That was 2011...in sport

THE world of sport has had to deal with a lot of aspects in 2011.  We said goodbye to some stars at their prime and other legends who had made their mark.  There were shocks, sensational returns to form and superstars who had years to remember.  Sport has seen some vintage moments in 2011, though for some – they would rather forget it ever existed.

BACKSEAT: Nadal has had to watch Djokovic take over in tennis

     The tennis year has been dominated by Serbian, Novak Djokovic.  Djokovic had an incredible season, which saw him rise to the top of the ATP rankings and win three of the four Grand Slams (Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open).  He became only the sixth individual in history to win three Grand Slams in a single year, only losing six matches in his season.  He also took control of the ATP tour, winning six events.  Rafael Nadal had to play second fiddle this year, but he was beaten in two finals by Djokovic at the Grand Slams and took his traditional title at Roland Garros.  This meant that for the first time since 2002, Roger Federer went through a season without a Grand Slam title.  Despite this, the Swiss Master still showed flashes of his best with an epic semi-final success over Djokovic at the French Open and winning the season finale ATP finals in London.  Andy Murray’s ATP season was inconsistent, littered with several early exits.  However, he did win the Aegon Championships at Queen’s and strung together his best ever Grand Slam season.  Murray reached three semi-finals and was a gallant runner-up to Djokovic in Australia.  However, he needs to raise his game otherwise he will be left behind by the three masters of the men’s game.  In the ladies singles, there were four different Grand Slam winners.  Kim Clistjers took the honours in Australia, before injury wrecked her season.  China made its breakthrough in the major honours, when Na Li overcame Francesca Schiavone to win the French Open.  At Wimbledon, the relatively unknown Petra Kvitova got the better of a rejuvenated Maria Sharapova to become the first Czech since Jana Novotna in 1998 to win the main prize.  Sam Stosur continued the run of maiden winners, when she was too powerful for Serena Williams at the US Open in Flushing Meadows.  However, this year belonged to Novak Djokovic.  

     Rugby union’s greatest showpiece took place in New Zealand during the autumn and produced a fairytale story.  New Zealand had suffered a devastating year, with the earthquake in Christchurch and the River Pike mining tragedy.  However, despite not being the greatest All Blacks side to ever take part in a World Cup, they were able to produce what many haven’t; win the Webb Ellis Trophy.  They beat France in a close final 8-7, allowing inspirational captain Richie McCaw to lift the coveted prize, their first success since the inaugural tournament in 1987.  Defending champions South Africa disappointed, but were unlucky to bow out to Australia 11-9 in the quarter-finals.  The 2011 tournament was a mixed bag for the Home Nations.  Scotland bowed out at the group stages after failing to score tries in three of their four pool matches.  Ireland shook the tournament up with a shock and deserved win over Australia in the pool stages, but came up short in the quarter-finals against Wales, who were the story of the tournament.  Warren Gatland’s young side came so close to defeating South Africa on the opening weekend and played some fantastic rugby en route to a heartbreaking semi-final defeat at the hands of the improving French.  Wales cause was not helped by the controversial red card of Captain Sam Warburton.  England’s 2011 year was a disaster.  It started well with success in the RBS Six Nations.  Even that was tempered by losing a chance at the Grand Slam in Dublin on the final weekend.  At the world cup, off-field antics got in the way of their playing performances.  They laboured to wins over Argentina, Georgia and Scotland and eventually, it was old enemy France who got the better of England in convincing fashion in the last eight.  The fallout has continued since returning from Down Under, with The Times publishing media leaks of confidential reports, Martin Johnson quitting as team manager and Johnny Wilkinson announcing his retirement from international rugby.  So, it was a year to forget for English rugby, but one that New Zealand will hail a new golden generation.

CHANGE: Long Run won both the King George VI and Cheltenham Gold Cup

     There has been a changing of the guard in horse racing, as Long Run has taken jump racing to another level.  He won the delayed King George VI at Kempton in January and then held off Denman to succeed in a thrilling Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.  Sam Wahey-Cohen nearly completed a unique double in the John Smith’s Grand National.  The amateur jockey was pipped into second place by Jason Maguire’s ride, Ballabriggs.  It was another triumph for the McCain dynasty, with Donald McCain training the winning horse in humid conditions at Aintree.  His father Ginger was there to witness it, but it would turn out to be his last attendance at the National.  He sadly passed away from cancer in September, two days before his 81^st birthday.  On the flat, the 4-1 second favourite Pour Moi won the Epsom Derby in June whilst Frankel was named Horse of the Year after stretching an unbeaten run to nine, which included success in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Royal Ascot.  The main storm in horse racing has come through an amended ruling on the whip system.  Leading jockeys included AP McCoy threatened to go on strike which brought the sport on a potential collision course with the authorities.  After some tough negotiating, the rules have been changed so jockeys can use the whip seven times in flat races and eight times over jumps.  Although the jockeys still weren’t delighted with the tweaks, they decided to agree reluctantly and carry on competing.  The year ended with Paul Nicholls announcement that Denman was to be retired after injury.  Despite a recent brilliant win at Newbury, his stablemate Kauto Star might also be bowing out soon after a year of fluctuating form.

SHOCK: Usain Bolt false starts in Daegu and is disqualified in 100m

     Daegu in South Korea was the setting for the IAAF World Athletics Championships during August and September.  With it came the biggest shock of the sporting year.  World record holder and defending champion Usain Bolt unbelievably false started in the final of the men’s 100m.  As he tore his vest off his torso, Bolt could only watch his training partner Yohan Blake collecting the gold medal.  In true Bolt fashion, he bounced back to win the 200m, and be part of the Jamaican team that broke a world record in the 4x100m relay.  It was a mixed championship for Great Britain, with the biggest success coming from Dai Greene, who won the men’s 400m hurdles and from Mo Farah.  Farah was pipped into second place by Ibrahim Jeilan in the 10,000m, but went one better in the 5,000m.  Pre-event favourites in the men’s triple jump and women’s heptathlon, Phillips Idowu and Jessica Ennis had to settle for silver, despite season bests and points records.  There was also a bronze for Andy Turner in the men’s 110m hurdles after Cuba’s Dayron Robles was disqualified for an infringement and Hannah England took a surprising and sensational silver medal in the women’s 1500m.  In all, the championships were a major success with London just a year away.  Next year’s Olympic host had more reason to celebrate when it was awarded the 2017 World Championships in November.

     By its high standards, football has had a quiet year, but that doesn’t mean nothing happened.  Manchester United made history by finally breaking Liverpool’s record of 18 league titles.  A 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers in May secured another Premiership title for Sir Alex Ferguson.  Their noisy neighbours, Manchester City currently lead the new title battle by two points and stunned United in October, with an amazing 6-1 derby victory at Old Trafford.  City also ended their long drought for silverware by beating Stoke City 1-0 at Wembley to win the FA Cup.  Birmingham City ended up as the surprising winners of the Carling Cup, with Obafemi Martins last minute winner meaning Arsenal went through another year without silverware.  Sadly, this wouldn’t have a happy ending, as Birmingham got relegated from the Premiership, along with Blackpool and West Ham United.  QPR and Norwich City returned to the top flight and a 4-2 success over Reading in the Championship play-off final meant Swansea City became the first Welsh club to reach the Premiership promise land.  Like Arsenal, Chelsea went trophy less, wasted £50million on Liverpool’s wantaway striker Fernando Torres and then sacked Carlo Ancelotti.  He has been replaced by Andre Vilas-Boas, who led FC Porto to Europa League glory in Dublin in May.  Arsenal sold Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona in the summer and it was the Catalan side who stole the football limelight.  They cantered to La Liga success again, won the FIFA World Club Championship in Japan recently and produced an exhibition masterclass at Wembley to beat Manchester United 3-1 in the UEFA Champions League final.  On the international scene, England qualified for Euro 2012 and went through the calendar year unbeaten.  The Republic of Ireland will also be at the major European party next summer.

