4-4-2 it's a football thing

It's that friday feeling, the start of the weekend is almost upon us! For a change it's like the good old days in regards to the fixture list this weekend, with no less than 16 top flight teams playing on a saturday! We take a look @ a few of the fixtures that have caught the eye. The headliner early kick off is between two of the modern day 'big four' as Chelsea entertain Arsenal @ the Bridge. 

Chelsea have been in and out the news this week, as the battle of the pitch invaders looks like it's gonna be going on for a while as the group known as The Chelsea Pitch Owners refuse to sell back their shares to the Chelsea board. The fans want the club to explore every avenue in extending the capacity @ the Bridge before they except any offer for their shares. This could get messy! 

Next up for high flying Norwich are struggling Blackburn! @ the start of the season this would of been one of them games that you would of expected Rovers to win.... how the tables have turned. Paul Lambert's lads will  be looking to land the killer blow, resulting in the ever so popular Steve Kean losing his job!  With only a hand full of wins in over 30 odd games it's not rocket science to see that his time is almost up! 

Up @ the DWG stadium Wigan entertain an inconsistent Fulham team. Martin Jol hasn't really got the best out of his team upto now! A 6-0 hammering of local rivals QPR is the only bit of joy the Fulham fans have had so far this season, After last weekends disappointment of losing 3-1 @ home to the Toffee's, Jol will be looking for the Whites to show some spirit, along with Zamora showing some composure in front of goal. 

As for Wigan, they need 3 points and fast, this winless run is sucking out all of the confidence of the team, this one could go either way! 

United will look to put last weeks drumming behind them as they travel to Everton, The Toffee's have a good record @ home against United, Will Rooney keep calm as he returns to his boyhood team or will the fans get the better of him? One things for sure if Sir Alex's team crumble like last week.... it will be more than the odd boot going flying in the dressing room come full time! 

The term 'LEGEND'

The term 'legend' gets used all to often in the modern world of football, 'oh did ya see that goal by Walcott? he is a legend' or 'That sliding tackle by Terry was legendary.' It's got to the point now where people are calling Rory Delap's thow-ins 'Legendary'

Years ago players would only be classed as 'Legends' once their playing career had finished, The likes of Bobby Moore, George Best, Pele & Ruud Gullit. Players that offered more to the game than just the odd flash of brilliance. 

I get fed up with the Sky sports commentators  in particular Alan Smith, always banging on how such and such a player is a legend! It's as if the guy's worried about calling someone average! Grow some balls mate! 

Pundits go on about how the games changed, and how the likes of Pele and co may not have been so successful if they were playing today! How on earth do they work that out? The ball is lighter, half of the old-skool tackles have been outlawed, Players get away with diving and on top of all that the pitches are now like cricket lawns! Bloody hell Pele & Best would of had a field day!

After hearing City fans @ the weekend claim that the likes of Mario Balotelli, James Milner & David Silva are  now 'Legends' i couldn't help but wonder what if...... 

(Lets get things in perspective City won the F.A Cup last season, their first bit of silverware in so many years but they couldn't get the consistency in the league.) 

@ The end of the day they played United off the pitch, scored 6 goals and looked a good attacking team.... But no matter how many goals a team scores they can only get 3 points for a win! There is no point beating United away if you end up losing to QPR @ home! 

So if City finish 2nd or 3rd this season will the likes of Balotelli, Milner & Silva still be classed as Legends? 

Personally i feel that pundits and commentators should back up their claims when they call a player a 'legend'

Could you imagine Jeff Stelling turning around to Iain Dowie and ask him to elaborate on why Leighton Baines is a 'legend'  

Maybe this is why modern day players walk around like super heroes? they need to be pegged back a notch or two! 

Unsung Heroes - Martin Peters

Think 1966, think the World Cup, think England, Wembley, Germany 4-2, Hurst, Moore, Charlton, Nobby dancing.

An unsung hero for me though, Martin Peters, only twenty two, the Final only his eighth cap, he was called up just before the World Cup and was hailed by Sir Alf Ramsey as a player "ten years ahead of his time".

Ten years ahead? Maybe more, we never saw another midfielder like him for England again arguably until Bryan Robson, it's a cliche but for England's "wingless wonders" he covered every inch of grass - he had to - with everything coming through the middle. Not that that mattered, for his domestic club West Ham he had played (at one time or another) in every outfield position.

