1726: League 1: Torquay United have

by : Colin Illingworth

It really was too good to be true. Unbeaten in five, Torquay United travelled to Bournemouth looking to put some clear distance between themselves and MK Dons. A 3-0 drubbing though by the Cherries has dragged the Gulls back into the thick of it. Wins over Peterborough and Doncaster have been accompanied with draws against Swindon, Wrexham and Bradford, and given the fans a real sense of hope. Now just two points clear of MK Dons, rejuvenated under Danny Wilson, the Devon side face a battle to the end but the fans are still confident that Plainmoor side can extend their stay in League One.

“I am reasonably confident that we can avoid relegation,”

Says Chris Fleet, vice chairman of Torquay United Supporters Club.

“I think that despite a rocky start we have the determination in the squad to keep playing our passing game and will hopefully be safe before the last game of the season.”

Torquay are currently level with Oldham and just two points behind Blackpool and Port Vale so they are not down and out yet. Recent results have proved that they can cut it with the best of them in League One but Andrew Senneck, secretary for the TUSC, would like to see a bit of consistency from the team.

“Everytime we seem to have a good run and start pulling away, the teams below us seem to emulate this and catch us up again, piling yet more pressure on us. I seem to recall at one point we were about six points clear of the drop zone and nine points off the play offs, and this led to some comical banter about us being three wins from the play offs, but then we had a slip up and dropped back down towards the bottom four.”

The Gulls travel to Barnsley hoping to get a result that will keep them out of the bottom four, a far cry from last season. They enjoyed their best season in years last year as they gained automatic promotion on the last day on goal difference after beating Southend 2-1 while Huddersfield could only draw at Cheltenham. Nobody could begrudge them their place in League One but the manager and the fans were under no illusions that life with the likes of Sheffield Wednesday, Luton and Hull, was going to be anything but hard. The fans remained confident though that they had enough quality to prove themselves at a higher level.

“It was always going to be difficult to emulate last season,”

Says Andrew.

“When you consider it was the first automatic promotion for 40 years experienced at Torquay, the new season in League One was still a bit of a blur as we were still coming to terms with it all.”

The season started with an away draw at Bristol City and some fans believed they were to carry on their promotion winning form. This belief was short lived though as Sheffield Wednesday and Hull inflicted huge defeats over them. In fact it took the Gulls eight games before they managed to get their first three points of the season under their belts with a 2-0 away victory over Stockport and, if anything, it has been their away form that has kept them afloat this season.

Although they’ve only won three times on the road they have only lost six, which is better than second placed Hull, while Colchester and Torquay share the worst home record in the league, besides rock bottom Stockport. Leroy Rosenior has managed two wins and a draw from the last three home fixtures and Andrew Senneck believes the clubs future could go right to the wire.

“To be honest, I am probably about 50-50 at this stage,”

Says Andrew.

“At the start of the season, I wasn’t sure what to expect and deep down, thought we were going to struggle a lot more. As the season has gone on, we have managed to grind out some good results but then there have also been times when we have looked a bit ropey. One concern is that our away record has been better than the home record. Maybe because the team feel under more pressure to do well at home, who knows? If I HAD to give an opinion, I think we have the squad to survive but it will probably depend on results around us as we have a tricky month coming up and I think it will go right to the last day.”

1725: Premiership: Spurs cannot lose

by : Alex Kay

It seems that Ajax want to install Martin Jol as their new manager following the departure of Ronald Koeman last week. Ajax crashed out of the UEFA Cup to Auxerre on Thursday, and sit a disappointing third place in the Eredivsion.They need revitalisation. It should come as no surprise that Jol’s name is being linked with Holland’s biggest club; Jol did a great job in Holland with RKC Waalwijk, and since his arrival at White Hart Lane, Spurs have looked like a side going somewhere at last.

Whether Jol would be tempted take the Ajax post is unclear. Rumours persist that he is only on a short term contract at Spurs – maybe the security of a long term deal in Amsterdam could tempt him. Also, there is the prospect of regular European football and silverware, plus a return to his home country.

On the other hand, the Premiership is a far bigger league than the Eredivisie, and Jol looks like he might be able to achieve European football and silverware in team with Tottenham. Furthermore, he has just started his new job, and started to put together a young squad which will not peak for a few years yet – Jol will want to be around to see his group of players reach their best.

For Tottenham, the stakes are highest in this whole affair. After years of appearing to move sideways, Spurs finally look like a team to take seriously, and in Defoe, King, Robinson and the incoming Huddlestone, have some of the best young players in England. After the crazy debacle that was Santini’s departure, Spurs need some stability, and Jol’s departure would be devastating for the club. Much of the focus in the papers and on message boards centers on keeping the likes of Defoe and King, but Jol is equally important to Tottenham, and Spurs must make it obvious to Jol, and to Ajax that they will not let him leave. The club just cannot afford another blow of this proportion.

If Jol is on a short term contract, then maybe it’s time to reward him for his bright start as head coach. Spurs’ performances may still be slightly hit and miss, but optimism is rife in the white half of north London for once, and it would be a travesty to have to start from scratch again.

1724: TV: Media watch a different ga

by : Stuart Reid

Football is a game we all love to talk about. After a day’s action, there is nothing better than going down the pub with some mates and debating the talking points over a few pints. Everybody will have a different opinion; that is the beauty of it. Talking about football with friends also demonstrates the total pointlessness of football pundits. Just ask yourself: when was the last time you heard a pundit mention anything you hadn’t already thought of, or one of your mates hadn’t already brought up in conversation?

The general thinking in the television industry seems to be that as long as someone is a player, current or former, they will make a good pundit. Recent ‘experts’ on Sky’s Football First programme have included Iwan Roberts, Paul Walsh and Warren Barton. Now apart from being players, and none of them particularly great, what qualifications do they possess that makes them any more knowledgeable than you or I? Footballers are not particularly renowned for their intelligence now, are they?

My scepticism could be disproved if any of these people ever made an interesting or insightful comment but they don’t. Their contribution to our enjoyment of football is no greater than that of a football-loving friend, and yet they get paid for it. All they do is think of something ‘safe’ and stick to it. They are terrified of saying they don’t rate a player that everyone else does in case they appear un-knowledgeable. This is why no pundit will ever say that Emile Heskey is simply no good.

Sometimes it seems like the media watch a different game to the rest of us. Or maybe it is just laziness that leads them to use the same tired old clichs or makes them revert to the generally-accepted facts of football, such as that Manchester United are great, Jose Mourinho is the best manager in the world and Steven Gerrard is brilliant. Whenever a football pundit can’t think of anything to say, he will mention one of these facts. For instance, while Gerrard is a good player, he gives the ball away a lot and is technically inferior to Xabi Alonso. But watch a Liverpool game and whether he plays well or not, people while rave about him. No journalist will ever question a Mourinho decision and Pires is branded a diver even when he is fouled, while nobody mentions Van Nistelrooy’s dives.

The Everton v Manchester United FA Cup tie was a case in point. At both half and full time, the BBC panel of ‘experts’ commented that Manchester United were superb and that the game was a demonstration of how to pass on a poor surface, led by an inspirational Roy Keane. This was nonsense. Manchester United played well, but by no means superbly. Everton were very poor and allowed them to play, and yet they only created three or four chances in the whole game. I did not really notice that Keane was playing. But of course it is another accepted fact that he is the driving force of the United team, so in order to praise them it is essential to praise him, whether he is good or not. It was almost as if they decided before the game that Man Utd were going to be brilliant and stuck to it.

The simple fact is that until people in the football media learn that is OK to give an honest assessment of a game, team or player, however controversial, their TV appearances and newspaper columns will remain dull and pointless.

1727: FA Cup: Mighty Bees to sting S

by : Colin Illingworth

Former West Ham and QPR striker Leroy Rosenior has been in charge at Plainmoor for the last three seasons and led the club to promotion on a shoestring squad. Recognised as one of the most promising young coaches in the country Rosenior has a great future ahead of him and the full backing of the fans.

“I’m very confident that the fans ARE behind Leroy 100%,”

Says Chris.

“We have a very small squad and not a lot of cash to spare so under the circumstances we have done better than expected already, simply getting promoted with our average gate being so low and our squad so small was probably THE success story of the 92 clubs last season. We all realise that Leroy is still learning the game as a manager and most of us are prepared to allow any small mistakes.”

Andrew Senneck shares that view on the gaffer but believes the pressure will be on next season regardless of which division they’re in.

“When you look at what he has already done for us in the time he has been at Plainmoor, it wouldn’t be fair to accuse him of doing things wrong or badly. When he joined we were one of the worst teams in the football league and were lucky to still be in the league. He has turned us into a more entertaining side to watch and a team that fights to the end whilst on a tight budget.”

“This season, Leroy always knew it would be difficult and I think he and the team have coped well with it. If he continues to motivate the lads and keep their attitudes positive then I think he will have the recipe for survival.”

“In my opinion, the difficult thing for him is going to be next season. If we stay up, he will be expected to have a better season, but if we are relegated, I think the pressure will be on him to get us straight back up.”

Leon Constantine was on loan at the club from Peterborough before Rosenior made the deal permanent for £75,000 and he and strike partner Adebayo Akinfenwa have struck up a fearsome partnership. Constantine has scored a goal every other game since joining and Akinfenwa is a firm favourite with the fans having scored eight.

Chris ranks the shock FA Cup exit at the hands of Hinckley and the 4-1 drubbing by Hull as the worst moments this season but he has been impressed with a number of his players.

“I think that one outstanding player has been Alex Russell, but we have some players who I didn’t think would make it at this level but have done very well, particularly Kevin Hill and Tony Bedeau. There have been a few disappointments, mainly on the goalkeeping front, we lost a Dutch guy Arjan Van Heusden who retired back to Holland, then we had a loanee keeper who came to us injured form Gillingham and had to go back again, then just lately we had an Icelandic guy who suddenly went missing without contacting anyone, he was found in Scotland announcing that he had retired!!! However the biggest disappointment of all was losing Jason Fowler who had to retire through injury, fully fit he would have been have a Championship player at least.”

Torquay have only lost two of their last eight but Tuesday’s defeat may have knocked their confidence. However Chris believes that if Rosenior can keep the spirits in the camp high then they will survive.

“I think that if he keeps the players confidence going we will survive, when we first came into this league we had a very tough opening sequence of games most of which we lost, some of them very badly. This affected the players confidence quite badly but they seem to be getting their heads up now, if Leroy can get the players to show the same commitment and resilience as in our last few games we should be ok.”

There are only a dozen games of the season left to play and Soccer AM’s Helen Chamberlain’s heroes start the run in on Saturday with an away trip to Barnsley. Four points separate the four clubs above the MK Dons desperately trying to avoid joining Stockport, Peterborough and Wrexham in the drop zone but Torquay’s future remains in their own hands. The Gulls face some crucial six pointers in the final five games of the season against MK Dons, Port Vale, Oldham, Blackpool, and Colchester, and Andrew believes Blackpool and Oldham could be in deep trouble.

“I think that Blackpool and Oldham may slip into trouble but I think Chesterfield, Port Vale and Colchester will be fine. I think Wrexham could be trouble for us. If it wasn’t for their 10 point penalty they would be above us and something tells me that they might just cause a few problems for us as far as the table is concerned. I think Peterborough are in trouble. After watching the game against us, I thought that the Posh' defence looked unstable and their finishing wasn’t much better. MK Dons are somewhat like us in the sense of they seem to have good weeks and bad weeks. They still have to come to Plainmoor, so hopefully we can avenge the defeat at the National Hockey Stadium and get some breathing space between us and them.”

Stockport County are currently 14 points adrift of safety and it’s safe to say that they are already doomed to life in League Two. Barry Fry’s Peterborough are another side with a real fight on their hands. They have two games in hand but were recently beaten 2-1 by Torquay and Chris fears the worst for the Posh and insists Huddersfield and Port Vale aren’t out of the woods yet by any means.

“After coming back from the match (against Peterborough) I can only say that Peterborough were very poor and allegedly have money troubles, despite staying in Torquay’s premier hotel overnight, also Huddersfield are dropping like a stone and I think that, despite a great team spirit, Wrexham will face relegation. My favourites for relegation are Stockport, Peterborough, Wrexham, and either Huddersfield or Port Vale.”

Chris’s best moment this season was beating Doncaster 2-1 and he believes that if Torquay do fall through the League One trap door it will be devastating for the club, and it could be some time before they saw League One football again.

“It would be devastating for the fans if we were to get relegated after just one season, we would probably lose a few key players and possibly the manager too. The club would survive but it would mean redeveloping the ‘grandstand’ would have to be left for a while due to the lack of revenue. Last time we were relegated from the same league we struggled to survive the following season, I just hope that history doesn’t repeat itself.”

Andrew is pinning his hopes on the sides below Torquay losing to stay up and he agrees that relegation would be disappointing, but he doesn’t believe it would bring any financial worries.

“The fans will be upset, but at the end of the day, it would see us back in the division we spent so many years in, so it will be like returning from a holiday. I doubt we will lose fans from it and I would hope that other teams would respect us for what we did achieve. As a small club, we outdid the favourites to get promoted in the first place and as the favourites to be relegated this season, we have done well to last this long without being in a similar position to Stockport.”

“My personal hopes for this season were to go into this league with our heads held high. I didn’t want us to be just making up the numbers and wanted us to prove to the league that we deserved our place. We will never be an Argyle, but we would like to maintain our status as second best team in the South West and I think we have deserved our League One Status this season.”

Survival was the main aim for the club this season and with 12 games left to play the loyal Gull fans would take it at any cost. It’s in their own hands and with Rosenior in charge you wouldn’t bet against them beating the drop.
Victory for Brentford in their FA Cup replay against Southampton will give the Bees their biggest payday in years. Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United are waiting in line for the winners of the tie and it’s the dream draw for every Bees fan, especially the chairman. But before they begin dreaming about the likes of Rooney, Ronaldo and Giggs, stepping out at Griffin Park they must first get past Harry Redknapp’s struggling Southampton.

The Saints looked to be marching into the sixth round after on loan Wolves striker Henri Camara scored twice but Martin Allen has installed an inner self-belief into the Bees and they staged a remarkable comeback. Two down away from home against Premiership opposition Brentford pulled one back through Isiah Rankin before Sam Sodje equalised, sending the fans into delirium.

“It was a fantastic fight back,”

Says Phil Marchant, secretary for the Brentford Independent Association of Supporters.

“Some players showed nerves early on and this contributed to our 2-0 deficit. But this squad has bags of character, resolve and self-belief, qualities which have been pushed through by Martin Allen and the coaching staff, and which were shown on Saturday. It was brilliant, but not totally surprising. Our centre backs & central midfielders were particularly outstanding in repelling the Saints attacks, but every player was a real hero.”

Brentford are the sole representatives left in the FA Cup from League One and are currently on the verge of grabbing a play off place. It’s a far cry from last season when they narrowly avoided the drop with victory against Bournemouth on the last day.

Martin Allen took over from Wally Downes in March last year and faced a huge task of keeping the Bees alive as relegation loomed. However Allen has turned the Griffin Park club around making them a much stiffer team to play against. 12 wins and just three defeats at home this season Brentford will be anything but a stroll in the park for Southampton.

The Saints have an ominous home record themselves having only lost twice but they have been truly awful on their travels. The St Mary’s side have only won twice on the road all season both coming against Northampton Town in the Carling and FA Cup. They are still searching for their first away win in the Premiership and have only gained three points from a possible 42! Phil, whose best player was former England and Spurs star Andy Sinton, is confident the Bees can get a result but believes the team will come out of the tie covered in glory, regardless of the score.

”I'm as confident as a League One supporter is entitled to be about playing a Premiership team. But I'm realistic to know that we are still the underdogs. That said, I'm totally confident that we will come out of the match with our heads held high having given everything, and that may well be enough to win the tie.”

Martin Allen’s team have a wealth of experience in the FA Cup this season with this being their fourth replay in the competition. They have beaten Bristol City on penalties, Hinckley, League One leaders Luton Town, and Hartlepool, on route to the fifth round and are looking at booking their first spot in the sixth round since 1989.

Southampton reached the final in 2003 and Harry Redknapp would love to end a turbulent season on a high note. The Saints won the Cup in 1976 beating Manchester United 1-0 at Wembley. The St Mary’s fans would like history to repeat itself but they’ve had their fingers burnt already this season in the League Cup by Watford so they won’t be taking Brentford lightly.

1723: Carling Cup: Has Chelsea’s luc

by : Gordon McRury

One of the most eagerly awaited fixtures of the season ended acrimoniously on Wednesday. Jose Mourinho suffered back to back defeats for the first time in his Chelsea career. The result however, was not the major talking point of the evening. Early in the second half Chelsea striker Didier Drogba was ordered off for a challenge that can only be described as innocuous. The controversial decision came only minutes after referee Anders Frisk allegedly had a half time conflab with Barcelona Chief Frank Rijkaard.

In the post match media conference Jose Mourinho and his backroom team were conspicuous only by their absence and are now set for a heavy UEFA fine for their troubles. Chelsea are set to counter with a formal complaint about the goings on at half time.

Although Chelsea now face a difficult second leg, the challenge is by no means insurmountable. Chelsea have shown both domestically and on the continent this season that they have the ability, hunger and desire to win the big games and with the goings on in Barcelona we are store for firecracker at Stamford Bridge.

However, it would be fair to say that Chelsea were devoid of ambition at the Nou Camp. They set out to stifle the game and make sure they could take an evenly balanced tie back to Stamford Bridge. However for Chelsea to get an away goal in the Nou Camp was fantastic and this could prove invaluable in the second leg

Interestingly Mourinho Chelsea adopted the very same tactics he heavily criticised Jaques Santini’s Tottenham for using at the Bridge earlier this season. Also on Wednesday Mourinho was seen remonstrating with the fourth official, after Barcelona’s Deco dived at the edge of the box in an attempt to win a penalty. An occurrence that Mourinho, constantly missed in his post match interviews last season, while he was managing the player.

Earlier this season Mourinho was regarded as almost superhuman, in every interview he was cool, calm and composed but now the pressure is mounting, cracks are beginning to appear and Ferguson and Wengerisms are beginning to appear in his post match interviews. Every manager has to rely on a certain amount of luck, something that has deserted Mourinho in his two defeats and against Newcastle and Barcelona, Chelsea were reduced to ten men through no fault of their own. So the burning question has to be, has Chelsea’s luck deserted them? Sure, they have had a fantastic season so far but they still haven’t won anything. It will be interesting to see where each piece of Silverware eventually resides, before we judge the Portuguese manager.

One thing is for sure, another large piece of the puzzle will be solved at Cardiff on Sunday.

1722: Carling Cup final preview: Liv

by : Stephen Orford

The first silverware of the 2004/05 season is up for grabs tomorrow afternoon (February 26) as Liverpool face-off with Chelsea in the Carling Cup final at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. Both sides will be expected to field rather stronger line-ups than have been seen in previous rounds as the prospect of picking up a first trophy in English football looms large for both managers.
The Reds will be going for a record eighth League Cup win, with the last of these coming in 2003 when they defeated Manchester United. To achieve this they will face the sternest test imaginable against a recently wounded Chelsea outfit. Jose Mourinho’s men have been having their problems of late, with FA Cup defeat at Newcastle followed by a controversial Champions League reverse in the Nou Camp against Barcelona. Mourinho’s disgust and subsequent refusal to speak to the media following the Barcelona game has been well documented, but he now faces the task of putting all of that behind him and concentrating on the task in hand.

Standing in his way will be an increasingly desperate Liverpool side. Despite a solid Champions League win over Bayer Leverkusen the Anfield club have laboured in the Premiership, and may yet need to pick up the Carling Cup to guarantee their own European qualification for next season. However, more important to them, and to first-year manager Rafa Benitez will be the opportunity to put a record 42nd piece of silverware into the Anfield trophy cabinet.

They won’t have a better opportunity to beat Chelsea than at this stage of the season. Not only are they below their peak in terms of morale following their recent losses, they also have an injury list to rival even that of Liverpool at various times this season. Star turn Arjen Robben continues to be absent from the side, as does broken ankle victim Wayne Bridge, along with Robert Huth and Scott Parker. There are also doubts about the fitness of defender William Gallas. Should he fail to make it, expect to see Glen Johnson brought in to play right-back, with Paulo Ferreira drafted in at left-back.

The good news for Chelsea is that both Didier Drogba and Damien Duff are expected to be fit despite recent injury worries. Petr Cech continues in goal after the unfortunate Carlo Cudicini picked up a suspension following his red card against Newcastle United. Mourinho had promised the Italian a start in the showpiece, but the club eventually decided not to appeal against Cudicini’s ban.

Liverpool will welcome back Steven Gerrard after the England man missed the win over Bayer Leverkusen through suspension. Also available for selection are Fernando Morientes and Mauricio Pellegrino, both of whom were cup-tied for the Champions League fixture. However, Liverpool too have their fare share of injury absentees with Djibril Cisse, Xabi Alonso and Florent Sinama Pongolle all ruled out for the foreseeable future.

