FA Premier League 2012-2013 preview

So the football is finally back! Six or seven weeks have never seemed so long. As much as I have enjoyed the Olympics, and my love for all sport has most definitely been affirmed, there is nothing quite like football.

Today’s curtain raiser (still The Charity Shield in my mind!) may be an indicator of where the title is heading, as I can really only see the true race for the championship being between Chelsea and Manchester City. Chelsea have been the biggest spenders so far signing Marin, the brothers Hazard and Oscar; I think the true test of their season will be how well they cope without Didier Drogba. If Torres comes good they will be half way there, but they’re still light up top if you ask me. There is talk of Neymar but he’s no Drogba. If they go down that route they’ll only be able to play one way which isn’t great for any team.

Manchester City on the other hand are starting to flex their muscles by signing Jack Rodwell from Everton. I hope the rumours are not true, but if they can sign Daniel Agger from Liverpool as well they would become an even more formidable outfit. If that deal gets done, I hope it involves Adam Johnson going the other way. It’s criminal how much time one of England’s brightest talents has spent sat on the bench. You do have to wonder where the Sheikh’s spending spree will end. Maybe it won’t! Perhaps the biggest surprise in the close-season so far is that Manchester United have only signed Shinji Kagawa. I know there are still a couple of weeks to go until the transfer window closes, but it would be highly unusual if the Red Devils don’t make one marquis signing. I think in general the window has been quiet so far, and this might be because most first team European players have been on duty at either Euro 2012 or the London Olympics; consequently they have been at least a couple of weeks behind the rest of the squad in getting back to pre-season training. It might liven up in the last week or so when managers have had chance to fully assess their players. 

So aside of who might win the Premier League this year, the other main questions is who will stay up? All three promoted teams would have high hopes of remaining in the Premier League, and who could blame them. Reading and Southampton dominated the Coca Cola Championship last year, and West Ham were not too far behind. That coupled with the fact that  Aston Villa, Wigan and QPR hardly covered themselves in glory in staying up by a hairs breadth. It could be the most open Premier League from the top four downwards that we have ever seen. With six clubs having new managers, and a couple more that have only been at their respective clubs for half a season, there is a good chance of some very unpredictable results early on this year.   

Premier League Predictions

Top four - 1. Manchester City 2. Chelsea 3. Manchester United 4. Arsenal

Bottom three - Wigan, West Brom, Norwich. 

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate everybody who has been part of organising the London 2012 Olympics. I won't deny that I was a bit sceptical about how much of a success the games would be, but I have to say I have enjoyed them more than I ever thought I would. I've watched and enjoyed some sports that I would normally not bother with, and the events I was looking forward to were better than I thought they would be. All the competitors have taken part with maximum effort (with exception to the odd badminton player!) and absolute grace; in victory and defeat. I give particular congratulations to every member of Team GB. Everyone knows who the greatest successes have been, but they should all be proud of creating the greatest Olympic Games that I can remember, and possibly ever. 

Team GB's medallists on the roof of HQ.

