20 Things I Hate About You.........

So with The Premiership twenty seasons old this week, we @ It's a Football Thing thought we'd take a look @ twenty reasons to hate top tier in England.........hold on to your hats here we go!
(In no particular order)

1 - The Untouchable - Sir Alex Ferguson
Can this man do anything wrong? Flashing back to when he jumped wildly in the air against Sheffield Wednesday, when United won their first Premier League title, to almost retiring a few years back! This ageing Scotsman just keeps getting better and better!

2 - Going Down - Diving
Simulation if you like, back in the day you actually had to be touched before hitting the deck and even if you were namby pamby enough to go down you'd get straight back up again for a bit of vengeance!

3 - Shit Kits
I remember not so long ago, when a kit would last a few seasons! Now it's all change every year! The problem is, a lot of the kit manufactures are running out of ideas, and the kits are looking shitter and shitter! Take the Kappa skin tight kits, not the best fit for pub crawling wanderers like ourselves! Now add to that a random colour!.. well infact they come in every bloody colour under the rainbow! From Newcastles orange and yellow sherbert mix, to Spurs Brown disaster and United's famous Grey mess!

4. Shake on it! - The Pre-Match Handshake
I walk into work in the morning and the first thing I do is shake my fellow workers hands..... no I put the kettle on and have a cuppa! Why on earth do we insist on the players shaking hands before the game?  I wanna see 11 grown men play a fair, full on contact game of football, then congratulate each other after the game with a proper handshake and a pint! The handshake before a game means nothing! They all end up trying to get each other sent off!

5 - The Men in Black - Officials
No longer in black, in fact every colour but! In a premier league we surely deserve premier referees and 'assistants'. But week in week out they get it wrong, whether they run the line or blow the whistle when are we going to get professional match officials??

6 - Off or On - The Offside Rule
Just get it sorted! All this second phase bollocks!

7 - Can I Kick It? - Multi coloured boots
Once upon a time, boots were black. Then they were white, now they are every colour of the rainbow, some players have been known to wear one of each colour!
It's another example where advertising and fashion have now taken hold of the modern game.

8 - All Weather - Games being called off
Oh no there's a bit of snow! With all this health and safety bullshit meaning more and more games are getting called off, whats the point of the orange/yellow ball anymore? Fans love a snow ball fight on the way to a game!

9 - Show Us Yer Tackle - Football is a contact sport
Along with diving, the major evil of the today's game. Football is in danger of turning into a non contact sport! Whatever happened to the sliding tackle? Obviously we don't want decapitation, but if you get the ball - One footed? Two footed - does it matter??

10 - Ronaldo
I could write 20 bloody points on this knobhead! The face, the diving, the step over, the cheating, the tan, the fact that he got Rooney sent off during the 2004 Euros, and then to top it all off demanding a move away from United to play for Real as he claimed La Liga is far superior than the English game....

11 - Take your seats - Modern Grounds
As teams look to make more dosh, the first thing they look at doing is tearing down their historic ground, and then creating a swimming pool like arena, an arena with no atmosphere, no identity, no sound! Just look @ the Emirates

12 - Bloody Foreigners! - The Rise of the Footballing Import
Now we're not talking about all foreigners, after all where would we be without Klinsmann, Bergkamp or little Frankie Zola. But then opened the floodgates, with every Thom, Rickard or Henry coming over here doing our jobs and stealing our women! The latest fashion accessory it seemed was a foreigner in your side and who could forget Brolin, Boogers & Veron!?!

13 - The Big Four - Over emphasis on the top teams
Every weekend, it's the big four this, the big four that! Who's says their the big four? Only Sky and what do they know? Do we really need it forced down our throats all the time? And don't get us started on them manipulating the fixtures to give us "Showdown Sunday" or " Armageddon Tuesday"

14 - Sweet FA - The Demise of The FA Cup
With the rise of The Premiership we've seen the fall of the FA Cup, with Man U bowing out completely one year for the World Club Championship. Do we need to remind you that this years final kicks off @ 5:15??

15 - Are We The Champions - The Rise of The Champions League
The Champions league, a league for winners! Why not give 2 places to the league (1st & 2nd) and then the FA Cup & Carling Cup winners should be given the other 2 places! Because @ the moment finishing 3rd or 4th means more than winning a cup!