TRAGIC: Simoncelli and Wheldon's deaths rocked motorsport

     MotoGP was meant to be saluting Casey Stoner for an incredible season, in which the Australian and his Repsol Honda team blitzed the opposition.  Stoner won 11 races and clinched the title in his homeland of Australia.  A week later, the sport was rocked by the tragic accident in Malaysia that robbed motorcycling of one of its brightest stars.  Marco Simoncelli crashed on the second lap and was struck by Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi.  He died an hour afterwards from his injuries and his death sent shockwaves through motorsport.  Simoncelli’s flair will be missed in the paddock in 2012 and it came just a week after a dreadful pile-up at the IndyCar season finale in Las Vegas.  The 15-car crash claimed the life of British driver Dan Wheldon, who was only competing in his third event of the season.  Wheldon had won the Indianapolis 500 in sensational fashion earlier in the year.  Las Vegas may have lost its race next season, but it won’t bring Dan back.  Dario Franchitti’s third successive championship was made academic.  In Formula One, Sebastian Vettel was in a class of his own, winning 11 races, taking a record breaking 15 pole positions in a season and winning a second world championship.  In a year full of vintage races and countless overtaking, Sebastian stormed to success with a third place finish in Suzuka, Japan in October meaning he became the youngest back-to-back champion.  Britain’s Jenson Button won three events, including a sensational last lap triumph from the back In Canada and he was the runner-up in the final positions.  Fellow Brit Lewis Hamilton had a troubled year, which included a high-profile split from his girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger and many on-track altercations with Felipe Massa.  However, he won in China, Germany and Abu Dhabi to remind everyone of his capabilities.  Sadly though, 2011 will be remembered for tragedy rather than records in motorsport.

     In other sport, British golfers came of age in 2011.  Luke Donald became the world and European no.1, whilst there was an emotional and popular success for Darren Clarke at The Open Championship.  Having thrown away the US Masters at Augusta in April, Rory McIlroy produced a breathtaking display to win the US Open in June.  It was his first major and certainly won’t be his last.  Following their winter success in the Ashes, England’s cricketers had a summer to remember, recording a whitewash summer over Sri Lanka and India and establishing themselves as the no.1 ranked test team.  However, their performance at the Cricket World Cup was less impressive, which included shock defeats to Ireland and Bangladesh in the pool stages.  India won the trophy, beating Sri Lanka in a one-sided final.  For once, Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor was usurped in the PDC World Darts Championships, being knocked out in the quarter-finals.  Adrian Lewis won the tournament, beating Gary Anderson 7-5 in the final.  Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in February to take the honours in Superbowl XLV.  Australian Cadel Evans became the first Wallaby to win the Tour de France since the war, but the headlines were made by Mark Cavendish.  The Brit won the most overall stages and ended up winning the prestigious green jersey at the end.  Boxing has had better years, which saw David Haye lose his World Heavyweight title to Vladimir Klitcshko, then retire from the sport and Amir Khan recently lose his titles in controversial circumstances to Lamont Peterson.  Lastly, John Higgins bounced back from a match-fixing scandal to win his fourth World Snooker championship, defeating Judd Trump 18-15 in a thrilling final.

     Sport has had its moments of controversy and surprise, its moments of triumph and tragedy and its moments where you will remember where you were.  2012 includes the Olympics in London and the European Football Championships in Poland/Ukraine, so it promises just as much as 2011 ended up delivering.                 

2011/12 FA Premier League - The story so far...

THE 20^th FA Premier League season is three months old and is already developing into an intense scrap for the championship, European positions and the battle to stay afloat in the top flight.  There has been some landslide scorelines, surprising stories and sorry struggles and it is time to assess how things are panning out so far.

The rise and rise of Manchester City

SHAKING: Manchester City set a high standard at Old Trafford

Last season, Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City went very negative in games against the top teams, but this season is a totally different story.  There might have been the well-publicised conflict between the manager and former golden boy Carlos Tevez, but the players have responded magnificently to the challenge of aiming to win the title that has eluded them for so long.  They ripped Tottenham to shreds, 5-1 in August at White Hart Lane, but the result that shook the football world came last week, when they routed Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford.  If that doesn’t mark City down as serious challengers, I don’t know what will.  Sergio Aguero is the signing of the season, Edin Dzeko looks a totally different player and David Silva’s football is on another planet.  Still unbeaten, Manchester City have set a standard so far that is proving difficult to keep up with.

Never write off the Red side of Manchester

Despite the 6-1 mauling by their city rivals, Manchester United look very strong in regards to the title battle.  He has gone off the boil since the moment of madness in Montenegro for England, but Wayne Rooney is almost back to his best.  Sir Alex Ferguson’s ability to give youth such as Phil Jones, Danny Wellbeck and Tom Cleverly a real chance in the first team has been a shrewd decision.  After some early season wobbles, David de Gea is beginning to look like a solid first choice goalkeeper, though he has some way to go to match standards set by Schmeichel and Van der Sar.  The 8-2 demolition of Arsenal and a masterful 5-0 triumph at Bolton highlighted United’s attacking threat, but they still look vulnerable defensively, as Chelsea proved and Manchester City showed to devastating effect.  However, seasoned campaigners often come through, so you’d be a fool to write off Manchester United.

Newcastle’s surprising start

Alan Pardew has brought together a brilliant team unit at St. James Park and the results speak for themselves.  Demba Ba is following in the footsteps of Alan Shearer in the famous No.9 shirt on Tyneside and they hold the best defensive record in the league.  Last night’s impressive 3-1 triumph at Stoke has taken the Magpies upto third place, still unbeaten and going remarkably well.  The Geordies fans will begin to expect now and although they still have some way to go, a tilt at the European positions would be daft to not rule out.  They have been a genuine and excellent surprise package so far.

AVB and Chelsea: The cracks begin to show

I criticised Chelsea strongly in the summer for their decision to hire the youthful Andre Vilas-Boas as boss instead of someone far more experienced.  Despite a promising start, which included a very open and expansive attacking line-up at Old Trafford, but ended in a 3-1 defeat, I fear the cracks are beginning to show.  Chelsea’s team is ageing and badly; the youth of the squad in the Mourinho era is long gone.  John Terry is at the centre of a race row for alleged comments he made to Anton Ferdinand during a bad-tempered loss at QPR.  Fernando Torres has shown signs of great form, but still is unpredictable to work out and discipline has been shocking, with four reds in the league already.  Defensively, they were totally exposed by Arsenal at the weekend, conceding five at Stamford Bridge in the league for the first time since December 1989.  Exciting to watch at times, but fresh new blood on the playing side is urgently required in West London.  Don’t be too surprised if Mr. Abramovich gets the chequebook out in January again.

Who is the leading light in North London?

