home game.

The Kop at Anfield was full to the brim though, as Liverpool took on Chelsea in the first of the meetings between ‘The Big Four’ this season.

Ever since these two clubs appointed new managers in the summer of 2004 the fixtures between them have taken on a new meaning, and arguably the fiercest current rivalry in English football was born. Chelsea usually get the better of Liverpool in the league, but it is the Reds’ ability to get under the skin of Mourinho by winning the really big cup clashes that so irritates the Portuguese. In turn, the Chelsea manager’s reluctance to bite his lip when discussing all matters Liverpool ensures that whenever the Blues come to town (which is incredibly often with these two) then Reds fans aren’t afraid to air their views.

That is the case here again, as early Chelsea touches are greeted with a chorus of boos from the Kop, and indeed the other three stands, which rarely get any acknowledgement.

Liverpool look a cut above their opponents though, and duly take the lead with the kind of goal that shows just why Rafa Benitez decided to splash between £20m and £27.5m (depending on which newspaper you read) on Fernando Torres. The Spanish striker controlled Steven Gerrard’s pass and glided past Tal Ben Haim embarrassingly easily before producing a perfect finish. It was a moment of quality that underlined just why the ticket price for this clash was exactly double what I’d paid at the Racecourse Ground a day earlier. This was genuine world class football.

After the goal, the game descended into the usual midfield battle that occurs each time these two face off against each other, with Chelsea testing the resolute Liverpool defence to the fore. Millions of pounds worth of talent attempted to cancel each other out, shown none more vividly than when Gerrard’s fantastic last ditch lunge on Didier Drogba prevented the Ivorian getting a shot in. Two of the best players in the world going toe-to-toe.

These two teams really don’t like each other, and tempers flared as Essien clattered into Arbeloa and Pennant shoved Ashley Cole. John Terry felt the need to give Torres a lecture on how you are not allowed to challenge the England captain; not surprisingly the Spaniard disagreed. He could be forgiven for wondering who was supposed to challenge him when he scored his goal.

It is here that the main difference between the Premier League and the lower divisions can be seen. There is no ego in League Two. Give a decision against Wrexham or any of their counterparts and they more or less get on with it. Give a decision against Chelsea and be prepared to have Terry sprinting 50 yards to scream abuse in your face, Frank Lampard will probably pick up the ball and threaten to take it home, Drogba, if he’s not on the floor, will also lead the protests with hands gesticulating wildly.

But there are some decisions of course, that are simply too awful to take lying down. Step forward Rob Styles, the only man inside Anfield who spotted a foul by Steve Finnan on Florent Malouda. The rest of us, Chelsea’s players included, simply saw Malouda jump into the Irishman, who had turned his back, and fall over. Even he knew it wasn’t a penalty.

Quite what was in Styles’ mind only he knew, but the pressure put on him by Chelsea’s players all afternoon might have had a bearing on his thinking. Needless to say, Lampard scored from the spot, and Chelsea proceeded to defend for the remaining half an hour, even bringing on man mountain Alex as an extra man at the back.

For a moment it appeared as though Styles had capped his audition to never referee a top flight match again by booking Essien twice and not sending him off. As it transpired though, he was simply wafting the card in the Ghanaian’s direction, never intending to caution him at all. What’s next Rob? Blowing your full time whistle after 12 minutes just to hear what it sounds like?

Chelsea celebrated the draw like it was a win, underlining their ambitions, and while Liverpool didn’t play to their potential they’ll know that they should have won. But for the referee they would have.

To compare the Premier League and League Two is like Rob Styles’ decision making, it just doesn’t make sense. The money floating around England’s top flight mark it out from any other country, and when two of its superpowers meet much of the world is watching. That of course creates pressure, a pressure that some can live with and others can’t, but if you want a good honest game of football then you can do a lot worse than League Two.

It would be easy for me to bang on about how League Two represents the game in its purest form, when men were men, jumpers for goalposts and all that, but that would be patronising it. The lower leagues in England have their own identity, their own clubs and their own passionate fans. It might not be the place where multi-millionaire footballers clash every weekend, and you won’t see images of Morecambe players screaming out from your newspapers and magazines, and maybe that’s for the better.

It is football without egos, and as such the game flows much better than some Premier League fixtures. So even if you don't support a team in the lower leagues, go along now and again, and while you’re there say hello to Rob Styles for me.

Yours Truly, Angry Man

It's difficult to predict anything in football. Who'd have thought that Manchester United would start the season so sluggishly? Who knew that Portsmouth's Benjani knew where the goal was? How many people believed that Everton would ever be top of the league again? Ever?

One thing that's not difficult to predict though is that on any given day, at any given time, an Irishman in the North-East of England will be angry about something.

Seriously, is Roy Keane ever happy? Even when Sunderland clinched the Championship title last May he denied them the chance to celebrate it, banning their open-topped bus tour. Dedicated professionalism to some, a downright killjoy to others.

His great achievements as a player were overshadowed by his anger. Bizarrely, some Irish fans hold him up as a hero for his hissy fit and subsequent storm out of the 2002 World Cup, when surely the best thing to do would have been to suck it up, play in the tournament and complain later. Keane only has to look at his long time Old Trafford team-mate Ryan Giggs to realise just what a huge honour and privilege playing on the world stage is.