Despite a series of glaring howlers this season, Jerzy Dudek looks set to continue in goal for Liverpool. Dudek is the only man from either side to have appeared in all of the previous rounds of the competition, such is the level of tinkering on show in the Carling Cup these days. In front of him, the only absentee from Liverpool’s first-choice back four should be Josemi, who still has not recovered from head and groin injuries.

The styles of both teams suggest a cagey affair, and Chelsea’s superior defensive qualities should make them a slight favourite with most observers. The battle for midfield supremacy between Gerrard and Frank Lampard will prove vital, but with talent like Baros, Morientes, Kewell, Drogba, Duff, Cole and Gudjohnsen on show, there are more than enough potential match-winners around.

The teams have already met twice in the league, with Chelsea coming out on top 1-0 on both occasions, with Joe Cole scoring the winner each time. Steve Bennett takes charge of this clash, for which the stadium roof will be closed. An all-new football will be used, the design of which sees the names of all previous winners stitched into the leather. Even Luton Town.

Chelsea will be going for a third League Cup win, having won the trophy last in 1998 when they beat Middlebrough 2-0 in the final. Should they win, it will be the 10th trophy that they have won in their history. With their current squad depth, shrewd if slightly sulky and cocky coach, and financial wealth there is the promise of many more in the near future. Perhaps not this weekend though, as at prediction time this not at all biased writer is going to stick his neck out and predict the continuation of Chelsea’s minor blip.

Verdict; Liverpool to sneak it 1-0, with Sami Hyypia, Dietmar Hamann and Igor Biscan picking up a record-equalling third League Cup winners medal for a foreign player, Bruce Grobbelaar being the current record holder of that distinction.

1721: Champions League: Don’t be sur

by : Chris Sherrard

So what are we to make of this week’s Champions League action? Are English clubs as bad as their three defeats, and only Liverpool’s victory over Leverkusen, suggest? Is there a deeper malaise in the British game summed up further by the mere presence of two clubs in the UEFA Cup? Or were defeats inflicted on Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United by their respective European foes simply momentary lapses which will be recompensed for come the return legs in the coming weeks?

I am of the view that English football is undoubtedly the most exciting domestic league in Europe. That is not to say the Premiership is the best technique-wise, or possesses the best players within its midst. But for leap-from-your-seat, cheer-til-you-burst entertainment it is impossible to surpass the game in these parts.

However, when it comes to winning the big games, the big trophies, a touch of savvy is favourable to a rush of blood to the head. Going gung-ho no longer works like it did for the great Real Madrid sides of the distant past and, even, when Manchester United won the Champions League six years back. The game has moved on. Porto’s victory last season and Greece’s Euro 2004 win underline that fact. If you want to be the best, you have to be the toughest to beat. Forget this winning business, not losing is the new triumph.

English football had the most qualifiers through to the Second Round of the Champions League with those four aforementioned clubs. But with only Liverpool winning there is the possibility of Rafa Benitez’s side flying the lone St George in the Quarter-Finals. Over the top? Probably, but it is not out of the question.

I do not think that will eventually become the case, though. Chelsea have got an away goal from Barcelona and were, in my view, unlucky to taste a rare defeat in the Nou Camp. Arsenal, meanwhile, should be dead and buried but their late goal in Munich gives them a sniff of a chance going into the return leg at Highbury. And in their favour must be the notion that Vieira and Henry can not fail to under-perform in quite the same way they did in midweek. You have to think the French duo will be improved next time out, certainly in the case of Henry who seldom strings two innocuous games together. The degree of his projected improvement matters greatly to Arsenal’s chances of over-turning the deficit facing them.

Manchester United were outdone at their own game and it will be tough, although not out of the question, to see them make further progress beyond this stage. Milan made their hosts look like visitors on Wednesday and came out firing right from the start. To succeed in Europe you need a high percentage of your top players to turn it on. United could report Scholes, Giggs, Rooney and their ‘keeper missing in action at Old Trafford and no team gets the better of a side like the Milanese under those circumstances.

And even though it is clear Liverpool’s opponents at this stage of the competition lack plenty of the prestige and complexity of their Premiership colleagues, they gave themselves a very timely boost by beating Bayer Leverkusen – recent finalists in the Champions League. With Mr Liverpool returning from suspension for the second leg the Anfield club will, almost certainly, be celebrating progression in a competition they once called their own.

One of the lessons to be learnt by the English clubs from their respective forays into European football’s elite competition this week is the necessity to convert their chances. Paul Scholes probably knew free shots on a goal normally defended so immaculately by Maldini, Nesta et al are few and far between. When he drove his shot wide from 15-yards on Wednesday you just knew the next real opportunity would be a while in the waiting. That is why Ruud van Nistelrooy’s return to fitness is integral to United’s dwindling hopes in the San Siro for the second leg. The Manchester club have got a pedigree of going into the Italian lions den and taking something. They must do it all over again in less than two weeks time.

There will be plenty who have been forced to take a rethink on the status English clubs really hold in European football after the week just gone. But a reality check points out that Liverpool are sitting pretty, Chelsea just need one goal, Arsenal are well capable of scoring twice at home (Henry hat-trick, anyone?) and Manchester United can only draw on players of the modest quality of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs to drag them out of the whole in which they currently sit. Could be worse, eh?

1717: Premiership: Tottenham? Champi

by : Gordon McRury

Only a decade ago Spurs were in the top five clubs in the country, but since then they have been on the decline with every article written about them has been peppered with phrases such as “sleeping giant” and “former glory”. For the last few seasons Spurs have faced a trophy less season and mid table mediocrity, not the most mouthwatering prospect for a football fan, but in and around White Hart Lane there has been a wind of change and there appears to be a feeling of genuine optimism.

For the first time in years the Tottenham fans have a team that are beginning to look as if they can bring back the “glory days” of the club.

Ok they may not win the league in the foreseeable future, but European qualification and prospect of silverware seem like a genuine possibility for the club. Perhaps I am examining the situation with rose tinted specs on, but I genuinely believe that outside Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal that Tottenham Hotspur have the best squad in the country. Everyone is aware that Mourinho has spent vast sums of money assembling his superstar squad, but I would bet that quite a few of Martin Jol’s boys would be welcomed with open arms by Mourinho, and by most other Premiership managers for that matter. In fact Defoe, King and Paul Robinson have all been linked with big money moves to the Premierships big three.

They only problem for the current Tottenham squad, is consistency. It has blighted the team for a number of years now and was again highlighted in Saturday’s FA Cup tussle with Championship strugglers Nottingham Forrest. A game that Spurs should have won comfortably ended in Tottenham hanging on for a replay at the City ground with Robinson the most worked of the two keepers. If Spurs can eradicate this inconsistency between now and the end of the season then they should bypass Charlton, Bolton and Middlesborough on their way to a UEFA Cup slot. Couple this with the possibility of an FA Cup triumph and Spurs fans are set for an incredibly exciting end to the 04/05 season.

If Spurs can achieve this, the optimists amongst the White Hart Lane faithful will most definitely be harboring Champions League aspirations for season 05/06.

1718: Premiership: Will Alan Smith b

by : David Hulott

Whether the Premiership pendulum will swing quickly enough for Manchester United to catch Jose Mourinho’s men has to be doubted, but it might prove significant that just as the vast Chelsea squad is beginning to be stretched by injuries, the Red Devils are beginning to welcome back key personnel.

Having Ruud van Nistelrooy back in action is a major plus in itself for Sir Alex Ferguson, but with Alan Smith and Louis Saha also returning to fitness, Ferguson now has a wealth of attacking options alongside Wayne Rooney. So many options in fact, that it’s difficult to envisage how Smith and Saha will ever get a meaningful 90-minutes when everyone is fit and able.

With Van Nistelrooy and Rooney the obvious front pairing for Manchester United, it does make you wonder about Smith’s position. Although the former Leeds United man can be used on the right-flank, Ferguson has long been an advocate of natural width and pace going forward, so Cristiano Ronaldo will always get the nod. There has been talk that Van Nistelrooy could be sold but, were it to materialise (doesn’t sound a particularly good idea), it would surely only result in Ferguson signing a similarly predatory striker in his place? It could be argued that Smith and Rooney could form a strike partnership, but they’re both basically second strikers and besides, where would that leave the jut-jawed Dutchman? He could feasibly drop into the hole behind the front two, but what about Paul Scholes?

With Van Nistelrooy being the focal point of the attack, Smith is really up against Rooney for one place. Personally, I’ve always had my doubts as to the longevity of Rooney’s career, with any possible combination of injury, weight or off the pitch issues seeing his performances suffer as he gets older. That time is probably still several years away though, so as things stand, Smith seems destined to be used as little more than a stop-gap, filling in whenever injury, suspension or temporary loss of form allows.

So, Smith appears to be destined for a lengthy spell of bench-warming duty alongside Harold Steptoe doppelganger Phil Neville. How content will Smith be with that scenario? Yes, he’s got every chance of winning a few medals at Old Trafford and he’s obviously collecting a very hefty pay packet, but he certainly doesn’t strike you as a player who is happy to be sat on the sidelines. Sure, football these days is a squad game and he’ll get his opportunity to feature in each and every Carling Cup tie, plus 10-minutes here and there as a substitute in the Premiership and Champions League, but it’s difficult to imagine him putting up with that for too long.

From Ferguson’s perspective, Smith is a great player to have around and the manager has made it known how pleased he is with the manner in which he has conducted himself since moving from Elland Road. Never giving less than totally committed performances and always capable of coming on when someone is needed to ruffle a few feathers in the opposition defence, he is in many ways an ideal squad member.

Of course, things can change at a dizzying pace in the Premiership these days. Who, six months ago, would have envisaged Harry Redknapp taking up residency at St Mary’s Stadium or that Arsenal’s season would seemingly be plummeting into freefall? Even so, barring Rooney opting to retire with some glamorous OAP to a Saga holiday hideaway, it’s difficult to envisage Smith being first choice anytime soon.

1716: Premiership: Can Spurs win the

by : Daniel Kelly

Spurs face a home match against Fulham on Saturday chasing the three points that will place them back in the hunt for Europe, followed by a trip to Nottingham Forest for a place in the FA Cup quarter finals. Both games look on paper like wins for the White Hart Lane team, victories which would begin to fulfil expectations, and that is exactly the sort of game Spurs have been losing for as long as I can remember.

Looking back over the last few years, Spurs have started the season brightly, been European contenders coming up to Christmas only fall away into mediocrity. Fans and managers alike point to a crucial game or set of games as key for their season’s aspirations. These can be games against the top sides Spurs seek to join, which Spurs nearly always lose, or those against the type of lower teams Spurs are attempting to distance themselves from. The result is always the same defeat. The last few seasons reveal a litany of such failures, FA Cup, League Cup and Premiership. The League Cup Final against Blackburn, where Spurs famously failed to turn up is a prime example, but amongst others I can also recall a game against 10 man Fulham at White Hart Lane Spurs failed to win, and a sorry last day capitulation when victory would have claimed 7th and the defeat saw Spurs slump to 14th.

Even looking at this season, Santini’s charges flopped after a fantastic start, losing to Portsmouth, Bolton, Fulham, Charlton, Arsenal and Aston Villa to slide down the table. A turbo-charged run under new coach Martin Jol pushed Spurs back to the fringes of the European places, only for the side to lose consecutive games against Palace and Bolton. An unexpected draw with struggling Palace a few weeks earlier also halted Spurs five game winning spree. Spurs remain in the hunt for Europe because of their good early season form and the Jol winning spree, but the next few games are once again make or break for Spurs season. Fulham, Forest (FA Cup), Southampton, Charlton, Man City, and Birmingham look on paper like winnable fixtures, but will Spurs still be threatening the top six at the end of them?

Martin Jol and his young side have much to prove to the long suffering Spurs faithful. Early signs are encouraging, yet the inconsistency of youth and the weight of recent history stands in their way. But if Spurs can shake off a decade of underachieving failure, then maybe it will be this season and not next year that the sleeping giant at White Hart Lane will rise from its slumber.

1719: Champions League: Why Premiers

by : Hugh Larkin

The Champion’s League Second Round is only at the halfway point and none of the English teams are out of it yet but there’s every chance that Premiership representation will be halved as the competition moves into the quarter-finals. This week’s performances raised once again the issue of why English teams have such a dreadful record in Europe.

The Champions League, for good or ill, has been with us since 1992, roughly paralleling the emergence of the Premiership which was supposed to drive up standards and make England World Cup contenders. Statistics do occasionally lie but in this case the figures tell a very stark truth. Thirteen Finals since the league came into being -Manchester United the sole English winners. Of 26 finalists United are also the only English representatives.

Spain has enjoyed 4 wins, Italy 3, Germany 2 and 1 each for Holland, France and Portugal. In terms of finalists the gap between the Premiership and the other major leagues grows even wider- Spain, Italy and Germany have all provided three different finalists during this period who between them have taken 19 of the 26 available places in the showpiece.

This is a sorry state of affairs and a perplexing one because the two factors which were most often cited as holding back progress are no longer with us. Certainly English sides were hit doubly hard by UEFA limitations on foreign players because Scots, Welsh and Irish players were deemed to be in this category. Witness United’s team juggling against Barcelona in 1994 when two of their best sat in the stand as they were crushed 4-0.

But since this rule has gone , not only have the other Brits been eligible, there has been a tide of quality foreign players moving to the Premiership. In the mid-90s Denis Bergkamp was unusual in that many of the imports had peaked in their careers, though they were still good players. However, since the millennium some of the top talents in the world have joined the Premiership and yet still English clubs can’t compete with the other senior leagues.

The old argument that British technique simply isn’t up to it is impossible to maintain when teams go out with hardly a Home player on show and in terms of fitness and preparation the elite English clubs are the equal of any on the Continent. An awful lot of column inches have been taken up on Arsenal’s serial failures in Europe but in truth, Manchester United’s record is mediocre at the business end of the tournament, Liverpool blew their best chance in 2002 and Chelsea have made two embarrassing exits in the knockout phase.

And that’s without mentioning the UEFA Cup where Liverpool have posted the only English triumph in the past two decades. In case you’re wondering, in that time it’s gone 8 times to Italy and 3 each to Spain and Germany.

Although Real Madrid are still capable of buying anyone, the Premiership clubs are the equal, if not the betters, of Europe’s elite clubs in terms of wealth. Astonishingly, a middle-ranking side like Aston Villa appear at number 20 on the current list of the world’s richest clubs. English clubs should be able to sign anyone, although integrating those players can be tricky- see the cases of Veron and Crespo.

Three factors could be responsible for lack of success. Firstly , the number of matches played in England and the pace at which the game is played; Premiership players are placed under a significantly greater load than their Serie A or Liga counterparts. As a follow on from this, the rigour of our season (and weather) puts some superstars off coming here.

Most importantly, despite the foreign influx- coaches as well as players- the game in the UK is still played at a much higher tempo than on the Continent. What is exciting to watch is not always conducive to developing the habits of possession which are so important to European success. Even in the cosmopolitan Premiership the essence of the British game holds sway and the great Johann Cruyff’s judgement remains basically sound;

“English football is the most fun to watch because they take risks and make mistakes. As a fan I really love it. But as a coach I don’t feel good about it at all. …..English teams always gave you the ball back if you lost it. They still do.”

1712: Championship: Coventry City fa

by : Colin Illingworth

Stern John’s winner against promotion hopefuls Reading has blasted a huge hole in the grey skies above Highfield Road and given Micky Adams Coventry City side not only his first win in charge but also a great chance of beating the drop.

Before Saturday, City were two points above the drop zone, had won just twice in the last 12 games, and were playing like a team destined for the drop. Adams made seven changes for the away trip to Reading and was rewarded with a vital victory that takes them above Plymouth and four points clear of Gillingham.

However there is still a lot of work for the former Fulham and Leicester boss to do to keep City in the Championship. Coventry have only managed to record back-to-back victories twice this season; and sure enough Wigan went and denied them a hat-trick by defeating Coventry 2-1 on Wednesday night.

The former Coventry player has faced a number of demanding challenges in his career but, make no mistakes about it, keeping City up will be the toughest. With 12 games of the season left to play the Sky Blues possess the joint worst defence in the league with Gillingham on their travels and the fans are under no illusions that the situation is critical.

Jonathan Strange, chairman of the Coventry City London Supporters’ Club, the largest and longest standing supporters’ organisation of its kind, believes though that the club can retain their Championship status.

“But like most supporters, my dwindling confidence is really founded on an incredulity that a team for whom a play-off spot was still possible in December could now be facing relegation. And remember, these are fans who tend to regard the Championship and its Neanderthal level of football as a temporary sin bin before a return to the big-time.”

However Rod Dean, 58, founder and former chairman of the CCLSC, is already bracing himself for life in League One, thanks mainly in part to Peter Reid’s disastrous seven months in charge.

“Most football supporters living outside Coventry cannot imagine how much damage the Peter Reid era has done to the club. Under Eric Black we were doing quite nicely and we believe that the same team would, with a few additions, have been knocking on the door of the play offs. Here we are eight months later contemplating relegation and boasting a demoralised and weakened squad. Unless Micky Adams can get in the four players he requires, although he probably requires at least eight, to bolster the team at the back and maybe one ball winner in midfield we will be relegated, no doubt about that.”

Peter Reid’s appointment last summer came as a great shock to the fans after Eric Black had transformed the side into an exciting and entertaining side. Although the fans were dismayed at the decision the majority of them went along with the decision as Reid’s track record of getting teams into the Premiership was second to none.

Unfortunately, the decision to appoint the former Sunderland manager turned out to be a gamble that backfired spectacularly. Ten wins from 31 games was a poor return for a team who had high hopes of promotion back to the Premiership but Jonathan, who is currently writing a biography of City legend Keith Houchen, refuses to blame Reid for everything that has gone wrong.

“He cannot be blamed for the circumstances of his appointment but he did not endear himself by never attending reserve and youth team games and appearing not to take an overall interest in club matters. Disdaining the criticism and description of his 4-5-1 formation, he banished out-an-out strikers Morrell and McSheffrey to the wings, leaving only one man up front. He sold Bjarni Gudjonsson, effective on the flank and a gem under Eric Black, only a few months after the player’s transfer to City had been made permanent. Stephen Hughes in midfield has been the only unqualified success among Reid’s signings although goalkeeper Luke Steele, on loan from Manchester United, has saved the side quite a few times. The loss of defender Calum Davenport was a big blow, both to Reid and the team.”

Rod has been a season ticket holder at Highfield Road for over 40 years and is a lot more damning on the former England midfielder short spell in charge labelling it ‘the most disastrous in the clubs history’.

1720: League 1: Brian Talbot leaves

by : Stephen Orford

It is less than seven weeks since Oldham Athletic’s momentous FA Cup third round victory over Premiership Manchester City. However, today (February 24) they find themselves only two points off the League One relegation zone and without a manager following the departure by mutual agreement of Brian Talbot.
Since that victory over Kevin Keegan’s men Latics have endured a torrid time with their last win of any description coming against Peterborough United on January 22. They have lost seven games on the spin, and seen their FA Cup adventure come to an end with defeat against Bolton Wanderers. They have also suffered a 5-3 reverse in the LDV Vans Trophy Northern Area Final first leg against Wrexham. However, it is their league form that has been of most concern in recent weeks. Defeats have become almost commonplace, the latest of which was a 5-1 drubbing against Bristol City on Tuesday night (February 22).

This result seems to have been the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back as far as Talbot’s Boundary Park tenure is concerned. It followed on from home defeats to Stockport County and Swindon Town aswell as the Bolton loss, and a 4-0 pasting at Bournemouth. Defensively, Oldham have been worryingly weak of late, conceding 16 goals in their last four games. They have not exactly lit up the scoreboard at the other end too frequently either, with just five goals to their name during that same period.

Overall they have conceded 58 goals in League One this season, scoring just 26. Their top league goalscorer is Scott Vernon with 7, while Chris Killen has managed 6 and Kevin Betsy 5. These meagre totals seem indicative of where the club’s problems lie this season and there was much criticism from the fans of Talbot’s style of play early on this season. Although Talbot seemed to take this on board, switching from a more direct style to a more attractive, passing game, it now seems that he has lost the support of the fans and indeed the players.

Talbot had been in charge at Boundary Park for just under a year after his appointment last March. He was brought in as a replacement for Iain Dowie who, to be fair, was always going to be a hard act to follow. The Crystal Palace boss presided over something of an Oldham resurgence until financial troubles stripped his squad of most of its major playing assets.

Former Arsenal player Talbot stepped in, and did so with some pedigree, having guided Rushden and Diamonds to the old Division Two from the Conference. However, despite the cup heroics, he was never able to lead his new side towards a genuine tilt at promotion to the Championship. Now, with eleven games remaining, a new man must be brought in with the remit of trying to preserve Latics’ League One status, thus avoiding further financial implications.

Dowie’s successor often claimed that the team was not truly his, and that he would need financial support from the board to shape the squad in the way he wanted it. However, he has brought in several players on both loan and permanent deals, not all of whom have worked out. The likes of David Lee and Kenny Cooper failed to deliver in the eyes of some fans, and many of the players already at the club when Talbot took charge were offered new contracts by the former West Bromwich Albion boss. There have been a few bright spots, with Lee Croft, Neil Kilkenny and Mark Hughes (no, not that one) having made a particularly successful impact. However, Talbot’s assertion after one match that relegation to League Two might be best for the club in the long term was never going to endear him to the fans or the players, and it is believed that he finally lost the backing of both.

