Relegation Blues

I love the tension of the end of season Premier League relegation battles. Monday was a classic example, Harry Redknapp’s nervous twitch was in overdrive as Spurs eventually broke down a resilient Hull side. As for this weekend, Bolton and Newcastle battle it out on Sunday (Live on Setanta – 1pm) to try and ease themselves away from the dreaded relegation zone and back into mid-table security. The fact is, relegation to the Championship is now more costly for a team than ever before, which means the pressure on a manager, whose team could potentially be drawn into a relegation battle is palpable. A couple of good wins now, can make all the difference, and both Gary Megson and Joe Kinnear will be fully aware of this fact. I think Sunday will be a hard fought draw, with both teams succumbing slightly to the tension that grips this part of the season.

Premier Class

I'm sick of people moaning on about how they can't be bothered to watch any more Premier League games this season because Man Utd are clearly going to win it. Yes, Man Utd will probably win it,but why not enjoy watching them win it in style. They are a class act and are starting to play their best football of the season. I will definitely be watching them against Blackburn on Saturday. (Live on Setanta - 5:30pm) Also, lets not forget that there are issues to be resolved at the bottom of the table - Spurs are still not safe and face a tricky game at Hull on Monday night also on Setanta.

Too much money in football is not always a bad thing.

I went to the Arsenal v Cardiff match last night at the Emirates. The Game was ok, but the thing that impressed me the most was The Emirates Stadium - I had never been to The Emirates before last night and i have to say that it is definately one of the most impressive stadiums i have ever been too. I know people moan about the lack of atmosphere, but it was noisy enough last night. The fact is, would the Emirates ever have been built if the Premier League had'nt become the wealthiest football league in the world? The answer, i believe, is most probably not.

Old Firm - A difficult one to call

I'm looking forward to the Old Firm clash on Sunday. (12:30pm - Live on Setanta) Celtic are top of the table by 2 points but Rangers are the form team. Its so difficult to pick a winner. Also, it won't be easy for the players on Sunday as the midweek international fixtures were hardly the best preparation for Sunday's Game.

If i had to pick a winner it would be Celtic to win 1-0 - i have always been a fan of Strachan both as a manager and as a player - he is a highly disciplined man and installs his value's and high levels of expectation in his players. He totally contradicts my view that most big time players don't make great managers.

Whichever side of the city you come from it should be a cracking tie - in fact i can't think of any better way to spend my Sunday Lunchtime.

Footballs big weekend

Wednesday afternoons are always the time to start thinking about the weekend in my books. Your half way through the week and you need to have some sort of light at the end of the tunnel to look forward to. This weekend is all about the FA Cup for me. I'm really looking forward to the fifth round, especially as Setanta are showing Chelsea, and their new manager Gus Hiddink, take on Watford on Saturday. Then on Sunday, i'll take a break from the FA Cup to watch the Old Firm Derby at 12:30 and then switch back to the cup as Everton take on Aston Villa later in the afternoon. Everton and Villa are two genuine football teams that i have alot of respect for - they are a product of their own managers high standards and set a good example for other clubs - thats all from me for now.

Big name player - short term manager.

Why do clubs still insist on employing ex-big name players as managers, when this strategy clearly does'nt work. Lets look at the evidence - Clough, Ferguson, Revie, Shankly, Stein - they may have played the game, but they never excelled as players. O'leary, Ince, Wise, Adams - they may have excelled as players but they have yet to prove themselves as competant managers. Chairmen need to look beyond the hype and realise that most managers that stand the test of time were never big time players-once they realise this we may see the end of the current farcical nature of managerial appointments and sackings that blight the Premier League.

Missed the cut?

Regular fans of my blog will recall me droning on about whether it would be worth watching the Everton v Liverpool FA Cup replay last night....well, i sat down with my usual bottle of Chilean Merlot and decided to watch it. The first half was quite exciting, the second half not so good. I stuck it out for extra time and then.....BOOM...ITV made a very unusual editorial decision - they cut to an advert break two minutes from the end of extra time and missed Evertons winning goal. Brilliant stuff..Denis Nordon's It'll be alright on the Night (another quality ITV production) would have been proud. So yes, it was worth watching the match last night...but for all the wrong reasons.

Liverpool - Cup or League?

Well, i'm just planning my midweek footy TV viewing and it crossed my mind to watch the Everton v Liverpool match... but is it really going to be worth it? Since the Reds win against Chelsea last weekend the spotlight is back on their chances of pulling off a surprise Premier League title challenge. If you asked me last week if they would be prioritising the FA Cup this season i probably would have said yes due to their poor form in the Premier League. How quickly things change...a week is along time, not only in politics but also in the beautiful game.

Snowed Under

Well, I expect just like you, I was surprised to see so much snow this morning. I flew back to London last night from a quick break in the Bahamas and woke up to the largest snowfall in central London for 18 years... global warming hey. Anyway, it got me thinking how amazing it would be to see the Winter Olympics in London. Can you imagine bobsleighing in Hyde Park, Ski Jumping off Primrose Hill or maybe even ice-skating on Hampstead Heath pond - the mind boggles... The sad fact is, give it two days and all this snow will have melted and we probably won't see the like of it for another two decades - so no need to bring Eddie the Eagle out of retirement just yet.