16 - Club v Country - The Downfall of England
One of the fall outs from over emphasis on winning the Premiership & The Champions League is players taking a sickie when the International call comes. Not only that, but with the influx of players from abroad how are the youngsters expected to come through the ranks? Joe Hart England's Number One great 'keeper that he is, is really unopposed, where are our young goalies??

17. - Because I'm worth it...... - Adverts
It's all about how much players can make it a short amount of time, from Pepsi max to Pringles, to phones or even airlines! Grow some balls lads! Advertisement has gone mental! Shame no ones done an advert advertising diving hey!

18 - All Change - Player Loyalty
One team players how many in The Premiership Years have there been? Matt Le Tiss? Ledders @ Spurs? Donkey Adams @ Arsenal. There are a few others, but we are talking only a handful. With the promise of a fast buck players, with the help (or hindrance) of their agents will jump ship @ the drop of a hat! And it's not just the players...........

19 - Leeds
The last winners of the old first division, and the real first financial disaster in the Premiership, In the late 90's early 2000's Leeds had it all, England internationals, a great ground, history, a strong fan base, Champions League football and then over night it went all tits up! Placing their bets on Champions League qualification, Leeds over spent and we all know what happened next..... After too many years out of the top flight it would be fitting if our old pal Neil Warnock could guide them back to the Premiership next season!

20 - The Prawn Sandwich Brigade - The rise of the corporate fan
Back in the day it was a pie and a Bovril on the terrace. Now, it's a fiver for a warmed up burger and two quid for a KitKat! True fans are being priced out of the game in favour for big businesses 'entertaining' clients in boxes............where's the fun in that??

Unsung Hero - Giorgio Chinaglia

From Italy to Wales, back to Italy and then America. How many players paths have taken this route?
Giorgio Chinaglia was truly a global footballer, but for a majority of people upon hearing of his passing this week would have said Giorgio who??

Born in Italy, his career started in Wales of all places with his Father seeking work there after the war.  Impressing as a schoolboy he was signed by Swansea Town. Although he won honours with the club his lack of discipline and attitude towards training saw him shown the door. He put his lack of motivation down to a need to challenge himself, saying that when he was nine he would play against the bigger thirteen & fourteen year old to push himself.

A combination of Italian National Service and a lack of interest from any other domestic club saw him return to Italy, where he went on to join Lazio. He was voted by the fans as Lazio's greatest ever player and it was once Tommaso Maestrelli became manager that he really hit his stride. His goal scoring prowess saw him help The Eagles of Rome win their first League Title in 1974.
His International career was cut short though in typical temperamental style after being subbed for Italy he stormed off the pitch; giving the manager the finger on the way before getting to the dressing room and smashing glass water bottles against the wall! He was also the man who set up former England boss Fabio Cappello for his goal against eventual employers that help see Italy record their first victory @ Wembley.

A showman, maverick and prolific goal scorer, the first player to join the Soccer Revolution in America while still in his prime and the highest goalscorer in NASL history. This of course was the Seventies and at that time along with the game came the fame, women and playboy lifestyle.
Seen as the bad guy of US Soccer, he called himself the "anti-Pele" when "©the greatest player in the World" arrived for training in New York late & overweight Chinaglia simply remarked "He's just another player I'll have to carry until he gets fit,"  another outburst was alleged to have left the great man in tears after the Italian criticised his positioning on the pitch!
He was a legend though in both Italy and America, with the New York club proclaiming him as their "one of the most exceptional soccer players to ever play in the United States and the New York Cosmos' greatest player ever".
A trailblazer of the American game it's re-emergence today is a testament to the great man.

Anyone for Curry Neville.......

So once again the pub beckons for our deadly duo of old school football pundit and it's curry night to boot!

The Midweeker is threatening to throw his well worn trilby into the ring for the vacant Wolves job and The Weekender is considering caretakering duties in Poland this Summer.........

MW:With the latest England squad throwing no surprises other than the fact that John Terry wasn't included..... well he is injured! The only debate left now is who's gonna be the next captain? My vote would be with Scott Parker, he is a big reason why one team in North London is challanging for the title! People are saying that Gerrard should be given it, I'm sure that happened once before for a short period.....

