English football season climax

This time of year is normally quite sad, because as exciting as it is, the football season is coming to an end. At least this year we'll have Euro 2012 and the Olympics in London to get us through the summer!

The Football League season came to a conclusion yesterday, with Southampton taking the final automatic promotion place to the join Reading in the Premier League next season. 
And although Wolves will be playing in the Championship next year, all is still to play for in the fight to beat the drop. I have to make special mention of Wolves and their manager Terry Connor who put on a fantastic display yesterday, even though they were only playing for pride. I think Mick McCarthy, Terry Connor, the players and the fans of Wolves have been treated despicably by the board of their club and even though things have not always gone right for them on the pitch they will go down with dignity. 

Swansea v Wolves

Terry Connor should never really have been put in the position of trying to drag Wolves out of the mire, and Wolves should have made sure they had a manager in place before sacking McCarthy. If rumours are to believed, there were managers that turned down the position on the salary alone; if the Wolves board had put their money where there mouth is, they might have had a fighting chance. 

So, any three from five for relegation from the Premier League. Although Aston Villa would seem to be in the box seat, three points and three goals from six games in April is definitely relegation form. I think they are up against it personally. They are not helped by the fact that the teams around them seem to have hit very good form at just the right time. 

Wigan have had just about their best month in their entire history according to manager Roberto Martinez; they have beaten Newcastle United, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool in recent times and if it wasn't for a poor display by the match officials they would have beaten Chelsea as well. Massive credit to chairman Dave Whelan for sticking by his manager, and also for Martinez for sticking to his principles. 

Mark Hughes has got Queens Park Rangers playing some good football recently, and they have beaten Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool in the last month or so. The form is there, but the trouble has been keeping eleven players on the pitch, and they will need eleven players to take points from Chelsea, Stoke and Man City.

Bolton manager Owen Coyle said recently that he believes his squad would have been in the top ten if they'd stayed fit all season, which may be the case as they play an attractive game; but they will need to show heart with grit and determination to stay up. They are well capable of beating Stoke and West Brom though, so they are in with a real chance. 

Blackburn on the other hand are three points from safety at the moment, and I think if they are to even have a hope they will need three wins from three games. Unfortunately they have to play Tottenham, Wigan and Chelsea so the writing may already be on the wall. Albeit Blackburn have been in the bottom three for most of the season, Steve Kean deserves a lot of credit. Few football managers have ever had to work in the face of such adversity and vitriolic abuse from the supposed supporters. These fans should be ashamed of themselves, and I wonder if any of think that if they had got behind the manager and his team a bit earlier, would they still be in this position. 


Good luck to all, and I hope the climax to the season is as exciting as it promises to be. 

SPORT SHORTS

• I am enjoying the World Championship snooker at the Crucible so far. The highlight has been Stephen Hendry's maximum in the first round, as well as him getting through to the quarter finals by beating defending champion John Higgins 13-4. 9/1 for the title anyone?
• I think playing midweek fixtures in the Premier League three and four days before the cup final is not ideal for either team. I hope the occasion is befitting of the history of the FA Cup, and I also hope unashamedly that Liverpool win. 
• Not long until the cricket season starts; England have not been on a great run of form. Will they still be the number one test side in the world after the summer?
• The Premier League title could well be decided tomorrow in the Manchester derby. I think the score will be Man City 3-1 Man Utd. The game is at the Etihad Stadium, and I don't think Man Utd's defence can live with Aguero, Tevez and co.

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My Premier League All Time XI

Premier League Trophy

As the FA Premier League has now been around for twenty years, you may see a few of these 'all-time' teams around for the Premier League at the moment, so I thought to myself "what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't throw my hat in to the ring as well". So here goes. You will have to forgive the odd cliche, and I am sure there will be some who disagree, and if you do please comment at the bottom. 




Goalkeeper

Peter Schmeichel

There was only really only ever going to be one man between the sticks in my team, and the great Dane has that privilege. Not only was he an absolutely immense keeper that made saves he had no right to make, but he marshaled his defence like a General going in to war. He won Euro 1992 with Denmark and captained Manchester United to the treble in 1999. Man Mountain and safe hands.





Left Back

Ashley Cole

For this position that I struggled to find anyone to oppose Ashley's dominance in the Premier League era. He came to prominence in the late 1990's for Arsenal, and has been the stand out left back for club and country ever since. Only played four times for the England U21's and was fast-tracked to the seniors to win 93 caps (and counting!)





Centre Backs

Tony Adams (Captain)

The archetypal 'captain fantastic' who led Arsenal to much acclaim, as well as an outstanding centre half that Arsenal have struggled to replace since he retired in 2002. He became Arsenal captain at the tender age of 21 and remained so until his retirement fourteen years later. Due to injury, non-qualification and being left out he only played in one FIFA World Cup (1998) which is a shame.
Also deserves recognition for setting up the Sporting Chance Clinic following a battle with alcoholism.