The players must take some responsibility. There is an argument to suggest that they should be professional enough to pull out all the stops for Talbot and the Oldham fans, regardless of their feelings towards the manager. Yet in these days of player power, even at this level it is all too easy for a manager to end up in a battle he cannot win with a disgruntled squad. With contracts until the end of the season and beyond many players will be content to sit tight until a new man comes in, at which point a turn-around may occur. That is the hope now for Latics as they part company with Talbot at such a late stage of the season.

The hunt for a successor to Talbot is now on, with names like Mick Harford, Ronnie Moore and former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Dave Jones already mentioned by some sources as possible candidates. The new man will need to be able to get the best out of what is, in League One terms, a talented but under-performing squad. There seems little or no money available and time is at a premium if the club is to avoid relegation. Assistant boss Tony Philliskirk takes temporary charge, and up-coming fixtures against Hull City, Luton,Town, Port Vale and Torquay United will be absolutely vital to the club’s chances of avoiding the drop to League Two.

It all seems a far cry from Manchester City and the FA Cup back in January.

1713: FA Cup: Were Liverpool guilty

by : Stuart Montagu

“As a supporter for over 50 years I would rate the Peter Reid period to be the most disastrous in the club's history, certainly for 80 years anyway. His month spent in the studio at Euro 2004 could have been gainfully spent looking for the right sort of players. He surely could have never seen some of the close season signings play and that clubs must have offloaded them to us as part of an old pal's act. His heart was never fully in the job and his dedication to the task has been questioned. On the other side of the coin he had no transfer funds and the wage budget was puny, even by Championship standards. His signing of Tim Sherwood will probably be judged as the biggest disaster in the club's history. In short to say that the Peter Reid period has been 'totally disastrous' is being too kind.”

Coventry started the season brightly with an opening day win over promotion hopefuls Sunderland, an emphatic 4-1 away win at fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest and, according to Rod, their best performances of the season against West Ham.

However since those sunny summer days, the clear blue skies above Highfield Road have turned into dark murky clouds. Summer signings like Tim Sherwood and Stern John have failed to excite and the club have only recorded back-to-back victories in the league once since then, three months ago. Rod, who watched his first game at Highfield Road 53 years ago this month, claims this is the poorest squad he has seen in over 40 years.

“Some have the talent but many are just not up to the physical nature of this division. Others have neither the talent, the physical presence and sad to say the commitment. This is without doubt the worst squad to have represented the club since 1957/58 season,” says Rod. “There have been so many (bad moments) and these have accelerated since December. Each successive match up to the match against Burnley ones heart has sunk a little bit more. The Burnley match was perhaps the worst moment so far, can it get any worse?”

Micky Adams was the overwhelming fans choice to replace Peter Reid and the former Brighton, Fulham, and Leicester boss, possesses a great record at turning clubs around, but then so did Peter Reid! However both Rod and Jonathan agree that Adams is a class act and the best man for the job.

“Of the available candidates he was by far the best qualified,” says Rod, who is a season ticket holder living in West London. “He had done first rate recovery jobs at Fulham and Brighton and being a popular former player has the backing of the supporters. He did a good job at Leicester and but for the La Manga incident would probably still be managing Leicester in the Premiership.”

“He has to be,” says Jonathan, author of Coventry City – A History in 50 Matches. “The club invited the fans to vote for the manager of their choice and - for what its worth - Adams won by a mile. There’s a big step between showing an interest in a job and actually accepting it. There were fifty-four other applicants, but how many would have swallowed the financial constraints? Yeovil declined an approach to interview Gary Johnson, and Peter Reid’s assistant Adrian Heath was interested. But it was important to have a new broom and, given the urgency, one that had swept a few floors. It may prove important for Adams to have retained Heath.”

The Championship is one of the most competitive leagues in the world with every club capable of beating each other. String a few results together and you’re pushing for a play off place. A few defeats on the spin and you’re looking over your shoulder carefully. Just nine points currently separate Coventry and 12th placed Stoke City so there is a long way to go but Adams must sort out the defence, says Jonathan.

“With so many poor sides, several could yet have reason to be anxious. We have enough competent players and it is a myth that the squad is small, but strength and authority, particularly in defence, will be crucial. Imminent and shrewd judgement needs to be exercised, particularly over the remaining loan deals.”

Nottingham Forest are another team with a great tradition deep in the relegation dogfight and have placed former Baggies boss Gary Megson in charge. Currently nine points behind City with two games in hand Rod believes Forest could jump above the Sky Blues and leave them languishing in the bottom three.

“Rotherham are doomed and Forest should improve and have a chance. The Gills will probably go as well so at the moment I see Coventry City finishing in 23rd place, marooned with Rotherham and Gillingham and probably 10 points from safety, it’s that bad.”

Coventry City face some tricky fixtures as the season draws to a close with home games against Stoke, Cardiff and Nottingham Forest, and away games to Millwall, Sunderland and West Ham coming up.

With one of the worst home records in the league and the threat of relegation looming over them ominously it’s obvious why Rod feels so dejected by the clubs current plight. However there are two players that Rod, who wrote and collated the book ‘The Complete Record 1883 –1991’, believes can hold their heads high.

“Stephen Hughes is a class above most of the squad, sadly his career has been blighted by injury and he is still recovering full match fitness. He is almost there and no doubt will find a new club at the end of the season when his contract expires. Gary McSheffrey is the only other player to come out of the season with any real credit. He is a committed 'Coventry Kid' and although he is sometimes selfish on the ball, he has always given of his best. He is another player out of contract at the end of the season.”

Micky Adams has acknowledged that the squad needs a more physical presence and has dipped into the transfer market for Northampton Town’s Trevor Benjamin and Birmingham City’s out of favour goalkeeper Ian Bennent on a month’s loan but the star of the season for Jonathan has been the legendary Richard Shaw.

“At 36 he has displayed a professionalism and integrity that has shone like a beacon for much of the season. At the outset, given his appointment as reserve team manager, he was only expecting to be called on in an emergency. The worst has been Tim Sherwood, signed on a two-year deal and presumably on a good wage. He was seriously unfit and generated an inadequate dynamic, both as a player and skipper.”

Coventry City were relegated from the Premiership in 2001 after 34 years in the top flight of the English game. Manchester City, Sheffield Wednesday, and Bradford, have also suffered the same fate in recent years and found that sometimes you have to reach rock bottom before you can bounce back, having all tasted life in the third tier of the football league. Jonathan stresses that relegation would be ‘disastrous’ for the club but Rod believes they may have to go down to come back stronger.

“We are at the bottom now and we will have a new team anyway next season whatever happens. A winning team in a new stadium will probably attract 20,000 average crowds, whatever league they play in. We may have to do a Sheffield Wednesday to begin the upswing again. Many clubs have been lower and made it back - WBA, West Brom, Birmingham, Charlton, Fulham, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Blackburn, Bolton, and Portsmouth… the list is endless! It is not the end of the world.”

The clubs decision to move to a new arena for the start of next season will be a new beginning for the club, and maybe even transform the fortunes of the ailing club, even if it has wrecked former FA Cup hero manager John Sillett’s dream of being driven round Highfield Road in a coffin!

The stadium has played host to some great games down the years and even witnessed the legendary Jimmy Hill conducting the fans in the Sky Blues song. It would be a fitting end to a fantastic stadium if Micky Adams could produce the great escape this season and ensure that Coventry begin next season in the Championship.
Cast your mind back if you will to one of the earliest moments of this year’s FA Cup; the unceremonious dumping out of the competition of Liverpool at the hands of Burnley. The fall out from the game indicated that Rafael Benitez had failed to understand the importance of the trophy and it’s history to supporters and that he had therefore tarnished the national treasure that is the FA Cup.

Fast forward to the sixth round and Arsenal’s tie against another side from The Championship, Sheffield United. The game has attracted much coverage for the aggressive attitude of Neil Warnock’s players and the flare-ups and Bergkamp sending off that spilt forth from it. What has been little mentioned is the quality of side that was sent out by Arsene Wenger. With only Bergkamp, Ljungberg, Reyes and Toure selected from what most would regard as Arsenal’s best side have the North London outfit not done exactly the same as Liverpool did earlier in the season, with the only apparent difference being their presence in the draw for the next round?

In the match at Turf Moor in January the side that was selected, from an injury ravaged squad, by Benitez had previously disposed of both Middlesborough and Spurs in the League Cup and many of the younger players had been involved in a number of Premiership games earlier in the season. The likes of Dudek, Hyypia, Traore and Sinama-Pongolle being regularly selected and others such as Biscan, Mellor, Warnock and Nunez featuring on numerous occasions it seemed at the time that the media were needlessly attacking the selection for the purposes of a story. The eerie silence that has followed this weekend’s match at has confirmed that either there is a media bias which resulted in attacks upon Liverpool and their new manager or that dealing with issues with an even hand and avoiding hypocrisy are not high on the agenda for this country’s football journalists.

Surely each manager has the right to field the team he feels suits his club’s needs best, but it would seem that fielding your second-string is only acceptable as long as you don’t get knocked out. So the real issue here would be that Arsenal’s youngsters are of a higher quality than that of Mersyside club and so there is no disgrace brought upon the tradition of the cup. In some media eyes the likes of Senderos, Flamini, Eboue and Clichy are far better players than Raven, Whitbread, Welsh and Mellor and so the idea of selecting them is more palatable. This is nonsense. The fact of the situation is that whilst Liverpool put out almost the strongest side they had available Arsenal played a veritable feast of reserves and have had nowhere near as hostile a response. Then again January headlines of “Lack of quality in depth costs Liverpool” wouldn’t have been the exiting paper-selling, ratings-driven, hit-generated angle that the media were looking for, would it?

1711: Premiership: Portsmouth displa

by : David Hulott

It may seem a little early to be looking at next season but, even if they can stay clear of the Premiership trapdoor this year, the omens don’t look terribly encouraging for Portsmouth. Despite taking just four points from their last seven Premiership games, Pompey should be capable of staying clear of relegation trouble this term, although with their next two games taking them to Old Trafford and Highbury, you wouldn’t expect results to pick up anytime soon.

It’s certainly been a busy few months at Fratton Park. It all kicked off with the appointment of Velimir Zajec as executive director, much to the chagrin of then manager Harry Redknapp. Redknapp was soon on his way, opting to take a break from football in somewhat unconventional fashion by taking over the managerial reins at Southampton, with several of his backroom cohorts quickly following him to the St Mary’s Stadium.

There were also a number of player exits in the January transfer window, with key midfielders Nigel Quashie and Amdy Faye moving to Southampton and Newcastle United, while Eyal Berkovic left after cancelling his contract by mutual consent (although the Israeli later made a point of blaming Zajec for his departure). Add to that John Curtis moving to Nottingham Forest, Kevin Harper to Stoke City and Mark Burchill leaving for Hearts, plus David Unsworth and Richard Duffy both going out on loan, and you could be forgiven for thinking that, despite reported personal wealth of around £100 million, Milan Mandaric is counting the pennies.

It promises to be an eventful summer at Fratton Park too, with Zajec set to step down as manager to revert to the role he was originally brought in for. Making the right appointment to succeed him will be of paramount importance for Pompey, although judging by the player signings last month and the respective contact books of Mandaric and Zajec, the likelihood would appear to be that the new man will come from either Greece or Croatia. Whether they can attract someone with the strength of character that is seemingly lacking at present will be more important than any new signings on the playing front.

It seems likely that there could be plenty more comings and goings on the player front over the summer too, with veteran keeper Shaka Hislop having been sidelined of late, the suggestion being that he had also been angling for a move to Southampton. There was also speculation in January that Ricardo Fuller was another who might reunite with Redknapp, but the most notable departure could be that of Yakubu Aiyegbeni, with the prolific Nigerian striker seeming less than committed to the cause since the upheaval at the club.

No matter what Portsmouth fans may think, it’s difficult to overstate the impact Redknapp had at the club and whoever comes in as his long-term successor looks likely to be in for a testing time next season.

1710: Premiership: Spurs should brin

by : Adam Graham

This article has been removed at the writer's request.

1714: Champions League: Kolo Tour m

by : Alex Kay

Those who love Arsenal cringed when Kolo Tour misjudged the ball for Bayern Munich’s first goal on Tuesday night. Those who hate Arsenal couldn’t believe their luck. As for Bayern, well they were on cloud nine.

Let’s not beat about the bush here – Arsenal were well and truly mullered in Munich, and were nowhere near as good as they can be. As often is the case, Thierry Henry under-performed, and without Sol Campbell Arsenal were weak and indecisive defensively. Despite all this however, I have a sneaky suspicion that Arsenal’s Champions League campaign may not end in a fortnight’s time at Highbury. Putting Tours horrendous error to one side, we should not forget that it was he who grabbed the crucial away goal for the Gunners, a considerable lifeline.

Arsenal now have to beat Bayern 2-0 at home. That is not as difficult as it sounds. Despite their supposed lack of European pedigree, it is almost impossible that Arsenal will play as badly as they did on Tuesday in the second leg. What is more, Bayern are not such a fantastic team. Yes they took advantage of Arsenal’s shortcomings and knocked the ball around nicely at times, but if Arsenal were at their best, the Londoners would surely be the better side.

It is easy to forget just how irresistible Arsenal’s football can be when it wants to be, and having a fixed target of 2-0 could just be inspiration enough for the Wenger’s men. Arsenal rarely have problems at Highbury and no matter how well organised Bayern are (which they didn’t seem to be particularly the other night), Arsenal do have the ammunition to score plenty of goals, particularly with Bergkamp back in the starting eleven.

All the talk at the moment is of unrest and decline at Arsenal. Is Cole leaving, is Reyes on his way out, has Henry lost his magic touch? Maybe, just maybe Arsenal are going to need to take their frustration out on the pitch sooner or later (in a nice way – no more red cards), and the Bayern match is the best time to do that. Whether they would go far in the competition after that is impossible to predict, but Arsenal still have one more magic game in them, and I’m sure Arsene Wenger would love it to be that one. With the League looking done, and the FA Cup nothing more than a consolation, this match is important, and maybe not as predictable as everyone thinks.

1715: Champions League: Barcelona vs

by : Henry Knight

So who was it going to be for Barcelona? Xavi, Ronaldinho, Eto’o? For all the talent Barcelona had at their command it required the golden haired Swede Anders Frisks mercurial skills of judgment to turn this game.

Before the hour mark it was a cat and mouse match up; a game where Chelsea’s vice like control of Barcelona’s unimaginative offence was balanced with quick effective thrusting counters, it could have been a classic.

Didier Drogba was at the heart of Chelsea’s aforementioned counter attacking. An Aerial threat, an unequivocal physical specimen who stuck out like a sore thumb, unfortunately for him that was his downfall. Drogba’s earlier battles in the game meant he was well and truly logged in Frisks books.

It didn’t help matters with the attitude of Barcelona’s players. Both sides had to utilise gamesmanship to the maximum in such a highly strung, tense game and Chelsea’s application of time wasting was close to genius. However there is a distinct line between gamesmanship and cheating, which Barcelona’s players regularly crossed. Marquez didn’t dive to get Drogba booked, he flew.

Despite some of the dirty play, there was abundance of class. Chelsea’s defence was world class, Makalele and Gallas were magnificent, testament to that was the undisputed World Player of the Year Ronaldinho was only a threat in presence not productivity.

The two outstanding Chelsea attacks of the game, compared to the constant swarming pressurising of Barcelona, came from two fabulous passes from Lampard and Makalele. Lampard's pass resulted in a Belletti own goal from Damien Duffs cross and only moments later Makalele’s fabulous pass with the outside of his boot should have resulted in a Drogba winner.

The second half started in a similar vein to the first, Barcelona playing “wall-ie” against Chelsea’s seemingly impenetrable defence. Despite the natural divide in the play it was the sending off that split this match. Drogba who had already been booked, challenged goalkeeper Valdes, seemingly fairly to the rest of the worldwide viewing public, however Frisk had no qualms about making his earth shattering decision giving Drogba a second booking.

Frank Rijkaard made his changes and what influential changes they were. Maxi Lopez was a huge presence when he was brought on, similar to the Legendary Gabriel Batistuta, his long hair must have been a distraction for Gallas as he scored the morale sapping first of Barcelona’s brace; a quality strike which came from the space created by a Gallas trip.

Lopez and another of Rijkaard's substitutes, Iniesta, seemed to be having a competition for who can have the most shots on goal in half and hour. Despite the threat of Iniesta’s constant barrage of rasping pile-drivers, it was a scuffed shot from Lopez that somehow found its way into the path of the ruthless and devilishly quick Samuel Eto’o.

In summary, a 2-1 defeat is an excellent result for Chelsea especially when you look at the contest before the sending off and a contest is exactly what it was before the feted decision of Frisk turned into a training exercise of attack Vs defence. When threatened the Barcelona defence looked edible, even when Chelsea went down to ten they were made to look square and open. Chelsea’s defence should be given a medal for reigning in Barcelona’s potency, limiting them to only the two goals. So it’s the first time in 3 years and 2 months that a Mourinho team has been defeated twice in a row, its probably the first time this season that such an abundance of luck has been piled up against Chelsea, but it certainly was not and will not be the only game to be given major cosmetic surgery by a referee’s decision.

1708: Champions League: Manchester U

by : Stephen Orford

Another clash of Europe’s big-hitters is in prospect as Manchester United play host to AC Milan in the Champions League, second round, first leg tonight (February 23).

The game could see the return to action of United’s prolific Dutch goal-getter Ruud Van Nistelrooy after a three month absence. Van Nistelrooy has scored a whopping 36 goals in 37 Champions League outings and leads all scorers in this season’s competition with eight. Only Raul of Real Madrid has scored more Champions League goals overall than Van Nistelrooy, who has netted 42 times in the competition during his career. If he maintains his position at the top of this season’s Champions League goalscoring charts he will become the first player to achieve this feat on three occasions, having done so in both 2002 and 2003. However, his exclusion from the squad which beat Everton in the FA Cup on Saturday (February 19) has to raise questions over his fitness, especially after such a long period out of action with an Achilles problem.

If the former PSV man plays he is likely to be partnered in attack by the less experienced, but no less dynamic Wayne Rooney. Standing in their way will be former United defender, Jaap Stam. Stam, a member of United’s 1999 Champions League winning team, will be joined at the heart of a tight-fisted Milan defence by the brilliant Allesandro Nesta who has recovered from flu. It will be the first time Stam has returned to Old Trafford since his acrimonious and somewhat hasty exit from Manchester in 2001. Since then Stam has had a spell at Lazio, and a spell on the sidelines following a drugs controversy, but now looks to be approaching the form that he showed in his all too brief spell at Old Trafford.

Further forward, Milan’s own superstar striker Andriy Shevchenko has a fractured cheekbone, so former Newcastle man Jon Dahl Tommason may start up front alongside exiled Chelsea striker Hernan Crespo. Milan are also boosted by the news that midfielder Andrea Pirlo is fit again, and should take his place in the centre of midfield alongside former Rangers man Gennaro Gattuso. Their battle in that area with Roy Keane and possibly Paul Scholes will be pivotal to the game’s outcome. Establishing dominance in that department will be vital, as it will give the Cristiano Ronaldo’s and the Kaka’s of this world more freedom to work their magic in attack, and feed their respective star-studded forward lines.

The two teams have met twice before in two-legged affairs in Europe’s big show, both at the semi final stage, and on both occasions Milan came out on top eventually. However, each side won at home on each occasion, with United coming out on top 2-1 at Old Trafford in 1958, and 1-0 in 1969. Manchester United’s only defeat on home soil against Italian opposition in European competition came in 1996 when Juventus won 1-0. In addition, Milan have never won on English soil, losing on seven out of nine visits with two draws. Their last appearance in England was in 2000 when they lost out 1-0 to Leeds United.

Milan also have the edge in terms of history, having picked up six European titles to Manchester United’s two. The last of Milan's triumphs came ironically at Old Trafford in 2003 when they saw off Juventus in a penalty shoot-out after a dour goal-less draw. United’s last victory ranks amongst the most famous in the competition’s history, as they came back from the dead to score two late goals against Bayern Munich in the 1999 final in Barcelona.

The hero of that night, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a long term absentee, and United will also have Darren Fletcher ruled out. John O'Shea is a doubt too, and faces a late fitness test.

Verdict; Milan to miss the presence of Shevchenko, Ruud to play some part, and United to win 1-0 despite a skilful and resolute Milan rearguard.

1707: Champions League: Barcelona vs

by : Stephen Orford

Many observers felt that Barcelona v Chelsea would have been a fitting Champions League final. As it is, the two teams tipped by many a bookmaker to go all the way in this year’s competition go head-to-head in the round of the last sixteen, with the first leg taking place at the Nou Camp tomorrow night (February 23).