My concern with the pub team we call England is that the FA pull the strings, we  need a revolution, someone in the shape of 'Arry to mix it up, give a few random's a game, the likes of Dawson, Jarvis, Richardson, Sturridge and Sinclair. The last of the golden generation need to step to one side, return to the day job. Look at Spain, there team has a healthy mix of youth and manhood! Players need to perform in order to play, If Torres was English the FA would expect him to play every game for the national side, even on current form, The Spanish take a different view, a view that everyman should be at the top of his game even to get a call up to the squad!

Weekender what do you think about this curry situation? have you been served yet?

WE: Have I bollocks!? This Curry Club should be in The Blue Square Premier! Talk about bad service, nearly as bad as the form the FA have shown over the decades and not making you manager!
Players should be picked on form, Richards should have been in that team months ago but every manager has their favourites! Can you tell me Redknapp won't pick his Nephew once his in charge? He'll be in the dog house with Sandra if he don't!
In my view let Pearce take us through the Euros - win, lose or draw just get the thing out the way and then have 'arry take over, give him free reign to do what he wants, what have the FA got to lose?? He's the people's choice............

MW: I find it odd though that them suited and booted mob ain't been on the old dog and bone and asked that pie loving sun of a gun to name his price! I wonder if 'Arry has had a cheeky bet on himself becoming the next England manager? I think Pearce will be in for the long run, groomed for future World Cups / Euros. But lets see how the team get on against them Dutch folk first.....

So as our two old timers get hot under the collar about the state of modern football and that foreign muck they call curry, they're left to wonder is Harry Redknapp the new Messiah or just Sam Allardyce in disguise........

Cult Hero

Next up in our cult hero series is a chap from the 90's. He won his fair share of England caps *although in fairness most of them were under Graham Taylor! Not everyone's cup of tea mind you, he often covered the most yardage on the pitch. Step forward one of Big Ron's favourite players of all time....  Mr Carlton Palmer.

The underdog

Everyone loves an underdog! Whenever a top tier club play lower league opposition in the cup the British media can't help but cover themselves in underdog hype! The magic of the cup, the thought of a battered old war horse returning from the front line! From Luton to Bournemouth if they were taking on United @ Old Trafford you can be sure the neutral fan would be right behind them, hoping they would put one over Sir Alex.

Today we saw league one outfit Stevenage hold high flying Spurs to a replay for a place in the quarter finals of the FA Cup, in fairness Stevenage were unlucky not to win. Reducing Spurs to only a handful of half edged chances. 'Arry looked like he needed a cup of tea, while the multi million pound players on the pitch looked like they would rather be having the mothers sunday roast. Chris Day in The Boro goal used to play for Spurs in the 90's, he had his own point to prove towards the club he has followed since birth, and the keeper looked comfortable with everything the Spurs attack threw @ him. With the only real test coming in the shape of a long distance Bale shot, which was calmly tipped round the post. So how do the underdogs do it time and time again?

The underdog knows they only get one chance in life, so they go out and play every game as if it's their last, filled to the brim of passion and pride a sense of believe rises within and it turns boys to men! So as long as the rich teams, players distance themselves away from the public that follow them, the longer the underdog will be everyone's cup of tea!

Half time oranges please!

We've now past the half-way point of the season and the final few months are in sight it's time to put your feet up grab a cup of tea and flick through the TV Guide..... You must be joking!

What a season it's been so far, FAB has left the England hot-seat, We've had respect campaigns fall by the wayside, man hugs and handbags replacing handshakes and a season wouldn't be complete with out a bit of John Terry controversy!  We've already seen Man United get pounded 6-1 @ home, Arsenal smashed 8-1, Liverpool conceding 4 in a game for the first time in a long time, and not forgetting both Spurs & Chelsea conceding 5 @ home! With the new boys punching above their weight, we could see a few of the 'bigger boys' fighting for their lives come May....

With the knock out stages of the Champions League set to return this week, we saw earlier on in the season how both Manchester teams crashed out of the competition, leaving London the only UK city represented in Europe's top tier... Pie and Mash Mate!