For England he scored a goal every three games and his career spanned eight years, playing for only four clubs in total. At West Ham he was "The Ghost" timing his runs into the box to perfection and appearing as if from nowhere. We all know the claim that "West Ham won the World Cup" and it's true (to a certain extent) with Peters playing no small part, it was his goal from a half volley that put the hosts ahead to settle the nerves. The understanding at domestic level between Hurst, Peters & Moore transferred well from club to country and also helped to provide some much needed backbone.

His move from West Ham (where he had graduated through the Academy) to local neighbours Tottenham Hotspur for a then record transfer fee probably didn't help relations with one of their fiercest rivals, in fact I know of at least one Hammers fan who held it against Spurs for the rest of his life saying that "Spurs had got a World Cup winner, while they had ended up with an alcoholic has been" - a bit harsh perhaps (we all know he liked a tipple) but Jimmy Greaves who did move the other way as part of the deal still had a few goals left in him.....

Peters who had already won a European Trophy (with West Ham) and a World Cup had continued success at Spurs. His pace, stamina, distribution and discipline that had marked him out as one for the future was still there even though the game had got quicker and players more skillful, he captained both club & country finding a new band of admirers amongst the Tottenham faithful.

By the time he hit thirty, inevitability perhaps for one starting out and hitting such heights so young his time at the highest level began to slip away, he still played another five years after to moving to Norwich City helping them to promotion and consolidating their place in the then First Division.
But this was no 'has been' seeing out his days, in fact he was voting Player of the Season twice @ Carrow Road and was also inducted into the Norwich City Hall of Fame.

His influence can still be seen today, @ West Ham Frank Lampard Jr would have been no stranger to tales of this magnificent box to box midfielder years ahead of his time and it's quite something that Martin Peters is loved by so many fans from two rival London clubs and is regularly welcomed back with open arms - something which can't be said by many others.......

This is the first of which I hope will be a series, what's your view? Who would be your unsung hero in the world of football? Feel free to comment and keep up to date with us on Facebook & Twitter!

The midweekers midweek cuppa

As we sit down for a cheeky cup of tea and a few hob nobs, The Midweeker reflects on the past week. 'well i aint gonna bang on about the Manchester derby, it was a great game, you only get 3 points for a win, regardless how many you stick in the back of the net' After the first swig of tea, The MW points to an image of Sven, 'The man should knock it on the head' From the glory days of Benfica & Lazio, to the cold wet nights stuck up in Leicester, the last 10 years haven't gone to plan for the ex-England boss. Big name signings haven't delivered and it was only gonna be a matter of time before Sven was thrown to the Wolves.

Next to feel the wrath of the MW was England captain John Terry! 'Regardless if he said this or that, the lad's form has been suspect of late, needs to take a cold shower and get his head down' How could Chelsea show such a lack of discipline against QPR? The only saving grace from that game was the score line, to lose only 1-0 with 9 men was a feat in itself.

On the red side of North London, The Big German lad, Mertesacker has got the rest of the footballing world laughing! The German has been quoted as saying that they will finish in the top 4! 'I'm very confident and I think we'll do this.'


Meanwhile on all things England Stevie G has given his backing for 'Arry to take over the hot seat when FAB calls it a day after the Euro's! 'Harry Redknapp's name crops up a lot and he's done an unbelievable job. I don't think he gets the credit he deserves for what he's done at Tottenham'

With some eye catching performances over the weekend, the MW is quick to point out that Newcastle's Cabaye looks a right touch! That was a great bit of business from the Newcastle board over the Summer!

So as the last drop of tea hits the spot, the MW is up and off to catch the early train to Aldershot for their Carling cup game against United.

Cult Heroes

Next up in our Cult Hero series sees 'hard man' David Batty enter the hall of fame. Born back in 1968 in West Yorkshire, Batty first made his name @ his local club Leeds United. Going on to make over 200 appearances as well as winning the old first division championship back in 91, 92.

Batty fact: During his early days @ Leeds, Billy Bremner thought Batty was a bit of a lightweight, and needed to man up. So every morning Bremner would call the sheepish Batty into his office, and give him a cheeky glass of Sherry, topped off with a raw egg! 

During the autumn of 93, Then leeds boss Howard Wilkinson decided it was a good idea to sell the defensive midfielder to Blackburn! During Rovers title winning campaign, a dodgy foot restricted Batty to just a handful of appearances. Although being offered a winners medal, Batty declined the offer. 