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The Plight of Portsmouth FC

 I have written about the disgraceful situation at Portsmouth briefly before, when Rangers were hanging on to their position in the SPL by a thread, but with only five days left to resolve the club's issues things are now looking desperate. The two potential buyers of the club, The Pompey Supporters Trust and Portpin (Balram Chanrai's organisation), have placed conditional offers on the table but the main condition is that all players either take substantial reductions in their wages or leave the club altogether. Most have done this already, but Tal Ben Haim and Liam Lawrence remain 'on the books' at the moment although it has been reported that deals are close for both. Should both players leave the club in the coming days, the next choice would be which bidder is preferred? As an outsider, there should only be one winner and they are the Pompey Supporters Trust. After all, Balram Chanrai has been part of the circus of the last few years and has had his chance; and fan ownership should be seriously considered as a viable option. There are several instances in England of fan ownership, most notably Wycombe Wanderers, Wrexham, Ebbsfleet, AFC Wimbledon and FC United of Manchester. If it can work for some, why not others? In Germany it is a legal requirement to have fan ownership of at least 51%; when Red Bull acquired SSV Markranstadt and renamed the football team RB Leipzig it could only acquire 49% of the shares, and they weren't allowed to use the full Red Bull name due to other German rules. They may be only in the Regionalliga Nord which makes up part of the fifth tier of German football, but Dietrich Mateschitz (Red Bull owner) is an incredibly astute businessman and he's invested in many sporting franchises as well as other football clubs; things that this man turn his hand to tend to be a success. With this kind of model as an example, why can't it work for Portsmouth? Maybe they could be the first side to achieve real success with fans as owners. The gentlemen concerned might have a few more quid than the average football fan, but they are fans nonetheless so they would have the interests of other fans, as well as the club at heart. Ian McInnes who is one of the 'high net worth individuals' that look to be providing the main funds for the bid, says that 'outside his family, Portsmouth football club is the most important thing in his life' and 'the city would die without the football club as a heartbeat.' He would know. He began his life in the humble surroundings of Portsmouth's northern suburb Paulsgrove, and Portsmouth has been in his blood ever since. As well as the four individuals backing the trust, McInnes intimated that there was a 'major backer from left field' who is looking to meet with the trust to discuss investment, so even if things are looking a bit cloudy on the horizon at the moment there's bright sunlight behind there somewhere. Perhaps the first hurdle to overcome will be the biggest of all; getting Chanrai and the two remaining players to walk away so a deal can be done with the Trevor Birch and the administrators to secure the future of this club that means so much to the people of this fantastic historic city. Portsmouth may not be my club, but I live close to the city and a lot of my friends are Pompey fans so I know for a fact that extinction for this club and city is not an option. I am not one to publicise things on this website, but if anybody wants information on the trust the best place to go is www.pompeytrust.com. I wish a great deal of luck to the loudest fans the Premier League has ever seen, and hope to see you back there soon. 

SPORT SHORTS

Well, Team GB have had a bit of a turn-around at the Olympics haven't they? Crikey.This time last week we had two or three medals. Now we have twenty nine medals including fourteen golds and we're up to third in the medals table. Last night was an amazing spectacle as Jessica Ennis (Heptathlon), Greg Rutherford (Long jump) and Mo Farah (10,000m) all made the top step of the rostrum within a literal 'Golden Hour' by crushing their opponents. There are more medals in prospect today with Andy Murray already guaranteed two Silver medals at least, and others being contested in sailing, athletics and more cycling at the velodrome.COME ON TEAM GB!

The England v South Africa test match at Headingley is finely poised with things just about even as rain stopped play just before lunch on Sunday. Kevin Pietersen's 149 and Matt Prior's 68 have given England a platform to build on. I think this game has draw written all over it, but if the bowlers can have a good day there's a slim chance of a win. All to play for in the battle for best Test side in the world.

With the English Premier League season a fortnight away, the transfer rumours are starting to spread. Manchester United are said to be preparing to bid £30m for Brazil's Lucas Moura and £20m for Arsenal's Robin van Persie. 
Also, I think this one is somewhat unlikely, but it's being reported that Manchester City are thinking about buying Scott Sinclair from Swansea. Has Roberto Mancini got a blind spot where Adam Johnson is concerned; He can send him to Anfield if he wants! Liverpool have apparently made a bid £12.5m for Uruguayan Gaston Ramirez. We must have some sort of interest in Uruguayan exports! 
(C)ashley Cole wants to be paid £200,000 a week. Enough said.  

Back next week with a full Premier League preview. 

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From Slumdog Millionaire to Stratford Masterpiece!