United's young keeper needs to adapt to his new surroundings, There's no doubt the lad is a fantastic shot stopper but his concentration @ time needs to improve. With the impressive Lindegaard injured, De gea needs to step up to the plate, and in fairness to the lad a last ditch save yesterday made sure United got all three points against Liverpool! Since mid September United haven't really hit the heights in terms of performances, Rooney has been their most impressive player this season, braces against Chelsea and Liverpool over the last few games as helped them keep up pace with the noisy neighbours. The re-introduction of Paul Scholes was a masterstroke by Sir Alex and it could prove vital in their hunt to win another Premiership title!

For the blue side of Manchester, it's as you are. Scoring for fun, Mancini's men have stuck two fingers up at the critics & have let the ball do the talking, Silva has been golden playing in a free role, while the signing of Aguero has all but minimised the impacted  that the Tevez saga could of caused! With That English spine running through the core of the team, It will be in England's best interest that the likes of Hart, Barry & Milner are on top form heading into the summers tournament.

Sitting pretty in 3rd, and who would of thought this @ the start of the season, lie 'Arry's Spurs. Playing the most attractive football in the league since 'The Invincibles' of Arsenal's 2003-2004 team! The likes of  Bale, Walker & Parker have been different gravy! Could they pull a shocker off come May?

just below the current top 3, sit the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal & Newcastle.... and not forgetting Liverpool. Between them they have notched up some cracking results, individually they've lacked the consistency that is needed. So could we be looking @ a whole new 'top four' come the end of the season.

As we head down the league, the comfort of Mid-table is what so many teams are looking for. Norwich, Stoke, Everton and Swansea all look like they have done enough to be in the division next season, although Stoke have had a bit of a stop start season, dropping points to the so-called lesser teams, while taking points of the bigger boys! Crouch started strong but has struggled to find the net in recent weeks, Stats wise Wigan are the only team in the top flight to score less goals than Stoke this season! With a goal difference of -14 at times their defending has been of a sunday league standard as for the likes of Upson & Woodgate the pair of them look miles away from the international class they once possessed.
Another club that hasn't really got going this season is Fulham, hammering the likes of Arsenal, Newcastle & QPR at the Cottage they have then gone on to drop points against the lower teams, (Blackburn and WBA spring to mind) and in all truth they have also struggled to score on a regular basis with 11 of their 31 goals coming in two games. Jol's choice to let want away striker Zamora leave to join QPR seems to have brought the rest of the players closer together for the remainder of the season!

That brings us to the bottom of the league, and boy is it a lonely place! QPR have gone from being safe a few months back to fighting for their lives! Can Mark Hughes keep the Hoops up and can he last longer than a season with this London team? Wolves have yet again found themselves  hovering above the danger zone. Steve kean's Blackburn have finally got back to winning ways, although they did get a spanking away @ Arsenal last week! and it's not the first time they have shipped a cricket score their either! with games coming up all against the teams in & around them, Can Rovers pull away from trouble? As for Bolton & Wigan......It's gonna be a nervous end to the season, although Wigan's 2-1 away win @ the Reebok has kept the great escape alive..... And who can forget after all this we've got The Euros to look forward to!

F.A.B - What next for England

What a difference 24 hours can make, two football managers were due possibly life changing decisions. One not of their own choosing the other had his fate in his own hands.

Capello has gone and Redknapp's still with us.
Capello went on principal, The FA had stripped John Terry of the England captaincy without Fab's say so, the Italian believed that the Chelsea man should still be allowed to lead his country until a court of law found him guilty. For me - and with the Euros just around the corner it seemed a strange decision for Fab, he felt that his authority had been undermined, but with his own departure due after the tournament was his mind still on he job? Better to leave now with his integrity intact perhaps as opposed to bowing out in defeat?
Don Fab had his fair share of lovers & haters, if fact there was a bigger outcry when he was appointed as England coach than the time that Eriksson came along. He was & always will be a legend @ club level, but there was a certain arrogance that us English just didn't abide with - learning the language would have helped for a start!
But like the majority of England managers he had no problem getting us to tournaments it was the performance while we were there that was the problem. Egos amongst footballers are bound to be a problem and maybe having a "Johnny Foreigner" telling the lads how to play the English game didn't go down too well......