In 96 Batty was on the move again, this time further up north to Newcastle, it was @ this time that Newcastle were right up there trying to win the title. After a few seasons with The Geordies, Batty moved back to Leeds in a deal for around £4.4 Million. 

Although Batty played 42 odd games for England, he will be best remembered for his miss in the penalty shoot-out against The Argies back in 98! 

Scout and about - Shaun Wright Phillips

When our resident Scout comes into the office on a Monday morning, he usually brings with him tales of young, new, little known players he has seen on his weekends away.  Royston Drenthe @ Everton, Rubén Rochina with Blackburn or Paul Pogba @ Old Trafford amongst others have all had him salivating into his first hot cuppa and cheeky Hob Nob of the day.
So this week when the name Shaun Wright-Phillips was on every one's lips we thought we'd heard it all before. But with his early season form and promise of regular first team football, SWP could about to be a player revitalised.

Arriving @ Loftus Road as the transfer window had started to creak to a close, Shaun faced an on the spot interview from the Sky Sports Reporter who had taken up squatting rights there that particular evening and it was clear for all to see that he really didn't want to leave Manchester, but with the only other option that of getting splinters on his bum from warming the City bench, he decided the time was right to leave the club he loved and played for twice for a new life in West London.

Now 29 years of age it's fair to say that he wasn't helped in his first few seasons at Maine Road by lack of stability at the club, going through managers like a dose of salts and the added bonus of relegation probably didn't help.
But after breaking into the side under Kevin Keegan he became a fans favourite winning the 'Young Player of the Year' award on four successive occasions. It was then that he first appeared in an England shirt and attracted the attention of Chelsea, who paid £21m for his services.

Once again managerial turmoil at a club hindered his career, add to that this time the owners need for instant success and SWP was once again on the periphery of things. During his time he did however continue to appear and score for his country.
Inevitably really after one managerial shake up too many he fell out of favour completely and was granted a return to the Sky Blues.

Without taking anything away from QPR something SWP is more likely to get now is first team football and of course if a player is playing week in week out their confidence and form improves. This could lead to a return to the England set up where his bustling, energetic approach has earned him praise on International Duty in the past.
England have had their fair share of wingers trying to stake a claim for a regular spot in the team, but even if the early season form of Ashley Young has made him a first choice, there is still a place on the other flank there for the taking.
Let's hope for Shaun's sake that the recent  takeover @ The Hoops doesn't mean a case of history repeating and that this new start isn't another false dawn.

Twits, twats and transfers.....

Since the advent of the Transfer Windows back in 2002, much has been debated on it's merits, once upon a time when life was simpler clubs could buy and sell throughout the season right up until the final week. Nowadays teams have roughly two months at the start of the season and a month mid season to get their squads straight.

With Sir Alex Ferguson safely tucked up in bed with a wee dram and a copy of The Racing Post, every other manager was tearing their hair out on what has become for some, one of the most dreaded time's of the season.

With Manchester United getting their business done early, you can't help wondering why other clubs couldn't follow suit? Along with Liverpool new players were coming in almost as soon the Red Devils lifted the Premiership trophy and it does also make me wonder how those deals were done so fast, I'm not suggesting tapping up but maybe players' agents are more accommodating when it comes to helping their clients move to The Champions......
   
You can't help thinking that Sky Sports had some say in the window's invention - maybe that's one for the conspiracy theorists, but they certainly do try and get their moneys worth out of the clubs involved.

With cameramen and reporters posted @ just about every football/training ground in the country it was left to an ever excitable (this time of year) Jim White to direct the proceedings.
Tottenham, Aresnal, QPR and Stoke City became the places to be if you were looking for an exclusive, and faithful (my definition = a little odd) fans had camped out all day for a glimpse of a new arrival like an expectant Dad waiting for their bundle of joy (obviously without getting too involved with all the messy stuff)
  
Arsenal had just come off the back of a drubbing by Manchester United and Arsene Wenger (he of deep pockets and short arms) was under pressure from the fans, directors, media and just about everyone really to get his cheque book out, the on/off Fabregas move was done and dusted (he was always going home wasn't he?) and Samir Nasri had bolted for the door at the first whiff of Manchester City's wonga - sorry I meant Champions League football.....
Spurs' last minute swoop for VDV that surprised everyone (even the manager) last August was the reason for the camera's outside their training ground as well as the other on/off transfer saga of the summer - that of Luka Modric.
QPR meanwhile newly taken over, had money to spend and following the arrival of rebel without a clause Joey Barton more was expected to follow. And Stoke City........erm well I'm not too sure about that one!