On Friday evening, I wasn't particularly enthralled by the prospect of sitting through three hours of the Olympic ceremony. As there wasn't much else on the box at seven o'clock, I thought 'what's the harm in watching the build-up?' The set looked intriguing from the first time I saw it. A mini Glastonbury Tor in honour of the music festival that was cancelled to allow Police resources and public toilets to be redeployed to Olympic venues; fluffy white clouds floating around the arena (that were to provide rain later on!) and farmers fields complete with farmers and livestock! What followed was not only breath-taking, it was intrinsically British from start to finish. If the history of Britain theme was inspired, then the show itself and the make-up of its cast was definitely inspiring. As well as the farmyard animals, there was a tribute to the NHS and Great Ormond Street Hospital which included NHS employees and children from Great Ormond Street; The Red Arrows display; Bradley Wiggins; Kenneth Brannagh as Isambard Kingdom Brunel; Her Majesty the Queen meeting James Bond; Mr Bean playing Chariots of Fire on the piano! All this and much much more set to a soundtrack including The Sex Pistols, The Arctic Monkeys, Mike Oldfield and a personal favourite of mine, Underworld's Born Slippy from one of Danny Boyle's most famous works Trainspotting.

The Olympic Rings, molten!

I'll be honest, I went in to the ceremony thinking 'how can a budget of £27million be justified in such austere times?' At the end of the main part of the ceremony I was left feeling even more proud to be from our fantastic nation than I normally am, having sat through a fantastic display of everything this country should be proud of and that has made Britain Great! 

It is a shame that Britain's sporting prowess hasn't quite come to the fore just yet; although I am sure it will. Perhaps one of Britain's main medal hopes, Mark Cavendish and Team GB failed to finish on the rostrum citing tactics of the other teams as a contributory factor. Cavendish said in his post race interview that his team couldn't have done more for him, and they went above and beyond the plan for the race. All the British riders looked absolutely spent at the end of the race, which is no surprise because by all accounts they had dragged the peloton along for most of the race. If they tried their absolute best, which it certainly seemed that they did, isn't that all anyone can ask? After triumphing in the most famous cycle road race in the world last weekend maybe this was just one step too far? All I hope is that in trying to elevate Cavendish to a gold medal, the other team members chances of medals in other events have not been compromised. Aside of Korean flag mishaps and match programme errors in the football, I think things have gone pretty well so far so long may it continue. (although I have lost count of the amount of times I've heard people call Team GB England. That will endear our Celtic neighbours I'm sure..!

SPORT SHORTS

 After American MotoGP rider Ben Spies announced this week that he would be leaving Yamaha at the end of the season, the rumour mill didn't take long to start hinting that Valentino Rossi could be set for a return to his old team? Lord he knows he needs to be on a bike that can get him nearer the front. You can see he still has race in him, but his Ducati is just not quick enough. 


South African Steven Pienaar has re-signed for Everton after failing to make in impact at Tottenham, and spending the latter half of last season back on loan at Goodison Park. Will the thirty year old be able to rekindle his previous form? Time will tell.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has said that Andy Carroll is happy to stay at Liverpool and that he can fit into the 'keep-ball' style of play he is trying to bring in at Anfield. As a Reds fan, I am more than happy about this as the prospect of seeing Carroll with either Suarez or Borini, or perhaps both, was quite exciting after Carroll's late season return to form last term. 

Back next week folks!

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Well Done Wiggins and Ernie, and Welcome to Olympics Week!

Wiggins wins the Tour de France

On Sunday Bradley Wiggins became the first Briton to triumph in The Tour de France as his Team Sky teammate Mark Cavendish won the final stage on the streets of Paris. Cavendish has now won this stage four times in a row which is some feat in itself. Wiggins conquered the peaks of the Alps and Pyrenees on a hellish two thousand one hundred and seventy three mile journey spanning three weeks, which surely puts him amongst Britain's greatest sports men and women of all time? Having won three gold, a silver and two bronze medals at three Olympic Games, as well as seven gold, four silver and one bronze at various cycling World Championships I can't see that there is an argument against this train of thought. A mention should also go to his team mates whose support was valuable to Bradley throughout. Briton Chris Froome, also of Team Sky, finished second behind Wiggins and three minutes ahead of their nearest rival. Bradley also showed great sportsmanship to fellow competitor Cadel Evans who suffered three punctures on one stage; carpet tacks were thrown on the road and Wiggins slowed the Peloton to allow Evans to catch up which isn't always the done thing. I'll be honest, I'm no expert on cycling and I wouldn't even say I'm a fan just yet. But what Bradley Wiggins achieved over the last three weeks is monumental, and his accomplishment, coupled with the fact that the Olympic Road Race is in the Surrey Hills just down the road means that I will probably tune in and I suspect I won't be alone. 