Sami Hyypia

Perhaps not an obvious choice, but as a Liverpool fan I could not leave Sami out. He was an excellent ball playing centre half that led Liverpool to several trophies including the cup treble in 2001. Also won the Champions League in 2005. Sami read the game so well that he made it look easy, and for a man of some stature was deceptively speedy across the grass. In my opinion among the best signings Liverpool have ever made; a steal at £2.6 million




Right Back

Gary Neville

There was only one candidate for this spot really, and as much as he wound me up as a player, his consistency over the majority of the Premier League years makes him number one. I don't think he was ever the quickest, strongest or most skillful but his determination to be the best he could for his team puts him head and shoulders above the rest. I am sure Sir Alex was glad to have him as part of the golden generation at Old Trafford. 


Centre Midfield

Roy Keane

Roy Keane was an all-round midfielder who definitely didn't suffer fools, and would settle for nothing less than 100% effort from team mates. As he started his career in England under Brian Clough, perhaps this is no surprise. He was never really too far from controversy, and sometimes missed big games through suspension but was almost the first name on my team sheet. In hindsight, £3.75 million was a snip, although a British transfer record at the time. He had verbally agreed to sign for Blackburn in 1992, before backing out at the last minute following persuasive talk from Sir Alex Ferguson!

Steven Gerrard

In my 25 years or so as a football fan I have never known of a player that can single-handedly make such a difference to his team. Perhaps the 2005 Champions League final is the primary example of this, but it is by no means an isolated incident. He has the ability to grab a game by the scruff of the neck, let his feet do the talking and turn the game to his team's advantage. Steven is as comfortable defending as he is attacking and I think I have just about seen him play in every outfield position.He has played some of the most superb attacking passes that have allowed strikers to only take one touch before the ball is in the back of the net. I am incredibly glad he managed to resist the lure of Russian billions, twice! #YNWA




Left midfield

Ryan Giggs

This man not only fills the left midfield berth in my team, but he would be my player of the Premier League era. He has played in every season since the inception of the PL, and has scored in every season as well! At 38 years old he might not be able to do it as often as he once could, but in my mind he is every bit as effective on the ball. He has played anywhere on the left for Manchester United, and for a predominant winger has scored some great goals. Twenty two major trophies in twenty seasons is quite a haul, and perhaps this will never be bettered. 






Right Midfield

David Beckham

I am sure if you asked Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke or Ruud Van Nistelrooy (and on and on...) who they would want on the right wing whipping balls in to the box from the right, there would only be one answer. Not only were his crosses for strikers invaluable, but his accuracy from dead ball situations was at times vital to Manchester United. The fact that he also played for (arguably) the biggest clubs in Italy and Spain speaks volumes. 


Strikers

Eric Cantona

This man has attained 'footballing genius' status in my eyes, and if he had done over a more sustained period he would have been my player of the PL era. To arrive at Manchester United where at the time they had not won a league title in twenty six years, and win four in five years as well as two FA Cups indicates the impact Eric had. £1.2 million for a genius was a small price to pay to say the least. 




Alan Shearer

The Premier Leagues all-time top scorer had to be in my team. He was an absolutely clinical striker that could score with his head as well as left foot or right, and was as good at scoring from outside the box as he was inside. As well as this, I wouldn't want to be the keeper when Alan was taking penalties or free kicks. To say he leathered the ball would be an understatement. You only have to look at who he kept out of the team to realise how great he was.



The rest of the squad

David Seaman, Brad Friedel, Denis Irwin, John Arne Riise, Lee Dixon, Rio Ferdinand, Jaap Stam, Steve Bruce, Patrick Vieira, Paul Scholes, Matt Le Tissier, Cristiano Ronaldo, David Ginola, Thierry Henry, Gianfranco Zola, Dennis Bergkamp, Robbie Fowler, Wayne Rooney.


I am sure there are people that will disagree with one or two of these selections, but I think it would not be too far out with most. When you take a step back and look at the whole twenty years of the Premier League, you really do understand why it is widely regarded as the most exciting league in the world. If you want to let me know your team, add comments below or message me on Twitter.

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Formula One: Most exciting season for years?