DEVASTATING: Van Persie is in the form of his life in Arsenal's recovery

Both Arsenal and Tottenham made nightmare starts to the season, as they took heavy thrashings off the two rampant Manchester clubs, but there have been significant signs of improvement in North London.  Since losing 5-1 to City, Tottenham have won six of their last seven games, with Luka Modric looking back to his best and Emmanuel Adebayor proving an excellent loan signing.  Their 4-0 demolition of Liverpool in September was one of Spurs best ever Premier League performances.  With eight wins from nine in all competitions since woefully losing 4-3 at Blackburn, Arsenal have turned a corner, culminating in that incredible 5-3 win at Chelsea on Saturday.  Robin Van Persie is leading by example as captain and is in great goalscoring form.  I still worry for the Gunners if the injury-prone Dutchman picks up an injury, but Arsene Wenger’s youngsters have defied the critics.  Although a serious title challenge is unlikely from either side, both can’t be discounted in the battle for fourth place and that crucial Champions League chance.

Signs of recovery from Anfield

The last two years have been very bleak for Liverpool supporters, but Kenny Dalglish is slowly lifting them out of the wilderness.  Luis Suarez has shown his immense quality and that there is life after Torres.  Andy Carroll still has a lot to do to justify his hefty price tag but a morale boosting goal at West Brom on Saturday will do his confidence no wonders.  Despite Raul Meireles departing for Chelsea and Steven Gerrard’s constant injury troubles, the consistency of Charlie Adam and Lucas in the centre of the park has shown that the Reds are more than a one-man team.  A 4-0 nightmare at Tottenham aside, Liverpool have produced some excellent results, including away wins at Everton and Arsenal along the way.  Like the North London sides, a title tilt looks a long shot, but there are signs of promising recovery in the second generation of the Dalglish Anfield reign.

Great attacking from the newly promoted sides

All three promoted teams have come up and once again shown that the gap between the Premiership and the Championship is now not as big as some might think.  Swansea City’s home record is very impressive, with three wins and two draws, just conceding one goal in the process.  They sit in the top half and although I worry about their strength in depth, Brendan Rodgers has adjusted well to Premiership life.  So too has Paul Lambert at Norwich.  An expansive side, full of promising youngsters has scared the life out of Chelsea and Manchester United already.  Then, they took a deserving point at Anfield two weeks ago.  With excellent starts, both teams have a chance of staying up.  I reckon QPR have the best squad out of the new sides.  Tony Fernandes investment in the club has seen the likes of Joey Barton and Shaun Wright-Phillips arrive at Loftus Road and the 1-0 win over Chelsea was a mighty result for everyone connected with the club.  There have been bad days, such as the 6-0 battering they took from Fulham, but with the ability to strengthen when the transfer window opens again, Neil Warnock might finally have a squad worthy of his talents in the top division.  For me, there’s a good chance all three promoted sides will stay up and if so, that will be the first time this has happened since 2001/02.

Relegation worries for the established

GO: The message from Blackburn fans to their beleaguered boss

Sitting bottom of the league at the moment, Wigan can’t buy a point if their life depended on it.  They have lost seven games in a row since the beginning of September.  As he stayed loyal to the Lactics in the summer, by turning down a move to Aston Villa, Roberto Martinez is in no danger of the sack but his team need a result.  They also need Hugo Rodallega to start scoring soon; otherwise I don’t know where the goals are going to come from.  Bolton’s defence has conceded 27 goals in their first ten games and the last team to do that in the Premiership were Barnsley in season 97/98.  The Tykes were relegated at the end of that season, so the omens don’t look good for Owen Coyle’s side.  I feel for Steve Kean, who is in an almost impossible situation at Blackburn.  The fans want his head, but the side is playing well, if not getting the right results.  Kean can’t help that he has the most inept owners the Premiership has ever seen.  Note to the Indian owners at Ewood Park; Stick to the chickens, you are hopeless at football!  I worry for Wolves too, who won their first two games, but collected little since and despite showing some potential; I’m still unconvinced by Aston Villa under the guidance of Alex McLeish.  It’s difficult to say who will go down, but some of the established clubs in the Premiership will be feeling the pressure already.

Winter is approaching and the games will now be coming thick and fast.  After Christmas, things in the league will begin to take shape, but if the first three months have anything to go by, then the FA Premier League is proving once more why it is the most unpredictable league in the world.

Tevez suspended for refusing to play

MANCHESTER City have suspended star striker Carlos Tevez for a maximum of two weeks.  This follows the extraordinary incident, which seems to highlight that the wantaway Argentine forward refused to come off the bench during City’s 2-0 defeat in the UEFA Champions League at Bayern Munich on Tuesday night.

    Early on in the match, the former Manchester City captain was seen warming up alongside fellow subs Pablo Zabaleta and James Milner.  They had to witness a dismal first half from the English side, falling two goals behind to tap-ins from Mario Gomez.  On the hour mark, the disappointed Edin Dzeko was replaced by Nigel de Jong.  With the game looking out of the reach, it initially looked like a negative move by Coach Roberto Mancini to restrict the damage of a heavy defeat.  However, more met the eye by the argument Tevez seemed to be having with one of the coaches.  Whether the instruction was ignored, misunderstood or misheard, he sat on the bench for the rest of the match, arms folded, looking just as miserable as he did when Mancini decided to bring on Mario Balotelli rather than him in Saturday’s Premiership success against Everton.  Only after the final whistle did Mancini confirm to the media that serious attitude problem that Tevez had shown;

“If I have my way, he will be out.  He is finished with me.  If we want to improve as a team, Carlos can’t play with us.  With me, he is finished.  He refused to come on the pitch.  What I said to Carlos is between me, him and the team, but I am really disappointed because it is Carlos.  I decide the changes.”

     Yesterday morning, Tevez released a statement, denying that he had refused to play in Munich hours earlier;

“I would like to apologise to all Manchester City fans, with whom I have always had a strong relationship, for any misunderstanding that occurred in Munich.  They understand that when I am on the pitch, I have always given my best for the club.  In Munich on Tuesday, I had warmed up and was ready to play.”

     Last night, the club released this statement on the matter;

"Manchester City can confirm that striker Carlos Tevez has been suspended until further notice for a maximum period of two weeks.  The player's suspension is pending a full review into his alleged conduct during Tuesday evening's 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich.  The player will not be considered for selection or take part in training whilst the review is under way."

FINISHED: Tevez's career at Manchester City is surely over

     Personally, I can’t see how Tevez can ever play for Manchester City again, no matter who is telling the truth.  However, for someone who is earning at least £200,000 a week; a ridiculous salary for a football player to apparently refuse to play.  I was shocked to hear how the relationship has disintegrated between Tevez and Mancini and City are now in a very tricky position.  No club will surely want to buy a player who doesn’t have the mojo to play for all potential occasions and even a loan move would be tricky, due to his wages.  The club can’t really sack him, as it will cost them the best part of £40million and even for Manchester City; that would be an immense fortune to write off a contract for.  Player power in the game has now gone way over the top and this is a dangerous precedent.  What happens next in this saga is anyone’s guess.     

Transfer deadline day - Intriguing, but many stars stay put

THE transfer deadline has passed and many clubs were forced into the market on deadline day on Wednesday in a desperate attempt to strengthen their squads until January.

    Having received stiff criticism for the lack of new signings this summer, combined with the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri to Barcelona and Manchester City respectively, a lot of attention was placed on Arsenal’s activities.  Arsene Wenger didn’t disappoint, with five new signings, though the fans might be disappointed to see no world class star come to the Emirates before closure at 11pm.  The top signing he made was the £10million capture of playmaker Mikel Arteta from Everton.  Arteta, who had revealed to BBC Football Focus presenter Dan Walker about his desire to stay at Goodison Park only ten days earlier has made the move to North London and faces big shoes to fill in the void left by Fabregas.  Wenger also strengthened his backline with the captures of big German defender Per Mertesacker from Werder Bremen and talented Brazilian left-back Andre Santos, who leaves behind Fenerbache in the wake of a match-fixing scandal that has engulfed Turkish football.  Also completing moves to Arsenal were Korean attacker Park Chu-Young from AS Monaco and out-of-favour Chelsea midfielder Yossi Benayoun.  Benayoun’s deal is a loan move, with a view to a permanent switch and it is a surprise to see Chelsea be happy to loan players out to a London rival.