Alf Inge Haaland still bears the scars of getting on the wrong side of Keane's anger, while anyone seen munching on a prawn sandwich in the Irishman's vicinity would be wise to avoid his gaze.

Of course Keane's determination and will to win are hugely admirable qualities, qualities that can be seen in today's midfield master in the English game, Steven Gerrard, but now he's a manager he surely has to tone down the anger a bit.

His latest target are the infamous WAGs (talk about picking your battles). Yes apparently its all the wives and girlfriend's fault that good players don't want to go to Sunderland, and nothing to do with the fact that they are a club that has just been promoted, and have a manager with no top flight experience.

Keane would do well to look at the examples set by Reading and Wigan in the last two seasons. Both came up, kept the majority of their squad together and earned top half finishes. Only after they had established themselves in the top flight did they look to improve their squads, although in Wigan's case it almost proved their downfall.

Sunderland appear to be trying to run before they can walk this season. The fact is that they are a promoted club, and as such their target this season should be just trying to survive. Sure they could finish in the top half, they may trouble Europe, but objective number 1 is staying up. If they lose sight of that they could be in trouble.

Keane's latest tirade is disrespectful to his current players, not to mention the majority of footballers in the country. No doubt there are players out there who are henpecked, but to tar them all with the same brush is wrong.

Who was Keane trying to buy anyway? Leighton Baines was one. He's gone to Everton, the club he supported all his life. These footballers eh? No loyalty. Perhaps Mido took one look around the delights of the city of Sunderland and wanted to move somewhere more picturesque. He's going to, erm, Middlesbrough by the way.

If Keane was going for any one of the raft of players who've gone to likes of West Ham or Man City then I've got news for you Roy; the shopping is probably the last thing on their minds. They've gone there because they'll be playing alongside better players and under more experienced managers.

Roy Keane was a great player, Sir Alex Ferguson's best according to the man himself, but I've got news for Republic of Ireland, Manchester United and Sunderland fans: he can be wrong sometimes.

Good luck to Sunderland this season. They are a big club with good players and a great set of fans. They've got a good young manager too, but do us all a favour Roy, next time just count to ten first...

Money makes the ball go round

Four British clubs go into battle in the Champions League this week knowing that defeat is unthinkable.

That might sound like typical over the top football speak, but it's difficult to argue with. For Arsenal, Liverpool, Celtic and Rangers the prospect of missing out on dining at European football's top table is simply too horrendous to consider. Winning is everything.

Liverpool have been finalists in the competition in two of Rafa Benitez's three seasons, but they've often found the qualifying rounds tough going. Last year they squeezed past Maccabi Haifa 3-2 on aggregate, mainly thanks to a last minute Mark Gonzalez winner at Anfield. The Chilean didn't do much in a red shirt, but that goal more than paid for his transfer fee. Given Liverpool's subsequent run to final, it probably paid for several of his team-mates as well.

Money, of course, is what the Champions League is mostly about. Sure its winners go down in history, particularly if they achieve it in the manner that Benitez's boys did in 2005, but the revenue brought in from the competition is a vital factor in the continuing success of The Big Four in the Premiership. Tom Hicks and George Gillett may be shifting uncomfortably in their chairs in the heat of the South of France tomorrow afternoon.

Arsenal go to Prague. Failure to progress to the group stages will ensure that the spectre of Thierry Henry will hover over the Emirates for even longer this season, something that Wenger is only too aware of.

The Gunners should triumph over two legs, as should Liverpool against Toulouse (although tomorrow's afternoon kick off presents a problem) and if both progress they'll join Manchester United and Chelsea amongst the top eight seeds in the competition. Last season three of the semi-finalists were from the Premiership, and the fact that all three have strengthened over the summer suggests that we could see an English club in the final for the fourth year running.

For the Old Firm in Scotland, the Champions League presents a different opportunity. Given the relative weakness of the Scottish League, it is European football that helps Celtic and Rangers attract better players, something that both have done this summer.

Rangers entertain the club formerly known as Red Star Belgrade tonight (they are still known as Red Star Belgrade here because it's easier to spell than Crvena Zvezda) while Celtic will run out on to Spartak Moscow's plastic pitch tomorrow. Tough games both, but both Glasgow giants should feel confident.

Both can never really harbour too many hopes of winning the competition, but the definition of success for both has changed in recent years after good runs to the second round. The quarter finals will be the next target.

The debate about whether or not the huge amounts of money generated by the Champions League is good for football is for another day. Sure it means that no-one outside the Big Two in Scotland or the Big Four in England stands a chance of winning the league. The fact is that the money is there, and Messrs Wenger, Benitez, Strachan and Smith will be under pressure to get their share of it.

Gladiators ready?

Remember that TV show Gladiators? It was that programme that gave the country the chance to look at steroid abusing hulks smack each other over the head with giant cotton buds, to marvel at John Fashanu’s ability to look at the wrong camera (something which he did about as often as he elbowed centre halves in the head) and to stare at a pre-Sven Ulrika Jonsson and vow to go on that holiday to Sweden you’d been promising yourself.