The most successful English manager of the modern game (that'll be one FA Cup) Harry Redknapp walked out of Southwark Crown Court a free man yesterday and things were looking rosy!
The case that had been five years in the making had ended, the Spurs' manager could once again concentrate on football matters and his clubs assault on the top two in the Premiership.
But now Harry would find himself on the back pages for all the right reasons again, he has long been mooted by many as the next England manager - only maybe not just yet.

Not since the days of Cloughie has one manager been the outstanding choice for the England job, but as they say 'be careful what you wish for'. Harry is England's most successful manager of recent times, but that doesn't count for much and in fact it could be down to the FA themselves for letting so many foreign managers take over @ Premiership clubs for making it so.
The major plus point for Redknapp is his renowned man mangement skills, he is English and he knows the players and they'll listen to him. Maybe a minus point could be his handling of the media, he loves a quote, has a column in The Sun (which would have to go) and he says what he likes - having said that though maybe he'll kerb this side of his character if it means getting his dream job?

I feel it's inevitable that he will take over, possibly after Euro 2012. A caretaker will be installed, a transitional squad will perform adequately in Poland and the Ukraine after which Harry can get down to the business of getting the country to Brazil in 2014.

It's a win win situation for the FA, bring in the people's choice - Win, lose or draw - well you wanted him we're just bowing to public opinion, they'd be mad not to right - and another bonus? No transfers for 'arry to get his hands on!

Many Happy Returns?

With the recent events @ The Emirates where Thierry Henry has been welcomed back like a returning Messiah (albeit it a temporary one - made to cover the cracks of no new signings again this window for Wenger), we thought we'd take a look at some of the other players who have come back to what they know.......

The saying 'never go back' is one that many footballers have never stuck to, but it's been a mixed bag of returning the conquering hero or with their tail between their legs. With so many clauses now in contracts it's inevitable that somewhere tucked away amid image rights, goal bonuses & appearance money there will be the option for the club to buy their star player back.

Ian Rush, legend amongst the Koppites travelled to Italy after a hugely successful time @ Liverpool, whether it was the lure of the lira, European football and a new challenge or a slightly more cynical peace making process with Juventus after Heysel only he knows for sure. Famously quoted as saying "It's like living in a foreign country."* he failed to settle, with tighter defences and the language barrier, Liverpool were soon to welcome him back and unlike Henry Rush still had a few more goals in the tank. He faced initial competition from one time replacement 7 lookalike John Aldridge but still managed to win the FA Cup for the Reds with two goals in the Final against Merseyside rivals Everton in his first season back. More goals were to follow and eventually more honours at all times remaining a great ambassador for the club that had given him his big chance in football.

Of course it depends on how you leave a club as to what sort of reception you'll receive should you want (or need) to come back.
Jurgen Klinsmann has special affinity with Tottenham fans, from his shock transfer to North London from Alan Sugar's yacht in Monte Carlo he caught the imagination and upset a few German stereotypes in the process. His reputation as a diver was played upon on his debut with the now legendary goal celebration and along with the other 'famous five' in the side it looked like the team were going places. Alas it wasn't to be and the German invoked a clause in his contract (one which in his book Sugar now claims was badly worded) and returned to Germany.
Even his departure and a very public rant from the Chairman couldn't tarnish Jurgen's status @ Spurs and he was again called into service by a now regretful Sugar to save the North London club from relegation in '97. Again in another Roy of the Rovers storyline Klinsman staged the great escape and with his mission accomplished he duly retired from domestic football at the end of that season.

Teddy Sheringham on the other hand has his equal share of lovers and haters @ Spurs, to leave a club while claiming they lacked ambition and of having more chance of winning trophies elsewhere is not going to stand you in good stead for a hero's return really.
He'd signed for Manchester United as a replacement for Eric Cantona and as is the way with these things his debut for his new club was against.......Spurs! With boos & jeers at every touch from the fans that once idolised him, insult was added to injury when he went on to miss a penalty in the 60th minute! For a while the much desired silverware eluded him with an old chant changed by the Spurs faithful to refer to the fact that he'd 'gone to Man Utd and you won f*ck all!"
But one Treble later and Sheringham had achieved his aim, so when he found himself falling down the pecking order @ Old Trafford new Spurs boss Glenn Hoddle stepped in and bought him back to his spiritual home and with a new Chairman also @ the club that man again Alan Sugar was cited as one of the original reasons Sheringham left in the first place. Although some will still not forgive, he was inducted into the clubs Hall of Fame in 2008.