    Chelsea did some late business themselves, but it wasn’t the player everyone thought might leave their club.  Despite offering £30million, plus Brazilian set-piece bullet Alex, Tottenham Hotspur rejected Chelsea’s final attempt to land Luka Modric.  For now, Modric stays at Tottenham, but whether he will have the same impact on the North London side remains to be seen, as it seemed like he was keen to make the exit for Chelsea.  So, Chelsea turned their attentions to Liverpool’s Raul Meireles.  Just half an hour before the window shut, Meireles handed in a shock transfer request to Liverpool.  Less than an hour later, he was a Chelsea player.  The midfielder, who scored Liverpool’s winner at Stamford Bridge in the Premiership back in February signed for £12million and gets to work again with new Blues boss Andre-Vilas Boas, which was the main reason for his departure from Anfield.  His conduct is sure to have angered Liverpool fans though, maybe even more so than Fernando Torres after the Spanish striker’s acrimonious departure back in January to Chelsea.

BACK: Craig Bellamy will be hoping for a fruitful second spell at Anfield

      As Meireles was saying his rushed goodbyes, Craig Bellamy was returning to Stanley Park.  Bellamy, who spent one unhappy season in the Rafa Benitez regime (2007-08) signs for Liverpool on a free transfer from Manchester City.  He spent last season on loan at Cardiff City and will provide stiff competition for Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll in the Liverpool attack.  With Bellamy arriving, David N’Gog was deemed surplus to requirements and sold to Bolton Wanderers for £4million.  Also leaving Liverpool were Christian Poulsen, who joined newly promoted French side Evian and Joe Cole, who will be desperate to kick-start his career again with a season-long loan move to Lille.  Will the anticipation of Champions League football push Cole back into the England fold?

     Another winger desperate to get the attention again from Fabio Capello is Shaun Wright-Phillips.  His second spell at Manchester City has ended and it was QPR who beat off stiff competition from Bolton and Stoke City to his signature.  It was a busy few hours for Neil Warnock, who also added Jason Puncheon from Blackpool and Anton Ferdinand from Sunderland to his squad.  Sebastian Bassong was another target, but having waited in West London all day, he was told to return to Tottenham as a potential move for Bolton’s Gary Cahill collapsed over personal terms.  Bassong might be frustrated by these events, but Harry Redknapp was in a charitable move, allowing no less than five players to leave the White Hart Lane roster.

AMBITION: Crouch's move signals Stoke have serious plans

     Alan Hutton and Jermaine Jenas have moved to Aston Villa.  Hutton’s is a permanent deal, worth around £2million, whilst Jenas goes to Villa Park on a loan deal.  David Bentley’s stalled career will be hoping to regain some momentum with recently relegated West Ham United.  Talented youngster Henri Lansbury’s loan move to Upton Park from Arsenal paved the way for PFA Player of the Year, Scott Parker to make a £5million move to Tottenham.  Spurs also sold Wilson Palacios and Peter Crouch, with the pair going to Stoke City for a joint fee of £20million.  These signatures, plus that of Cameron Jerome from Birmingham City have shown how far Stoke are coming as a force in the Premiership.

     Having lost their first three Premiership matches, Steve Kean pulled out one of the deals of the day, by bringing Scott Dann to Blackburn from Birmingham for an undisclosed fee.  Dann’s injury which ended his season at Christmas last year was one of the main factors towards Birmingham’s relegation from the Premiership.  However, Kean’s purchase of Yakubu from Everton has to be seen as questionable.  Yakubu might score a few goals, but his attitude has never endeared himself to anyone.  It was a tough day for Everton, who also sold Jermaine Beckford to rich-spending Leicester City for £3million.  Despite Royston Drenthe’s loan move from Real Madrid, David Moyes knows he needs investment from foreign owners soon and so too do the fans, otherwise it could be a similar story in January.  Other notable transfers included Gael Kakuta joined Bolton on a season’s long loan deal from Chelsea, Shaun Maloney ending a frustrating stint at Celtic to go to Wigan for a cool £1million and Bryan Ruiz’s club-record £10.5million swap from FC Twente to Fulham.

     Although key names such as Modric and Tevez ended up staying at their current owners and it didn’t quite have the impact of the January deadline day, it was an intriguing day, right up to the last minute.  Let’s see what impact these new signings will have for those who’ve spent the cash!

20 years of the FA Premier League - Part 4

2007/08

PREMIERSHIP title no.10 arrived for Manchester United on the final day of the season and in fitting fashion too.  Ryan Giggs, who had featured and scored in every Premier League campaign, came off the bench to score the second goal in a 2-0 success at Wigan Athletic.  They held off Chelsea’s challenge, as the Blues drew 1-1 at home to Bolton Wanderers.  More agony faced the West Londoners in the Champions League final; beaten by United on penalties in the Moscow showpiece, which led to Avram Grant’s sacking.  Both established frontrunners had sluggish starts to the season.  The Red Devils failed to win any of their first three matches, while Jose Mourinho resigned from Chelsea in mid-September following some dodgy results and more pressure on transfers from the interfering Roman Abramovich.  For a long while, it looked like the youngsters from Arsenal were going to get over the finish line.  Despite losing Thierry Henry in the summer to Barcelona, the Gunners strolled into an advantage as big as seven points at one stage.  However, a horrific double leg fracture for Croatian striker Eduardo seconds into the match with Birmingham City on February 22 totally derailed their challenge.  Arsene Wenger made some poisonous comments about Birmingham centre-back Martin Taylor, who made the accidental challenge on Eduardo and William Gallas furious reaction to a late penalty for the home side didn’t go down well either.  Arsenal fell away in the final two months, and ultimately slipped to third, but only four points behind the champions.  Chelsea kept piling on the pressure, helped by a crucial 2-1 win over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on April 26, but the form of Cristiano Ronaldo was pivotal to Man Utd’s success.  Ronaldo scored a remarkable 42 goals in all competitions, 31 of these in the Premiership.  They kept their noses infront all the way to the final day win at the JJB Stadium.  Liverpool finished fourth, but had a new hero in Fernando Torres to cheer on.  ‘El Nino,’ scored 24 Premiership goals in his debut season.  At the bottom of the league, Derby County became the first side to be relegated at the end of March and ended up with the worst points tally ever.  They won just one game all season; 1-0 at home to Newcastle United in September.  Under Roy Hodgson, Fulham managed the great escape, with four wins in their last five matches.  Danny Murphy headed a dramatic late winner at Portsmouth on the final weekend, with his winner sending both Reading and Birmingham City down to the Championship, despite both relegated clubs winning big on the final day. 

CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2^nd: Chelsea 3^rd: Arsenal, 4^th: Liverpool 5^th: Everton, 6^th: Aston Villa, 7^th: Blackburn Rovers, 8^th; Portsmouth, 9^th: Manchester City, 10^th: West Ham United

RELEGATED: Reading, Birmingham City, Derby County

BIGGEST WIN: Middlesbrough 8-1 Manchester City (11 May 2008)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Portsmouth 7-4 Reading (30 September 2007), Tottenham Hotspur 6-4 Reading (29 December 2007), Middlesbrough 8-1 Manchester City (11 May 2008)

SCORERS: Ronaldo (Manchester United) 31, Adebayor (Arsenal) 24, Torres (Liverpool) 24, Santa Cruz (Blackburn) 19, Berbatov (Tottenham) 15, Yakubu (Everton) 15, Benjani (Portsmouth & Manchester City) 15, Keane (Tottenham) 15, Tevez (Manchester United) 14, Carew (Aston Villa) 13, Rooney (Manchester United) 12, Defoe (Tottenham & Portsmouth) 12, Gerrard (Liverpool) 11

2008/09

FOR the second time in Premiership history, Manchester United managed to win three successive league titles.  A 0-0 draw at home to Arsenal on the final Saturday of the season was enough to see them over the finishing line.  They were pushed all the way by a much-improved Liverpool side, who recorded their highest ever Premiership points tally on the way to second spot.  Rafa Benitez would lookback on some silly home draws against the likes of Stoke City, Hull City and Fulham which ultimately cost them the title.  Liverpool lost only two games all season (away at Tottenham and Middlesbrough), and held a five point lead at the turn of the year, but a succession of draws in January gave Manchester United the chance to overhaul the lead the Reds had built-up.  Benitez ranted about United’s record of arguing with referees, which made the battle between the two clubs even more personal.  The deciding results were three games in April.  After losing 1-4 at home to Liverpool at Old Trafford, then 2-0 at Fulham the following week, United needed a stoppage time winner from teenager Federico Macheda to beat a fading Aston Villa side 3-2 at the beginning of the month.  A fortnight later, Liverpool dropped points in a pulsating 4-4 draw with Arsenal, in which Andrei Arshavin scored all four goals for the visitors in a stunning individual performance.  Four days later, inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez, Manchester United stormed back from 2-0 down to beat Tottenham 5-2 at Old Trafford.  Later results didn’t matter and it was a special title for United, as they equalled Liverpool’s record of 18 league championships.  Chelsea struggled for most of the season and sacked the unpopular Luis Felipe Scolari in February, following a dismal draw at home to Hull City.  Guus Hiddink took temporary charge and improved results helped the men from West London finish third and win the FA Cup.  On transfer deadline day, Manchester City got bought by the Abu Dhabi United group, turning them into one of the richest football clubs in the world.  Although they only finished mid-table this campaign, they showed the flexible wealth by persuading temperamental Robinho to join from Real Madrid in a new British transfer record deal; £32.5million.  It was a terrible season on Tyneside, as Sunderland only just survived, while both Newcastle United and Middlesbrough were relegated.  Newcastle’s demise came under four managers, and not even club legend Alan Shearer could save the club from the drop.  Newcastle’s final day relegation meant despite winning only one of their last 17 matches, Hull City survived.  Cue Phil Brown’s horrific singing!  Tottenham sacked Juande Ramos after only managing two points in their first eight games, but Harry Redknapp left Portsmouth to steer the club to eighth, behind Fulham, who managed seventh and their best ever finish in the top flight.    

CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2^nd: Liverpool 3^rd: Chelsea, 4^th: Arsenal 5^th: Everton, 6^th: Aston Villa, 7^th: Fulham, 8^th; Tottenham, 9^th: West Ham United, 10^th: Manchester City

RELEGATED: Newcastle United, Middlesbrough, West Brom

BIGGEST WIN: Manchester City 6-0 Portsmouth (21 September 2008)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Arsenal 4-4 Tottenham Hotspur (29 October 2008), Liverpool 4-4 Arsenal (21 April 2009), Manchester United 5-2 Tottenham Hotspur (25 April 2009)

SCORERS: Anelka (Chelsea) 19, Ronaldo (Manchester United) 18, Gerrard (Liverpool) 16, Robinho (Manchester City) 14, Torres (Liverpool) 14, Rooney (Manchester United) 12, Kuyt (Liverpool) 12, Lampard (Chelsea) 12, Agbonlahor (Aston Villa) 12, Bent (Tottenham) 12, Davies (Bolton) 12, Van Persie (Arsenal) 11, Carew (Aston Villa) 11, Fuller (Stoke City) 11, Crouch (Portsmouth) 11

2009/10

THE world of football was rocked by Cristiano Ronaldo’s record transfer fee departure from Manchester United to Real Madrid for £80million before the start of the season.  The game also lost the great Sir Bobby Robson, who passed away after a long, brave fight with cancer in July.  Manchester City continued to flex their muscles in the transfer market, bringing in Gareth Barry, Joleon Lescott, Emmanuel Adebayor and controversially, Carlos Tevez in the summer.  Mark Hughes was sacked in December, after a run of eight successive Premiership draws, a new record.  Roberto Mancini was installed as new boss, but City lost out on a Champions League spot, following a 0-1 loss at home to rivals Tottenham in the final week of the season.  Tottenham finished in the lucrative position ahead of City, Aston Villa and Liverpool, who finished in their worst position in the league since 1999.  Rafa Benitez parted company with the club the following summer.  Once again, Arsenal’s title challenge faded in the closing stages of the season, which included a dramatic collapse away to Wigan Athletic in mid-April.  2-0 up with ten minutes to go at the DW Stadium, the Gunners somehow lost 3-2; a result which kept Wigan in the Premiership.  Burnley, Hull City and Portsmouth were the three clubs who were relegated at the end of the season.  Despite beating Manchester United in their first home Premiership match at Turf Moor, the Clarets lost manager Owen Coyle to Bolton Wanderers in the New Year in acrimonious circumstances.  With it was a loss of form, which saw them, condemned to the drop at the end of April.  It was even worse for Portsmouth, as their financial mess unravelled during the season.  In February, Pompey became the first club in the history of this era to enter administration and hence earn themselves a nine point deduction.  For Avram Grant, it was mission impossible and he went to West Ham United at the end of the season; once the Hammers board decided to crush Gianfranco Zola’s morale and dismiss him.  Another side that impressed in the season were Birmingham City.  Under Alex McLeish, the side went on the longest unbeaten run of the season, which stood at 12 games between late October and the end of January.  The Blues finished a commendable ninth.  At the top of the table, it was Chelsea and Manchester United who once again took the title battle down to the final day of the season.  Carlo Ancelotti’s side were one point clear at the start of play and ultimately didn’t have to worry about matters.  The Blues crushed Wigan 8-0 at Stamford Bridge, with Didier Drogba hitting a hat-trick to secure himself the Golden Boot.  It meant Manchester United had to settle for runners-up spot, despite a 4-0 trouncing of Stoke City at Old Trafford.  For the third time in Premiership history, in Ancelotti’s first season and with over 100 goals too, Chelsea became Premiership champions.  