Much has been made of Chelsea’s injury problems since the weekend. With the sparkling Arjen Robben already ruled out, the Blues then lost left-back Wayne Bridge during the FA Cup clash with Newcastle United on Sunday (February 20), and there are further doubts over the fitness of William Gallas and Damien Duff. Added to this, striker Didier Drogba is also a doubt. It seems remarkable that the team who everyone said had a squad that could cope with anything should be stretched to breaking point by these five possible absentees, but at this level of competition that seems to be the case.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho will be re-acquainted with familiar surroundings on the night, having worked as an assistant with Barcelona under Sir Bobby Robson. He will also come up against one of his former proteges in the form of Deco, a pivotal member of Mourinho’s Champions League winning Porto outfit from last season. Deco, alongside the brilliant Ronaldinho, will be a key man in Barca’s bid to open up a lead to take to Stamford Bridge for the return.

In addition, Barcelona possess the hottest striker in La Liga at the moment in Samuel Eto’o. The former Real Madrid and Real Mallorca man has netted in four of his last six games, and will be a constant threat to an impressive Chelsea defence. Even without Bridge and Gallas, Chelsea still boast the seemingly unbeatable Petr Cech in goal, and the imposing figure of John Terry commands the back-line more impressively with each passing game. Should Gallas not make it, Portuguese defender Paolo Ferreira may swich to left-back, allowing former West Ham defender and part-time goalkeeper Glen Johnson to step in at right-back.

In midfield the battle for supremacy looks to be between England star Frank Lampard and Barca’s experienced Xavi. Xavi is the only Barcelona player of the current squad to have played in over 50 Champions League games, and the clash with Chelsea will be his 52nd. Lampard cannot match that sort of experience, but his driving runs from midfield, long-range shooting prowess and ability to find a killer pass will be one of the keys to a Chelsea win. Alongside Lampard, former Real Madrid man Claude Makalele is the most experienced Champions League player, having participated in 62 games.

The home defence looks set to be weakened somewhat by the absence of Oleguer Presas. Oleguer has been one of seven ever-presents in the Barcelona team in the Champions League this season, and it is this stability that has seen a marked improvement in the defensive qualities of a side that always brimmed with creative talent. Carlos Puyol in particular is one of those filed under 'rugged' but is also comfortable on the ball as an attacking outlet, in true Barca tradition.

The last time these two sides met in the Champions League was at the quarter final stage of the 2000 competition, and it was a bizarre two-legged affair. Chelsea bagged a 3-1 home victory, but suffered a reverse by the same score in the Nou Camp, sending the tie into extra time. Barcelona finally emerged victorious by a 5-1 scoreline on the night, 6-4 on aggregate.

The clubs may be among the most fearsome in the modern era, but have only one previous Champions League/Champions Cup win between them. That came in 1992 when Barcelona beat Sampdoria at Wembley thanks to a trademark Ronald Koeman free-kick. Chelsea's best performance came in last season's competition, when they beat dead-certs Arsenal en route to the semi finals, where they were beaten by Monaco after a Claudio Ranieri brain-storm.

Speaking (writing?) of Ronald Koeman (another seamless link), his former Dutch defensive partner Frank Rijkaard is now in charge at the Nou Camp, and is the man charged with trying to tactically outmanouvre the impressive Mourinho. Still, in the end it may not come down to tactics. In Ronaldinho Barcelona have the World Footballer Of The Year and surely the greatest footballer on the planet at this moment in time. The Brazillian can win a game in the blink of an eye, and it will be vital that Chelsea’s defence stands up to what will be their stiffest test for some time. Without Robben or possibly Duff to provide anything like a similar spark, Chelsea may be happy to escape from the Nou Camp with a point, or at least having managed to register an away goal against an improving, but still possibly vulnerable home defence.

Verdict; Much depends on Ronaldinho’s mood. Without the Ronaldinho factor, patched-up Chelsea can earn a draw. However, if he turns on the style, it could be a long night. 2-0 to Barcelona, because I am optimistic that Ronaldinho can rise to the big occasion.Many observers felt that Barcelona v Chelsea would have been a fitting Champions League final. As it is, the two teams tipped by many a bookmaker to go all the way in this year’s competition go head-to-head in the round of the last sixteen, with the first leg taking place at the Nou Camp tonight (February 23).

Much has been made of Chelsea’s injury problems since the weekend. With the sparkling Arjen Robben already ruled out, the Blues then lost left-back Wayne Bridge during the FA Cup clash with Newcastle United on Sunday (February 20), and there are further doubts over the fitness of William Gallas and Damien Duff. Added to this, striker Didier Drogba is also a doubt. It seems remarkable that the team who everyone said had a squad that could cope with anything should be stretched to breaking point by these five possible absentees, but at this level of competition that seems to be the case.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho will be re-acquainted with familiar surroundings on the night, having worked as an assistant with Barcelona under Sir Bobby Robson. He will also come up against one of his former proteges in the form of Deco, a pivotal member of Mourinho’s Champions League winning Porto outfit from last season. Deco, alongside the brilliant Ronaldinho, will be a key man in Barca’s bid to open up a lead to take to Stamford Bridge for the return.

In addition, Barcelona possess the hottest striker in La Liga at the moment in Samuel Eto’o. The former Real Madrid and Real Mallorca man has netted in four of his last six games, and will be a constant threat to an impressive Chelsea defence. Even without Bridge and Gallas, Chelsea still boast the seemingly unbeatable Petr Cech in goal, and the imposing figure of John Terry commands the back-line more impressively with each passing game. Should Gallas not make it, Portuguese defender Paolo Ferreira may swich to left-back, allowing former West Ham defender and part-time goalkeeper Glen Johnson to step in at right-back.

In midfield the battle for supremacy looks to be between England star Frank Lampard and Barca’s experienced Xavi. Xavi is the only Barcelona player of the current squad to have played in over 50 Champions League games, and the clash with Chelsea will be his 52nd. Lampard cannot match that sort of experience, but his driving runs from midfield, long-range shooting prowess and ability to find a killer pass will be one of the keys to a Chelsea win. Alongside Lampard, former Real Madrid man Claude Makalele is the most experienced Champions League player, having participated in 62 games.

The home defence looks set to be weakened somewhat by the absence of Oleguer Presas. Oleguer has been one of seven ever-presents in the Barcelona team in the Champions League this season, and it is this stability that has seen a marked improvement in the defensive qualities of a side that always brimmed with creative talent. Carlos Puyol in particular is one of those filed under 'rugged' but is also comfortable on the ball as an attacking outlet, in true Barca tradition.

The last time these two sides met in the Champions League was at the quarter final stage of the 2000 competition, and it was a bizarre two-legged affair. Chelsea bagged a 3-1 home victory, but suffered a reverse by the same score in the Nou Camp, sending the tie into extra time. Barcelona finally emerged victorious by a 5-1 scoreline on the night, 6-4 on aggregate.

The clubs may be among the most fearsome in the modern era, but have only one previous Champions League/Champions Cup win between them. That came in 1992 when Barcelona beat Sampdoria at Wembley thanks to a trademark Ronald Koeman free-kick. Chelsea's best performance came in last season's competition, when they beat dead-certs Arsenal en route to the semi finals, where they were beaten by Monaco after a Claudio Ranieri brain-storm.

Speaking (writing?) of Ronald Koeman (another seamless link), his former Dutch defensive partner Frank Rijkaard is now in charge at the Nou Camp, and is the man charged with trying to tactically outmanouvre the impressive Mourinho. Still, in the end it may not come down to tactics. In Ronaldinho Barcelona have the World Footballer Of The Year and surely the greatest footballer on the planet at this moment in time. The Brazillian can win a game in the blink of an eye, and it will be vital that Chelsea’s defence stands up to what will be their stiffest test for some time. Without Robben or possibly Duff to provide anything like a similar spark, Chelsea may be happy to escape from the Nou Camp with a point, or at least having managed to register an away goal against an improving, but still possibly vulnerable home defence.

Verdict; Much depends on Ronaldinho’s mood. Without the Ronaldinho factor, patched-up Chelsea can earn a draw. However, if he turns on the style, it could be a long night. 2-0 to Barcelona, because I am optimistic that Ronaldinho can rise to the big occasion.

1698: Champions League: Milan’s form

by : Chris Sherrard

Italian giants AC Milan go into their clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday night on the back of a major blow – the loss of start striker and European Player of the Year Andrei Shevchenko.

The Ukrainian international forward fractured his cheekbone and eye socket in a nasty clash with a Cagliari defender during his side’s unimpressive 1-0 win at the San Siro on Saturday night. And the loss of such an influential and talismanic player is the boost Sir Alex Ferguson’s side were hoping for going into their crunch Champions League fixture.

Without Schevchenko, who was injured in the 14th minute on Saturday night, the Milanese looked lacking in any kind of focus point for their attack with the insipid Jon Dahl Tomasson looking out of his depth against a stubborn Cagliari defense and Hernan Crespo failing to fire.

Milan, chasing Juventus at the top of Serie A, looked to be heading for a disappointing and potentially costly 0-0 draw until their Brazilian substitute Serginho got on the end of a Cafu cross in the final minute to rescue the Rossineri. But the result didn’t take much away from what was an uncharacteristically lacklustre display from Carlo Ancelotti’s outfit.

That said, he rested Kaka, Gattuso and Nesta from the team that should take to the field at Old Trafford. And United will do well not to underestimate a side, Schevchenko or not, who have won each of their last four games and are threatening to push Juve all the way for the Italian title.

But it has to be said that this game on Wednesday is better timed for Manchester United than it is for AC Milan. If it had been played straight after the group stage, the Italians would almost surely have coasted through. But United are bang in form and with Rooney flying, Keane back to his imposing best, Ferdinand settled back into the side magnificently and van Nistelrooy set to return, there is a renewed optimism in the North-West.

Clearly the scalp of Milan is a massive one and United will know they have been in a game whether they win, lose or draw in midweek. But Ferguson and his scouts will have taken heart from some of Milan’s recent results which have included defeats to Livorno and Bologna in successive weeks at the end of last month.

Schevchenko, with 17 goals already this season, would arguably have been the difference between two finely balanced sides – especially if Ruud van Nistelrooy, the competition’s top scorer this season, fails to regain full fitness in time to line out. But if both are missing, you have to look to the back-ups and Rooney certainly out-trumps Tomasson. We all know by now how much the young former-Evertonian thrives on the big stage and they don’t come much bigger than this one. The ageing legs of Maldini, Stam and Cafu will not fancy going toe-to-toe with him, I’m quite sure. And the same goes for Cristiano Ronaldo, who is in good form of late and will be fielded on the right to exploit Maldini’s lack of pace.

United go into the game having won eight of their last nine games – the blip being the Carling Cup defeat to Chelsea. Milan have won six of their last nine. They have won four in a row, United five. The form books say it will be tight. And so do I.

1703: Championship: Is Ade Akinbyi a

by : Alex Wolstenholme

Three seasons ago Ade Akinbiyi’s lack of goals following a big-money move from Wolves to Leicester became the subject of a media campaign that would have destroyed lesser players’ confidence for good.

Now, Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock has settled on Akinbiyi as the man to end his long search for a new striker and as the player he hopes will take the Blades into the play-offs firstly and then the Premiership.

Wigan boss Paul Jewell is also a big admirer and reportedly made an offer for Akinbiyi while Burnley and Nottingham Forest were also thought to be interested in signing him.

It completes a real transformation for someone who became the butt of so many jokes while at Filbert Street.

Akinbiyi made his name at Bristol City and Wolves as a big, bustling centre forward with no little skill who could score goals.

Leicester boss Peter Taylor made Akinbiyi his big signing after taking over, for a fee of ₤5 million but the step up to Premiership football in what quickly became a struggling side and the sheer size of the fee combined to halt the player’s progress.

A move to Crystal Palace did nothing to halt the slide but an unheralded free transfer to Stoke appears to have rejuvenated a player who has commanded well over ₤10 million in transfer fees.

Akinbiyi is a smart operator with interests outside the game to ensure a smooth path to a new career but the desire to prove a lot of people wrong must still be within him. His confidence in his own ability seems undiminished (how many other players would sit in the director of football’s office calmly waiting for a call from the chairman to talk about his contract situation rather than simply getting an agent to do his bidding?).

A lack of goals still hangs over Akinbiyi’s head though despite a respectable 17 in 52 league starts at the Britannia. For all his good work at Stoke, Tony Pulis’s side have barely troubled the scorers for much of this season and reaction among Blades fans to Akinbiyi’s possible arrival seems to be mixed as United already have a number of hard-working forward players good at holding up the ball.

After rebuilding his career at Stoke, the spotlight (in Championship terms at least) will now be back on Akinbiyi after a relatively big money switch. It will be one of the good news stories of the football year if he manages to make it back into the top flight.

1709: Champions League: Chelsea v Ba

by : Henry Knight

Arguably the biggest tie of the 1st Knockout rounds in the Champions League is Chelsea Vs Barcelona. Both teams look on course to win their respective leagues, they both have very different styles and unlike the other huge games of the round there are big links between these two clubs.

All those Chelsea fans that remember their team’s first excursion into the Champions League under Vialli will remember the rise of a 3-1 home win against Barcelona, before the desperate 5-1 fall at the Nou Camp. Vialli was however a relative rookie at the time something which current boss Jose Mourinho is not. Mourinho recently willingly stated this, in his now regular session of pre match mind games, saying that Rijkaard cannot even be compared to him as a manager. Mourinho also knows Barcelona inside out having performed a self professed “vital role” their under managers Lois Van Gaal and Bobby Robson.

Of course Mourinho is following a standard pattern now, taking all the pressure and placing it on his own shoulders, in an attempt to aid his player’s concentration. However it wasn’t just the Chelsea manager that had something to say before this tie. Barcelona players Deco and Samuel Eto’o also stirred the competitive juices of all involved. Both said in no uncertain terms that Barcelona will beat Chelsea and both had a point to prove after they had summer moves to Chelsea cancelled at the death.

Take away the war of words and on Wednesday night a battle of the footballing kind will commence. I have already stated that the two teams differ in terms of style as Barcelona rely on free flowing attacking and clever passing, whereas Chelsea have been moulded into a staunch defensive unit picking off oppositions with pin point precision at key moments. The weather reports suggest a cold and frosty outlook; Chelsea’s recent defeat to Newcastle will have them prepared for the cold and they have already proved on more than one occasion that they are ready for a fight. However will Barcelona be as resilient, especially seeing as the pressure to perform is squarely on them at home?

Injuries to both sides, notably Chelsea, will see changes from their regular set ups and defences will be in for a reshuffle; Chelsea’s main change being William Gallas, if he is fit, covering for the injured Wayne Bridge at left back. Barcelona’s central defender Oleguer is also out and Marquez will drop back from his holding midfield role, meaning veteran Albertini might come in to replace him. The attack is the main source of concern for Jose Mourinho as key players Robben and Drogba are out. Duff will also face a late fitness test, meaning that Mourinho could be forced to play his whole second string attack; Cole, Gudjohnson and Kezman. In any other game this wouldn’t be a major problem, however this is no ordinary game.

Barcelona’s attack is arguably the best in world football with African player of the year Samuel Eto’o, who has been a prolific goal scorer in the league, supported by the fabulous Ludovic Giuly, last season’s player of the Champions League Deco and the World Player of the Year Ronaldinho. This rich attacking unit counts for little without Deep seated play maker Xavi. Mourinho recently singled him out as a special player who is underrated by most. All special players and quite rightly Barcelona are the favourites with the bookies, for the home leg.

So what do Chelsea have to do you might ask? We will see come match time as “the special one” Mourinho will certainly be prepared. But it would be a good start to focus on man marking Xavi and getting Makalele to clamp down on the freedom of Deco. If Duff is fit, his and Kezman’s pace should cause the Barcelona defence some problems on the counter attack. Rijkaard’s task is to make sure that his full backs can penetrate Chelsea’s half and cause some distraction amongst the markers allowing the mercurial talents of his forwards some oxygen, something they will be in desperate need of when up against John Terry and his vacuum tight defence.

Ronaldinho will, as per usual, be the key to this game. He is the X factor, the spanner in the works to any carefully laid plan. When he is in full flow he is easily head and shoulders above all other footballers. Fiercely competitive but never aggressive, always playing with a smile that has endeared him to the world. Ronaldinho if on top form can single handedly win any game, Arjen Robben has been similar for Chelsea this season but he’s not around. The paradox of this game is that despite being such a titanic clash, it will take one tiny glimpse of magic to win it and that glimpse of magic is more likely to come from the boot of a Barcelona player.

1706: Champions League: Liverpool vs

by : Stephen Orford

It may be remarkable to find Premiership stragglers Liverpool included in Europe’s elite 16 clubs, but that is exactly the situation as they prepare to take on German outfit Bayer Leverkusen in tonight’s (February 22) Champions League, second round, first leg tie at Anfield.

Domestically, Liverpool have been labouring terribly as they attempt to ensure their presence in next season’s Champions League. Chasing neighbours Everton for that all-important fourth spot, they fall flat on their faces at regular intervals, usually when it looks most likely that they have finally got their act together.

Aside from this erratic behaviour, the main stumbling block to their progression into the quarter finals of Europe’s premier club competition would seem to be absentees. The talismanic, often superhuman Steven Gerrard will be missing from the first leg of the Leverkusen tie due to suspension, while Djibril Cisse and Xabi Alonso remain long-term absentees. Recent signing Fernando Morientes is cup-tied after an earlier appearance for Real Madrid - as is awkward, comedy defender Mauricio Pellegrino. Pellegrino’s absence may not be felt all that severely, such is his own incompetence, and the impressive form of the Hyypia - Carragher centre-back pairing this season.

Bayer will be without a defender of their own, as German international Jens Nowotny has damaged knee ligaments. So shocking is this injury, in fact, that there are fears over the player’s career. Former Leeds lunatic and World Cup winner Roque Junior also misses out, and so there could be a place in the side for young defender Jan Ingwer Callsen Bracker. This is one possible weakness for the reds to exploit, but you would have to assume that it very much depends on which Milan Baros turns up for the game. In full flow, the Czech star can turn any game, but if it is not his day expect to him to travel down a series of blind alleys before falling over, fixing a hopeful glance at the referee in the process.

Baros looks set to play alone up-front, so overcrowded is the Anfield treatment room at the moment. As well as Cisse, Liverpool’s striking corps is further diminished by the absence of Florent Sinama Pongolle, and doubts about the fitness of Neil Mellor also. Add this to Morientes’ ineligibility, and a problem starts to develop. This is eased slightly by the prospect of a return to first-team action for Harry Kewell, and pushing him further forward in the home leg could be an option for manager Rafa Benitez. However, Kewell has been out of action since mid-December and starting him has to be considered a risk, but with the emphasis on taking a lead to Leverkusen for the second leg, it may be a risk that Benitez has no choice but to take.

Recent previous between the two points to Leverkusen advancing to the quarter finals. The two met at that stage of the 2002 competition and although the Reds were able to win 1-0 at Anfield thanks to a Sami Hyypia goal, they were downed 4-2 in the return and crashed out. Leverkusen went on to the final that year, but came up short against the might of Real Madrid pre-Beckham.

The omens look good for the first leg at least for Liverpool, as they have never lost a home match in European competition against German clubs, a run that has spanned 14 games. Also, Leverkusen have been defeated on English soil no fewer than four times, including that 2002 defeat at Anfield.

History too, points to a Liverpool win. They have conquered Europe on four occasions, while the 2002 final was the closest Leverkusen have ever come to getting a grip on the trophy. However, Liverpool’s last European Cup win came in 1984, and much has changed at Anfield, and in football in general since then.

Steven Gerrard has already written off his team’s chances of winning the competition outright this year, but the draw has been about as lenient as it could have been at this stage. It would be no surprise, given their unpredictable nature, and remembering the captain’s last-gasp heroics against Olympiakos in the first phase, to see Liverpool dining at the top eight table.

Verdict; Liverpool never look good without Gerrard, and sometimes even with Gerrard, so don’t expect a goal glut. However, home advantage and the return of Kewell could see them snatch a narrow win. Bayer have the potential to score a vital away goal, also. 2-1 to Liverpool.

1704: Premiership preview: West Brom

by : Colin Illingworth

West Bromwich Albion vs. Southampton Tuesday 7.45pm

West Brom are drinking in the last chance saloon. They have to beat Southampton tonight to have any hope of avoiding the drop. Rooted at the bottom of the Premiership, victory will see the Baggies climb to just two points behind Crystal Palace. Standing in their way though is a rejuvenated Southampton side on the hunt for their first away win of the season. It’s West Brom’s third six pointer this month and the outcome will have a dramatic effect on the relegation dogfight.

Southampton come to the Hawthorns hot on the heels of their FA Cup draw with Brentford and a possible sixth round date with Manchester United. Harry Redknapp has transformed the South coast club and they are not playing like a team in the thick of the relegation battle. However, despite only losing two league games at home defeat tonight and they will drop to the bottom for the first time this season. Victory though, just Redknapp’s second in the Premiership since taking charge, will see them jump out of the drop zone and above Palace on goal difference. But the Saints have been awful on their travels picking up just two points from a potential 39. Redknapp knows they have to start picking up points on their travels if they are to have any hope of beating the drop.