The thing I remember most about it though is the game at the end, where the ordinary member of the public (with suspicious lack of beer belly) took on an obstacle course that looked as though it had been taken from the nearest children’s playground. The idea was for the ‘ordinary person’ to finish the course before the Gladiator, who gave them a headstart determined by the amount of events they had won during the show.

Presiding over it all was this craggy faced Scottish bloke who had appointed himself referee. Forever bellowing orders, the Scottish bloke wouldn’t let you do anything unless he blew his whistle first. ‘Contender ready? You will go on my first whistle,’ he would roar, really pronouncing the ‘wh’ in that way that Scottish people do. ‘Gladiator ready? You will go on my second whistle.’ God forbid you disobey him.

Too often in the past, Liverpool have found themselves in the position of the Gladiator who has given his opponent too much of a headstart. They set off on the second whistle, and although when functioning properly they do possess the ability to succeed, their opponent is already over the highwire, around the revolving tubes and well on the way to victory. Sure Liverpool will try, and they’ll even get close to them a couple of times, but deep down they know, their supporters know and, most importantly, the people ahead of them know that they won’t catch up.

With the Premiership now much harder to win than it was ten years ago, you simply cannot afford to wait until the second whistle to start moving. When that Scottish bloke’s whistle blows, you need to start running. Steven Gerrard, Steve Finnan and several other Liverpool players have already underlined their determination to be quick off the mark.

Liverpool have started slowly in each of Rafa Benitez’s three seasons in charge, had they had a better start in 2005/06 they could have won the league. The Reds finished the season with 82 points, nine behind champions Chelsea, after dropping 14 in their first eight games. Similarly last season’s haul of just a solitary point from their first six away games of the campaign strangled any championship hopes at birth.

If Benitez and his team can get it right from the start this time around, then they could be the ones setting the pace. Chelsea appear vulnerable, they have unhappy players and a growing injury list (and a visit to Anfield to come on the second weekend of the season), while Arsenal are a club in transition. Manchester United of course pose the biggest threat, but does Ferguson know his best team? How is he going to keep all his midfielders happy? How will Tevez fit in? All questions this other craggy faced Scottish bloke faces. If he takes a while to answer them, then Rafa could pounce.

Benitez of course has many questions of his own to consider, too many to list in fact, but in his fourth season in English football he appears to have gained enough knowledge to be ready to answer them head on.

The year 2008 is already a special one for the city of Liverpool, given its status as European Capital of Culture, but if its premier football club are to make it the year that they end their long quest for a league title, then these next couple of months are vital.

Liverpool can’t win the league title by the autumn, but they can most definitely lose it.

That first whistle is about to blow, and Liverpool are right there on the starting line. Gladiators ready? You bet they are.

Premiership Preview - West Ham United and Wigan Athletic

West Ham United
Last Season: 15th

Alright, lets try and get through this without mentioning a certain Argentine. Not that West Ham fans should be thinking too much about him given the exciting signings made by Alan Curbishley this summer.

Scott Parker, Freddie Ljungberg and Craig Bellamy are quality additions to the Upton Park ranks. Parker will add bite to the midfield while Ljungberg, although his best days are behind him, will perform well for Curbishley.

Much was made of the ‘golf club incident’ in Portugal playing a large part in Bellamy’s departure from Liverpool, but in reality the reason he left was simple; five strikers into four positions doesn’t go. Hammers fans should ignore what happened in the Algarve and focus instead on the Welshman’s star performance in the Nou Camp a few days later. He’ll score goals for Curbishley.

Although not officially ‘new signings,’ the return of two players to the West Ham fold will certainly freshen up the squad. Dean Ashton, out for the entire last campaign, has the potential to strike up a lethal partnership with Bellamy, while if Matthew Upson can stay fit he’ll step straight into the Hammers back four.

Lucas Neill is Curbishley’s new captain, replacing the departed Nigel Reo-Coker, while goalkeeper Robert Green will look to force his way back into the England fold.

West Ham are of course very lucky to be in the top flight at all, and they’ll be looking to make the most of their good fortune.

Their squad is certainly capable of European qualification, and they are likely to spend the majority of the season in the top half of the table. If their new signings find form they could progress in the cups too, but don’t expect Sheffield United fans to be cheering them on.

Key Man: Matthew Upson. A rock at the heart of the Hammers defence, if he stays fit of course.
One to Watch: Mark Noble. Broke into the team towards the end of last season, the youngster will be looking to establish himself in the Hammers midfield.
This Season: No more relegation worries, and the Hammers will be looking towards Europe.

Wigan Athletic
Last Season: 17th

After escaping by the skin of his teeth last season, Paul Jewell decided that enough was enough and called time on his Wigan career. His departure paves the way for his former assistant Chris Hutchings to take over, but is he good enough?

Hutchings was relegated with Bradford City a few years back, but he undoubtedly has better players at his disposal at the JJB Stadium.

Say what you like about Emile Heskey, and most people do, he is one of the most experienced strikers in the Premier League, and was probably the main reason that the Latics stayed up on the last day of last season, turning in an excellent performance in both attack and defence in the 2-1 win that relegated Sheffield United.