It remains to be seen how Monsieur Henry gets on in his second spell with The Gunners and it's only (at the moment) a temporary stay but he'll always remain one of the greatest strikers the side ever had.....

What is the point of Gareth Barry?

It's the midweek, City are playing Liverpool for a place in the league cup final, and an interesting game of footie is ruined by the presence of Gareth Barry! He is like wholemeal bread...... leaves a 'orrible taste in the mouth and doesn't bring any substance to table/ Man City midfield.

At our weekly staff meeting in the local we are graced by the presence of Edison this evening and after moving pubs due to him having no ID on him we're now settled in front of the box.

The week of football is halfway through and talk has been of stamps and stamp duty, with 'Super' Mario charged by the FA for using Scott Parker's head as a doormat and 'arry (don't call me a wheeler dealer) Redknapp entertaining with stories of family pets @ Southwark Crown Court.

With a random shout of 'even Steve Bold could of made that tackle' coming from the stands! the next topic on the agenda is Gary Cahill! Will he be the missing part of the puzzle for Chelsea? Or will he end up warming the bench next to Lampard? With AVB feeling the pressure, it looks like it's between Chelsea & Arsenal for fourth place in the league.

With Skys shocking commentary sounding out, Edison pulls out a pair of giant headphones to block out the drone! As it happens City bang in a 2nd and are leading on the away goal rule!

It's looking more and more like a Manc one/two with Utd having relying on the old guard of Giggs and Scholes showing Jones & Young how it's done, there's even talk of Scholes being in Fab's plans for Euro 2012, but will The Ox @ Aresnal be joining him or will it be too early for the young Gooner starlet just like it was when Walcott went along for the ride @ the 2006 World Cup?

With Blackburn & Bolton climbing up the league will Mark Hughes & QPR show true grit and grind out some results to keep them in the top flight? Meanwhile over on Twitter Joey Barton has decided to quote Stephen Hawking "We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special.”

 Wow! That was some moving words by the big man! One things for sure if Liverpool do beat City, and go on to win the cup.......The Midweeker will make sure The Weekender knows about it!

....and the Award goes to.

We've reached that time of year, when people (the media & public alike) look back on the year and dish out their annual awards...Man of the Year, Award for the Best Award Award......you know the sort of thing. Well we've already unveiled our team of the year (to rapturous silence) so we thought why not go the whole hog, clamber unsteadily up onto the bandwagon and give out some awards of our own, starting with......

Cult Hero of the Year

To me the term "Cult Hero" means one of those players that maybe doesn't stand out for his footballing ability, they provoke as much hate (if not more) as they do love from the terraces, there is a rapport though with the supporters and his off the field antics are followed just as closely as his on the pitch movement. There have been a few to chose from this year, players that unite the fans even of rival teams. Honorary mentions should go to David Luiz @ Chelsea maybe not up to the defensive duties all the time, but with hair like that kid out of Outnumbered and his  CFTV appearances he has brought a smile to fans faces since arriving from Brazil, Joey Barton divides opinion but taking to Twitter to vent his spleen against the 'Cockney Mafia' @ St James Park and in the process sticking up for the fans proved the way forward for all aspiring members of football's Twitterati.
But the winner is Mario Balotelli, sure he has scored a few goals (one with an arrogant shoulder) but it's his larger than life persona and eccentric behaviour off the pitch that have engaged the fans & media alike, whether it's driving into a woman's prison 'just to have a look round' or handing wads of cash out to tramps one things for sure we could do with a lot more like him...and all three have that magic ingredient that's lacking in some.........a personality.

Signing of the Year

A decent signing should do what he's been bought in to do, make an impact, fill a gap and ultimately improve the squad. There's many a risk involved, agents hounding managers trying to get him to buy his star player that he's only ever seen on YouTube, trying to get that skin flint Chairman to stump up the cash, only 'a couple more players away from a Championship winning team' and every fan knowing exactly what's needed to make the team better!