CHAMPIONS: Chelsea, 2^nd: Manchester United 3^rd: Arsenal, 4^th: Tottenham 5^th: Manchester City, 6^th: Aston Villa, 7^th: Liverpool, 8^th; Everton, 9^th: Birmingham City, 10^th: Blackburn Rovers

RELEGATED: Burnley, Hull City, Portsmouth

BIGGEST WIN: Tottenham Hotspur 9-1 Wigan Athletic (22 November 2009)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Tottenham Hotspur 9-1 Wigan Athletic (22 November 2009), Chelsea 7-2 Sunderland (18 January 2010), Chelsea 8-0 Wigan Athletic (9 May 2010)

SCORERS: Drogba (Chelsea) 29, Rooney (Manchester United) 26, Bent (Sunderland) 24, Tevez (Manchester City) 23, Lampard (Chelsea) 22, Defoe (Tottenham) 18, Torres (Liverpool) 18, Fabregas (Arsenal) 15, Adebayor (Manchester City) 14, Agbonlahor (Aston Villa) 13, Saha (Everton) 13, Malouda (Chelsea) 12, Berbatov (Manchester United) 12, Anelka (Chelsea) 11

2010/11

WAYNE Rooney had a largely troubled season, but his 76^th minute penalty on May 14 earnt Manchester United a 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers; good enough for United’s 19^th league title, overtaking Liverpool’s long-standing record.  They did it, despite only winning five games away from home all season, with the lowest points tally to win the league since 1997/98.  However, only newly promoted West Brom managed to take a point from Old Trafford all season in the league.  Despite finishing second, Chelsea sacked Carlo Ancelotti at the end of the season, after a fairly unconvincing campaign.  For long periods, it was Arsenal who became Manchester United’s closest challengers, but once again, they screwed up dramatically in the run-in.  Wenger’s side were knocked out of three cup competitions in 11 days, threw away a 4-0 lead to draw 4-4 at Newcastle in February and only two wins in their last ten league matches saw them drop to fourth and out of the automatic Champions League qualifying spots.  This meant that despite uncertainty about the future of Carlos Tevez, Manchester City stole third place, their best ever Premiership finish.  Tevez ended joint top scorer with Dimitar Berbatov for the season, and to cap things off for Roberto Mancini’s side, they won the FA Cup too.  It was a miserable season for Liverpool, who looked like they were going to be in a relegation battle in mid-season.  Roy Hodgson was sacked after an unhappy six months in the job, Fernando Torres was sold to Chelsea on deadline day for a record £50million and unpopular owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks had to sell the club in October despite numerous attempts to stop the process.  Kenny Dalglish returned to the dugout and guided the Reds to sixth place, including memorable late season wins over both Manchester clubs.  He also signed Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez, but ultimately, the Reds missed out on Europe for the first time since 2000.  Hodgson eventually turned up at West Brom in February and proved that his management skills still were up to scratch, by easing the Baggies comfortably away from a relegation scrap into a solid 11^th place finish.  Respected Sky Sports presenters Richard Keys and Andy Gray were shamed in a sexism row over women in football.  They made off-air sexist comments about West Ham chief executive Karen Brady and female line assistant Sian Massey before the televised Wolves v Liverpool game in January.  Further damming video revelations in the week forthcoming saw Gray sacked and Keys resigning in disgrace.  Also having a disgraceful season were West Ham United, who treated Avram Grant badly all season.  They looked a liability throughout and despite Scott Parker’s heroic efforts, a 3-2 defeat at Wigan Athletic on the penultimate weekend sent the Hammers down.  Grant’s humiliation was complete when he sacked just an hour after the match.  On ‘Survival Sunday,’ five clubs still might end up being relegated.  Blackburn Rovers new Indian owners had made a catastrophic mistake by sacking Sam Allardyce in December, with the club in comfortable mid-table security!  Although they were in the race for the drop, a wonderful first half at Wolves saw them 3-0 up at half-time and secure of any relegation threat.  It put Wolves right in the mire, despite Mick McCarthy’s team winning at Anfield and beating Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United at Molineux during the campaign.  Blackpool had entertained all neutrals throughout the season, with their flowing attack or nothing football.  They did take a surprising 2-1 lead at Manchester United on the last day, but their poor defensive record cost them and a 4-2 loss meant Ian Holloway’s brave Tangerines joined West Ham in relegation misery.  For a long duration of the campaign, Wigan Athletic looked destined for the drop, but put together a strong end to the season which saw them unbeaten in their last five matches.  A Hugo Rodallega header beat Stoke City at the Britannia to keep Roberto Martinez’s side up against the odds.  This left Birmingham City in huge peril.  Although they won the Carling Cup, two wins in their last eleven matches had seen Alex McLeish’s side slip into the relegation battle.  Ultimately, a late Stephen Hunt goal, which pulled Wolves back to a 2-3 defeat against Blackburn, combined with an even later Roman Pavyluchenko strike for Tottenham against Birmingham sent McLeish’s men down and kept Wolves in the league, on the most incredible final day in the league’s history.  However, despite being unconvincing at times, it was Manchester United’s season once again and a fitting way for Paul Scholes and Edwin van der Sar to bow out of the game, as both retired after the Champions League final defeat to Barcelona at Wembley.

CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2^nd: Chelsea 3^rd: Manchester City, 4^th: Arsenal 5^th: Tottenham, 6^th: Liverpool, 7^th: Everton, 8^th; Fulham, 9^th: Aston Villa, 10^th: Sunderland

RELEGATED: Birmingham City, Blackpool, West Ham United

BIGGEST WIN: Manchester United 7-1 Blackburn Rovers (27 November 2010)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Manchester United 7-1 Blackburn Rovers (27 November 2010), Newcastle United 4-4 Arsenal (5 February 2011), Everton 5-3 Blackpool (5 February 2011)

SCORERS: Berbatov (Manchester United) 20, Tevez (Manchester City) 20, Van Persie (Arsenal) 18, Bent (Sunderland & Aston Villa) 17, Odemwingie (West Brom) 15, Hernandez (Manchester United) 13, Kuyt (Liverpool) 13, Van der Vaart (Tottenham) 13, Carroll (Newcastle & Liverpool) 13, Malouda (Chelsea) 13, Campbell (Blackpool) 13, Drogba (Chelsea) 12, Dempsey (Fulham) 12

2011/12 (Table & scorers after three matches)

THE 20^th season has begun with the two Manchester clubs looking unstoppable.  Manchester United handed Arsenal their biggest defeat in Premiership history, with an 8-2 mauling at Old Trafford.  Only hours earlier, Manchester City thumped Tottenham 5-1 at White Hart Lane, with Edin Dzeko scoring four goals.  Under Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool spent big to acquire Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing to the club in the summer.  The good times seem to be coming back to Anfield, with two wins in three games, including an impressive success away at Arsenal, with Luis Suarez looking like the natural replacement for Fernando Torres.  Torres’s new club Chelsea have a new gaffer, as Andre Vilas-Boas arrived in the summer.  They have looked unconvincing so far, but have signed youngster Romelu Lukaku and Valencia playmaker Juan Manuel Mata and kept pace with the leading contenders.  Wolves, Stoke City, Aston Villa and Wigan Athletic have all made solid starts too, remaining unbeaten but with Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri gone, plus numerous suspensions and injuries, Arsenal are contemplating life in the bottom four.  However, there is plenty of time to go in what is turning out to be a special season already.

1^st: Manchester United, 2^nd: Manchester City 3^rd: Liverpool, 4^th: Chelsea 5^th: Wolves 6^th: Newcastle United, 7^th: Aston Villa, 8^th; Wigan Athletic, 9^th: Stoke City, 10^th: Bolton Wanderers

IN BOTTOM THREE: West Brom, Blackburn Rovers, Tottenham Hotspur

BIGGEST WIN: Manchester United 8-2 Arsenal (28 August 2011)

SCORERS: Dzeko (Manchester City) 6, Rooney (Manchester United) 5, Aguero (Manchester City) 3, Young (Manchester United) 3, Klasnic (Bolton) 3, Best (Newcastle) 2, Long (West Brom) 2, Suarez (Liverpool) 2, Silva (Manchester City) 2

FA Cup final 2011 - City end long victory drought

MANCHESTER CITY’s 35 year trophy drought ended yesterday, as they beat Stoke City 1-0 in the FA Cup final at Wembley.  City’s semi-final hero Yaya Toure scored the only goal in the 74^th minute to break Stoke’s resistance in an intriguing final, though hardly a classic to be remembered.