Losing Leighton Baines is a blow, but Jason Koumas is an astute signing, although doubts remain over his ability to transfer his Championship form to the top flight. The Welsh international is a classy player though, and on his day can tear apart even the best defences.

New additions Mario Melchiot and Michael Brown add experience, while the signing of Titus Bramble raised eyebrows of course, but maybe, just maybe, he’ll thrive in the less pressurized atmosphere of the JJB Stadium. It could happen. Equally likely is that he’ll wreak havoc in the Wigan back line and cause Lancashire’s biggest mass tearing out of hair since Massimo Taibi was in goal for Manchester United.

Wigan just don’t look capable of scoring enough goals to keep out of trouble. None of Heskey, Caleb Folan, Henri Camara, Julius Aghahowa or new boy Antoine Sibierski will get into double figures in the league, while Rangers new boy Lee McCulloch will be a miss.

Wigan will struggle again this season, and Hutchings will do well to keep them up. If you offered him 17th place now he'd snap your hand off.

Key Man: Michael Brown. The hardman adds much needed solidity to Wigan’s midfield.
One to Watch: Jason Koumas. Needs to get rid of that ‘good in the Championship’ tag by performing well in the top flight.
This season: Hutchings is faced with a difficult job, if his side get off to a slow start it will be a long, long winter.

Premiership Preview - Sunderland and Tottenham Hotspur

Sunderland
Last Season: 1st in Championship (Promoted)

Sunderland, or ‘Roy Keane’s Sunderland’ to give them their full name, are promoted to the Premiership for the fourth time. The last two times they’ve been in the big league they’ve been woeful, and Niall Quinn will hope that the money given to the manager this year will ensure that they’ll at least make life difficult for their opponents. But has Keane spent that money wisely?

A staggering £9m has been spent on Craig Gordon, a Scottish goalkeeper (insert your own joke here) while Peter Ridsdale, usually the man being ripped off, got to see someone else pay over the odds for once as Michael Chopra left Cardiff for a hefty £5m. The move allows Ridsdale to finally understand the phrase ‘laughing all the way to the bank.’

Chopra, formerly of Newcastle, will be expected to score the goals to keep Sunderland up, but his lack of top flight experience, coupled with that of David Connolly, Stern John and Daryl Murphy could persuade Keane to look to bring in another striker, with Spurs man Mido mentioned as a possible target.

It was in midfield that Sunderland excelled last season. The tireless Dean Whitehead impressed as did Carlos Edwards, who finally gets to display his talents in the Premiership following spells in the lower leagues with Wrexham and Luton.

Kieran Richardson, now out of his comfort zone at Manchester United, will need to show just why he’s been in the England squad these past couple of years, as it’s a mystery to the rest of us. At £5.5m he could be seen as a gamble, but he did well in his loan spell at West Brom a couple of years ago, and will be expected to be one of the star performers at the Stadium of Light.

The Mackems have an ambition to become an established Premiership club, but if they try to run before they can walk they could find themselves in deep trouble.

Key Man: Michael Chopra. He’s been signed to score the goals to keep Sunderland up, but is he up to it?
One to Watch: Carlos Edwards. He’s looked destined for the Premiership from the moment he first pulled on a Wrexham shirt, now can he take his chance?
This Season: The spotlight will be on Keane rather than his players, of course, and he’s got a tough job on to keep the Mackems up.

Tottenham Hotspur
Last Season: 5th

So what if Spurs paid more for Darren Bent than Barcelona paid for Thierry Henry? Bent is young, hungry and desperate to win trophies, all things that Henry isn’t, and the former Charlton man has joined a club very much on the up.

Gone are the days when Tottenham fans’ biggest worry going into a new season was whether they’d finish tenth or eleventh; now it’s all about Europe.

Only some dodgy lasagne separated them from the Champions League places in 2005/06, and with last year’s equally impressive campaign behind them, expect them to seriously trouble the top four this season.

Of the established ‘Big Four,’ is easy to see that near neighbours Arsenal look the most vulnerable. The Gunners are a club in transition, on and off the field, while Tottenham are experiencing a renaissance.

Martin Jol has established a squad of talented young English players like Aaron Lennon, Tom Huddlestone, Michael Dawson, Jermain Defoe and Bent, and mixed them with quality foreign players like Dimitar Berbatov, Steed Malbranque and new signing Younes Kaboul. While if any football fan says they don’t enjoy watching Robbie Keane play then they’re lying.

With a bit of luck Tottenham could have won the UEFA Cup last season, and it is Europe that offers them another route to success this time around.

They are still prone to inconsistency, a flaw that ensures that any talk of the title should be ignored, but if they can get it right in a cup competition they have a great chance to win some overdue silverware.

It might be a bit early to start talking about a ‘Big Five,’ but if Tottenham continue to play the entertaining, winning football we’ve seen, then Arsenal have got to watch their backs.

Key Man: Robbie Keane. Jol simply has to find a place for the Irishman in his team, possibly playing in behind two strikers.
One to Watch: Gareth Bale. Everyone wanted him, Spurs got him, and he’ll want to make the left back spot his own.

This Season: If they play to their potential and improve at the back, then gatecrashing the top four is a real possibility.