Massive congratulations to South African Ernie Els who won his fourth Major and second Open Championship on Sunday at Royal Lytham and St Annes.  Many thought that 'The Big Easy' might never reach such heights again, but he did all you can do as a golfer; post a score and see what happens. What did happen beggars belief. After the fourteenth hole where Scott made a birdie, some bookmakers were offering odds of 1/100. You have to wonder how many people thought they could make a quick killing? Scott went on to make four bogeys, missing a putt to take the tournament to a play-off and the rest is history. It will give Ernie a massive boost, but you have to fear for Adam Scott. The Australian was quite pragmatic in the aftermath, but like a boxer taking punch after punch, it must take its toll. He definitely has the talent, and Steve Williams on the bag must be a plus point, but he needs to invest in a sports psychologist I would say!


Strangely for me, I am getting somewhat disillusioned by the Olympics. I really hope it doesn't turn out to be a complete shambles. The threat of striking by British Border Control staff, the 'crackdown' on enterprising business people who aren't allowed to use words like 'Summer', 'London', 'Gold', 'Silver' or 'medal' in conjunction with each other. Just in case it is perceived as guerrilla advertising. Hardly. It is just honest people trying to earn an honest living, yet again being hindered by bureaucracy. It seems the 'Team GB' umbrella only extends so far. I am sure I will get in to the swing of things once the competition gets underway, but the seven years since I had a tear in my eye when Jacques Rogge announced London had won the bid is going very, very slowly. The last few weeks have been like swimming in treacle but we'll see.

Sorry to get all political, but it had to be said!

Close-season football shorts

Football's pre-season friendlies have begun so its not long now! 

Luka Modric is on strike at Spurs; Chelsea have signed Brazilian Oscar, Belgian Eden Hazard and they are also signing the younger Hazard, Thorgun. 

Much to my surprise, Everton sell Tim Cahill to New York Red Bulls for around £1m. I wouldn't want to doubt David Moyes, as pound for pound I think he is the best manager in the league. I have been saying for years that he will be the next Manchester United manager, but there will be more to come on that when it happens.

Unless Portsmouth can offload their last senior players, they will have no option to close their doors on the August 10th deadline. There are seven high earners left who must find a compromise, or the South Coast club will have played its last game. A very sad state of affairs.

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Where now for Khan and Chisora?

After Danny Garcia's 'Swift' dethroning of Amir 'King' Khan, where does the Bolton born boxer go from here? Certainly not in the direction of a super-fight with Floyd Mayweather which was the intention before the fight at The Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas.  

A stunned Khan takes a count from referee Kenny Bayless

Once again Khan failed to stick to the game plan, and as soon as Garcia started to catch him with heavy shots his brain went and he wanted to get in to a war; most boxing fans knew that this was never going to be the way to win the fight. If I am honest, as soon as Garcia caught Khan with the long left hook (half in the neck!) in the third round the fight was over. I thought Kenny Bayless was generous to say the least with his first count and if that punch had come ten seconds earlier the fight would have been over there and then.
So where now? I heard British super-middleweight Paul Smith say the other day something along the lines of 'boxing is funny, because it's hard to get the fights you want when you're winning, but everyone wants to fight you when you're losing' so getting fights shouldn't be a problem but they will certainly not be at the same level. Khan did well to get back to the big time after losing to Breidis Prescott, so to do so again is a mountain and a half to climb. I probably see Khan taking time out to reflect and seeing how the division develops over the next six months or so. It remains to be seen what is to happen to Lamont Peterson, so there isn't a re-match there at the moment so the only fight out there at light-welterweight is a re-match with Garcia. Would Khan want it? I doubt it. That means either coming back to European/Domestic level which is unlikely, or stepping up to welterweight anyway and trying to fight his way up from the lower levels of the division. I can see Khan fighting someone in the top 20 welterweights to get a foot in the door and trying to rebuild a career from there. The only thing is, that he will then have men that are 7lbs heavier raining punches down on his glass chin. It is a tricky one. Khan is a wealthy man, so could he retire at the tender age of 25?