West Brom have had a week off and it will be interesting to see what Bryan Robson has done to improve their concentration. They have been in winning positions against Crystal Palace and Norwich in recent weeks only to blow it right at the last. They’ve conceded 14 goals in the last 15 minutes more than any other club in the top flight. If they had managed to keep even half of them out they would be sitting outside of the bottom three without a shadow of a doubt. As it is though Albion are propping up the table and defeat tonight will all but end their dreams of achieving the great escape.

The Baggies, like Southampton, are playing some great stuff and after a turbulent start Bryan Robson has turned them around although, like Redknapp, he is still looking for his second win in charge. Captain Marvel will be in charge at the Hawthorns no matter what league they are in next season but he will not give up the chase until it’s mathematically impossible.

Kevin Campbell has been a great signing for Bryan Robson and has forged an instant partnership with Robert Earnshaw. He could have easily stayed at Goodison Park and picked up a huge wage for not playing but he has proved he’s up for the fight. However the Albion have taken more body blows than Frank Bruno and you have to worry how they will react after snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in recent outings.

The first goal will be vital especially for the Baggies as they have failed to win a single match in the Premiership when they have gone behind from the kick-off. They are the Premiership’s lowest scorers with just 23 in 26 games and the next goal they concede will be their 50th.

Henri Camara has looked sharp in front of goal although his desire to hold on to the ball too long can infuriate his teammates, not that they’ll care if he can shoot them to survival. His pace and skill will terrify the West Brom defence and it will be interesting to see if Robson makes any plans for the hitman.

A lot has been made of West Brom’s inability to hold on to winning positions but Southampton have also let leads slip in their last two meetings against Everton and Brentford. How will they cope by going a goal down?

Searching for their first away win of the season, the Saints will not be buoyed by the fact that they have only beaten West Brom at the Hawthorns just five times in their history. Their last victory came over 20 years ago and they won’t have a better chance than tonight.

This will be their fourth meeting in the top flight with the scores currently level. The points were shared earlier this season when Anders Svensson came to the Saints rescue with a late goal to cancel out Robert Earnshaw’s first half brace. James Beattie was on target in 2003 as the Saints won 1-0 and Sean Gregan was the Baggies hero as the Albion beat the Saints 1-0 at the Hawthorns. The home fans would love a repeat scoreline tonight.

The Baggies entertain Birmingham and travel to the Valley in the coming weeks while Southampton’s proud home record will be under threat as Arsenal and Spurs come to town.

Russell Hoult should be fit to take his place in between the sticks and Richard Chaplow and Kieran Richardson should figure after being cup tied against Tottenham. Jonathan Greening (suspension) and Martin Albrechtsen (hamstring) are also back in the squad. Harry Redknapp welcomes back Jamie Redknapp and Nigel Quashie for the crunch match.

If they win Southampton will go level with Palace and give the Saints the impotence to climb away from the drop zone. If the Baggies win, just three points will separate the bottom four sides ensuring that the basement battle could go right to the wire.

It will be a close and tense game with so much at stake both Robson and Redknapp will be praying they don’t shoot themselves in the foot once again.

1705: Champions League: Bayern Munic

by : Stephen Orford

Question; Who is the only English club to have won away to Bayern Munich in European club compeition? Answer; Norwich City. The Canaries 1993 UEFA Cup victory in the Olympic Stadium remains the only blemish on the Bayern CV against English foes, and the task of bucking that trend falls on Arsenal in Tuesday night’s (February 22) Champions League, second round, first leg tie.
In truth, Arsene’s men might be satisfied to come away from Germany with a draw, or even a narrow defeat provided they can register what would be an all-important away goal. They certainly seem to have the artillery to do just that with the likes of Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungerg and Jose Antonio Reyes in their ranks. Ljungberg could make his 50th Champions League appearance for Arsenal, while Henry has scored 35 goals in his Champions League career. Few would bet against him notching another in Arsenal’s bid to reach a third Champions League quarter final.

The Gunners have never been beyond that stage, while their illustrious opponents are old hands at picking up Europe’s most famous pot, having done so on four occasions. This quartet of triumphs includes a now famous hat-trick of wins in the 1970’s when the likes of Beckenbaur and Breitner were the mega-stars of European football. Their last win came in 2001 when they beat Valencia 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Milan.

Earlier that season, the only two Champions League encounters between these two sides were played. A 2-2 draw at Highbury was followed by a 1-0 home win for Bayern in what used to be known as the second group stage of the competition. Both teams went through from that group, but the revised format now ensures that one of these two modern footballing giants will eventually crash out at this stage.

If Arsenal are to unlock the defence of the Bundesliga leaders, they will do so without the services of Dennis Bergkamp. Fresh from his red card in the FA Cup against Sheffield United on Saturday (February 19) Bergkamp has again declined to take the trip due to his fear of flying. Ashley Cole is also a doubt at the time of writing (February 21) due to the virus that kept him out of that cup tie, and the league encounter with Crystal Palace at Highbury five days earlier. Sol Campbell also remains absent, causing some alarm for Arsenal defensively. On the plus side, Edu has recovered from a hamstring injury and could partner Patrick Vieira in the centre of midfield.

If Arsenal’s midfield is strengthened by this, Bayern might be a little weaker in that area as they will be without Michael Ballack for the game due to a thigh injury. Ballack missed his side’s 5-0 drubbing of Borussia Dortmund at the weekend with the problem. He could be replaced by England squad dweller Owen Hargreaves, although Martin Demichelis is also an option for coach Felix Magath.

Up front the goalscoring duties will fall on Dutchman Roy Makaay. The former Deportivo La Coruna man has scored 25 goals in the Champions League, with seven coming this season so far. Only Manchester United’s Ruud Van Nistelrooy has scored more in this season’s competition with eight.

Verdict: The Gunners to score an away goal, but an increasingly creaky defence to cost them any chance of ‘doing a Norwich’. 2-1 to Bayern.

1702: FA Cup: Should Everton be cruc

by : Antony Melvin

As the slings and arrows of outrageous fans forums argue the toss over that coin toss at Goodison Park surely some measure of consistency needs to be applied here. It seems that Everton are being criticised because someone in their crowd had the misfortune to actually connect with an opposition player. If all the ‘missiles’ thrown had all flown wide of their targets there is little doubt that the matter would die away in a couple of days.

It seems only when missiles make some kind of convincing impact on a player or official that there is any outcry.

The referee, Anders Frisk, was hit by an object whilst leaving the pitch (under police guard) at half-time during a Champions League tie at Roma. He was unable to continue and the match was awarded to the away team. Roma played the next match behind closed doors. If Frisk had been missed would Roma have been inconvenienced?

Some commentators have pointed to the fact that Everton have been censured twice this season for letting a small number of fans encroach onto the pitch after vital wins – especially one against Liverpool – but this is hardly the stuff of nightmares. Think back to Villa Park in 1999 and after a semi-final win in the FA Cup, Manchester United fans stormed the pitch en masse. At the time there was some condemnation in the press – but little action from the FA.

At another match involving Manchester United this season, Wayne Rooney celebrated in front of the Spion Kop and nearly had his youthful good lucks tarnished after a mobile phone was thrown at him. I know that this point is getting a bit repetitive but why is inaccuracy some defence in this matter? Why did Liverpool avoid a big fine simply because one of their fans can only throw like a girl?

The Everton fans’ on Saturday night largely enjoyed themselves (before the goals) by exercising their right to express their disapproval of Wayne Rooney. Rooney to his credit ignored it. That should be the story; prodigal son returns home to hostile reception, and then leaves again.

That missile throwing has returned to English football is a bad thing; but Everton’s response in immediately accepting responsibility and explaining what they will do when they catch the thug in question (and they will) will do more to self-police any problem than any number of sanctions from the FA. Everton have been undone by a handful of fans – can they not be given a chance to put their own house in order?

1700: Champions League: Bayern Munic

by : Chris Sherrard

If Arsenal are going into the Champions League game with Bayern Munich on Tuesday after their Dutch master Dennis Bergkamp was sent off in the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon, Munich approach the fixture with their very own Holland star in very different form.

Roy Makaay is in scintillating form of late and bagged a hat-trick in an emphatic 5-0 win over former Champions League winners Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. It was a stark message for Arsene Wenger’s stuttering side – beware the Germans!

Munich are clear at the top of the Bundesliga and Makaay took his tally for the season to 12 with the brilliant treble against a struggling Dortmund side. It was Hasan Salihamidzic who got the ball rolling for Felix Magath’s team before the Dutch maestro put his mark on the game and Claudio Pizarro completed the scoring.

You would have to make the German giants favourites to progress over the two legs with Arsenal. Just. But while Bayern have also beat Bayern Leverkusen in recent weeks, they did fall to defeat at the hands of mid-table Arminia Bielefield. So Wenger will know that the team who once approached him to take charge are beatable – if the Gunners play to their peak.

Wenger rested some of his big guns in the FA Cup draw with Sheffield United at the weekend while Bayern went full tilt to keep their nose ahead of defending champions Werder Bremen at the top of the table. So the freshness of the likes of Thierry Henry may just be the edge Arsenal need here.

But Bayern have got infinitely more Champions League pedigree than the Highbury side and that could count for much. Munich know what is needed to progress at this level while Arsenal will be looking to sail into new waters. Magath has got a team of quality internationals to pick from and, aside from Makaay, Arsenal will need to hold players like Ze Roberto and Ballack in check as well as get past the combative Lucio, Kovacs and Oliver Kahn. It will be a tough, grinding couple of fixtures, that is for sure.

Recent defeats against Bolton and Manchester United as well as the draw with Sheffield United at the weekend suggest an improvement is needed in Arsenal’s form if they are to progress much further than this stage in Europe. But on their day they are capable of playing some of the best football anywhere on the continent and know that if they play to their best they have the ability to knock Bayern out.

Makaay against Arsenal’s defence – minus Sol Campbell – should be as interesting a battle as Henry up against Kahn and Lucio. What is certain is Munich couldn’t wish for a better platform to approach this fixture with the Gunners and with their Dutch striker clearly in top form they, too, will be confident of progression.

1696: Premiership: Hope and despair

by : Hugh Larkin

In the words of John Cleese in ‘Clockwise’ – “ I can cope with the despair- it’s the hope.” A perfect description of West Bromwich Albion’s season since Christmas. Bryan Robson’s side are still only five points away from safety and yet the club’s position could have been so much better were it not for a desperate talent to leak goals at the wrong moment.

On the positive side Albion’s football has improved no end. Jason Koumas has finally been integrated to the midfield , Robert Earnshaw has been a handful up front and Ronnie Wallwork has proved why he was a Manchester United player. Kevin Campbell has played the hard-grafting professional role he’s performed for all his top flight career. These four are now providing support to Jonathan Greening and Zoltan Gera who have laboured hard to provide a spark all season. For 35 minutes last week Albion gave Spurs a football lesson only to concede penalty just before the break.

At least that calamity came in the FA Cup but unfortunately the same problems have loomed large in crucial games. The worst moment came in the game at Norwich when the Baggies looked by far the better side, were in touching distance of a vital three points and ended up coming away with nothing. Rivalling even that result was the 2-2 draw with another relegation struggler Crystal Palace, when Ian Dowie’s team escaped with a draw in the last minute after Albion had fought back tremendously from a goal down.

It’s truly astonishing that West Brom, so inept in the weeks leading up to Christmas, would have been out of the drop zone if the leads in those two fixtures had been protected. Even Bryan Robson finally broke his admirable silence and criticised his defenders for their lack of concentration when it really matters.

Six weeks ago , the matches against Norwich and Palace appeared to be the club’s last chance of survival. Yet with only one point from these two games Albion’s fate is still not sealed because the bottom four clubs have become so detached from the rest of the Premiership. Unfortunately, Albion have to play all of the top four in their remaining fixtures and travel to Stamford Bridge next week; there are two tough local derbies to be negotiated as well.

In a perverse way, the team are probably better off taking on tougher opposition as it seems to free the players up to play good football, while the six-pointer games only serve to open them up to late nerves and disastrous collapses. Relegation should have become a formality weeks ago, but because the team now look threatening up front, no one can take a match with Robson’s squad for granted any more.

Certainly the players have returned some pride to the Hawthorns after the truly awful displays against Birmingham and Liverpool and survival is still tantalisingly close. But for Albion fans there remains the nagging feeling that the team are going to turn in some excellent performances, even play some teams off the park, only to give it all away at the death. Hope can be a terrible burden.

1695: FA Cup: Newcastle United vs Ch

by : Henry Knight

All those that did not witness Newcastle Vs Chelsea at St James’s Park, on Sunday the 20th of February, might ask if it was a typically dramatic FA cup ie, with multiple twists and turns? Only half of that question can be affirmed. Never has the FA Cup been proved such a pointless event for a top team than this past Sunday afternoon. Newcastle fans will be happy that they are through, they kept a clean sheet they beat arguably the best team in the country and their hero, Alan Shearer, has a chance to finally win the FA Cup in his last season of professional football. The sad reality is if they play like they did on Sunday, against a full strength Manchester United or Arsenal, they will be taken apart.

So “The Man of Four” is no more for this season; the dream ended in a match where Jose Mourinho made his first costly mistake under his tenure as Chelsea
manager; using all his substitutes at half time then having Wayne Bridge go off injured. Admittedly you cannot legislate for injury, however bringing on 3 key players is normally a move made when in crisis, something Chelsea certainly were not in at half time. Geremi, Cole and Tiago were the players to make way
and whilst on their watch, Chelsea dominated possession and despite missing key goal contributors, Drogba and Robben, looked most likely to score; in
fact Kezman was unlucky to hit the bar. Despite this, Newcastle drew first blood in the first 5 minutes with their only poignant, quality attack. The regularly misfiring Lauren Robert looped a cross into the box for a, rarely seen but latently available, world class headed finish by Patrick Kluivert, who reacted quicker than his marker William Gallas.

The second half came and so did the pain. Wayne Bridge was the first to go with a suspected broken ankle, then Duff pulled up with a strained hamstring before finally William Gallas pulled a stomach muscle. To compound the misery for the away fans on this fateful afternoon, Carlo Cudicini was sent off in the last few minutes harshly judged to have deliberately taken Shola Ameobi down outside the box. At least the smallest amount of amusement and warmth could be taken by the away fans before their long trip back home, after right back Glen Johnson saved the resulting free kick.

Newcastle fans won’t complain about the result even though they would have to admit their team was lucky to have triumphed in a match where they were second best to effectively a 9 and a half man team. Souness has some issues to address in the summer, as his team was indecisive and unconvincing all over the pitch. I doubt whether Newcastle fans would feel any sympathy for their Chelsea counterparts, who still look likely to win the Premiership and are already guaranteed one cup final and two massive glamour ties against Barcelona.

The romantics can analyse this match in a typical Grimm’s fairy tale style; a cold, snowy, wet Northern afternoon in the twilight of the winter months, 11
noble men take the field to battle for the spoils of football glory. Take off an “m” from Grimm and you have an apt description of Chelsea’s perspective on
the match. The grim weather added to the overall gloom of the affair, where Chelsea would have been better off staying at home rather than getting three key
players injured; Wayne Bridge, their only legitimate left back is now out for the rest of the season. It was less the pain of knowing a historic 4 trophy haul in one season was now impossible, than the pain of the bitter cold, the untimely injuries and subsequent suspensions.

The same romantics that are reveling in an underdog’s victory for Newcastle are doubtless the same ones that are calling for Alan Shearer to reconsider his
retirement. An unsurprising reaction from the Newcastle fans echoed these sentiments; booing Souness’s decision to take off the local hero. It came as no surprise to me, as Shearer played 70 minutes before being substituted and despite two typically robust chested lay-offs, was an inconspicuous non presence, indeed a ghost of seasons and goal scoring glories past.

1697: Champions League: Barcelona’s

by : Chris Sherrard

Barcelona warmed up for their game with Chelsea at the Nou Camp on Wednesday boosted by regaining a seven-point lead at the head of La Liga on Saturday night.

With Real Madrid crashing 2-0 at home to Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona took full advantage to beat Real Mallorca by the same scoreline thanks to two goals by Jose Mourinho’s former protg Deco. The win re-opens Barca’s lead at the top of the table and ensures they can relax a little more when Chelsea visit this week.

It promises to be a captivating encounter with the top side in Spain playing the top side in England. Little quarter will be given but Barcelona must start the game slight favourites given the fact their top man, Ronaldinho, will play while Arjen Robben can only sit and watch from the sidelines.

It was a fifth win in six games for Frank Rijkard’s side on Saturday and followed hard on the heels of a superb 4-1 away win at Real Zaragoza. Two weeks ago, however, Mourinho’s scouts were in attendance as Atletico Madrid stunned Barca 2-0 at the Nou Camp. Chelsea will know how that day Fernando Torres ran the show, hassling the home defence with his pace and strength – something Didier Drogba is well capable of if fit to start on Wednesday.

And, of course, Barcelona’s last two fixtures in the Champions League were a defeat to Shaktar Donetsk and a draw with Martin O’Neill’s Celtic. So Chelsea will know that they have got a real chance of progression here, and if they do there would be no reason why they couldn’t go all the way to the final in Istanbul.

To do that Mourinho’s team will need to forget about the loss of the influential Robben and concentrate on the cold hard fact that they were unbeaten in a magnificent 17 games, before the Newcastle match – stretching back to a loss at defending Champions League winners’ Porto in the last group game back in December. If they play how they can play then it will be hard for Barcelona.

But any side with Ronaldinho in it is always going to be a threat. And the Brazilian World Player of the Year is in top form of late, running the show in Saturday night’s league victory. He has got seven goals this season but more important has been his creativity which is second to none in world football right now. His passing is one of the chief reasons why Barca’s Cameroon international striker Samuel Eto’o is La Liga’s top scorer so far this season with a brilliant 20 already.

John Terry is flying at the minute, though, and Petr Cech is virtually impossible to beat of late. So Chelsea have got some of the vital tools to stifle their Spanish hosts on Wednesday night. It should be a rip-roaring game at the Nou Camp – an old-fashioned affair with end-to-end football. Who comes out on top will depend on the flow of the game on the day. Going into the match there is very little to choose between them both.

1701: FA Cup: The football league wo

by : Hugh Larkin

What an FA Cup weekend for the Football League. The 5th Round draw threw up five fixtures between Football League and Premiership teams – four of them with the senior side at home. End result? A win on points for the little guys, with four matches drawn and the only victory to Leicester City at Charlton.

In three of the drawn games the Football League side came from behind to force the draw, with pride of place going to League One Brentford who pulled two back at St Mary’s . Now Arsenal, Tottenham and Southampton all face unwanted replays away from home and for the Gunners and Saints these games are a huge distraction from their efforts in other competitions.

The passion of fans from Burnley, Sheffield United and Brentford stands in stark contrast to the attitude of the paying public in Bolton who showed a marked indifference to the game against Fulham. Perhaps fans of the middle ranking Premiership clubs simply don’t believe their teams can win the trophy ; since 1988 the Cup hasn’t left the grip of London, Manchester and Merseyside. For the League sides however, the Cup run retains its allure as a route to excitement and glamour.

This is the sort of weekend that can keep the Cup alive as a vibrant part of the domestic scene. In the past decade winning the pot has become the preserve of the very elite clubs but the ability of the top few to concentrate talent in their squads has left the mass of the Premiership more vulnerable to the Football League onslaught. There’s never been a better time for an unheralded side to enjoy a long run , even if lifting the trophy is sadly out of the question these days.

Whenever the magic of the FA Cup seems to be running out, the competition always manages to throw up an answer; the 4th Round had been disappointingly predictable and the odds favoured an all-Premiership quarter-final draw but Leicester have already scotched that and the odds are that at least one other Football League side will get into the 6th Round.

The efforts of the lower division sides have been helped by the selection policies of sides like Arsenal and the fixture congestion that the top clubs inevitably face. Set against that, the elite sides now have huge squads to be able to cope with the inevitable consequences of their dominance and the lower division clubs will cherish any win over a club like Arsenal no matter who plays.

Now that the last eight stage looms into view the smaller fry can even begin to consider the possibility of a trip to Cardiff. The draw fell perfectly for Millwall last season as the Lions reached the final without meeting any Premiership opposition. The chances of that happening again are slim but with Chelsea removed everyone left will see a bit more elbow room.

The lineup in Cardiff will still almost certainly include either Manchester United or Arsenal but at least the 5th Round has stirred everything up. Some of the most exciting FA Cup memories come from hard fought replays on cold ,damp evenings and the uprising of the game’s lower classes has ensured that there’s life in the old competition yet.

1699: Premiership: Punish Everton or

by : Alex Kay

So ththe Everton v Manchester United cup tie was exactly what we expected. United won easily, Rooney was booed every time he touched the ball, and there were arrests after the match. To top it all off, one ignoramus decided it was appropriate to throw his mobile phone. Apart from the obvious question of ‘why throw your phone of all things?’, we really have to ask whether what happened at Goodison Park on Saturday was a warning sign that we really must take notice of.

I know that players/referees have been struck by objects thrown from the crowd before, but considering the hype surrounding this game, should this have been allowed to happen? Roy Carroll was lucky that he wasn’t injured by the ‘missile’ as John Motson called it, and the man who threw the phone will surely be banned for life from football grounds across the country. To really get the message through to people that this sort of behaviour is completely unacceptable however, the FA needs to send a strong message out to football fans up and down England.