Premiership Preview - Portsmouth and Reading

Portsmouth
Last Season: 9th

Pompey were close to qualifying for Europe last season, but there’s a school of thought that suggests they overachieved. With that in mind, Harry Redknapp has splashed the cash in an attempt to improve on their ninth placed finish, but has he spent wisely?

David Nugent, despite publicly courting Everton, moves to Fratton Park from Preston. He showed promise at Championship level, but can he reproduce that in the Premiership?

Fellow striker John Utaka also joins Redknapp’s cosmopolitan ranks for an undisclosed fee, reported to be in the region of £8m. If that is true, then the Nigerian will face huge scrutiny from Pompey’s fans. At that cost, they’ll expect him to get amongst the goals.

Other new signings include Hermann Hreidarsson, Sulley Muntari and, in a great piece of business, Sylvain Distin on a free.

David James and Sol Campbell are enjoying Indian summers down on the south coast, and if they continue from where they left off last season then Pompey have every chance of qualifying for Europe.

In Pedro Mendes, Gary O’Neil and Niko Krancjar they possess a quality midfield, which although lacking in goals, more than makes up for it with hard work and creativity, while Matt Taylor will once again look to score goals from virtually every position on the field. If he continues to perform he could find himself in the England squad.

Pompey will dream of Europe again this season. If they start their campaign as well as they did the last one then they could become a real force.

Redknapp now has money to spend to achieve his ambitions. It will be his new signings who determine whether or not he succeeds.

Key Man: David James. Excellent last season, another good campaign could see him back in the England fold.
One to Watch: David Nugent. Will look to transfer his Championship form into the big league.
This Season: Europe is a distinct possibility for Harry’s United Nations.

Reading
Last Season: 8th

‘Same again lads,’ will be the cry from Steve Coppell as Reading start their second season in the top flight.

The veteran boss is clearly from the ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ school of management, seeing as Reading have been the least active club in the summer transfer market, only bringing in midfielders Kalifa Cisse from Boavista and Emerse Fae from Nantes.

They of course replace Steve Sidwell, who turned his back on the club that resurrected his career to jump into the arms of Jose Mourinho. An understandable career move of course, but he could regret it when he realises that he’s probably only been bought to provide cover for better players during the African Nations Cup.

Sidwell leaves along with Greg Halford, whose Reading career never really got going, an example of Coppell’s ruthlessness when it comes to his team. If you don’t fit in, you’re out.

Goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann will be important to the club’s fortunes again, as will tireless midfielders Stephen Hunt and James Harper.

Coppell appeared reluctant to qualify for Europe last season, citing that his squad probably wasn’t ready for the extra demands placed upon them. He may not have the luxury to choose this time around.

‘Second season syndrome’ doesn’t just apply to players, it can affect clubs too, and Reading could be experiencing the symptoms soon. Coppell’s side will no longer be the surprise package they were last season, the likes of Kevin Doyle and Leroy Lita will have their cards marked, and if their small squad suffers injuries they could struggle.

They won’t go down, but it would be a surprise to see them finish in the top half again.

Key Man: Ivar Ingimarsson. The captain is a hugely important member of the Reading back four.
One to Watch: Dave Kitson. The striker missed the majority of last season with injury, and will add goals if he returns to full fitness.

This Season: Too good to go down, but only bottom half for the Royals this time around.

Premiership Preview - Middlesbrough and Newcastle United

Middlesbrough
Last Season: 12th

It is difficult to fill a Mark Viduka sized hole, so difficult in fact that Middlesbrough need two men to do it. But while both Jeremie Aliadiere and Sanli Tuncay each have their own individual qualities, neither is likely to bring as much to the Boro side as Viduka did.

The loss of the Australian is not only a blow to the Middlesbrough area’s Castlemaine XXXX stockists, but also to Gareth Southgate and his team. He has his knockers, but Viduka is a top player, and without him Boro look a weaker proposition.

With fellow striker Yakubu reportedly far from happy at the club, Southgate is faced with a potential striking crisis. Aliadiere showed glimpses of talent at Arsenal, but only sporadically. Asking him and Tuncay to spearhead a challenge for Europe could be a little too much.

Middlesbrough are reportedly the only club in the Premiership who have seen season ticket sales drop. Looking at the team, it’s not surprising.

For years now Boro have established themselves as a firmly midtable Premiership club. Their League Cup win and subsequent heroics in Europe a couple of years ago could have spurred them on to greater things, but the loss of Steve McClaren seemed to stunt their growth. Gareth Southgate is trying, but the club seem happy to occupy their current position; there appears to be no ambition. If the fans perceive that the club has little or no desire then they’ll vote with their feet and stay away.

This season could be an eye-opener for Boro. Clubs around them seem more eager to improve, and if they stand still they’ll struggle.

All the signs point to a difficult year for Southgate.

Key Man: Jonathan Woodgate. Needs to stay fit for the majority of the campaign if Boro are to have a chance of making the top half.
One to Watch: Jeremie Aliadiere. No longer an Arsenal understudy, the Frenchman will look to prove his worth on Teesside.
This Season: Bottom half, with the threat of relegation a very real one.

Newcastle United
Last Season: 13th

Titus Bramble and Freddy Shepherd gone, a new board taking over and a talented, hungry manager in place, could Newcastle be in danger of actually getting it right for once?