And so to Haye versus Chisora. Haye finished the fight with a KO in the fifth round, and to be honest he looked a class above Chisora throughout the fight. Chisora was a game opponent until the fifth round, but I think it was obvious that Haye's class would tell in the end. If you ask me Chisora got what his actions in the recent past deserved. Maybe now he will take his disgusting behaviour and disappear into a dark hole somewhere. To both boxers credit, they were quite gracious to each other after the fight, despite the ridiculous trash talk in the build up. If you ask me, the fact that Chisora has even had a world title fight is a huge indictment about the state of the division at the moment. The sooner there is a greater degree of competition the better. I can't wait for David Price to make the step up to that level.  If he carries on making progress as he has done over the last few years it should be exciting. His trouble will be getting people to fight him as he has got a reputation as a bit of a banger. Price may even fight Chisora on his way to greater things. One thing I can say for sure is that Frank Maloney will not rush things with Price. It looks from an outsiders view that he knows Price can achieve big things if he has the right fights at the right time.

SPORT SHORTS

Well done to Britain's Adam Gemili, who this week triumphed at the World Junior Athletics Championships, and also became the fastest ever man in the history of the championships by running 10.05s. After being at Chelsea as a young footballer, he only started to concentrate on athletics at the beginning of the year! Exciting times ahead. 

This time next week Britain could have it's first ever winner of the Tour de France. Bradley Wiggins has a lead of around two minutes with six stages still to go. It would be a huge acheivement for the three time Olympic Gold medalist to add to his CV. Good Luck!

Mark Webber pipped Fernando Alonso to win the British Grand Prix at Silverstone last Sunday. The conditions were changeable to say the least, but Webber was on the right tyres at the right time and overtook Alonso with four laps to go and stayed ahead to take the chequered flag. Red Bull Racing will be double pleased as Webber signed a one year extension to his contract this week. Webber did admit to being tempted by the lure of the prancing horse, but head prevailed over heart in the end.

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Murray Mania... (and more!)

Andy Murray and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

So Great Britain has a player in the final of the Men's Singles at Wimbledon for the first time in seventy-four years, but the hard work starts now. Roger Federer looked awesome whilst beating World number one Novak Djokovic earlier in the day. He looked every ounce the champion and legend that he is, and to say that Andy Murray will have his hands full on Sunday would be understatement of the year! With Federer at 1/2f and Murray an outsider at around 6/4, the bookmakers aren't too confident that he'll win; but can he? Of course. Overall Murray has beaten Federer more times than he's been beaten by him (his record is 8-7) so it is possible although they have never played each other on grass. Roger has been the King of Wimbledon for some time winning six titles from seven appearances in the final over the years; and although he might not have been in the final for a while he has looked as good as ever this year and he has an added incentive. If he wins he will regain the world number one spot for a second time. One thing that will go in favour of Murray, is that it is highly unlikely that Roger Federer will have played in an arena that will be so in favour of the other player. I can't see the crowd being excessively vociferous as they have very much taken Roger to their hearts over the years, but they will be pro-Murray for sure. There will be lots to play for come Sunday afternoon. Aside of the glittering trophy and the adoration from the fans, there is the small matter of £1,150,000 to play for.

I ought to mention Brit Jonny Marray who's made the Men's doubles final with his partner Freddie Nielsen by beating the defending champions Mike and Bob Bryan. The last time there were British winners of the Men's doubles was in 1936, coincidentally the same year that Fred Perry won the Men's singles. The last thing I would want to do would be to tempt fate, but could it be fate? 

SPORT SHORTS

Tiger woods won the AT&T National title in Maryland last weekend to overtake Jack Nicklaus in the all-time PGA tour titles rankings. With his 74th title, Tiger is now only second to Sam Snead who won 82 titles. At the moment, Tiger is 6/1 favourite to win another Major at Royal Lytham St Annes in a fortnights time; Can you bet against him? Luke Donald at 16/1 or Phil Mickelson at 28/1 might take your fancy?

