So the Premiership season is over and we can begin to put things in perspective and let bygones be bygones.  

I was at the Emirates today, and as the mighty Gunners put 4 past Stoke, it became apparent that we really are not lacking too much, sure we need a new centre back and holding midfielder, and we need to replace a disappointing Adebayor, but we are not a club in crisis like it seemed only a matter of weeks ago.  How we lost to Stoke at the Britannia Stadium I will never know.  

As for Hull, they can (hopefully) put a disastrous second half of the season behind them and rebuild for next season.  Their form has been atrocious and they must be early favourites to go down in their 'sophomore' year but at least this year is over and they can begin plotting another survival campaign. 

That none of the 4 teams facing relegation won today is a clear indication that they all deserved to be in the position that they found themselves in.  As for Newcastle...... enough has been said elsewhere, but i will say that the Magpies have a cancer running through the team and let's hope that Shearer is the man to find the cure.  When the news that Newcastle had been relegated their was huge applause around the Emirates, this was surely aimed at the Newcastle ownership and not their fans who are generally a point of pride for the game.

Elsewhere, Fulham crept into the Europa League despite losing to Everton, so congratulations to the Cottages on what has been a fantastic season.

What will happen next season i can't begin to imagine.  Will Liverpool finally win a Premiership title? Will Brown hold another half time team-talk on the Pitch? Will Tevez leave the Red side of Mancherster for the sky blue side of Manchester? Will Lampard score a non-deflected goal?  Who knows.... thats why we love the game.

ET

So we reach that point again. The climax of the footballing season and all of its associated thrills, spills and bellyaches. The excitement of the Cup final and the drama of the final-day relegation battle has always had something distinctly bittersweet - and dare I say anticlimactic - about it for me though. As quickly as it arrives, it's gone, thrusting us all into the football free abyss that is the British summertime. It's the sheer, brutal finality of it that gets me, like the chaotic, heady excitement of that last day of term at primary school - followed by the brave new world of the long, hot summer with its lack of boundaries or certainty.

Almost as soon as the final whistle goes it seems you regain that elusive sense of perspective on it all. Maybe football isn't really that important, not when there are ice creams, jolly japes and warmer climes awaiting. And if it's not, well that's a bit sad really considering you've just spent the last 20 odd years of your life obsessing over it. Maybe, as in life, the thrill is in the chase and none of us quite know what to do with ourselves once it's all over. Or maybe it's just me. Either way, there's nothing quite like the end of the season to bring on a bout of misty-eyed existentialism. Of course, come late August (actually scrap that - September - there's something not quite right about football in the heat of summer) you've realised the error of your ways and will be begging forgiveness from your erstwhile amigo, guilty that you ever doubted him. It's all in the game. Still, you wouldn't have it any other way.

MM

Manager of the Month or Clown of the Year?

If there has been one manager who has added enjoyment to the Premiership this season, it is Phil Brown of Hull City.

Good old Mr. Brown has been acting like he is managing in a long gone era, and i can't remember a manager who has been as eccentric or as single minded as he has during my time watching the English game.  Sure we have had Kevin Keegan and his 'i would love it' rants back in the mid-90s, and we even had Joe Kinnear (another Newcastle Manager - is there something about the Black & White nation that attracts them) going crazy this season to a bunch of journalists, but nothing has matched Phil Brown this season for me.  

The season started for Hull with 4 victories against London clubs and a team of unshaven footballers and manager to boot.  This was done to raise awareness for Testicular Cancer after their goalkeeper - Matt Duke - beat the disease last year.  As noble a cause as this was - combined with his Matrix style jackets - it immediately made Mr. Brown stick out as a man with a bit of character about him.

As results started to turn against the newly promoted Yorkshire-men, cracks started to appear.  First, Tigers legend Dean Windass left the club, complaining of a bizarre style of management that lacked structure and leadership.  Things would soon get even more crazy.