Chinese Grand Prix grid

I don't claim to be any sort of authority on Formula One, but I am a massive enthusiast and I would have to say that I am enjoying this season more than any for quite a long time. All the hard work that the FIA have been doing over recent years to try and improve the sport looks like it is starting to come to fruition.  There have been quite a few changes made in recent years to try and make the sport a more enticing spectacle, such as the introduction of the Drag Reduction System (DRS), Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), the change from Bridgestone to Pirelli as well as the change in tyre compounds, and also the removal of refuelling from pit stops. No doubt purists are against these changes, and as a long standing F1 fan part of me agrees, but nobody can argue that the sport needed a shake up and these changes have certainly done that. The sport is now less predictable than it has ever been. At the start of this mornings race we had an all Mercedes front row which hasn't happened for about sixty years, and the back to back world champion started in eleventh on merit. And who would have thought a Sauber would finish in second in Malaysia on merit; but for a tiny misjudgement by Sergio Perez as he was catching Fernando Alonso in the closing laps, he might well have won the race. I am watching the closing laps of the Chinese Grand Prix as I write and the racing is amazing. There has been more overtakes this race than you would get in a whole season a few years ago! It must be exciting; who would have thought Carol Vorderman and Kelly Sotherton would be tweeting about F1 on a Sunday morning! 

I very much take the point that the sport had always been an example of the best engineering and aerodynamics, and a small part of me misses that part of F1 but the laps I am watching at the moment have been up there with the most enthralling I have ever watched. They have been as good as watching Senna and Prost, or Schumacher and Hill go wheel to wheel in years gone by. And these laps are right at the beginning of the season so there is no championship at stake yet! The race has just finished, and well done Nico Rosberg on your first win! With the two McLarens taking second and third that's an all Mercedes podium. Well done Silver Arrows! It was never going to be too long before a Ross Brawn car returned to the top step of the podium.


So, off to Bahrain then. Should F1 be going there? I have to agree wholeheartedly with Bernie Ecclestone in the fact that religion or politics should not come in to sport at all. As long as it is safe, Formula One should definitely go to Bahrain. If Bahrain is good enough for an international invitation pro-celebrity golf tournament, then why should F1 be any different. 

SPORT SHORTS

• Well done to my beloved Liverpool FC for getting to the FA Cup final yesterday. Even though there is massive rivalry between Liverpool and Everton, it is largely not bitter and the banter is good natured.  This tribute laid at Anfield proves this more than anything. Justice for the 96. Gone but not forgotten.

Thanks to Everton for this tribute. #JFT96

• Good luck to Spurs and Chelsea today in the second semi-final. Not sure who I'd rather we played.
• Very sad to hear this morning of of the untimely death of Piermario Morosini during the game between Livorno and Pescara in Serie B in Italy. My thoughts are with his friends and family. 
• Not long until the Snooker World Championships now, which is one of the highlights of my sporting year. The Crucible is a special place. Pleased to hear that Ken Doherty has managed to qualify so hopefully he can do it for the old boys! Unlucky to Steve Davis and Jimmy White who didn't manage to qualify.

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FA Cup semi-final preview

Who will lift the FA Cup this year?

 Well the middle of April is upon us, and that means it is semi-final time in the oldest, most prestigious, and some would say the best club knockout competition in the world; The FA Cup. And this years semis are both poised to be absolute crackers as they are both derbies. I still am not sure about playing the semi-finals at Wembley, but I understand that the FA have to make back their £800 million deficit, but contrary to that I do think it devalues the final in a way. Maybe Elland Road and Villa Park are not really suitable anymore, but why not play the games at Old Trafford and The Emirates?

SF1: Liverpool v Everton 14 Apr 12.30pm

The first semi-final is very much a game that has history with the FA Cup. A reminder of years gone by; Lineker v Hansen; Rush v Ratcliffe; Kendall v Dalglish. The Old Wembley!
This game has always been billed as 'the friendly derby', and I believe that it still is. My family is very much living proof of this. I am one of four boys, two of which are reds, and the other two are blues. The first result I look for after Liverpool's is always Everton's, even if it is so I can give my brothers and my Mum some banter! I would have to admit though, that I have been a bit quiet on the banter front ever since Everton beat Sunderland. Despite David Moyes' attempts to play down his teams chances, Everton would be favourites in most peoples eyes. They have been in a very rich vain of form since the turn of the year, and Liverpool's form couldn't be more different. Having only picked up nine points in the calender year, our only real shining lights have been getting to this semi-final, and beating Everton 3-0 in the league a few weeks ago. Maybe this will be the inspiration that the mighty reds need. Key areas for Everton all seem to be positive on the face of things. Tim Cahill is coming back to form, and Nikica Jelavic looks to be settling in nicely. Tim Howard is, and has been for some years, an outstanding goalkeeper; and with Phil Jagielka coming back to full fitness at the right time The Blues should be just about at full strength. I wish the same could be said about Liverpool. Having lost Pepe Reina to a suspension last week, things are looking bleak to say the least. In Reina, Lucas and Agger, three of our most influential players of the season will all be missing. Hopefully Captain Fantastic Steven Gerrard can inspire Liverpool to the final.

