Where Have All The Midfielders Gone?

Where have all the midfielders gone? It might sound like a mad question but given the state of the modern game it is one of the most pertinent.

Last night Manchester United and Marseille met in the Last 16 of the UEFA Champions League. Truly, it was one of the worst games the Champions League has ever produced. Neither side managed a clear cut chance on goal all night. Stifling tactics cannot be blamed; rather the enemy on the night was poor players and specifically poor midfielders...

How True Grit Explains The English Premier League

Something occurred to me while I was watching 'True Grit' the other day. It is a brilliantly acted and directed film that rarely puts a foot out of place while telling it's tale of retribution and relentless characters. However, one thing also stood out, the story is also a metaphor for the English Premier League...

Wayne Rooney Wonder Goal Earns Win For Manchester United Over City In Derby

Wayne Rooney ended Manchester City's slim title hopes at Old Trafford today as Manchester United won 2-1 to move within touching distance of the Premiership trophy. The England striker scored an amazing overhead kick that must be considered one of the greatest goals of the season, or any other season for that matter, as United gained the result their ambitious play deserved...

Roy Hodgson Takes Over at West Brom in the Hope of Getting England Call

Ex-Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has taken over from Roberto Di Matteo as manager of West Bromwich Albion after the Italian was sacked following a disastrous run of results that saw the Baggies lose 13 of their last 18 games. It will be the 63-year-old's 21st management job in a football career that has spanned 46 years.

The move back into the dugout for has come much quicker than anyone expected, including Hodgson. From being unceremoniously sacked by Liverpool after just six months it was assumed by the watching football world that the well liked manager would take a well deserved break from the game.

However, it would seem that his desire to succeed Fabio Capello as England manager next summer after the Euro 2012 finals would be the main catalyst to a quick return to the game.

Fernando Torres Signing For Chelsea Will Get Carlo Ancelotti The Sack

Chelsea FC pulled off one of the biggest transfers of all time recently, when they took Fernando Torres from Liverpool for £50 million. The move was seen by many as Roman Abramovich flexing his financial might to not only get the Pensioners back in the title race, but also as a way of bringing the Champions League to Stamford Bridge.

However, while that may have been the Russian Oligarch's main aim, what he has achieved is a further erosion of the fragile foundation under Carlo Ancelotti's feet.

As the league table stands, Chelsea has 44 points and is a full 10 points behind the leaders, Manchester United, with just 13 games to go. Considering that the Red Devils have only lost one game from the previous 25, it looks highly unlikely that Alex Ferguson would allow his team to lose four games from their remaining fixtures to leave the Blues with a chance at retaining their title.

This, of course, means that Chelsea's only real aim for the rest of the season is the trophy that Roman Abramovich craves so much...the Champions League.

Luis Suarez to Liverpool Could be the First Step in Fernando Torres Leaving

Liverpool FC is closing in on the signature of the Ajax centre forward Luis Suarez. However, the signing immediately begs two questions:

1) Why sign Suarez when the rest of team needs undoubted strengthening? And maybe more importantly,

2) Does Suarez coming in speed up the departure of Fernando Torres?

Premier League Producers?

In 1968 Mel Brooks penned the now classic screenplay for The Producers. The satirical comedy tells the tale of two men who come together to make a Broadway flop so that they can close the show and run off with all the investors money. In other words, they want their project to fail.

Kind of makes you think of football managers in a weird sort of way.

Hristo Stoichkov: The Bulgarian Messiah

"There are only two Christ’s; one plays for Barcelona, the other is in heaven," so said Hristo Stoichkov before collecting his award for European Footballer of the Year in 1994.

With Hristo directly translating as Christ, you could be forgiven for thinking he was joking and that it was a play on words...but you'd be wrong. Stoichkov had three massive elements to his person, a God-given skill, a God-sized ego, and a Devil of a temperament.

Steven Pienaar's Move to Spurs Means The End of the Road for Aaron Lennon

Despite Chelsea making a last ditch, £6 million, 11th hour bid for Steven Pienaar's services, it now looks very likely that the Everton midfielder will be winging his way to Tottenham Hotspur. Harry Redknapp has been tracking the South African midfielder for some time and his impending arrival at White Hart Lane should by all accounts speed up the exit of Aaron Lennon from the club...

Premier League Sack Race: Odds For Every Manager

Who will be the next manager to get the sack in the English Premier League? Are Avram Grant’s days numbered? Does Wenger have to win a trophy? Can Roy Hodgson turn Liverpool around?
You wait around all season for the first EPL manager to be sacked and then two happen within the space of a week.


Chris Hughton’s and Sam Allardyce’s removals were both strange to say the least, as neither man was doing what would normally be considered as a bad job.

Whichever way you look at it, the money is the owners at the end of the day and they have the right to decide upon who takes the key roles in their organisation.

In the end, they make their own beds and have to lie in them…