In December, following a particularly bad first half performance against Manchester City (who incidentally have impressed at home all season), Phil Brown decided to hold the half-time talk on the pitch... the team didn't recover in the second half and results since that day have been noticeably worse.

Finally, Mr. Brown has also been mocked for his tan (which he repeatedly claims is all natural), and has been responsible for some classic interviews, particular when asked questions about striker Geovanni. 

As to how much he has lost the dressing room, this was highlighted last week when the entire first team declined on mass an invitation of a team bonding session at the dogs.

Will Brown keep Hull up? he could with even a defeat next week against a weekend Manchester United side.  I for one hope he does, Brown brings a level of entertainment to the Premiership that is unparalleled. 

ET

And the winner is ... surprise surprise ... Manchester United ... again! OK, so they haven't quite won it yet, but I dare anyone to suggest otherwise. And OK, the fact they have, or nearly have, won it again doesn't give the Premier League an unprecedented air of inevitability does it? They will, of course, have only won it three times in row, which as you will remember, also happened about 10 years ago. It's just that the top four have not changed in those three years either and the gap between them and the rest, whatever you may think about Aston Villa, has widened.

A good game, for me at least and I beg you to differ, is one where the winner can not be easily predicted, and one throws up surprises. Clearly a game that is over before it has begun, where the victor and loser are known from the outset, regardless of the quality of performance on display, loses its charm. There is an argument for tighter regulation in the game and the introduction of strict globally-observed rules and standards which guarantee fairer competition between clubs and prevent the emergence and preservation of immense footballing powers. While legislation, which caps players' wages or minimises the number of foreign imports in a team will draw arguments of anti-competitiveness and will upset free market idealists, they have clear benefits and will ensure more surprises.

It is worth noting that the free market norms adopted in football are not absolutes that will remain unchanged, The way that football is structured will be redefined in the future but will only happen when the time is right and when those involved in the football no longer benefit from its structure and system. While global financial markets and the way they function is being, at least partially, rewritten in the light of their total failure and collapses, football will have to wait for its own revolution. The thing is, the dominance of a footballing elite in the PRemiership has not yet at least diminished viewing figures and consequently profits. I, for one, have watched more football this season than I ever remember watching. So, while we keep watching and the corporate elite of clubs, players, agents, the media, national and international football associations keep winning (OK, there are always some losers along the way), the current structure of global football will remain the same and we will continue heading towards a game that draws fewer surprises. To support my view, I offer you some unsurprising predictions for how things will stand at the end of the season:

Premiership:

1. Man Utd  2. Liverpool  3. Chelsea  4. Arsenal

Going Down:

Hull, Middlesborough and West Brom

And on a less surprising note, Burnley to reach the Premier League for the first time ever, and to go straight back down again.

Gareth Southgate has been at Middlesborough since 2001, as a player for the first 5 years, and since 2006 as a manager.  During this time, boro have become a mirror image of their manager, a hard working, uninspiring, underachieving team, but always hopeful of improving.  Listening to Southgate speak, you would be forgiven to think that boro were - week in week out - on the verge of turning the corner.  There have been enough false hopes this season, including the victory ofLiverpool, to drive even the most patient fan crazy.

Gone are the days when i used to watch Match of the Day just to see a glimpse of Juniniho terrorizing an opponents defense with a lack of fear or intimidation.  Those were truly David vs Goliath battles and every neutral used to egg the Brazilian wizard on.  Today in contrast,  the boro fans are subjected to an over priced, under performing, Alves, who has as much confidence as a virgin husband on his wedding night. Despite all this, i still have a soft spot for the boro - as i do their manager - and i wish them the best.

Newcastle are in a similar predicament.  Their current 'messiah' - Alan Shearer, has yet to win a game, and if he does not win tonight will surely struggle to keep Newcastle in the Premiership - something almost unthinkable during the glory years of Kevin Keegan.  I have also always had a soft patch for Newcastle, but their current owner makes this almost impossible to justify, and if i could only save one of the two teams this season it would be boro.