Luiz Suarez, Scott Parker, Sergio Augero have all been banded about as the most deserving winner, but for me it's Demba Ba. Signed initially @ West Ham on a pay as play deal his first steps into the Premiership were not ideal with the team ending the season on the way to The Championship, he managed seven goals in twelve though, not bad for a team hanging on for most of the season and once The Hammers fell through the Premiership trap door his release clause was triggered and in stepped Newcastle Utd!

There was interest from other parties and Alan Pardew (for the money paid) for me has the signing of the season, what a coup selling Andy Carroll for £30-odd million and replacing him successfully with someone on a freebie. With two hat-tricks already this season The Toon will miss Ba while he's @ The African Nations Cup and when he gets back how long will they be able to keep hold of him once the bigger boys come calling?

Rising Star

With more and more foreigners in the Premiership young players coming through the ranks at your club are in danger of becoming as rare as rocking horse shit! Obviously lack of money @ some teams means they rely on rising stars that much more. The usual route to stardom used to revolve around polishing boots & cleaning toilets as life as an apprentice, but nowadays it's any number of loan moves to the lower leagues to get that valuable experience. With the promise of money and fame ever more present in the game today some of these young upstarts get too big for their boots though, with agents whispering in their ears and the chance to make a quick buck for all parties, they're off........not always to better things.

Young players that have made it through have finally come to fruition this year with the likes of Scott Sinclair, Kyle Walker & Daniel Sturridge all going out on lower league loans before being deemed worthy or finding a club that will play them.

But for rising star I'm going for Phil Jones who after impressing @ Blackburn has gone on to bigger things at Old Trafford and has a bright future as one of England's new Young Lions with his versatility making him a cert for the Euro 2012 squad.

Those are my awards then, I'm sure we could have come up with other categories, maybe you can? What's you opinion? Let us know by commenting below or have your say on our Facebook page....

Through the (January Transfer) Window...

So with the festive season over and that quick fumble with the secretary in the stationery cupboard at the office Christmas party now just a far off slightly moist memory most football fans will be looking forward to the upcoming January Transfer Window....

It's a handy chance for most clubs to inject some much needed new blood into their squad, replace that injured striker or to get some of the dead wood off the payroll either for good or on a loan deal. But it could also be a risk, that supposed missing piece of the jigsaw might unbalance a team that had been doing well. It's a case of stick or twist for some this January with Managers playing everything close to their chests...

We could though see a few deals that stalled in August reignited and finally put to bed....

For a team like Manchester City, there options are endless but do they need to bring anyone else in? It's likely we'll see more departures than arrivals @ The Etihad with Mr Tevez home sickness possibly cured with a move to Italy......obviously! In my opinion the only reason Mancini would sign anyone now is....well......just because he can and it'd stop anyone else from having them!

On the red side of Manchester I think there'll be a minimum of movement with SAF already saying he has no plans to spend and they do seem to be doing pretty well on it, even though the Champions League exit was reported as the first sign of the Armageddon by the naysayers the Premiership Holders are still joint top of the League. A few recent outings for Berbatov could also suggest that the languid Bulgarian is staying (for this season at least)

Over @ Spurs 'arry (don't call me a wheeler n' dealer) Redknapp will be looking to shuffle his cards again and though he had a quiet January this year with Redknapp there's always going to be speculation of a surprise up the sleeve, he has said himself that he'd like to get a BIG name in and after being linked with Kaka on a regular basis maybe Chairman Daniel Levy might just play his trump card, but realistically I think we're more likely to see some of his youngsters who performed admirably in Europe this term shipped out for a bit more experience and although Gomes looks a certainty to leave, speculation over Dos Santos and Pavlyuchenko's future could still remain unresolved.

That man Modric has been very quite since the summer (off the pitch anyway) when he was told he wouldn't be making a move across London to Stamford Bridge, it'll be interesting to see if Chelsea come a knocking again with an improved bid this time round. With an aging squad and AVB getting a rough ride with fans & media alike will Ruskie Rom dig into his deep pockets yet again? Gary Cahill, linked with just about every other Premiership club apart from his own could well be on the shopping list to help out the leaky creaky defence...