Maybe the evening wasn't the night of high drama we'd hoped for, but Sky did their best to build up the tension, nailed on transfers such as Scott Parker's move to Spurs suddenly were in jeopardy and rival teams were ready to pounce, the tried and tested story of a player in a helicopter ready to fly from one end of the country to the other was briefly mooted with a tug of war going on between Fulham & Newcastle Utd for Bryan Ruiz.
The big name signing for Arsenal was Michel Arteta, the fans cheered as if it were Fabregas back again and when Yossi Benyauon completed his loan move they cheered some more, it was almost like a Big Brother eviction show!
The only real surprise was that Owen Hargreaves was pictured leaving a hospital in Manchester not on crutches but because the unattached midfielder had just passed his medical for Manchester City.
The twists and turns weren't very twisty - or turny for that matter.....and when Harry Redknapp was stopped on is way out of the Spurs training ground on his way home, he was really going home, Kaka would have to wait until January.
The big failing of any of Sky's reporters was to ask the most important question of all "Why leave it so late??"

My own highlights of the evening were;

SWP having a microphone stuck into his face literally seconds after joining QPR and then having to hastily come up with a reason he was so pleased to be coming to the club (when obviously the real reason he came was because his old club didn't want him!)

Tom Huddlestone & Danny Rose @ Spurs using Twitter to add their own spin on their clubs transfer dealings - cue the start of the Kaka to Tottenham rumours that a Sky Sports reporter would later stoke up again during the evening.

Aresnal on the red side of London turning the air blue was a low point, but one cheeky fan almost made up for it with a timely response to Arteta being referred to as being a father figure by quipping "Yeah like my Dad!"

Stoke fans reaction to just about anything, even the arrival of Wilson Palacious!

Anyway that's my take on the window, how about yours? Leave us a comment below or let me know on the page as always we welcome your views..........

Scout and about - Ross Barkley

With this new season, we bring a new feature to our blog. Every week one of our scouts will be complying their dossier of one of footballs up and coming talents from all the divisions. They'll be travelling up and down the country using their encyclopedic footballing knowledge and contacts in the beautiful game to keep us up to date on all the latest players that you should be keeping your eye out for.
First up, we visit Goodison Park and a young scouser making an impressive first team debut. Sound familiar? No not Rooney this time, Ross Barkley - the seventeen year old Midfielder who would have made his debut at the same age as Rooney if it wasn't for a double leg break he suffered playing for England U19s. But one year later and he has already been compared to Steve Gerrard and of having the same impact that Rooney had in his first game back in 2002.

Starting out in his career Ross played in a more advanced striker's role and once scored a hat-trick for his school team in a final that saw him named Man of The Match with the award presented to him by Rafa Benitez. By this time he'd already signed with Everton and would go on to play for England U16s at the age of fourteen, before going on the captain the side.
The Stevie G comparisons come from his ability to arrive late in the box to latch onto the ball much like the Liverpool captain.
Coming back from his injury Ross featured predominately in Everton's pre-season friendlies and David Moyes had no hesitation throwing him into first team football.

Although on the losing side against QPR this weekend he was named Man of The Match (again) with his confident, intelligent play, having more shots on target than the rest of his more experienced teammates.
His fellow pros have also been quick to heap praise on the youngster, with Tim Cahill quoted as saying that "He is going to be a massive asset to Everton" as well as adding that "I have been lucky enough to have played with some great players in my career but I do not think I have ever seen a talent like Ross"
With Everton's recent financial problems now out in the open, Barkley could be saving David Moyes a pretty penny for years to come.

Britain, Britain, Britain.....

Tonight sees last season's Champions League surprise package Tottenham Hotspur start out on their Europa League campaign and of all the names pulled out of the hat for Spurs' two-legged qualifying tie it was Heart of Midlothian (to give them their full title) from The Premier League North of the Border that the North Londoners will face.