A couple of weeks ago i was lucky enough to take a visit to the North East and this is a region that bleeds football, having two of their 3 big teams relegated this season would have a huge impact and would effect the area in a negative way, more so than any other area in the UK in my opinion.  

Whatever the outcome of tonight's game, both sides still have it all to do stay up, this was made all the more clear this weekend where West Brom won their second game in a row to draw level with their two - more established relegation rivals. Now, not only do they have to keep in touch with Hull (both are 3 points adrift), but they also have to keep an eye over their shoulder at a West Brom side fighting like a wounded animal.  

Boro and Newcastle going down and West Brom staying up? Now that's a scary thought.

ET

Let me get this out of the way: I dislike Chelsea. Now, before I get given the same treatment as that useless Norwegian ref (I don't want to go into hiding too), I actually feel sorry for the boys in Blue. Chelsea put on a gallant display, and Essien's goal was a thing of beauty, and more than deserved to be the goal that sent his team into a sequel to last season's final.

What I want to talk about is the aftermath. As we all saw, a number of Chelsea players surrounded the ref at the end of the game to protest his truly dreadful performance. The player who spat his dummy the furthest was Drogba, getting booked after the final whistle, then turning his petulance towards the television cameras.

I hate to admit it, but I agree with the ugly S.O.B. The ref turning down at least 3 genuine penalty appeals was "a f***ing disgrace". What I am smiling about, however, is the beauty of karma. How many times has Didier dived and had decisions go his way? Nothing makes me more angry than when these supposed talented ATHLETES drop as if the've just lost a limb from the faintest of touches.

During the game in question, Drogba was guilty of diving on more than one occasion. Personally, I hope UEFA throw the book at him. For his hypocracy, but also a more for a more serious reason too. Teddy Sheringham has come out and said that the authorities have to make an example of the players who surrounded the ref. This sets a terrible example that will filter down the leagues to non league, Sunday league, and worst of all, kids leagues. We need to stamp out this kind of behaviour, and I think (just like Teddy) that it's about time we adopted some of rugby's refereeing practices. Only the captain can speak to the ref, and what the ref says goes.

One final thing onChelsea's karma ... the incident a few seasons ago that saw Pepe Reina sent off when he touched Arjen Robben's face making the cheating little s*** drop like a sack of potatoes. Now this. What goes around, comes around. I'm a happy blogger :)

J.I.M.

Chelsea are out, that is all!

ET

he age old question of 'glory hunters' and 'plastic fans' came to my mind last week as I watched my Arsenal side fall 1-0 to Man U in the first leg of the Champions League Semi Final.  


The pub I go to watch the majority of games is about a 10 minute walk from my house in zone 2 London.  It is a great footballing pub with good food, a great atmosphere and an outside screen to watch games when the weather permits.  One of my favourite things about the pub is that it is somewhat off the beaten track and attracts a type of fan who is loyal to their team and their team's cause.


As i took my place in the Garden last tuesday, i looked around and saw a number of Arsenal fans and a few Utdfans who i see week in week out.  There was however, one group ofMan U fans that i didn't recognise.  


It was as the game kicked off that my anger started  to boil.  One of these fans was making a particular twat of himself.  Berating Sagna's hair, screaming when Ronaldo was not given a free kick for a blatant dive, and getting over excited about the most ridiculous things.  As a football fan, you kind of expect this from opposing fans when you watch a game, what annoyed me so much this time was that the individual in question had a cockney accent and had quite obviously never been any further north than the M25.


I am not saying that you have to support your local team, but there is something wrong with somebody from London supporting Man U.  I  could live with a supporter of a lower league team - such asStevenage Borough- supporting one of the top four as a second team, or somebody from the UK, following Barca or Madrid as a second team, but there is something inheriently wrong with a cockney supporting Manchester United.  SS touched on this a couple of weeks ago.  What is wrong with these people? Do they not have any sense of local pride? Are they ashamed of where they come from? Are their lives so shallow that they ahve to cling  on to something successful to fulfil a gap? Who knows? not me.  All i know is that they make my blood boil


I am watching tonights game from the comfort of my home.  3-1 Arsenal - come on boys. you know you can do it!