     Stoke were taking part in their first ever FA Cup final, whilst City last made it this far back in 1981.  Therefore, it was a surprising final for many and unfortunately, the game never lived up to its pre-match billing.  Tony Pulis side were very poor in the first half and thanks to some great goalkeeping from Thomas Sorensen and wasteful City finishing, they held onto a 0-0 scoreline at half-time.  Both Carlos Tevez and man-of-the-match Mario Balotelli were denied by the exploits of Sorensen, who has been Stoke’s FA Cup goalkeeper all season.  The Potters were organised and very resolute, but sadly, not much more.  The best chance of the first half was missed by the off-colour David Silva.  Balotelli’s brilliant movement ten minutes before half-time set the chance up and although the Spanish World Cup winner approached it at an awkward height, he basically missed a sitter by his high standards. 

     At times, the final threatened to get out of hand into a very bitty occasion.  Two poor challenges from Robert Huth in the first half meant the German was very lucky to stay on the pitch by half-time.  Either side of the interval and Jermaine Pennant was the victim of two bruising challenges, which limited his impact.  With Matthew Etherington forced off on the hour mark, having picked up a recurrence of the hamstring injury that he first picked up against Wolves 18 days ago, Stoke’s threat, particularly on the wings was severely limited.  Toure went onto to make the right headlines, but even the Ivorian was lucky to still be on the field by the time he scored the decisive goal.  A very bad challenge on Andy Wilkinson which looked malicious and with some form of intent was the climax of a very scrappy and spicy start to the second half. 

CHANCE: Stoke's golden chance was blown by Kenwyne Jones

     Stoke’s best chance to win the FA Cup final came just before Etherington’s enforced departure.  His beautifully-flighted ball over the top found Kenwyne Jones.  Jones managed to escape the clutches of Joleon Lescott, but Joe Hart stood tall, and made a critical save.  At this point, Roberto Mancini elected to make a bold move.  He sacrificed one of his holding players; Gareth Barry, for the more attack-minded Adam Johnson and the extra aggression in the final third soon paid dividends.  Yet again, Balotelli was in the heart of the move.  His shot, after some clever skill was blocked by Ryan Shawcross and following another minor deflection, the ball fell perfectly to Toure, who produced a cracking drive to break the deadlock.  It was a strike that left Sorensen with absolutely no chance.  Despite sending Shawcross forward as an emergency striker and Sorensen for corners, Stoke’s late bombardment on the City goal ultimately came to nothing.

    The rise of Manchester City continues and it is a fitting tribute to Neil Young.  Young, who scored the winning goal the last time the blue side of Manchester won the FA Cup, in 1969, died in February.  Goalkeeper Hart insisted that Manchester United’s earlier title success at Ewood Park meant nothing to hinder the celebrations; “We don’t care about Man U.  This is about Man City and the players and the fans, we deserved to win.”  Losing manager Pulis accepted the result with good grace.  He told ITV; “We’ve had a great season, but ultimately we dropped off today.  The best side won.” 

ALOFT: Tevez lifts the FA Cup for Manchester City

      The 1976 League Cup was the last time Manchester City lifted a major domestic trophy and on the week when they also won qualification into next season’s Champions League, this will go down as a week to remember for all City fans.  Ultimately, they were the stronger and better outfit throughout and deserved the win.  It was left to Carlos Tevez, only the third overseas captain after Eric Cantona and Patrick Vieira to lift the FA Cup aloft.  Whilst Stoke played their part in a largely forgettable final, it was a Blue Day at Wembley yesterday and anything is possible from here for the rich-spenders.  This could be the start of something big and there is no doubt now, that the whole of the football world must sit-up and take notice. 

FA Barclays Premiership Report (7th - 9th May)

THE most decisive weekend of the Premiership season saw history being made at the top of the table and the battle to stay afloat in the top flight tighten up even more.

RECORD: The title looms large for Manchester United

    The title showdown at Old Trafford between Manchester United and Chelsea went United’s way.  They outfought, outpassed and outclassed Chelsea and deserved to win more than the 2-1 final scoreline suggests.  The win means the Red Devils only need one point at Blackburn on Saturday lunchtime to secure a 19^th league title, surpassing Liverpool’s long-standing record as the most successful club in English football history.  Sir Alex Ferguson’s side started in clinical fashion, as Javier Hernandez pounced on David Luiz’s slip inside 36 seconds to give United an unbelievable start.  Chelsea looked unrecognisable in the first half and didn’t turn up.  They went 2-0 down inside 23 minutes.  Nemanja Vidic powered in an easy header from Ryan Giggs brilliant cross.  Chelsea did get a glimmer hope with 22 minutes to go, when Frank Lampard touched in Branislav Ivanovic’s flick-on.  Ultimately, the men from West London end the season with nothing to show for their efforts, except question marks over Carlo Ancelotti’s future.  Speculation is rife linking Ancelotti with a return to Serie A with AS Roma.

    At the wrong end of the table, Mick McCarthy’s Wolves celebrated a huge 3-1 win over West Brom in the Black Country derby.  It is Wolves first win in six games against their great rivals and takes Wolves out of the bottom three, with their Premiership destiny now in their own hands.  Steven Fletcher took full advantage of West Brom’s horrendous defending display to score two goals and Adeline Guedioura celebrated his first goal in English football through some ditzy defending from their rivals in the Midlands.  Peter Odemwingie did pull a goal back from the penalty spot, but this was Wolves day.

     Blackpool dropped back into the bottom three, despite a battling draw at White Hart Lane against Tottenham on Saturday evening.  Charlie Adam, almost signed by Tottenham on deadline day in January had a dramatic match.  His crude challenge on Gareth Bale finished Bale’s season early with ankle ligament damage.  He then had a penalty saved by Hereulho Gomes when Michael Dawson handled in the box.  Seconds later, Gomes’s inconsistent form continued when he needlessly bundled over Gary Taylor-Fletcher for a second spot kick.  This time, Adam made no mistake.  In the 88^th minute, Jermain Defoe broke Blackpool’s hearts by earning the home side a point, but it made Champions League qualification pretty much impossible.  All those dreams died with a 1-0 loss at Manchester City last night, which secured City’s place in Europe’s premier club competition next season. 

GLOAT: Everton won the battle, but City recovered to claim 4th

     Before last night’s joy, City had a frustrating day at Goodison Park at the weekend.  In the ultimate game of two halves, they lost 2-1 at Everton.  The visitors had bossed the first half and deserved their first half lead, courtesy of Yaya Toure.  However, Everton turned the game around with two headers in the second half, through City old boy Sylvain Distin and a brilliant header by Leon Osman.  You could tell that it was a bad day for the blue half of Manchester, as manager Roberto Mancini attempted to pick a fight with Phil Neville at the final whistle.  Tottenham might miss out on Europe altogether next season, thanks to a revitalised Liverpool outfit.  In the final Monday Night Football of the season, Kenny Dalglish’s side ripped Fulham apart – winning 5-2 at Craven Cottage.  Maxi Rodriguez scored inside 30 seconds and went on to complete his second treble in three matches.  Dirk Kuyt and Luis Suarez scored too and now, if Liverpool beat Tottenham on Sunday at Anfield, they secure England’s final UEFA Europa League qualification place.