Skinflint Arsene Wenger another manager under pressure from his own fans has been criticised for not opening his wallet on numerous occasions, I wouldn't expect any big signings and it'll be more of a case of not losing Robin Van Persie than trying to get anyone in.

The love-in @ Liverpool still continues and King Kenny can really do no wrong, Andy Carroll one of the big moves last January Window is still to find his scoring boots and other signings such as Downing & Henderson still need to prove their worth, I can't see The Reds splashing too much cash this time out but Cheik Tiote has been linked recently. With Suarez facing a lengthy ban maybe a short term signing up front could be in the offing?

Other possible transfer targets this Window would be for me, a couple of very good 'keepers that have been on a few clubs radars; Voom @ Swansea & Krul with Newcastle, Alex @ Chelsea has been given his marching orders will a Premiership side (maybe Spurs) pick him up for a bit of defensive cover? Still with Chelsea will Drogba & Lampard still be feeling Blue come the end of January? Martin O'Neil @ Sunderland will no doubt be given money to spend and he'll be looking for a few players up for a fight at the bottom, no big names but maybe more experienced old campaigners?

I'll stick my neck out and predict a fairly quiet Window with most clubs choosing to stick with the hand they were dealt in August, before a lot of movement come the end of the season. But whatever happens we'll be keeping you up to date and in the know, how do you think your club with get on this January?

Coming Up - The Lower League Round Up

So as winter draws on it's coming up to the half way mark for those teams battling it out in the Lower Leagues of England and while The Premiership is in danger of turning into a two horse race for Manchester the runners and riders in the fight to come up have been harder to separate than the thighs of a Mormon preacher's daughter......
We may have been neglecting them lately, so let's see how things have been getting on in the lower rungs of the footballing ladder.

The Championship

It was a case of big money, big names and big expectations @ the start of the campaign and a tale of two England Managers falling at the first hurdle, Leicester with their Thai money were trying to curry favour amongst their support with Sven @ the helm and the promise of star signings, while Forest under McClaren were hoping to bring the glory days of Cloughie back. It just shows how far some teams will go thanks to the lure of the Premiership millions.
With a couple of early favourites dispatched to the knackers yard, West Ham under new management and still finding their feet are showing some pedigree and now look to be in for the long run. Southampton maybe not on everyone's race card were the early pace setters and are still neck and neck at the top @ the moment with The Happy Hammers.
If there are any distractions for the hopeful teams it's the prospect the of BIG games they will have to play, both on and off the pitch West Ham taking on the likes of Millwall, Leeds Utd and Cardiff don't come with much more atmosphere or rivalry, there's also Derbies galore with Yorkshire, The Midlands and London all coming face to face for over the season.

League One

Charlton were outsiders for this one @ the start of the season and definitely one of the dark horses after a few seasons of mid table mediocrity Chris Powell has turned these old nags into League One thoroughbreds with no small help from Bradley Wright-Philips & one time Spur Johnnie Jackson. Thankfully one of my predictions Huddersfield Town are still in the hunt but it's no surprise with the team flirting with promotion a few times already in the past and with young Jordan Rhodes banging in the goals it's no wonder The Premiership teams are sniffing around. Another outsider MK Dons have continued to compete even after losing star striker Sam Baldock to West Ham and one man full of experience in the Midfield Luke Chadwick could be about to emerge from the 'where are they now' files....

League Two

Or the Paolo Di Canio show as we like the call it! It was inevitable really that the former Sheffield Wednesday & West Ham showman would garner most headlines in this league and he hasn't disappointed, but for all the drama the risk of his appointment has so far paid off with Swindon Town in the play off positions and threatening to go higher. Elsewhere Crawley Town have continued in their momentum upwards from the Blue Square with an equally flambouyant manager of their own. The ever reliable Shrewsbury are keeping up their promise of the play-offs yet again but will be hoping to finally take that extra step, while the AFC Wimbledon fairytale may have to wait a season or two before finding a happy ending.

Of course there will still be many a twist & turn no doubt and we will be back later in the Season to have another look at how it's all going. And if there are any Lower League fans out there who fancy a guest blog do drop us a line!

Bring on the Play-Offs.............