With the 1st leg of the Champions League semi-finals now concluded, none of the four competing teams should be truly pleased with the outcome. Though United got their goal, through the unlikely source of John O'Shea, they should have had many more if it hadn't been for Almunia and his woodwork. Arsenal on the other hand looked ineffective and are away-goalless, which significantly weakens their bargaining position when the two face each other at the Emirates. While firing on all cylinders at Anfield a fortnight ago, when the game matters and the pressure is on, their psychological frailty is all too often and they look tepid and limp. Or did they just miss the little Russian four-goal hero? In any case, with the unlikely midfield trio of Anderson, Fletcher and Carrick and the rare inclusion of the loveable Carlitos up front, United had a spark for the first time in a while, and that was without the undisputed player of the season. Wow!

In the other tie at the Nou Camp, the Blues of West Lndon predictably parked the bus and Barca were left frustrated. Terry called their defensive display one of the best ever. Of course, if you do not concede at Barcelona where you're up against arguably the best attack in the world, you'll sing your praises, especially if you're a centre-back with Terry's qualities and mindset. I can't help feeling however that you could have had the same spectacle if Chelsea had lined up 10 Martin Keowns and a Petr Cech. Or how about 11 defensively-programmed baboon machines? That may have provided a little more interest anyway. While you may argue that it's not being attractive that counts but winning. This is true, but Celsea didn't win, they drew 0-0. When has the old adage of attack being the best form of defence been more pertinent in a game like this when the opposition is defensively frail and an away goal is priceless. I can't see Barca failing to score at the Bridge and if that's the case then I can see Chelsea's cynical tactics coming back to haunt them. With the awesome Iniesta making things happen in midfield, let me allow myself the indulgence of predicting their rightful appearance in the final.

Before the 2nd legs of the semi-finals however, which are sure to serve up more of a football spectacle, I warn you against missing El Classico where Barca will be aiming to prove that they are indeed 'mas que un club' by beating Real Madrid (with 6 ex-Prem players in Dudek, Heinze, Diarra, Robben, Faubert and van Nistelrooy) at the Bernebau and pulling away in La Liga title race. If they do, then all the superlatives associated with them will be well justified. Watch this space...

So here we go again, it's Champions' League Semi-Final week and once more Barcelona - the upstanding guardians of all that is noble in football - take on the combined might of the Premiership's nouveau riche - Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd. Can anybody seriously fail to go all gooey at the mention of the Catalan dreamboats? They certainly tick all the boxes. Mind-blowingly raunchy attacking football? Check. More big names than a Russian phonebook? Check. Socio-political credibility having been the primary outlet for Catlan anti-Franco sentiment for decades as well as letting UNICEF advertise free on their shirts for a year? Darn tooting. Bloody enormous stadium in a beautiful city? You get the picture...

Nevertheless, you might be forgiven for considering them just that little bit too picture-perfect. Surely there is some chink in their armour? Well, if anything then surely their record in the European Cup is the one blot on their otherwise pristine copybook. Two European Cups in the bag are not to be scorned, but a south-westerly glance towards their lavishly adorned rivals Real (they have 9 titles) is all it takes to send blood pressure skywards in Catalunya. What's more, a season that has promised so much for them hangs very much in the balance. With a 13 point lead in the league whittled away to a mere 4 and last year's bottled opportunity against Utd playing on their minds, Barca are carrying the weight of expectation not just for themselves but for all teams who aspire to the Catalan model. What a depressing eventuality it would be should a team with a strikeforce that has scored more than most other teams put together end the season potless. It would also seem crushingly unfair for a team that has its heart in the right place and its head screwed on, so for the sake of football purists everywhere – good luck Barca.  

MM