SF2: Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea

 

All the talk up until now has been about the timing of this game, which is strange to say the least, but both teams will have to grin and bear it. It is a shame for Chelsea though, because they should be given the best opportunity to beat Barcelona which will be near impossible at the best of times. Yet another faux pas by the FA. 
In a way, this game is quite similar to the first semi-final as we have one team who had a great start to the season but have faltered a bit recently, and another that started poorly but are coming on strong at the right time. Spurs would be many peoples team of 2011, but since all the talk of Harry Redknapp being the stand-out candidate for England manager they have seemed very much unsettled. They do still look to be playing well, but have seemed less clinical than usual. They do have so many match winners in Bale, Modric, Adebayor, Defoe....(the list goes on!) and they also have a quality defence backed by Premier League stalwart Brad Friedel. On the other hand, Chelsea could not have been in more disarray before Christmas, but since removing Andre Villas-Boas and replacing him with a man deemed not good enough for West Brom last year, they strangely seem to have found some timely cohesion. Having reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the Champions League, you would think that Roberto Di Matteo would target Spurs as an easier team to beat than Barcelona; as good as Spurs are it is a bit of a no brainer. With this in mind I expect Chelsea to go all out to win this game, and as it is Spurs only opportunity to win a trophy this term they shouldn't leave anything behind either. 

SPORT SHORTS

• The final day of The Masters at Augusta today, and the Brits will have some work to do if one of them is to bring home the title. My money would be on Phil Mickleson as not only did he have a storming round yesterday, but he's done it before. I am sure Augusta will bite back at some point though.
• Despite making the point in my description of this blog that I can't stand Horse Racing, I do watch the Grand National. I pick a horse based on a combination of its name and its jockey, and this year I'm going for shakalakaboomboom. I hope all get round safely, and I hope there are people left in Liverpool to go to Aintree. Are there people in Liverpool who don't like football? I doubt it. 
• I make this point in my shorts as it is something that makes me very sad and very angry; even twenty three years on. On April 15 1989 96 people died at Hillsborough at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Without doubt it brings a tear to my eye and rage to my heart, every time. All I want to say is Justice for the 96. Gone, but never ever forgotten. 

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MotoGP 2012 preview: Do it for Marco

It is with a somewhat heavy heart that I write my blog this morning, because as much as I am looking forward to the new MotoGP season which starts next weekend, it is a stark reminder of the horrific and incredibly sad loss of one of the sports brightest young talents Marco Simoncelli.

Sic58, Gone but never forgotten

Marco, you will most certainly be very sadly missed by any MotoGP enthusiast, but hopefully your mantle of riding with a smile on your face and trying to get to the front even when the odds are stacked against you will have inspired riders of the future. RIP.

For British fans, things are looking up as hopefully Cal Crutchlow will be fighting it out towards the front of the grid this season. He had a very positive first season with Tech 3 last year and will be looking to build on that in 2012. By all accounts the 1000cc bike suits his style and winter testing has been very positive. We also have James Ellison who will be wanting to try and force his way through the grid where he can. 

It looks like being another tough season for Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden on the Ducati which has been struggling to keep the pace of the guys at the front. Casey Stoner has been consistently quick in testing so will be be difficult to knock off the top of the pile, but the guys just behind him will give it a damn good try for sure. Dani Pedrosa will be right behind his team mate consistently as per 2011, and the factory Yamaha's of Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies will be right there as well. As a former World Champion in 2010 and runner-up last year we are all aware of Jorge's pedigree, but Spies will be looking to build on the early promise from last year before injuries put pay to the end of the season. It certainly looked like the Yamaha will be up to the job in testing so we'll have to see if it will live up to the promise.

For once, what Auntie Beeb taketh with one hand, she giveth back with the other. Despite it looking like the BBC wants to cut their investment in motorsport by reducing it's coverage of Formula One, they will be showing the 2012 MotoGP season in HD so not only will this season be well worth watching, we'll be able to see it a bit clearer as well!

This season gets under way next weekend at the Losail circuit in Qatar, and I for one can't wait. 

SPORT SHORTS

• Good luck to all the Brits in the first golf major of the year, The Masters at Augusta which starts on Thursday. Rory McIlroy came very close last year before winning the US Open a few months later, and Brits have dominated the top of the World rankings since then so there are a few players in with a shout. 
• Fabrice Muamba's family released a picture of him smiling from hospital this week, which is fantastic. Not too long ago many may have thought Fabrice may not have made any recovery, let alone to be sat up in bed smiling. He still has a long road ahead, and we still keep everything crossed in hope of seeing Fabrice in a Bolton shirt again.
• Very sad news this week that Aston Villa captain Stilyan Petrov is suffering from acute leukamia.The Villa fans gave him a fitting tribute in the 19th minute of yesterdays game against Chelsea to show their support. Good Luck Stan #19.
• The race for the Premier League title enters it's last month or so and looks to be a gripping climax. Man City or Man Utd? My money would be in Utd who know how it's done.  

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