When Anders Frisk was hit by a missile in a Champions League match in the Stadio Olimpico last year, UEFA decided to close the stadium for the next Champions League fixture against Real Madrid. There hasn’t been any trouble since. Perhaps Everton should be similarly punished. I know that it’s punishing the whole class for the actions of one idiot, but sometimes that is the way that things have to be. People would stand up and take notice if they saw an empty Goodison Park on Match of the Day against Blackburn in a couple of week’s time.

Or is that enough? I mean, that is only a brief punishment. Crowds will still return to Goodison for the next match, and if there was reason for anger a few years down the line, it would be easy to forget about the empty stadium match of 2005. The FA needs to hand out a punishment which will hurt Everton fans, and terrify other supporters. They need to dock Everton points. That would shshk people. Take six points away form Everton – I know the incident was in the FA Cup, but Everton are out of that now, and the action needs to be immediate. Five points would seriously threaten Everton’s Champions League aspirations. It would put them level with Merseyside rivals Liverpool, and very close to Middlesbrough, Bolton and the others in the chasing pack.

Harsh it may sound, even ridiculous to some people, but as far as the safety of players and officials is concerned, the FA have to make a stand. Football is important, but there’s a line, and the officiating bodies have to take appropriate action when it is crossed.

1687: SPL: Celtic v. Rangers - NOT a

by : Hugh Larkin

This article has been removed at the writer's request.On Sunday the two Glasgow leviathans come together for their fourth meeting of the season, with the score standing 2-1 in Celtic’s favour. While both sides are, as usual, desperate to triumph in the bitterest rivalry in British football, the truth is that whatever happens at Celtic Park the title won’t be decided this weekend.

The table shows that Celtic have lost twice this season against Rangers only defeat. Yet the two are locked on points with Celtic actually holding the upper hand going into the game because the Bhoys have a match in hand on their rivals. The pressure is on Alex McLeish’s team because his side have proved far less efficient than Celtic in hoovering up the points from the also-rans of the SPL.

Despite the huge media attention and passion generated by the Old Firm clashes, it’s a truism that the title is decided in matches at Dunfermline and Livingston rather than the fortresses of Glasgow. While Celtic had their colours lowered by Aberdeen the Gers have allowed the opposition to escape with a draw five times- including Dundee United twice- and this could make all the difference to the title race.

That said, Sunday’s game has two tremendous sub-plots to add even more spice to the occasion. Rangers favourite son Barry Ferguson will be back in a blue shirt at Celtic Park after his unhappy sojourn at Blackburn and the return of a player with a proven track record in this derby of derbies can only be a major boost for the Gers. Ferguson knows all about what it takes to claim titles and he should become exactly the sort of lieutenant McLeish needs out on the park.

For Celtic, Martin O’Neill may well give a start to loan signing Craig Bellamy whose entry to the SPL arena has been delayed because of Dunfermline’s plastic pitch. The Welsh forward is well known for his self-belief and this will be a chance to prove that he can really cut it in the most intense environment. While he holds out hopes of a return to St. James’ Park if Graeme Souness is removed, Bellamy needs to knuckle down because Celtic were the only elite club to offer him a lifeline – if he performs moderately his career path is likely to detour toward the likes of Birmingham City, despite his own ambitions.

Predicting the outcome of these games is always tricky, especially as one team or the other often manages to lose their discipline and hand their opponents the initiative. There have been two one-goal margins this season and the odds must lean towards a draw this time, if only because both sides are less potent in attack than previous years. Celtic haven’t filled their Larsson shaped hole, although Bellamy’s pace could make him a new hero, while Rangers are only scoring at an average of just over two goals per game. In their last two title-winning campaigns the Gers weighed in at three per game or just under.

Expect another shuddering collision on Sunday and no doubt someone will make the headlines for the right or wrong reasons. A victory will give one side a considerable edge in the championship race but defeat won’t be the end for the loser. While Chelsea can afford the odd drawn game, the Old Firm will leave Celtic Park knowing that only a 100% record to the season’s end will guarantee the title. Now that’s pressure.

1690: Premiership: Quotas for Britis

by : Alex Kay

So Arsenal didn’t have a single British player in their squad against Crystal Palace. Well, blow me down. It was always going to happen sooner or later for the Highbury team, and to be honest, I really don’t care. If Arsene Wenger doesn’t want many Brits in his squad, then so be it. The media seems to be outraged at Arsenal’s lack of home grown talent. It’s no good for the game, they say. The England team is going to suffer. They are all wrong, and this is why….

Firstly, on a normal day, Arsenal’s first eleven includes two of England’s best players in Cole and Campbell, even if the latter was brought up on the other side of North London. And even if they didn’t, they are a unique case. Their two title contenders, Chelsea and Manchester United are full of fantastic British talent. Just think of Terry, Lampard, Joe Cole, Bridge, Giggs, Scholes, Rooney, Ferdinand, and the Nevilles to name but a few. I think Mr Beckham started off somewhere there as well. As well as the established players, there are even more talented young players coming through the Premiership than ever before. Downing, Wright-Phillips, Defoe are the pick of the bunch, and there are dozens of others. Just think of the English players who can’t get a proper game for their country due to the immense amount of talent in the country. Are Johnson, Beattie and Carrick being held back by the influx of foreigners into the Premiership? I think not.

Apart from the fact that we are not suffering internationally, there is also something else to consider. So, ok, maybe the French national team has done wonders in recent years, but tell me how many more people watch the Premiership each week than Le Championnat. Alongside La Liga, the Premiership is the most watched league in the world, and having the likes of Henry, Robben and Van Nistelrooy is fundamental to that, not to mention what British players can learn from these sorts of talents.

Then there is the craziness of telling clubs that they must include British players, no matter how good they are. Is this to achieve some sort of politically correct balance? Should we also make sure each team has a certain amount of black players, or Jewish players, regardless of talent? The proposal is simply ridiculous.

One weekend when Arsenal had two major injuries and we all go up in arms. Let’s please look at the bigger picture. British football (if we ignore the Scots who are doomed anyway) is on the crest of a wave. Let’s enjoy it, and get off the Gunners’ back, as much as it pains me to say that.

1692: FA: Geoff Thompson- What’s My

by : Bill Urban

Football Association Chairman: Why, that doesn’t seem like a vague title at all. Seems that the position implies a responsibility over the body charged with overseeing the health of football in England.

From such simple understandings are muddled messes made.

Geoff Thompson, titular FA Chairman, but apparently also Premier League apologist, voiced dissent, in the shape of Premier League opposition, to the quotas proposed by UEFA regarding numbers of "home-grown" players to be included in football squads for European competition. At a UEFA executive committee meeting, Thompson’s was the lone voice in opposition against the imposition of the quotas for squads competing in the Champions League. Hmm, a quota system with the stated intent to encourage clubs to develop local talent, to create and extend community ties, and to give more opportunity to young players who might be missing their chance to shine due to "cheaper" young players being brought in from points overseas.

But surely that can’t be within the best interests of the game in England?

The obvious priority for Thompson was to make certain that Arsenal would, in the future, still be able to field a 16-player squad without a single English player within its ranks. Surely that’s plain as day to everyone not occupying the Chairman’s Office at Soho Square?

The saddest part of the whole quota imbroglio is that Thompson was in opposition because he was told to be so by the Premier League, in fact, by the eighteen out of twenty clubs who object to the imposition of the quotas. Eighteen Premier League clubs don’t want the quotas, yet the players union and the Football League are strongly in support.

Guess who won that little duel?

In a strangely coherent comment, devoid of gratuitous references to his playing days, PFA Chairman Gordon Taylor remarked: "I find it astonishing that the FA's job is to look after the interests of English football but it responds to the desires of the Premier League," said Taylor. "It is a dereliction of duty..."

But surely you knew the Premier League thinks it is English football, Gordon? Remember Freddie Sheppard’s darling comments? Points for the dereliction of duty comment, though, although the words might be a bit too big for Geoff to handle.

"This is not a criticism of managers like Arsne Wenger," said Taylor, proceeding to criticize Wenger, " but there are directors who are not speaking in the interests of the England team. I hope [the FA chief executive] Brian Barwick addresses this. But the fact is the FA's [board] is strongly populated by people from the Premier League."

Premier League apologist, indeed, our Geoff.

Sharp opposition to the quotas was voiced by David Dein, Arsenal Vice-President and mysterious mover and shaker at the FA. Don’t tell dear David that he can’t field a team lacking English players, Geoff.

An unnamed Premier League spokesman, who perhaps should have pulled the string in Thompson’s back and had him utter the words, stated: "Premier League clubs have already invested millions of pounds in developing youth academies, which, together with improving coaching levels, is perhaps a more productive way of guaranteeing even more young English talent emerges to enable our national team to succeed in international competition."

The sad situation could not be summed up better than by this snippet.

Let’s translate that for our Geoff. We spend money, leave us alone, young English talent will emerge. Never mind that the bigger clubs like Arsenal and ManU are scouting the world for young talent to be brought into those very same academies. Never mind that Jermaine Pennant and David Bentley no longer play at Arsenal, while Cesc Fabregas gets plenty of first-team run-outs.

Geoff Thompson, Chairman of the Premier League Appreciation Society and Propaganda Campaign.

Maybe a change of title will clear up the confusion...

1694: Premiership: Are Spurs Keane t

by : Gordon McRury

“With the resources that have been at his disposal, and a few very, very shrewd signings, what Steve Cotterill has achieved is nothing short of remarkable. Very few, if any, Clarets fans would have expected us to be where we are at the moment, if you had asked them at the start of the season. He is definitely our most prized asset at this moment in time.”

The Clarets were knocked out of last season’s competition by beaten finalists Millwall in the quarterfinals 1-0 and will be looking to book back-to-back quarterfinal places but this will be a real test for Steve Cotterill and his men as they take on a Blackburn side full of internationals. Rovers haven’t lost to their neighbours for 26 years and went to town on their rivals in their last meeting four years ago, thrashing the Clarets 5-0 at Ewood Park. Rovers fan Paul, who has May 14 1995 etched across his heart, is unfazed by Burnley’s recent record in the competition but confesses that losing is not an option.

”These days it is rare to play Burnley and bragging rights, held by Rovers for the last 26 years, are truly important. We HAVE to win this game, it could be another 26 years before we play them again and we can’t risk losing. Hughes has to impress on the players just how much this game means to the support. If ever a team had to die for the cause it’s February 20. This is the biggest game of the season, it is the tie of the round, perhaps the whole competition, but you have to live in East Lancashire to understand the importance. Losing this game is not something we can contemplate. Quite simply we must win, listening to 20 or more years of them talking about the cup win would be just too much for most fans.”

A win over Blackburn would be a huge boost to all Claret fans and a spot of revenge for their last two meetings says Terry who predicts a typical derby clash.

“I think it will all boil down to how the players react to the atmosphere that will be generated by the occasion. The team that has the most professional approach on the day will probably win the game. I can’t imagine it will be too pretty, but hopefully an enjoyable, exciting game,” says Terry.

Terry has watched Burnley through thick and thin, including ‘the Orient game’, but remains an optimist and believes the Clarets can edge a close game 2-1. Paul agrees it will be a close game but he’s confident that it will be Blackburn who book their place in the next round of the Cup.

“In my heart we will win, my head says we are struggling to score goals so it may have to be settled in a replay. It doesn’t matter who we play scoring is a big issue for Rovers, my biggest worry would be Burnley score first and Rovers then struggle badly to get an equalizer. If we score first we will win.”

Blackburn are six time winners of the FA Cup and the only existing club to have won three on the trot. Burnley have only won the Cup once back in 1914 and have twice been beaten finalists, their last appearance coming in 1962 when Spurs won 3-1.

Brad Friedel, Mark Hughes, and Ian Moore are the only survivors from the last time these two great rivals locked horns but they will ensure that the rest of the team know how vital this game is to the fans, says Paul.

“Few of our players will understand the importance. The fans will have to whip up the atmosphere for them. One or two players will know what it’s about and I won’t be surprised if Savage doesn’t finish the game. The atmosphere will be intense, I expect this to make the players, on both sides, appreciate what they must do. The opening ten minutes could be very competitive and crucial. Should Burnley score first Rovers will have to push forward but would we score? If Blackburn can nick the first goal I’m confident we have the defensive ability to stop Burnley. Rovers are a poor to average PL team and Burnley a mid-table side so a realistic prediction would be 1-1 and Blackburn to win the replay, but it’s the cup, anything can happen but I won’t discuss defeat.”

Terry would be gutted at being knocked out of the Cup by Blackburn but believes the blow would be softened by promotion to the Premiership, which in Terry’s eyes would be more important than a cup win.

“The only way for clubs to stay alive is to be where the money is, in with the big boys. The lower league clubs are slowly becoming detached from the chance to climb the football ladder, due to the wealth of the top flight clubs, and their ability to take any of the young players showing any talent and stick them in their reserve teams labelled ‘one for the future’.”

It’s the tie of the round and the winners will have a great chance of progressing to the final but quite who that will be is anyone’s guess. One things for sure though, the losers won’t be able to live it down for a long time to come!
Ever since spurs own Great Dane, Frank Arnesen swept into the corridors of power at White Hart Lane last summer; the rumour mill has gone into overdrive. Most of the rumours have generated a great deal of excitement amongst the lilywhite half of North London especially those connecting Manchester City’s recently capped England sensation and the current England captain with the club. Today however, I heard a rumour that filled me with dread, could it be? Are Spurs ready to sell Robbie Keane?

Only a year ago Keane was the darling of the Tottenham faithful, but since the arrival of Jermain Defoe his crown has slipped and he is no longer the King of White Hart Lane.

As a player Robbie Keane epitomises the club, he is cavalier, exciting and full of flair and although he often leaves the fans exacerbated by missing clear cut chances he can and does produce moments of magic that most players can only dream of, his recent wonder strike against Brighton springs to mind. He is arguably the most creative player at Martin Jol’s disposal and he has the talent to unlock even the most miserly defence. There is a fly in the ointment however, for the Republic of Ireland all time leading scorer can be temperamental. All too often he can be found remonstrating with officials, opponents and most disappointingly his own team mates.

As a Dutchman Jol will be only too aware of the damage an outspoken and domineering player can cause to a team, as the Dutch have a history of blighting their own challenge for major honours with in team spats, Edgar Davids and Clarence Seedorf are prime examples of this. Subsequently this may be the main reason for Keane's recent exclusion from the Spurs starting eleven. I sincerely hope that Robbie Keane quickly dismisses any talk of a transfer and stays to fight for his place at the club.

Ultimately if he can be more supportive of his team mates and he can recapture the form he showed on his arrival at Spurs, it will undoubtedly be the fans that are doing cartwheels.

1693: FA Cup: Burnley vs Blackburn R

by : Colin Illingworth

In terms of local rivalry they don’t come much bigger than this. The last time they met at Turf Moor the M65 had to be closed to allow the convoy of 80 buses full of Blackburn supporters attend the game, and Burnley fans even rioted in their own town centre.

Blackburn all but secured their Premiership survival with victory over Norwich last Saturday and they aim to get past the fifth round of the FA Cup for the second time in 12 years. However standing in their way are fierce local rivals Burnley, who have already claimed the scalps of Aston Villa and Liverpool this season.

Valentines Day has been and gone but there is no love loss between the two and Terry Thornton, co-ordinator of the Gordon Clarets supporters club and Burnley fanatic since the age of seven, can’t stress enough how big this game is.

“Anyone unaware of the rivalry between the two sets of fans is certainly no lover of football, and probably not a citizen of this country,”

Says Terry.

“Within the football community it ranks just as highly as a Celtic-Rangers, City-United, or Merseyside derby. With the two teams being kept apart, league wise, for the major part of the last 40 years, the bragging rites as, they are known by many, have been restricted mainly to how badly each team has been doing at various periods in time, and not to the actual winning of matches between us. When Rovers were relegated from the Premiership four seasons ago, many fans, from both sides, will have experienced their first derby games. I am sure if asked, they will concur, that there are no other games quite like it.”

Paul Brooking is a huge Blackburn Rovers fan despite not having been born, or even raised, in the town but the administrator for the Blackburn Rovers Football Club Supporters website admits the rivalry is unique and victory is crucial for ‘local pride’.

“The intensity of the rivalry is very, very deep rooted. Winning this game is crucial for local pride for years to come and you have to be at the match. The hardcore support were worrying since the draw was made about how to get a ticket. Some even queued all night!

Burnley created the shock of the third round dumping Liverpool out of the competition with a comical own goal by Jimi Traore but they proved that result was no fluke by seeing off Bournemouth 2-0 in the fourth round. Blackburn made hard work of Cardiff before beating them 4-2 and brushed past Colchester United 3-0 after a spectacular goalkeeping gaffe by Aidan Davison, who we will be seeing more of in the Christmas videos.

They last clashed in the FA Cup over 45 years ago as Blackburn made their most recent final appearance beaten 2-0 by Wolves at Wembley. They overcame Burnley in a replay 2-0 at Ewood Park after a classic game at Turf Moor ended 3-3. Mark Hughes will be hoping this might be an omen as the former Wales manager aims to end a troubled season on a high note. Paul, who punched the air with joy when the draw was made, is confident that a day out at the Millennium stadium waits in store but he’s not a believer in omens.

“Football is full of omens but I don’t think they mean anything. My gut feeling is we deserve a little success. Life towards the end of the Souness era was utterly miserable and we still have pain to endure while Sparky sorts out the squad. So while I don’t believe in omens I have a feeling we may make the semis or even the final.”

Burnley have reached the fourth round for the fifth year running and are currently in touching distance of a play off spot. The recent transfer of Robbie Blake to Birmingham and Richard Chaplow to West Brom though will ensure the Clarets are up against it. Terry, whose Gran brought him his first season ticket aged seven, believes the spirit in the squad will compensate their absences though.

“Losing two quality players is always a blow, but when you have supported the Clarets as long as I have then it's a fact you have to learn to live with. Robbie Blake’s goals will be missed most of all, although five wins, two draws and a defeat, hopefully show that we are far from a one-man team. We don't have any what you would call flair players. What they do have though, is the best team spirit I have seen in a Clarets side for many seasons. All the players are capable of having their moments on the day, lets hope they have one or two more than usual on Sunday.”

Burnley narrowly avoided relegation to League One last season by just two points and Stan Ternent was released from his duties at Turf Moor. Steve Cotterill was handed the responsibility of turning the clubs fortunes around and Terry, 49, has been amazed at the job the former Stoke City boss has done.

1691: Premiership: One Dimensional A

by : Henry Knight

Arsene Wenger has created at Arsenal, one of the best young, talented squads arguably in the history of the English game. Arsene Wenger has built his Arsenal to suit the demanding mould of the Premiership, as the pace and quick, devastating skills of the attackers; Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Freddy Ljungberg, Jose Antonio Reyes and the emerging Robin Van Persie are a truly frightening prospect at any level. Wenger has brilliantly balanced this explosive attack with the vision of Midfielders; Patrick Vieira, Edu and arguably the most exciting young prospect in world football Cesc Fabregas. The experience of Dennis Bergkamp, dropping off the front line to provide a killer ball, adds yet another dimension to an already potent Arsenal attack.

However it is not just for these reasons that Arsenal have so impressed and endeared themselves to the world, sending English pundits into raptures. It is the fact that through all the quality they possess, Wenger has instilled a fighting spirit. 3-1 down to Middlesborough in the second game of the season, it
surprised nobody that the world class stars in the team didn’t just give up but tried their hardest and came back to win 5-3. Class and graft were displayed on that occasion, so why isn’t it working in Europe?

Wenger has taken the archetypal English 4-4-2 formation and changed it, so that when the team attacks, it looks more like a 4-6 with the 4 midfielders and 2 strikers having almost total freedom of movement in the oppositions half. The attack becomes a shapeless enigma that envelopes opposition defences and attacks from all angles all at once. Yes it’s beautiful to watch, but it’s sometimes impossible to employ. For instance how would the “Arsenal way” hold up against the Italians? The imposing forms of Juventus and AC Milan are back to their gargantuan best, their defences are rock solid, their midfields are staunch to say the least, with Blasi and Gatusso, respectively, making sure space is at a premium and their attacks are razor sharp on the counter attack,
with a plethora of glittering stars ready to dazzle any exposed back four; Schevchenko, Kaka, Crespo, Ibrahimovic, Trezeguet and Nedved.

Arsenal lack the type of players or system that is suited to possession footballer. Arsene Wenger recently said, “I cannot ask Henry or Ljungberg to sit back and defend, it simply would not work.” The attacking, fluid front line of the ‘Wenger boys’ rely on the space provided via a counter attack and the ability to pass the ball quickly between one another, and with their “telepathic” knowledge of where one another is, they simply prize opposition defences apart with relative ease.