     Back in the scrap to stay up and time is rapidly running out for Avram Grant and West Ham United.  They needed to beat Blackburn on Saturday and they didn’t.  The 1-1 draw kept the Hammers rooted to the foot of the table.  Jason Roberts had the visitors infront on 12 minutes, which meant West Ham got that familiar feeling.  Although Thomas Hitzlsperger drilled in one of his specials, crucial blocks from Christopher Samba and another missed sitter from the misfiring Robbie Keane, it was a result West Ham needed to improve on.  At Villa Park, Wigan’s promising start did little to ease their relegation worries.  Although they remain unbeaten at Aston Villa since entering the Premiership in 2005, the 1-1 stalemate means Roberto Martinez continues to feel the strain.  For the second successive weekend, Charles N’Zogbia had Wigan infront inside of ten minutes, but Ashley Young’s free-kick seven minutes restored parity.  A tepid game was spiced up by a tantrum from Emile Heskey, who looked like he might punch somebody if he didn’t calm down.  Stand-in boss Gary McAllister wisely subbed Heskey at half-time.  This means the Wigan v West Ham clash on Sunday is quite possibly the game that will end up deciding one of their short-term futures.

     The other weekend matches saw Stoke City’s historic week began with a great 3-1 victory over an off-colour Arsenal.  Poor defending from the Gunners allowed Kenwyne Jones, Jermaine Pennant and Jonathan Walters to send Stoke to Wembley for the FA Cup final on a high.  It was Arsenal biggest defeat of the season and they haven’t frankly recovered from that late heartbreak in February’s Carling Cup final.  Elsewhere, Newcastle United beat Birmingham City 2-1 and Sunderland secured Premiership football for another season, as Sulley Muntari’s last-minute goal overcame Bolton 2-1 at the Reebok.  Two weekends to go and whilst the relegation scrap looks set to go to the wire, we can congratulate Manchester United on another Premiership title.  They deserve it!

FA Barclays Premiership Report (30th April - 1st May)

THE most pivotal weekend in this season’s Premiership saw some crucial results for those at the bottom of the table and a pivotal moment at the top, which give us an unexpected title race to look forward to.  Plus, it was another dodgy weekend for referees and their linesman in the Barclays Premier League.

SIGNIFICANT: Ramsay's winner could change the Premiership destination

     It was by far a classic, but Arsenal’s famous 1-0 win over Manchester United yesterday blows the title race wide open again.  It could turn out to be a significant result in the destination of this season’s Premiership.  There was a clear injustice against Arsenal in the first half, when Nemanja Vidic clearly handballed in the penalty area, denying Robin Van Persie a clear goal scoring opportunity.  Then again, Chris Foy had a dreadful game and missed a penalty shout for United as Michael Owen tumbled under the challenge from Gael Clichy.  It looked a hopeful claim, but replays suggested minimal contact was made and penalties have been given this season for far less.  The only goal came just before the hour mark.  Made by Van Persie, Aaron Ramsay stroked the ball in beautifully into the bottom corner of Edwin Van der Sar’s net.  It is a landmark goal for the Welshman, his first for the Gunners since his horrible broken leg at Stoke in February 2010.

     There would have been loud cheers from Stamford Bridge at Ramsay’s goal and Chelsea’s title ambitions were renewed on Saturday evening in controversial circumstances against Tottenham.  Sandro did power Tottenham into the lead, before the equaliser which started up the rumble of goal-line technology once again.  Frank Lampard’s shot was spilt by calamity Spurs keeper Hereulho Gomes and the ball landed on the line.  Replays were inconclusive, yet the linesman gave the goal, despite not being in any position to give it!  Lampard deserved some fortune after Bloemfontein and the World Cup last summer, but although Gomes proved again that he can’t catch a football, it was staggering to see such a certain decision made.  In the 89^th minute, Salomon Kalou stabbed the ball home from close range, despite looking like in a clear offside position.  Chelsea won 2-1, but got their fair share of fortune for the result.  It is now 21 years since Tottenham last won at Stamford Bridge. 

     The basement battle at the bottom this weekend was the Midlands clash between Birmingham City and Wolves.  A scrappy 1-1 draw edges Birmingham closer to safety, but Wolves remain in the bottom three.  It started well for the visitors, as Steven Fletcher struck from the penalty spot in the 7^th minute.  However, Wolves conceded another terrible goal, as Sebastian Larsson gobbled up a chance, gifted as an early Bank Holiday present by Michael Mancienne.  Craig Gardner was dismissed in a dramatic first half by referee Kevin Friend.  The Birmingham midfielder got a second yellow card for simulation and ultimately, it was the right decision.  However, Wolves couldn’t make the extra man advantage count.  Still propping up the table is West Ham, following a spirited 2-1 defeat at Manchester City.  The Hammers looked brittle in the first 15 minutes and looked like they might capitulate at Eastlands.  They went 2-0 down, courtesy of a powerful strike from Nigel de Jong (his first goal in over 100 City matches) and Pablo Zabaleta.  At this stage, the home side took their foot off the gas pedal and Demba Ba capitalized on slack defending to produce a good finish and make a game of it.  However, City held on and the Champions League edges ever closer for Roberto Mancini.

     City’s closest challengers are now Liverpool, although the Reds are seven points behind and have played a game more.  They sit in England’s final Europa League spot after cruising to a 3-0 success over Newcastle United.  Maxi Rodriguez opened the scoring, via a cruel deflection off Danny Simpson in the ninth minute.  Dirk Kuyt continued his rich vein of scoring form, scoring a penalty after Mike Williamson dumped Luis Suarez to the ground.  Sizzling Suarez bagged the third with 25 minutes to go and the good times seem to be back at Anfield.  Only Chelsea and Manchester United have gathered more points than Liverpool since Kenny Dalglish took over in January.

DECISIVE: Martin Olsson celebrates his pivotal winner for Blackburn

     There was plenty of pride and passion from Wigan at the weekend, but they only picked up a 1-1 draw against Everton, on a weekend when they probably needed the three points.  Charles N’Zogbia smashed Wigan into a first half lead, but Mikel Arteta dragged Everton level after a stupid handball from Hugo Rodallega in the penalty box.  Ali Al-Habsi saved an Arteta penalty in the first half, so the result could have been even worse for Wigan.  At Ewood Park, Bolton’s poor away form continued, allowing Blackburn to record a 1-0 win and their first maximum three points in the league since January 22.  Martin Olsson scored the decisive goal in the first half, which eases some of the pressure on Steve Kean.  The first ever 0-0 draw in the Premiership at Bloomfield Road happened on Saturday.  There was little to report from the Blackpool v Stoke game, as both teams attacking was poor and defences ended up well on top.

     In the academic matches, West Brom beat Aston Villa 2-1 to record their first win against the Villains in the league since 1985, when ‘Easy Lover’ by Phil Collins was no.1 in the music charts!  Yusuf Mulumbu wrapped up the victory for Albion, despite Paul Scharner seeing red for a rugby tackle on Villa captain Stilian Petrov.  Meanwhile, Gary McAllister is still in charge of Villa, as Gerard Houillier continues his recovery at home, having now been released from hospital.  Lastly, goals from Gael Kakuta and two from Simon Davies pushed Fulham to a 3-0 win at Sunderland, who always looked like enduring a tough afternoon at home, with no first-choice recognised striker fit to play.

Next Sunday, all eyes are on the title showdown: Manchester United v Chelsea!  BRING IT ON!