Arguably tie of the round for the simple reason - it pits England against Scotland, albeit in club form. The footballing rivalry between both countries goes back nearly as far as the day the builder's put their estimate in on Hadrian's Wall and after the usually "eventful" Home Internationals are now a thing of the past it gives both fans and players alike the chance to claim bragging rights across the North/South divide.
With Scotland's Premier League much maligned it's a chance for Hearts to get all William Wallace and show those weak lager drinking southern softies a thing or two about football in a country where men are so tough they wear skirts in broad daylight and no one dares laugh at them or call them a sissy.
While Spurs in the English corner (who aren't too shy about boasting that they invented the game) have the opportunity to remind their 'noisy neighbours' that although the divide isn't that great success wise their country are still higher in the FIFA rankings and the league they play in is often billed as the best in the world.
But although this hasn't been billed by many as a true 'Battle of Britain' it still offers a tantalising prospect and has some living up to do to compete with North V South meetings of the past.

Nowadays Anglo/Scottish clashes are limited (competitively) to European football, but back in 1870 with the FA as the only footballing governing body Queens Park from Glasgow entered the FA Cup, losing in the final twice to English opposition. Queen's Park also hold the honour of fielding the entire team for Scotland's first official international meeting with England, the country even went on to adopt the same colour strip that was worn that day by the clubs players.

With the advent of European competition, the rivalry to be the best of Britain increased as did the chances of clubs from both countries meeting.
On the way to becoming the first British team to lift a European Trophy in '62 Tottenham met Rangers, Jimmy Greaves was the star over both legs, scoring direct from a corner at White Hart Lane and contributing a dazzling individual goal beating three defenders before slotting past the 'keeper in front of 80,000 at Ibrox in the return.
Celtic would be the first British team to win the big prize and became European Cup winners in 1967, in this era of dominance they made it to the semi-final stage three years in a row, albeit in the Cup Winner's Cup in '66. Liverpool were the opponents and with both teams winning their home legs, Liverpool went through 2-1 on aggregate. The year after their triumph in Lisbon, Celtic met English opposition again in the Semi, this time the Champions of England Leeds Utd. A crowd of 130,000 saw the second leg at Hampden which the Hoops won after an early scare from Billy Bremner.

Probably the best remembered Anglo-Scottish clash of recent times was the 'Battle of Britain' of 1992/93.
Leeds Utd were champions in England a year before the start of the Premier League, while Rangers had won their respective Scottish League. This was also the first season of the newly revamped and renamed Champions League so there was much hype surrounding it.
Great Scott Gary McAllister put Leeds ahead, but in goal John Lukic dropped an almighty clanger by punching the ball into his own net (or fisting as Brian Moore puts it) from a corner to make it even at Ibrox before future Rangers Boss Ally McCoist made it two one to the Glasgow team.
Back at Elland Road it was McCoist again who wrapped things up after ex-England International Mark Hateley had scored a cracker from the edge of the area to put Rangers ahead on the night, Eric Cantona scored a consolation but it was too little too late in the end.

Recent history will favour Spurs tonight, although over the years if we were to judge these type of games as a series it's been a close run thing. Victories in the Eighties for Liverpool & Man Utd over Scottish opposition were followed by two meetings of Celtic & Liverpool that were closer run things, The Reds needed away goals in '97 - although to be fair one of those was a stunner from McManaman who scored after a mazy 70 yard run through defenders. The re-run in 2003 went in Celtic's favour after another draw at Parkhead John Hartson silenced The Kop to seal a two-nil win.

Since then it's been pretty much one way traffic for England, but with a hot Tynecastle reception on the cards for Tottenham can they carry on the recent traditions? Or will Hearts under new management yet again put all their upheavels to one side and put one over the Fancy Dan's of North London.

I predict Spurs taking it back down South with scores level and then seeing Hearts off with a home win.

One To Watch

Next up in our one to watch series is Chelsea's young Midfielder Josh McEachran.
Still only eighteen Josh is a rare thing @ Chelsea these days, a product of the youth set up. Joining the club aged only seven he has risen through the ranks to make a few brief cameo appearances for the Blues over the last couple of seasons.

McEachran idolised Zinedine Zidane growing up and has been likened by ex-Chelsea Assistant Manager Ray Wilkins to Irish legend Liam Brady with his deft passing and movement, he's vision and ability for defence spitting passes received praise from England Under 21 Manager Stuart Pearce and he has already represented his country at that level.