Sam Allardyce inherits a group of fans who are more desperate for success than any other. Newcastle’s wait for a trophy has now gone beyond the interminable; it is simply not acceptable any more. If Big Sam fails to deliver silverware, then he’ll be out of a job.

So who has he got on his side to help him find that elusive trophy? In Michael Owen, Alan Smith, Obafemi Martins, Shola Ameobi and Mark Viduka, Allardyce has a strike force that will be the envy of much of the football world. Viduka is an excellent target man and Martins, although quite astonishingly inconsistent, does offer searing pace and the odd flash of genius. Ameobi’s future at the club looks uncertain while we could see Smith used more often in midfield.

But the eyes will be on Owen, who'll be desperate for an injury free season. Back in his Liverpool days there was a time when he was arguably the best striker in the world; any return to that sort of form could see the Geordies shoot up the table.

There is a good player lurking somewhere within Joey Barton. If Allardyce can rid him of his personal demons then his £5.8m price tag will look a bargain, while fellow new signings Geremi and David Rozenhal will add experience.

Kieron Dyer looks to be on his way out, but in James Milner the Magpies have a hard working midfielder who is only going to get better.

Newcastle were desperately poor last season, their final position of 13th was simply not good enough for a club of their stature. They’ll improve on that, but it could be in the cup competitions that they find the most success.

Key Man: Shay Given. Committed his future to Newcastle when he could have left, the Irishman will be a big player in the Allardyce revolution.
One to Watch: Michael Owen. If he stays fit, he could fire Newcastle into Europe.
This Season: Top half, but Big Sam has only just begun…

Premiership Preview - Manchester City and Manchester United

Manchester City
Last Season: 14th

Heard the one about the deposed Thai Prime Minister and the Swedish ex-England boss with a penchant for blonde weather girls? If you’re a Manchester City fan you have.

You’d have thought that giving Sven a wad of cash and asking him to go and splash it around Europe would have the continent’s secretaries shaking with fear, but to Eriksson’s credit he has spent much of it on footballers, seemingly signing anyone and everyone over the past few days.

Italian hotshot Rolando Bianchi, Bulgarian Martin Petrov and Brazilian international Elano are just three of the many new faces through the revolving door at Eastlands, and it is difficult to predict just what will happen until we’ve seen just how they all click.

Of those already at the club, Swedish international goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson is likely to find the approval of his compatriot, while Richard Dunne and Micah Richards can also count their positions safe.

It was City’s failings in front of goal that cost Stuart Pearce his job. In one of last season’s often repeated statistics, they only scored 10 goals at home all season. The likes of Bernardo Corradi, Giorgios Samaras, Darius Vassell and Paul Dickov simply didn’t cut it. All need to improve if they are to make it into Eriksson’s first eleven when the season starts, if they’re still at the club at all.

The cameras will be trained on Sven in his first season in the Premiership, more out of morbid curiosity than anything. He and his players will need to learn to live with that if they are to succeed.

It may take a few months for all the new signings to gel, but they will. It will probably be too late to challenge for Europe but they’ll be comfortably mid-table.

Key Man: Micah Richards. The heartbeat of the club amid all of the changes, Richards could be used in the centre of midfield by his new boss.
One to Watch: Elano. The current Brazilian international was a key player in his country’s Copa America win and could be a big hit at City.
This Season: Sven wants European football, but he’ll have to wait a little longer.

Manchester United
Last Season: Champions

Apparently Manchester United are trying to sign Carlos Tevez.

Well that snuck up on us didn’t it? There’s been nothing about it in the papers and it’s not as if Sky Sports News are banging on about it 24 hours a day, but apparently it’s true.

If and when the champions complete the move (and if we all haven’t lost the will to live by then) Sir Alex will be in possession of a huge array of attacking talent. With the additions of youngsters Nani and Anderson, and the solidity provided by Owen Hargreaves, the squad is undoubtedly stronger than last year’s title winners.

But Ferguson is desperate to win the Champions League one more time, he saw how his team failed desperately against Milan last year, so could he forsake the Premiership in order to achieve the dream this time?

While United were fully deserving of their success last season; they played the best and most exciting football, they would be the first to admit that they benefited from a little luck. Their over-reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney would have been exposed had either suffered the same serious injuries that befell Petr Cech and John Terry.

Deep down Ferguson knows this, and admits that he’s brought Nani to the club a year early. With that in mind, the young Portuguese is likely to feature mainly from the bench in his first year, while Anderson will probably have to be more patient.

Picking Hargreaves and Michael Carrick, impressive in his first campaign, in the same midfield surely sends out a negative message. Paul Scholes was excellent from a deeper lying position last term, so where does he fit in?

Questions questions. Fergie has a lot to think about. Whoever he chooses, United will be the team to beat again.

Key Man: Cristiano Ronaldo. Probably the best player in the world last season. If he plays well, United play well.
One to Watch: Owen Hargreaves. Will be asked to do the dirty work for United’s flying forwards.
This Season: Finish above them, and you’ve probably won the league.