To cope with this threat opposition teams have to adapt to close the space down, bolstering with three central midfielders in a Spanish style 4-2-3-1 formation. When Arsenal defend, they revert to a more traditional English 4-4-2 formation where the two central midfielders, Fabregas and Vieira, are outnumbered and lose their attacking potency. In what has been called by some ‘the greatest Premiership match of all time’; Arsenal V Manchester United at
Highbury this season, Alex Ferguson employed a 3 man central. The result was emphatic, a 4-2 victory for United. The fullbacks and wingers simply double up on Arsenals two wingers, Pires and Reyes, leaving the Central defenders one task, marking the two strikers. All the good movement of the forwards goes to waste, as the midfielders have limited space to get the ball to them.

As far as flamboyance goes, there is only one team in Europe that can match Arsenal and that is Barcelona. Barcelona play with the aforementioned 4-2-3-1 formation, with a deep seated playmaker in Xavi and a tough tackler in Tiago Motta, or Edmilson (Arsenal have missed out on tough tackling for the majority of the season, with their Brazilian “wall”, Gilberto Silva, missing through injury). Barcelona are top of the Spanish ‘Primera Liga’ and are favourites for the Champions League. So would Arsenal gain more success by adopting a similar system to Barcelona’s? The question is made irrelevant by Wenger’s refusal to
change footballing clothes.

It’s an ethical dilemma of the highest order in football, cold hard results or breathtaking action. Mr. Wenger is bucking the trend by insisting on the latter and he should be applauded by all, especially if it pays off. That is a big if though, so Good luck to Arsene and his Gunners, one suspects they are going to need it.

1688: Premiership: Steven Gerrard –

by : Ross Armstrong

A year ago, this article would have been unthinkable. Had this been written eighteen months ago, there’d have been a queue of people lining up to laugh at these views, and I’d have been there at the front. However, several factors are now combining to make this article possible, and they’re also combining to start to change the tide of thinking on the subject of Steven Gerrard.

The first factor is that Gerrard isn’t playing as well this season as he has for the last two. Twelve months ago, he was the best midfielder in the country, bar none. Now, that is no longer true. Whilst the media are now falling over themselves to heap praise on him and describe him as some sort of one man team, many fans will point out the reality, and the reality is that if Liverpool’s Player of the Year were decided tomorrow, it would be Jamie Carragher collecting the award, rather than the much publicised captain. If there has been, with the possible exception of John Terry, a more consistent and capable central defender in England this season, then I would be amazed. Carragher is confident and assured, he loves defending and would run through brick walls for Liverpool Football Club. He is the most club’s most loyal and dedicated servant.

Being slightly bolder, the point could also be made that Gerrard, at least technically, may no longer even be the best midfielder at Liverpool, never mind the Premiership. Xabi Alonso has plenty of gifts in his locker that Gerrard does not, and his broken ankle might well be the final cruel blow that costs Benitez so dearly in his first season. If Gerrard and Alonso play together again, watch the two of them together very closely – contrast how many times Alonso’s passes find their mark and how many times he concedes possession with how many times Gerrard does.

In spite of this, it is of course important to make clear that Gerrard is still a class player, and very important to the team. Let’s also make clear that his contribution this season has been mostly extremely valuable and at times outstanding; his goal against Olympiakos was one of those absolutely timeless, once in a lifetime moments that no-one will ever forget. However, that goal also disguised the fact that he’d been missing for most of that game, as he had been against Watford at Anfield in the Carling Cup semi-final before his goal. It’s also hard to escape the fact that the hallmark of Liverpool’s most disappointing recent performances – at St Mary’s and St Andrews – has been the complete absence of their captain.

Dips in form are understandable, and every footballer is entitled to the odd off day. The trouble with Gerrard is that his dips in form coincide with this ongoing circus of interest in his future, or should that read ‘his future move to Chelsea’. It’s almost like Liverpool fans are supposed to be grateful that he’s sticking around with their team and saving their skin. Save it. Anyone who doubts that Gerrard, last summer, had a meeting with Mourinho and Kenyon very similar to the one Ashley Cole has just been caught having is, at best, very nave. He was probably moments away from joining Roman’s boys last summer, and is content to let speculation grow that he’ll join this summer. And let’s be realistic here – he has had every chance in the last few months to say “I’m definitely staying”, or “I’m prepared to be reasonable and give Benitez more than one injury-crippled season to prove himself”, but guess what? He hasn’t.

But the tide is turning. Fans are becoming absolutely sick of speculation surrounding Gerrard’s future and more and more of them are not prepared to tolerate it any longer. If the media want to continue their campaign to paint Gerrard as a one man team destined to sell out to Stamford Bridge, then let them do so. No player is bigger than this club, no player should be allowed to string the club and its management along in the way that Gerrard is, and no player is irreplaceable. Those lessons should have been never clearer than now, after the Michael Owen debacle. Now it’s time for Gerrard to knuckle down and publicly commit his future to the club, or to clear things up for good and tell us that he’s off. Put up or shut up Steven, because the club that you captain and the club that’s given you everything you’ve got has had enough.

1684: Premiership: The fourth place

by : Stephen Orford

The Premiership’s top three is something of a closed shop. For now, and perhaps for the foreseeable future, the established trio of heavyweights of Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal are all but guaranteed Champions League qualification. We can argue about the order in which these three will finish until it becomes tedious to do so. The real battle is going on lower down, as a plethora of clubs gather to fight it out for that now all-important fourth qualification spot.

The politics of this are irrelevant for now. It is sufficient to say that in an ideal footballing world finishing fourth would not normally be considered such a seismic achievement, and certainly not one on which hugely supported football powerhouses should base their entire seasons. However, as the growing financial incentives in football have created a three-team Premiership race, so they have allowed an opportunity for more clubs to enter European football’s premier competition.

At the time of writing (February 15) the team in possession are Everton. Constantly referred to as the season’s ‘surprise package’ the Toffeemen have risen from a pitiful 17th in last season’s table to suddenly find themselves in fourth place, five points and one league place above their fierce local rivals Liverpool. A straight fight between the Merseyside two has been predicted, but there are one or two others who will have at least a say in who plays Champions League football with the big playground bullies next season. Middlesbrough, Bolton Wanderers, and even Charlton Athletic and Tottenham Hotspur will not have counted themselves out of the race mathematically. Few representatives of these clubs will be talking up their chances, preferring instead to go quietly about the business of upsetting the Merseyside apple-cart, but inwardly they must feel that there is a chance, albeit a slim one, that they could reach the mega-rich promised land.

With the points in the bag Everton must start favourites. Their involvement in the FA Cup might prove to be a slight distraction, but this could soon be irrelevant as they take on Manchester United in the fifth round this coming Saturday (February 19). With Sir Alex’s men in stirring form, it could be that Everton are left to indulge in that old clich of ‘concentrating on the league’ after the Goodison encounter.

Taking a look at their fixture list the March 20 derby with Liverpool at Anfield already looks pivotal. With Liverpool spluttering at every opportunity, the blues will feel confident of repeating their victory earlier in the season, when Lee Carsley’s goal was enough to see off the challenge of their neighbours. Should they do so, they could deal a fatal blow to Liverpool’s hopes, and seal the departure of the Sainted Steven Gerrard from the old enemy in the process. Aswell as the derby, Everton face trips to Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion, Fulham and out-going champions Arsenal. Though the Gunners have not maintained their challenge as well as many expected, they will still provide tough opposition for David Moyes’ men and any points from the trip to Highbury would have to be considered a bonus. However, the other three trips are all winnable, as the seasons of Aston Villa and Fulham fade into insignificance, while West Brom toil against their own defensive incompetence.

It is at home where Everton’s fate will be decided, as Blackburn Rovers, Crystal Palace, Manchester United, Birmigham City and Newcastle United all have to visit Goodison. Rovers are not out of the relegation woods, and are improving to the point where they could scratch together a result of some sort, while Crystal Palace will not, despite last night’s (February 14) blip at Arsenal lie down and die for anyone. United could still be in the title hunt, and Birmigham City showed against an admittedly abject Liverpool side on Saturday (February 12) that they can be a force on their day. As for Newcastle, they seem likely to be focused on their efforts in either the FA or UEFA Cups, with their league position already largely irrelevant.

And what of Liverpool? The future of Steven Gerrard seems not to be overshadowing almost everything else at Anfield, often to the detriment of the team’s performances. The performance at Birmingham was nothing short of embarrassing, and expectations mean that of all the teams involved in the chase for fourth, they should be the most desperate. Aswell as welcoming Everton to their humble abode they also will be laying out the welcome mat to three other potential Champions League qualifiers in Bolton, Middlesbrough and rank outsiders Tottenham Hotspur. Three points from all three of these games is a must, not only in the chase for Everton, but in order to narrow the field of competitors. The May 14 visit from Aston Villa looks more straightforward, but their destiny may already be decided by then.

Of all the contenders, the form of Middlesbrough looks least impressive. They are going to need an upsurge to re-invigorate the challenge which they have threatened to mount all season long. Still involved in the UEFA Cup, the Riverside club may not quite have the resources to challenge seriously on both fronts. Home games against Charlton, Tottenham and Arsenal have the potential to find them out, while Southampton will visit the north east with great need in all likelihood. West Brom will also be desperate for the points when they visit, and only the visit of Fulham on April 19 looks anything like gentle enough to allow ‘Boro fans a decent night’s sleep.

1680: UEFA Cup: Newcastle and Middle

by : Chris Sherrard

European competition gets underway again this week with the UEFA Cup – including the so-called big boys ejected from the Champions League – starting on Wednesday. British interest in the competition is now down to two but both Newcastle and Middlesbrough will feel they have got a real chance of scooping some silverware. So have they?

Well for Newcastle United this has been another season to forget. It has been a campaign in which they have changed their manager, saw high-profile players in high-profile disputes with the management and the club languish in the bottom half of the table when all pre-season predictions had them in the top six – at the very least.

However, there can be no doubt that the UEFA Cup offers Graeme Souness and his battered squad some respite and a realistic chance of serious progression. They travel to Dutch outfit Heerenveen on Thursday with the Toon Army hoping for something to get excited about. United should have the beating of them over the two legs and a place in the next round looks fairly likely, even in such an unpredictable season at St James’ Park.

Middlesbrough, meanwhile, have been cursing their injuries this season. If they had the likes of Mendieta and Ehiogu fit for the majority of the season they could have been right up there in the Premiership. However, impressive progression in the questionable UEFA Cup group stage suggests there is plenty of mileage left in Boro’s European aspirations. They are as good as any of the others left in the competition and Steve McClaren knows it.

As usual, an element of luck is required for them to go all the way but in players such as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Mark Schwarzer and England’s newest sensation Stewart Downing they have got sufficient quality to frighten whoever they come up against. They play Austrians AZ Graz – the rank outsiders of the whole tournament – in the next round and will be extremely confident of progression.

And a glance through the serious contenders for this season’s UEFA Cup shouldn’t fill Souness or McClaren with much dread. Valencia are most bookmakers’ favourites but even they have been unconvincing of late under Claudio Ranieri and recent results at the Mestalla suggest opponents could get some reward against the defending champions. Germans Stuttgart would also be in with a chance of winning the tournament but neither they or the Spanish duo of Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal would strike great fear into the fans of the English contenders.

There are, though, a handful of other sides with supreme European pedigree who few are speaking of as possible winners of the UEFA Cup this season. Newcastle and Middlesbrough must be wary of taking these teams lightly should they be drawn in direct opposition to them in the latter rounds. Ajax, Benfica and Fenerbahce may not have set the world on fire of late but each are capable of stringing a run together over the remainder of this European season to take the UEFA Cup.

All in all, though, if Newcastle and Boro play to anywhere near their top form either can go all the way this season. Certainly Geordie supporters could be doing with something positive with which to remember this season, while Middlesbrough fans can envisage good times ahead after winning their first ever trophy last season and winning the UEFA Cup in May would go a lengthy distance in establishing the club as a force on the continental playing field. There’s no reason why they can’t do it.

1689: Premiership: Can Rafa Benitez

by : Jonathan Swain

It goes against the grain for the Liverpool board to sack their manager. It happened for the first time in 1956, and it wouldn’t happen again for 48 years. Don Welsh had taken over a relatively successful team but immediately saw them relegated. Seeing neighbours Everton pass them on their way up into the top flight of English football was galling enough; two seasons of failure to regain their former first division status, and Welsh was dispensed with. His successor fared little better; former team captain Phil Taylor holds the unenviable distinction of being the only LFC manager never to manage the team in the top division.

Taylor made way for one Bill Shankly, and LFC began the slow transformation into a – surely the- giant of the British modern era. The club’s rebirth is the stuff of legend, but painful lessons had to be learned along the way. It was Shankly’s laying of foundations for future dominance which mark him out as much as any silverware. He set about the task with a ruthless dedication- he started by dispensing with 24 of the playing staff- and began with his own tabula rasa. The process took time; promotion followed in 1962, and the First Division title in 1964. Fast forward to 2004, and Gerard Houllier leaves Liverpool. He had won several trophies during his six-year tenure, and had guided the club into this season’s CL, yet this was insufficient to stay the Damoclean sword. Some self-respect had been restored to a club which, since Shankly, has lived and breathed for silverware. But if any stark illustration were needed of football’s sea change in the intervening period, here it is; relegation is one thing, but even qualification for Europe’s premier club competition was not enough to keep Houllier at Anfield. What might be cause for celebration at sixteen other clubs was, bluntly, short of the mark at Liverpool. Summary dismissal of the manager has never been the Liverpool way; the man is given time and backing to build his side. Compare Tottenham’s 28 managers since 1898, or the shocking turnover of incumbents at Stamford Bridge- 16 since 1967 alone. Yet the Shankly ‘first is everywhere, second is nowhere’ is still the fans’ gold standard.

February 2005: Rafael Benitez is the man in charge. Liverpool are fifth in the table and in very real danger of not qualifying for the Champions League. The season has seen a litany of serious injuries to key players (including broken bones in two of the club’s three most expensive signings ever), an early and ignominious exit from the FA Cup, and continuing and unsettling rumours about Steven Gerrard’s future. Some recent displays, at Birmingham and Southampton, have appeared lacklustre at best, hapless at worst. In the credit column, the final of the Carling Cup is imminent, and 4th place remains within reach. The failure to do what Houllier did last season could prove catastrophic in the long-term.

Benitez faces a massive task. Just ahead of him are Everton; the gargantuan spending power of Chelsea and the ingrained culture of success at Highbury and Old Trafford are in danger of disappearing from view. Many believe Benitez is the man to wake the sleeping giant- not merely to get him twitching fitfully in his slumber, but alert and focussed. Even given the so-grim-it’s-almost-funny casualty list, qualification for the Champions League (and all that signifies for potential new signings) can still be gained. But just as Houllier achieved what Welsh could only fantasise about- and still paid the price- the stakes have been raised. No Champions League means no Gerrard, a vastly reduced transfer kitty and no truly first class players to sign in the summer with the money available. Rebuilding this underachieving team, into something approaching a side capable of contending for the Premiership title- into a side worthy of Liverpool’s heritage, no less- is not something to be achieved overnight, or even within a few months.

There is no suggestion Snr Benitez will face the chop if fifth place is as far as he can go this season; but given the turmoil surrounding the new stadium, the captain and the financing issues, he must be wondering if he has accepted the proffered chalice, only to find it poisoned.
Allowing for the seismic shift in the game since the 1960s, he faces a task comparable to that undertaken by Shankly; a club treading water, falling short of expectation, and with many players openly criticised as unfit to wear the famous shirt. Liverpool rose from one man’s vision, ably assisted; with grit and unquenchable will, under the aegis of patient backing and supporters, and with the right brand of ruthlessness. More of the same will be needed in the coming months and years. There are some players of true calibre at Anfield, and many who seem unlikely to make the grade. Tabula Rafa, anyone?

1686: FA Cup: Can Spurs win the FA C

by : Adam Graham

This article has been removed at the writer's request.

1677: Premiership: Will Bolton Wande

by : Chris Sherrard

Well, there it is. It has been open for the majority of this Premiership season. So does anyone want to claim it? The fourth, and final, qualification spot for next season’s Champions League is yet to find a good home. C’mon, lads, one of you take it before it goes into lost property.

Everton have been there or thereabouts all season but it is by no means certain they will finish in fourth. They deserve to, based on the whole season, but whether they do or not depends largely on whether they can keep the push going right to the line. The pressure should be on them a lot more than it is but those around in the fight for fourth have flattered to deceive or fallen back just when it looks like they will realistically challenge.

I would say that the last Champions League spot is a battle between the Merseyside duo of Everton and Liverpool, plus Bolton, Middlesbrough and Charlton Athletic. As it stands ten points separate the Toffees and Alan Curbishley’s side but that gap is nothing at this time of the season when collapses in otherwise consistent form are often witnessed. So who will get it in the end?

Well, taking Charlton first, they probably don’t have the extra quality to properly push into the top four this season. Besides, a place in the top eight should be regarded as a realistic success for a club like them. They do have some winnable fixtures left to play so don’t be surprised to see them finish something like sixth, but they have got too many bodies to leapfrog, as it stands, to finish fourth.

If Middlesbrough were able to field their first choice line-up every week then they would have been a lot closer to the top three than they currently find themselves. I know every club can point to a list of injuries hampering their chances but Steve McClaren has lost the services of some of his most influential players at important times and that has clearly harmed their chances in the league. That said, they are still within touching distance and with plenty of domestic games remaining in which they’d fancy their chances of taking all three points.

The crucial factor in Boro’s chances could well be their participation in the latter stages of the UEFA Cup. They face two legs against Austrians AK Graz starting this week and should they advance, which they will, that will only extend their season and playing staff even further. Whether they have enough depth to compete at home and abroad in equal measure is debatable. But they should come out of a recent slump soon and that could be ominous for those around them in the league.

Bolton, meanwhile, are one team that you would not want to play. In terms of a tricky fixture, facing the Whites must rank up there with games with Chelsea and Manchester United this season. So why are they not in closer touch with the top spots? Well, but for a mini-collapse around Christmas, Bolton would be right up there, above Arsenal even. Their form in the first and third quarters of the season has been so good. Shame, then, that the bad run – un-Bolton-like – seems to have cost them what would otherwise have been a comfortable top four place. But the run they are in of late, mixed with the experience now infused in Sam Allardyce’s squad suggests that you write Bolton out of the Champions League race at your considerable peril. So I won’t.

Liverpool fans must be standing waiting for things to sort themselves out at Anfield and for the club to finally achieve what they have suggested might be possible at various stages of the season and flex their muscles to leap past Everton and into the top four. But that wait will not be ended this season. Recent slip-ups, against teams they should be beating easily like Southampton and Birmingham, have undermined any potential improvement Rafa Benitez has made in his inaugural season at the helm at Anfield.

At times they have looked good, particularly in Europe and the Carling Cup, but in their bread-and-butter competition – the league – they have flattered to deliver and the sight of Everton above them must rest very uneasily on their shoulders. Remaining games with Chelsea, Arsenal and the Merseyside derby should ensure Liverpool are kept at arms length until the end of the season.

Which means, for me, the last Champions League place is Everton’s to throw away. A glance through their remaining fixtures, however, throws up trips to Highbury, The Reebok and that game at Anfield. Include home games with Manchester United and Newcastle and you see it won’t be all that easy for David Moyes side.

Should Everton slip up between now and the end of the season, the clubs are queuing up behind them to take their place among the Premiership’s elite. For me, the club most likely to displace the Toffees in the top four are Bolton Wanderers. It would not surprise me in the slightest if Big Sam was toasting a top four spot by the middle of May. It could well come down to the two clubs’ final fixture of the 2004-05 season. Everton face…yes you guessed it, Bolton. And you wouldn’t want to be going there needing three points from the trip. Wanderers at the San Siro next season? Don’t be so shocked.

Chris Sherrard
13/02/2005

1682: Premiership: Chelsea’s Season

by : Hugh Larkin

This headline isn’t one you would expect to see outside the fevered imagination of a Carling Public Relations Officer but there is a grain of truth to it, although the operative word here is ‘could’. Chelsea are chasing an unprecedented ‘quad’ and the vagaries of the fixture list means that the Carling Cup is the first of the four to be decided- and the final comes as the third in a run of key knockout matches.

The Carling Cup certainly ranks as the rich tea in a plate of hobnobs (it’s a Peter Kay thing) compared to the other trophies but as the first one to be decided it can have a crucial effect on their campaign. Imagine for a minute that Liverpool do find a way to win- like Arsenal before them, Chelsea would have to cope with the fallout from the end of a tremendous unbeaten run and the knowledge that the quad has gone. That is of course, if Newcastle United haven’t removed them from the FA Cup already.

Almost immediately after a Carling Cup loss Chelsea would be pitched into the second leg of their Champion’s League tie with Barcelona. Current form surely points to that tie still being very much in the balance when the two current leaders of their respective leagues collide. Losing a cup final isn’t ideal preparation to take on one of the form teams of Europe.

Jose Mourinho’s managerial skills would face a severe test and even more than his players, the Portuguese coach has forgotten what it’s like to miss out any trophy. Last season Porto were champions of Europe and of their domestic competition and the season before they won everything that moved with a ‘quad’ of a Portuguese Treble, and the UEFA Cup.

This is just a variation on the old theme that despite their tremendous effort so far Chelsea have won nothing. Though times have changed , squads are bigger and the super clubs more dominant, the spectre of Leeds United always looms large. Under Don Revie the Yorkshire side were regularly in contention for all the pots only for it all to fall away in a few weeks towards the close of the season. On occasion, Leeds fell short on three fronts, winning nothing.