Preferring a more Central/Attacking Midfield position he has been used in the past by Carlo Ancelotti more defensively and started training with the first team aged just fifteen.
New Boss Andre Villas-Boas is a fan and Chelsea obviously see him as part of future plans after recently offering the youngster a new five year deal. While he is still maturing psychically he has a footballing brain and an ability to read the game which is beyond his years.

If Abramovich can keep his itchy finger off of the trigger for a few seasons allowing the players to work under a settled Manager with a little patience it won't be long before McEachran is a first team regular.

The Midweeker V The Weekender

The predictions are in! It's a football things pundit's have given us their views on the season ahead! So who's gonna claim the bragging rights come May next year?

That sinking feeling!

I predict a riot! With the start of the season only a few days away its all kicking off! The amount of money spent has reached upwards of  £269,075,000!


With all this dosh being spent by 'The Big Boys' The other teams located up and down the country have been looting other clubs for any freebees they can get their hands on! Stoke snapping up former England international Jonathan Woodgate from Spurs, Sunderland have taken Westwood, Larsson & David Vaughan without even spending a penny! The QPR management team have also been @ it! Walking out of Upton Park with Welshman Danny Gabbidon & Kieron Dyer under their arms! While Neil Warnock was photographed taking Jay Bothroyd  for a spin in his new bright pink Bugatti Veyron, next thing you know Bothroyd's pictured in the QPR team photo!

So who's in danger of heading South come the end of the season? The usual so called know it all pundit's are going for the likes of The new boys, QPR, Norwich & Swansea to head straight back down, but where's the fun in that hey? With so many clubs just keeping their toes out of administration there's bound to be a couple of surprises this season, So grab a cup of tea as we go through the four four two it's a football thing's guide to who's heading down!

After a great start to last season, It all went a bit pear shaped up in Newcastle, After working wonders Chris Hughton was sent packing. In came have a go-hero Alan Pardew and after a mixture of good & bad results Newcastle lived to fight another season. The sale of Andy Carroll didn't go down to well the start of the year, add that to the fact that the board then decided to sell their player of the year Kevin Nolan for next to nothing & now it looks like another piece of the Newcastle puzzle is about to be lost in the shape of Joey Barton. Newcastle fans deserve better, they have a fantastic fan-base and have followed the team through thick 'n' thin! Although they have added a few 'Squad players' to their ranks, Alan Pardew's team look like they are heading back into The Championship after a short fling back in the big time. The best thing Ashley can do, apart from selling the club of course, is bring in some proven quality players. The likes of Defoe, Keane, Parker, Bridge, SWP have all been mentioned as possible targets but none of them have signed on the dotted line! It's the only way Newcastle are gonna beat the drop come May.

Aston Villa are another team that i feel will be around the bottom of the league come the end of the season. After getting rid of Gérard Houllier Villa fans were hoping for a big name, Not the chap that got their local rivals relegated! Alex McLeish managed to get Birmingham relegated twice from the top tier! Ok he won them the Carling Cup last season, which saw them beat the much fancied Arsenal side, but One game doesn't make a season! With their two wing men sold and their star right back returning to his parent club for the new season Villa are short on quality! Charles N'Zogbia is a cracking signing but he has a history of throwing his toys out the pram and one man can't keep the team up! Just ask Scott Parker!

Wolves left it late last season, after beating the likes of United, Chelsea, Man City & Liverpool many would be forgiven to think that they should of been miles away from danger! The problem with Mick McCarthy's team is that they can't string together a run of positive results! It's been that way for a few seasons now! The signing of Roger Johnson was a master stroke by Mick! A born leader and it wont be long before he leads out the 3 Lions @ Wembley! But the rest of the team is made up from players that are punching above their weight, Craddock, Hennessey, Hunt & Ebanks-Blake would be better suited in the Championship! I really fear for the Wolves this season! If they don't sign anymore players before the start of the season then they may as well just throw in the towel!

Everton need to sort out their cash flow problems sooner rather than later, on the brink of administration they could be faced with a massive point's Penalty! With the likes of Jagielka & Arteta being linked with moves away, Everton may have to sell to keep their head above water! It won't be down to poor results that will see The Toffees head down to the 2nd tier of The English league, it will be down to finances!

Add into the mix the likes of Wigan, Sunderland & Blackburn as well as the 3 that came up from The Championship it's gonna be an interesting battle @ the bottom!