Premiership Preview - Fulham and Liverpool

Fulham
Last Season: 16th

Only a Clint Dempsey strike against a Liverpool reserve side on the penultimate weekend of last season saved Fulham from starting this campaign in the Championship.

The American has now been joined in the Fulham ranks by half the Northern Ireland side, courtesy of new(ish) manager Lawrie Sanchez and his desire to transfer his impressive international achievements onto the club stage.

Aaron Hughes, Chris Baird and Steven Davis are joined by international team-mate David Healy, who looks a master in his country’s shirt, but will have to improve his club form if he’s not to be considered a mere apprentice at Premiership level. Playing alongside him will be Diomansy Kamara, who incidentally is not Irish. The £6m striker arrives from West Brom with much to prove in the Premiership, and his pace and power will cause defences problems.

Fulham’s fortunes will more than likely depend on their established stars though. Brian McBride, their granite-like striker, will once again blooden the noses of the country’s established centre halves, goalkeeper Antti Niemi needs remain his usual reliable self and Papa Bouba Diop, the giant in the centre of Fulham’s midfield, will rampage up and down pitches across the land, trampling on those in his way.

Fulham’s away form has been terrible over the past couple of years, and that will have to improve if Sanchez’s dreams of the top half are to be realised.

His squad has talent, and while they are extremely unlikely to trouble those in the top half of the table, they are certainly better than at least three teams in the division. Therefore, they stay up.

Key Man: Zat Knight. Showed huge potential as a youngster, now needs to realise that as one of the club’s senior pros.
One to Watch: Steven Davis. Fell out of favour at Villa under Martin O’Neill, now needs to rediscover the form that impressed Sir Alex Ferguson a couple of years ago.
This Season: Their awful away form will probably continue, but they’ll be fine.

Liverpool
Last Season: 3rd
When Liverpool finally make the move away from Anfield, those in charge of demolishing the old ground are likely to find several ‘missing pieces of the jigsaw’ buried below the Kop. The phrase is seemingly uttered every summer as the Reds unveil their newest big money signing, but still the wait for their first title since 1990 goes on.

The latest jigsaw completing component is £20m man Fernando Torres, who arrives from Spain with a fancy haircut and stellar reputation. Torres is a quality striker, possessing great pace and terrific finishing ability, but at just 23, he may need a while to get used to the English game, and so Dirk Kuyt and Peter Crouch could have to take on much of the goalscoring burden.

One man who won’t have to get used to the Premiership is Yossi Benayoun, who joins from West Ham, while Ryan Babel, the 20-year-old attacking talent who has already played several games for the Dutch national side, swaps Ajax for Anfield. It is potentially a more important signing than Torres.

A good start is vital. In previous years Liverpool’s title challenge was over before it had begun. It seemed as though they had given up in the league by February and were concentrating on Europe. All could change this time.

Rafa Benitez, ignoring the advice of many ‘experts’ around him, tends to prefer a squad containing several players who can hit the 10-15 goal mark, rather than recruiting the mythical ‘30 goal a season striker.’

Torres, Kuyt, Crouch, Steven Gerrard and new signing Andriy Voronin are all capable of hitting double figures, and with talents like Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Riise, Alonso, Mascherano, Pennant and, whisper it quietly, a fit again Harry Kewell playing alongside them, the Reds have a great chance to finally complete that jigsaw they’ve been working on for too long.

Key Man: Steven Gerrard. Of course. The best midfield player in the world needs to hit the ground running if the Reds are to conduct a serious title challenge.
One to Watch: Jermaine Pennant. Showing overdue signs of maturity, the winger has been impressive in pre-season and could surprise a few people who were too quick to write him off.
This Season: Is this finally their year? Only time will tell, but Rafa is better equipped than he’s ever been and will go mighty close.

Premiership Preview - Derby County and Everton

Derby County
Last Season: Championship Playoff winners (Promoted)

Logic dictates that the winners of the Championship playoffs will be the weakest team in the following year’s Premiership. They are, after all, the team who finished the lowest down the league ladder.

So what of Derby? Billy Davies has shown that he is a talented young manager with plenty of promise, but he’s yet to experience the pressure cooker of the Premiership. His squad is filled with talent. Matt Oakley is an experienced pro who’s performed in the Premiership before, new signing Robert Earnshaw is a genuine goalscorer given the right service and in Giles Barnes, Derby have one of hottest young talents in the country.

A good squad yes, but good enough to stay in the Premiership? Unfortunately, probably not.

The last time Derby were in the top flight they had players like the rubber legged Paulo Wanchope, the solid Igor Stimac and the darting Francesco Baiano. That side was full of flair; this side will be based more on stopping the opposition than getting through them.

Of course everyone will be tipping the Rams to go down, and Davies will be using this as motivation to stay up and prove everyone wrong. They’ll battle, they’ll fight and they’ll make life hard for whoever they face; but ultimately they’ll fail.

Davies, like so many managers before him, could use this season as an experience to put to use in future, when the club has strengthened and have been promoted again. Looking at the tough season he has ahead, it may be his only option.

Key Man: Stephen Bywater. The goalkeeper never really got a chance at West Ham, but he’ll need to perform well this season if Derby are to have any hope of staying up.
One to Watch: Giles Barnes. Excellent in the Championship, can the youngster reproduce his form on the biggest stage?
This Season: A learning curve for Davies. Relegation.