Kell Brook steps up to world level this weekend when he faces Carson Jones in an IBF World welterweight title eliminator in Sheffield. It looks like being a tasty affair as there has been a bit of needle in the build up. Both fighters are predicting a knockout so this one is a must see for any boxing fans. Hopefully Kell's class will shine through.

FIFA have decided this week that goal-line technology will now be used in football. (At last I hear you say!) The Premier League are saying that it could be brought in at some point this coming season, although the beginning of the following season looks more likely. At least there will be no repeat of Frank Lampard holding his head in his hands against Germany as it will definitely be used in the Brazil 2014 World Cup.     

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The Good, The Bad and The Rugby!

The Good:

Champion Tiger Woods and Legend Jack Nicklaus

Tiger Woods has returned to winning ways this week by winning the Memorial Classic at Muirfield Village. He also equalled Jack Nicklaus' record of 73 career tournament wins; it was ironic that he collected the trophy from Nicklaus himself as this is his tournament! Maybe now Tiger can set about chasing down Jack's all-time record of 18 major titles. At the time of writing, Tiger is 11-2 favourite for The US Open with www.paddypower.com so who knows? Rory McIlroy is 10-1 second favourite, and could also go in to the tournament at the Olympic Club San Francisco as a winner; he is one shot back in The St Judes Classic going in to the final day. 

Also this week, Maria Sharapova is back on the winning trail after thrashing Sara Errani 6-3 6-2 in the French Open final at Roland Garros on Saturday. This completed Maria's career Grand Slam of all the majors and puts her in a unique group of ten women in the history of tennis to achieve this feat.The men's final this afternoon looks to be a fascinating affair as well, as Rafa Nadal takes on Novak Djokovic. Djokovic is trying to achieve the 'back to back' Grand Slam which has not been achieved in the men's game since Rod Laver did so in 1969. I am watching the game as I write, and Djokovic is one set down having lost the first 4-6. 

FOOTBALL'S BACK! Woohoo! Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine started on Friday. There have only been four games so far, and there has been drama to say the least; Good attacking, poor defending and shocking goalkeeping, bad refereeing, penalties missed, a game of two halves and that was just on the first day! If the rest of the tournament lives up to the first couple of days it should be a fantastic tournament. So far, the hysteria in England has been minimal to say the least but I don't doubt it will start to build over the next 24 hours and will probably be somewhere near near fever pitch come 5.00pm tomorrow. 

The Bad:

Timothy Bradley beat Manny Pacquaio last night for the WBO welterweight title. Most seem to have said that it is controversial to say the least. Even though Pacman landed 94 more punches than Bradley, two judges scored the fight 115-113 for Bradley. Amir Khan, who is a potential opponent for both men and was ringside for the fight, said he had Pacquaio winning eight rounds to four. Although it is possible Pacquaio is unlikely to fight Khan as they are stable-mates, but if Khan beats Danny Garcia in July he may well go on to fight Timothy Bradley later in the year. 

Czech Republic full back Theodor Gebre Selassie has said he heard racist abuse aimed at him in the game against Russia on Friday. He said 'It was nothing extreme. I've experienced much worse and personally, I'm ready to put it behind me' but no player should have to contend with this and UEFA should get on top of the matter straight away. They have begun disciplinary proceedings against the Russian Football Union so hopefully the matter will be dealt with appropriately. There were also disturbances involving Russian fans outside the ground which are also being investigated. 

The Rugby:

Although England, Ireland and Wales put up spirited displays in the southern hemisphere this weekend, they lost to South Africa, New Zealand and Australia respectively. Well done to Scotland for beating Australia earlier in the week. The conditions were very much a leveller, but who saw that coming? The Scots were put under immense pressure in the second half and showed tremendous defensive fortitude, and Greig Laidlaw showed a lot of bottle stepping up to slot the last kick of the game through the posts for the win. The respective tours continue over the next few weeks, and most would be not be surprised if they don't win too many games between them. From what I have watched so far, all the southern hemisphere teams are bigger and stronger man for man and they all play a completely different brand of rugby.  Their game is played with a much more progressive, fluid, stylish and aggressive manner and until we start to try and meet them toe to toe on this front things will remain much the same.

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