This isn’t to say that the same thing is likely to happen to Chelsea but losing matches- especially big ones- is a true test of any team’s mettle. Manchester United are doing enough to ensure that big squad or not, the manager can’t rest too many players in League games and there are already signs that without Robben the team may revert to the less flowing style that characterised their Autumn performances. Chelsea are unlikely to lose the title- the best team usually wins over 38 games- but knockout football is a different proposition.

With so many key games on the agenda Chelsea just want to get one of the trophies out of the way because even a squad of their talent faces a daunting run through to May. Win the Carling and the Stamford Bridge side will gain even more momentum but a defeat would be a critical test of their resolve. Mourinho’s side may well come through such a scenario but at the very least it would add spice to the season to see them face it.

1683: Championship: Is Stoke City av

by : David Hulott

In truth, this season is probably going as well as anyone at Stoke City could have realistically anticipated, with the end of term play-offs still just about within reach if they can string a decent run of victories together.

The big problem is that victories are somewhat reliant on being able to score a few goals and Stoke, having played 31 games in the Coca-Cola Championship this season, have so far only registered a paltry 19 (the lowest total in the division). Their defensive record largely makes up for the shot-shy nature of the strikers, having only conceded a commendable 22 goals (the best record in the division), but anyone on medication and needing to avoid too much excitement is unlikely to incur the wrath of their doctor by having followed The Potters in recent months.

Since the 1:1 draw at Leicester City way back on October 23rd, they’ve had 16 league games, none of which have featured more than one goal. During that remarkable run, there have been a couple of goalless draws, six 1:0 victories and eight 1:0 defeats. Even George Graham would probably think that Tony Pulis might just be overdoing the idea of keeping things tight at the back a little. The tannoy announcer at the Britannia Stadium must have one of the cushiest jobs in the country, although the local press must struggle with the thesaurus in looking for new ways to describe a tight, low-scoring game week after week. Stoke’s next match is away to a Millwall side who are hardly renowned for goal-fests themselves of late, so another opportunity for forty winks could well be on the cards at The New Den.

In an era when clubs will try just about anything to squeeze every last penny out of the game, it’s perhaps a little surprising that the Britannia Stadium hasn’t gone the way of York City’s Bootham Crescent in being renamed. The Conference club now play at KitKat Crescent (surely even Quality Street would have been less embarrassing from a fan’s perspective?) following a deal with Nestle-Rowntree and with Stoke’s games of late being capable of inducing sleep, perhaps they could strike a similar deal with a company associated with a cure for insomnia? How about The Horlicks Hacienda, Valerian Valley (probably far too close an association with their local neighbours to be a viable option) or Slumberland Stadium?

Thankfully for those Stoke fans who want a little more excitement for their hard-earned cash, the recent signing of Southampton striker Kenwyne Jones on a month’s loan might bring an end to the long barren spell, with the Trinidad & Tobago international having scored seven goals in seven matches whilst on loan at Sheffield Wednesday earlier in the season. If that doesn’t work, perhaps the best chance of seeing a few goals at a Stoke match this season would be to spring match-fixing German referee Robert Hoyzer from jail and see if he can come up with an answer.

David Hulott
15/02/2005

1685: Premiership: Martin Jol and hi

by : Sean OMeara

Looking for an outsider to upset the more fancied suspects? The thought of Bolton Wanderers qualifying for the Champions League would have been unthinkable at the start of the season. As unthinkable as, say, Everton qualifying for the Champions League. Regardless, the Lancashire club sit seventh in the table, just three points behind Liverpool, and only one behind Middlesbrough. Therefore, if each of those teams is realistically in contention, then surely logic determines that Bolton are also? After an awful run of form around Christmas Sam Allardyce’s men have gone on a winning binge, slowly but surely reeling in their more illustrious rivals. Aswell as visiting Anfield, Bolton travel to pointless, beach-gazing duo Newcastle United and Manchester City, but face tough tests at high flying Charlton Athletic and Portsmouth. Despite the failings of the clubs below them, the staff at Fratton Park insist that their safety is not quite secure, and so their attitude may depend heavily on their fortunes between now and the May 7 clash. A visit to Aston Villa looks slightly less troublesome.

At home Bolton can probably forget about upsetting the odds against ham-fisted champions elect Chelsea, but Norwich, Southampton and Fulham are all teams who Wanderers would reasonably expect to beat at home. Everton’s visit on May 14 could yet take on inter-galactic proportions. Relatively speaking.

Charlton Athletic flirted with the idea of qualifying for the Champions League last season and despite having a more inconsistent year this time around, are not yet out of the running. Sitting eighth in the table, they lie 10 points behind Everton in fourth but a win in their game in hand could see them cut the gap to just 7, with eleven games still to play. Then again, consider that one of Charlton’s remaining games is a visit to Chelsea and the game in hand seems less significant. The Addicks also visit Middlesbrough as we know, and Fulham, Portsmouth, Aston Villa and Norwich City. Such is Charlton’s propensity for the inconsistent, particularly close to season’s end, it is difficult to make any educated guesses about where they might pick up points. In the final analysis, they probably will not pick up enough to see off the growing list of rivals for the fourth spot, but UEFA Cup qualification could be a worthy consolation prize. At home Charlton face Tottenham, West Brom, Man City, Man Utd and Crystal Palace.

If you are feeling really whacky, how about a punt on Tottenham to join Europe’s big party next season. Yes, they are ninth in the league, but with a win from their game in hand and they would sit just one point behind Bolton in seventh. Game on, then? Maybe. Their trips to Charlton, Middlesbrough and Liverpool will sort the issue one way or the other, and they also face a tough north London derby engagement at Highbury. Southampton won’t be an easy place to visit either, and it is this schedule of away dates that could scupper Spurs’ chances. That and the fact that they are a rag-tag mob of inconsistent show-offs. Their home form will have to be spot on, given their away programme. Fulham, Manchester City, West Bromwich Albion, Newcastle United and Aston Villa all visit White Hart Lane before the end of the season, and slip-ups seem not to be an option.

If you accept that all these teams are at least half-way realistic contenders, then there is an arugment that suggests that allowing the fourth placed team to qualify for the Champions League keeps the season open for as many clubs as possible for as long as possible. However, rather like the promotion play-offs, it also often leads to a horribly out-of-its-depth band of journeymen trying to take the ball off Zinedine Zidane or Ronaldinho.

Suddenly I am seeing Kevin Kilbane trying to take on Allesandro Nesta and falling over awkwardly. Or Kevin Nolan launching what Joe Royle might call a 'reducer' into the AC Milan penalty area. Or Gareth Southgate stepping up in a penalty shoot-out against Barcelona at the Nou Camp.

This will really upset the rich kids.

Stephen Orford
15/02/2005Martin Jol is clearly a great coach and man-manager. He has done wonders at Spurs this season and seems to have earned a great deal of respect in a short space of time, from his players, fellow managers and the media alike - with even Iain Dowie (the man recently deemed by Jol, not fit to tie the big Dutchman’s shoelaces) complimenting the Spurs coach at the weekend. He has had his team doing the simple things well and scoring a fair few goals along the way.

So, what then possesses a coach, like Jol, to decide to play a new formation in a replay of a match, in a knockout Cup competition?

When the Tottenham players took to the field on Saturday, they assembled in a 4-3-3, or some kind of 4-3-1-2, formation with Defoe and Kanoute up front and Robbie Keane dropping deep, behind these two.

It did not work. It did not work at all. Players clearly did not know what they were doing in this system and were creating very little, losing possession and finding themselves under undue pressure all over the pitch. There was no natural width and so Kanoute was drifting wide, resulting in no aerial presence – or any presence at all – in the Spurs attack.

With the Spurs side clearly in disarray, West Bromwich Albion scored a soft goal through a relatively unchallenged Kanu header, after Kevin Campbell had given two of Jol’s defenders the slip with a clever back heel. The Baggies should have then scored twice more and Spurs were very lucky not to be 3-0 down by half time.

They were in fact fortunate that the very dodgy Hoult decided to stick his right eye ball on the end of Stephen Kelly’s left boot, giving Spurs a penalty and a way back into a game they really hadn’t turned up for.

A goal just before the break is always a sure fire way to kick start a better performance from players in a second period. An even better way is to ask them to play in a formation that they know, like and can work with.

In the second half, an unfortunate Robbie Keane made way for Simon Davies, as Jol reverted his team back to it’s more familiar 4-4-2 shape. It was unfortunate for Keane, but someone had to go, if Spurs were to get more than that proverbial foot in the door, that Hoult had so kindly given them.

This of course also meant that Jol then had no striking option on the bench, should one of Kanoute or Defoe sustain an injury.

Spurs came out after the break and scored twice in quick succession, to put the game beyond West Brom, and then continued to dominate until the end, running out comfortable 3-1 winners and go on to face Nottingham Forest in the sixth round.

However, the question must be asked why? Why try this formation at all? If he must try it, then why in a knockout competition? Why not try it in a League game he is already winning, or has already lost? Perhaps the training ground would be a good place to try this kind of thing out – they clearly hadn’t done so.

West Brom should have won the game in that first half, Spurs were all over the place. If they had taken the chances that were offered up Spurs would have been dead and buried. Against a better side, Jol’s side would have been taken to the cleaners and their season would’ve been over, with just a slim chance of UEFA qualification via the Premiership, remaining.

With Ziegler on the left and the recent return of Davies on the right side of midfield, Spurs have had some great width this season – latterly in particular. Spurs have held some great shape, with players obviously very clear on their role in the side. Why change it?

Was it simply a bid to offer a starting place to the front men, with all three under pressure from new boy Mido, and the Egyptian not qualifying for a starting place in the Cup tie replay? Or, was in bid to come out and score a lot of goals? If so, why?

Stick to what works Martin. It was great to see Spurs playing well in the second half and scoring a couple of cracking goals. The whole team played well.

Kanoute and Defoe looked really potent up front, Carrick instrumental in midfield, Ziegler and Davies threatening full backs in wide positions and King, Robinson and Co. solid at the back. Kelly and Atouba overlapped well and got back quickly when necessary.

Don’t do a Sven - don’t experiment.

‘If it aint broke, don’t fix it’.

1679: FA Cup: Is Spurs’ name on the

by : Chris Sherrard

1946 Derby County 4 v 1 Charlton Athletic (aet)
1947 Charlton Athletic 1 v 0 Burnley (aet)
1948 Manchester United 4 v 2 Blackpool
1949 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 v 1 Leicester City
1950 Arsenal 2 v 0 Liverpool
1951 Newcastle United 2 v 0 Blackpool
1952 Newcastle United 1 v 0 Arsenal
1953 Blackpool 4 v 3 Bolton Wanderers
1954 West Bromwich Albion 3 v 2 Preston North End
1955 Newcastle United 3 v 1 Manchester City
1956 Manchester City 3 v 1 Birmingham City
1957 Aston Villa 2 v 1 Manchester United
1958 Bolton Wanderers 2 v 0 Manchester United
1959 Nottingham Forest 2 v 1 Luton Town
1960 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 v 0 Blackburn Rovers
1961 Tottenham Hotspur 2 v 0 Leicester City
1962 Tottenham Hotspur 3 v 1 Burnley
1963 Manchester United 3 v 1 Leicester City
1964 West Ham United 3 v 2 Preston North End
1965 Liverpool 2 v 1 Leeds United (aet)
1966 Everton 3 v 2 Sheffield Wednesday
1967 Tottenham Hotspur 2 v 1 Chelsea
1968 West Bromwich Albion 1 v 0 Everton (aet)
1969 Manchester City 1 v 0 Leicester City
1970 Chelsea 2 v 1 Leeds United (after 2-2 aet), aet
1971 Arsenal 2 v 1 Liverpool (aet)
1972 Leeds United 1 v 0 Arsenal
1973 Sunderland 1 v 0 Leeds United
1974 Liverpool 3 v 0 Newcastle United
1975 West Ham United 2 v 0 Fulham
1976 Southampton 1 v 0 Manchester United
1977 Manchester United 2 v 1 Liverpool
1978 Ipswich Town 1 v 0 Arsenal
1979 Arsenal 3 v 2 Manchester United
1980 West Ham United 1 v 0 Arsenal
1981 Tottenham Hotspur 3 v 2 Manchester City (after 1-1 draw aet)
1982 Tottenham Hotspur 1 v 0 Queens Park Rangers (after 1-1 draw aet)
1983 Manchester United 4 v 0 Brighton & Hove Albion (after 2-2 draw aet)
1984 Everton 2 v 0 Watford
1985 Manchester United 1 v 0 Everton (aet)
1986 Liverpool 3 v 1 Everton
1987 Coventry City 3 v 2 Tottenham Hotspur (aet)
1988 Wimbledon 1 v 0 Liverpool
1989 Liverpool 3 v 2 Everton (aet)
1990 Manchester United 1 v 0 Crystal Palace (after 3-3 draw aet)
1991 Tottenham Hotspur 2 v 1 Nottingham Forest (aet)
1992 Liverpool 2 v 0 Sunderland
1993 Arsenal 2 v 1 Sheffield Wednesday (after 1-1 draw aet)
1994 Manchester United 4 v 0 Chelsea
1995 Everton 1 v 0 Manchester United
1996 Manchester United 1 v 0 Liverpool
1997 Chelsea 2 v 0 Middlesbrough
1998 Arsenal 2 v 0 Newcastle United
1999 Manchester United 2 v 0 Newcastle United
2000 Chelsea 1 v 0 Aston Villa
2001 Liverpool 2 v 1 Arsenal
2002 Arsenal 2 v 0 Chelsea
2003 Arsenal 1 v 0 Southampton
2004 Manchester United 3 v 0 Millwall
2005 ?

SELECTED RECORDS

FA Cup Winners:
11 Manchester United
9 Arsenal
8 Tottenham Hotspur
7 Aston Villa
6 Blackburn Rovers, Liverpool, Newcastle United
5 Everton, The Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion
4 Bolton Wanderers, Manchester City, Sheffield United, Wolverhampton Wanderers
3 Chelsea, Sheffield Wednesday, West Ham United
2 Bury, Nottingham Forest, Old Etonians, Preston North End, Sunderland
1 Barnsley, Blackburn Olympic, Blackpool, Bradford City, Burnley, Cardiff City, Charlton Athletic, Clapham Rovers, Coventry City, Derby County, Huddersfield Town, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Notts County, Old Carthusians, Oxford University, Portsmouth, Royal Engineers, Southampton, Wimbledon

Recent consecutive finalists:
3 Arsenal (2001-2003), Manchester United (1994-1996), Everton (1984-1986), Arsenal (1978-1980)
2 Newcastle United (1998-1999), Liverpool (1988-1989), Tottenham Hotspur (1981-1982), Manchester United (1976-1977), Leeds United (1972-1973), Tottenham Hotspur (1961-1962)

Consecutive wins:
3 Blackburn Rovers (1884-6), The Wanderers (1876-8)
2 Arsenal (2002-3), Tottenham Hotspur (1981-2), Tottenham Hotspur (1961-2), Newcastle United (1951-2), Blackburn Rovers (1890-1)

Record wins:
6-0 Bury (1903)
6-1 Blackburn Rovers (1890)
4-0 Bury (1900), Manchester United (1983), Manchester United (1994)

Antony Melvin
14/02/2005Seldom can I recall an FA Cup with such Premiership domination as this season. There is the very real possibility that after next weekend’s round of fixtures in Round Five no teams from outside the top flight will be left in the competition.

Which must mean that the Cup will be even harder than usual to win this season. You could make a good case for any of the sides left in it. And I would try but I think I already know who will win it. But it’s worth taking a look at the contenders.

Starting, of course, with the top three in the Premiership who must all be greedily eyeing up the World’s Showpiece Cup Competition. Chelsea want the lot and could well get it if they can overcome what promises to be a tricky trip to Newcastle United on Sunday. The Toon would, similarly, fancy their chances if they could claim the considerable scalp of Mourinho and his bare-chested boys. Easier said than done, of course. But Souness must know that his only chances of rescuing an otherwise disastrous season come in the two cups – UEFA and FA – and he will be throwing everything at them.

Manchester United face an equally tough trip to Goodison Park in their attempt to hold on to the Cup they lifted last season. The winner of that one, like the game at St James’ Park, will fancy their chances of going right the way to Cardiff in a few months time. Everton’s excellent season would be fittingly served by a good cup run but United are in superb form of late and will not relinquish their FA Cup without a considerable fight on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Arsenal should prolong their own cup run when they face a Championship side in the shape of Sheffield United. Knowing the competitiveness of Arsene Wenger and his desire to always win something, you would never rule the Highbury side out of going all the way. But perhaps the best chance of the FA Cup being paraded through North London comes in the form of, whisper it, Tottenham Hotspur.

Martin Jol is one of the most likeable managers in the Premiership and his team play some exciting, dynamic football at times. Their reward for knocking West Bromwich Albion out is a home tie with Championship strugglers Nottingham Forest. When once this fixture was the FA Cup Final, the fact that it is now only realistic in a lesser round speaks volumes for the current plight at the City Ground. Spurs will roll them over at White Hart Lane and, providing they get a half-decent draw for the quarter-finals, anything really is possible. A punt on Tottenham would not be ill-placed, in my opinion.

Of the other Premiership sides who should make up the next round of the FA Cup after the weekend’s pending fixtures, Bolton are probably the pick for serious progression. Blackburn should knock their local rivals Burnley out in the Fifth Round but their inconsistency suggests a lack of further progress, while Southampton will also get over the next hurdle but would happily swap that for Premiership survival and will bow out at the next stage.

Charlton Athletic are one of those sides you can never really see winning the FA Cup even though their league form is often solid. However hard I try to envisage Matt Holland lifting the cup in front of his team-mates at the Millennium Stadium in May it is just not happening. They could get to the semi-finals, maybe even the final. But they will not win it. Famous last words, probably, but I’m sticking to that.

Sticking my battered neck on the line once again, I’ll go for Spurs winning the FA Cup this season. There is just something about them this season that is extremely interesting – and you get the feeling there is more to come. They will most likely have to knock one of the top three out to go all the way but that is the beauty of the cup – anything is possible. Beating Arsenal in the Final? I think Spurs fans would settle for that!

Chris Sherrard
13/02/2005

1681: Premiership: Steve Bruce rebui

by : Hugh Larkin

Birmingham City’s excellent victory over Liverpool is more like what was expected from the Blues at the start of the season. Injuries, loss of form and internal wrangling dented the hopes of forcing a path to Europe but Steve Bruce has proved again that he is an extremely adaptable manager who reacts decisively to problems.

Consider the front six in the team’s lineup against Liverpool- Pandiani, Heskey, Clemence, Pennant, Johnson and Gray were the men in question and compare it to this alternative selection;

Forssell Yorke/Morrison

Lazaridis/Gronkjaer Savage Izzett Dunn

None of these eight players were available to Bruce and yet the club turned in arguably their best performance of the campaign and it’s been a considerable remodelling job at St. Andrews.

The first and biggest loss came with the injury to striker Mikael Forssell which took out a guaranteed 20 goals in the season. Any team outside the ‘big three’ would struggle to cope but to compound that Bruce has enjoyed only fitful contributions from David Dunn, the most creative talent at the club. It remains to be seen whether injury will dog the Great Harwood born player’s whole career.

The plan to re-unite the ex-Leicester pairing of Muzzy Izzett and Robbie Savage foundered almost immediately because Izzett has spent most of the season in the treatment room. Then Savage, the heartbeat of the club since the return to the top flight, decided to up sticks to Blackburn amid much acrimony. The lack of clarity in the player’s reasons after he signed a new contract quite recently made the transfer process drawn out and was just what Birmingham didn’t need at the time.

Jesper Gronkjaer has also exited St.Andrews, although this time with the manager’s blessing. The Dane proved to be just as mercurial and infuriating as in his time at Chelsea and is one of Bruce’s gambles that didn’t pay off. Dwight Yorke is another who hasn’t seen his career re-ignited by a move back to the West Midlands, but set against that Emile Heskey is back to the form that terrorised defences and Mario Melchiot is the same steady professional he was at Chelsea.

Gronkjaer’s average contribution proved doubly galling because Blues have also missed the storming flank play of Stan Lazaridis ; however, this has allowed Julian Gray to prove that he is extremely versatile down the left side and a number of other players have also stepped up to fill gaps.

Clinton Morrison must have worried about his place with all the new arrivals but the Irish international picked up the slack and formed a hard grafting partnership with Heskey. Damian Johnson continues to do an unfussy job wherever he is selected and Stephen Clemence is back in the reckoning.

As he did two seasons ago, the manager has used the transfer window creatively to bring in reinforcements. Walter Pandiani is a quality player, Jermaine Pennant seems to be responding to the lifeline Bruce threw him and Robbie Blake will be a valued addition to the squad. The Blues are now in 12th place and have banished any lingering fear of relegation.

Barring miracles Europe is out of reach now, but there’s still a top nine finish to aim for to continue the progress made since reaching the Premiership. Not the advance hoped for but at least something positive to take from a difficult season which looks like finishing on a much brighter note.