Everton
Last Season: 6th
Under David Moyes, Everton have become as solid and uncompromising as the Scot’s post-match interviews. Never really offering anything overly exciting (like the interviews), the Blues will be firmly in the top half of the table for most, if not all of the season.

Their impressive home form will be the main reason behind this; Everton can beat anyone at Goodison Park, but they could struggle to combine European football and a strong domestic season.

Two years ago Everton’s European campaign was over before anyone had even realised it had begun, but they will do better this time. Evertonians are success-starved, they have been twelve years without a trophy, and although they are unlikely to be polishing some silver come May, at least they are no longer looking over their shoulder at the dreaded prospect of relegation.

The signings of Phil Jagielka and Steven Pienaar will improve the squad, which is a relatively settled one. Phil Neville, Mikel Arteta and Andy Johnson will all perform, while in producing young strikers James Vaughan and Victor Anichebe, the Toffees have shown that their youth system didn’t just give in after Wayne Rooney.

However, there are rumblings of discontent in the background. The proposed move to a new stadium seems neverending, and the fans are upset at a perceived lack of ambition throughout the club.

On the field though, they remain one of the toughest sides to face, and Moyes will marshal his troops well. The Blues will perform in the same steady manner they always do, beating some of the top sides but losing to lesser ones. They’ll be comfortably mid-table, but is that enough for their fans?

Key Man: Andy Johnson. His goals could be the difference between success and failure.
One to Watch: Tim Cahill. Needs to get fit quick to avoid another injury disrupted campaign for Moyes’ boys.
This Season: Steady if unspectacular. As always. Top half. As always.

Premiership Preview - Bolton Wanderers and Chelsea

Bolton Wanderers
Last Season: 7th

Like the substitute teacher stepping in to oversee a class, Sammy Lee will be following Sam Allardyce’s lesson plan. Bolton’s season is as much about seeing how Lee copes with the pressures of top-flight management than anything else. He has a wise head on top of that small body, and he’ll be looking to build on Allardyce’s good work in order to push towards a European place.

Europe is probably Bolton’s best chance of success this season, and expect them to mount a strong campaign in the UEFA Cup. Lee has learnt from managers such as Allardyce, Gerard Houllier and Sven Goran Eriksson, but despite that, many people believe he has what it takes to succeed.

Players such as Kevin Nolan, Gary Speed and El-Hadji Diouf will be as important to Bolton’s plans as ever, with Lee unlikely to drastically alter the physical approach on the field, or the high-tech one off it, that brought Allardyce so much success over the years.

Central to their plans of course will be Nicolas Anelka, if he stays healthy and happy then Lee could enjoy an impressive start to his managerial career. Rumours persist over Anelka’s departure (don’t they always) and the new manager will have to do his best to ensure that the Frenchman stays at the Reebok.

Bolton won’t face any relegation trouble, and will occupy the top half of the table for the majority of the campaign. As for gaining a European place through the league, that may well be beyond Lee in his first season. The cups could be a different matter though…

Key Man: Jussi Jaaskelainen. Reportedly close to leaving Wanderers in the summer, the Finn is an excellent last line of defence.
One to Watch: Danny Guthrie. Highly thought of by Rafa Benitez at Liverpool, the youngster will try and impress on his year long loan deal.
This Season: Top half, with one or more good cup run.

Chelsea
Last Season: 2nd
The ‘Special One’ loses the trophy that’s been his personal property since he arrived in England, and how does he react? By snapping up everyone he can find on free transfers.

While Tal Ben Haim, Steve Sidwell and Claudio Pizarro have to be considered more as functional signings than frivolous, the purchase of Florent Malouda certainly adds talent to the attacking ranks at Stamford Bridge, which will of course be further swelled if the real Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack replace useless clones we saw last season.

Seeing their title go to Manchester will add even greater desire to Mourinho and his players, and with world class talents like Cech, Terry, Lampard, Essien and Drogba throughout the team, it would be a brave man to bet against Chelsea recapturing their crown this season.

But is the hunger still there? Roman Abramovich desperately wants the Champions League, one suspects Mourinho does too. Another semi-final defeat simply isn’t good enough. So with United and Liverpool both reinforcing their squads, could Chelsea take their eye off the domestic ball?

Injuries to key players at key times cost them last season, and with Drogba, Mikel and Essien all set to be missing for up to a month for the African Nations Cup at the beginning of 2008, the Blues will certainly feel their absence.

There is of course the continuing Mourinho-Abramovich soap opera to consider. The Portuguese was never going to leave this summer, despite what many people thought, but expect the rumblings of discontent to emerge at the first sign of a problem.

Like it or not, they are bound to be there or there-abouts when the trophies are handed out, and with Mourinho in charge, it’s unlikely to be dull.

Key Man: Michael Essien. Shifted into defence due to injuries last season, but a powerful force when restored to central midfield.
One to Watch: Florent Malouda. Already appears to have seen off Robben and Wright-Phillips; Joe Cole and Kalou could be next.

This Season: They’ll miss their Africans in the winter, but if they're still in with a chance when they return they could go all the way again.