My Premier League XI

What an end to the season! 34 goals were scored in all on the final day of the season including a memorable 5-5 at the Hawthorns between WBA and Manchester United, a great way to cap off the eventful career of Sir Alex Ferguson. Looking back over the season there has been some stand out performances and in this post I will name the players who have made my Premier League 11.

GK  = David De Gea:

This is quite a controversial choice and I haven’t just chose him because I’m a Manchester United fan… but that is partly the reason. In his debut season in 2011, De Gea had a shaky start to his Premier League career making numerous errors, failing to adapt the style of the English game. Throughout last year there was much debate over who was the better goalkeeper, De Gea or Lindegaard but this year it looks like the Spaniard has answered his critics. He has kept 11 clean sheets this year and has asserted his position as the club’s number 1 choice.  He’s be renowned for his shot stopping ability and he has looked a lot more comfortable between the posts at Old Trafford as he fulfills the legacy of Edwin Van der Sar. At the age of just 22, De Gea looks set for a successful career in the Premier League.

RB = Pablo Zabaletta:

The Argentine has been the most effective player in Manchester City’s back line in what has been a season of mixed fortune for the former champions. Since taking over the role from England international Micah Richards, Zabeletta has become a regular performer for the sky blues and will often be the first name pinned on City’s team sheet. Even with the presence of former Inter player Maicon coming in at the start of the season, the right back has kept a cool head and is a key factor to why City have kept the most clean sheets this year. He is a very effective full back who can defend and sprint down the wings when needed. Holding his position for 29 games this year whilst scoring a couple as well, Zabaletta has proven to be one of City’s under-rated stars.

CB = Chico Flores:

Again this is another unusual choice you may argue but I feel that Chico has been a pivotal factor towards Swansea’s success this year. Brought in at a price of just £2 million, the Spaniard has been the strongest component part of the Swansea defence, featuring in 26 games for the Swan’s including 9 out of the sides 1o clean sheets which include’s a win over Arsenal at the Emirates as well as goalless draws at Anfield and the Etihad. Chico is a key figure for the side and along side Wales captain Ashley Williams, the Welsh side’s defence has looked unbeatable at times and him and his side’s efforts this year have been rewarded with a 9th place finish and a League Cup title. Not bad for your first year.

CB = Jan Vertonghen 

Another player who has had a brilliant first year is Belgian star Jan Vertonghen. Brought in from Ajax, many wondered whether he would be as good as his national counterparts Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen and the answer is, he has been better! He has started 34 out of Spurs’s 38 games and has been arguably the best defender this year. For me Vertonghen is just one of many brilliant signings conducted by Andre Villas Boas (including Courtois, Mata, Lukaku at Chelsea and Lloris and Holtby at Spurs) but unfortunately the Belgian’s efforts have gone unrewarded with the side finishing a disappointing 5th. It will be interesting to see how long he stays if the side don’t achieve a top four finish next year.

LB = Leighton Baines:

Without a doubt, Baines has become the country’s favourite left back ahead of Ashley Cole for both footballing and personal reasons. Baines is a very consistent performer for the Toffee’s and he has scored a collection of fine goals for the side including this stunning free kick against Newcastle. Just take a look!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DX6_JZ7-is

Not only does he have a rocket of a left boot but Baines is a very clever and tactical defender who times his challenges to perfection. It will be tough for him to keep Cole out of the national side due to his reputation however he has the ability to do so and I would certainly pick him over the Chelsea man anyday.

RM = Eden Hazard:

There has been a lot of hype about Eden Hazard after having several remarkable seasons at French side Lille. Making the trip across the pond for £32 million, Hazard has become an integral part of the Chelsea side and he has made a magnificent start to his Premier League career scoring 9 in 34 appearances. Many questioned whether he would succeed of flop like many international super stars have in the past. Remember Alfonso Alves? Nope? Didn’t think so. He was at one point in his career the best striker in Holland once scoring 7 goals in one game for Heereveen and becoming the league’s record goal scorer. He then went to Middlesbrough and flopped and now he plays in the Saudi Arabian league. Anyway going back to Hazard, he has been far from a flop, becoming the leagues most skillful player, gaining a reputation as a ‘defenders nightmare’. He could certainly rise up to the heights of Ronaldo’s reputation within just a few years.

CM = Michael Carrick:

Behind ‘you know who’, Michael Carrick has been Manchester United’s most important player, controlling the midfield in what has been an astonishing season for the Reds. He is the most comfortable player on the ball in the league and his passes are always perfect. His credentials have gone unnoticed in the past few years but this time round he has stepped into the limelight becoming the key provider to much of United’s goals. Carrick is a great role model for young players due to his confidence and manner as a midfielder and his attitude is a trait that many pundits have credited over his career.

CM = Mikel Arteta:

Since making the move from Mersyside to North London, Arteta has grown with confidence and has become a key part of the Gunners side. He may not be the most skillful of midfielders but he makes up for this with his great determination and his superb passing ability. Alongside fellow Spaniard Santi Carzola, the Gunners have, at times, looked similar to the former glories of 2004. He has started in 34 of Arsenal’s games and has started several of them as the side’s captain within just over a year of being at the Emirates. Arteta possesses great traits as a passer but also as a motivator to aid much of the sides young players. In the run in of the final 10 games of the season, the Spaniard has been the main cog in the Arsenal machine as they romped home to a fourth place finish. Very well deserved and a well deserved mention in my team of the season.

LM = Gareth Bale:

There is no other winger who is better than Bale. That’s a fact. The Welshman has become a brand for the Premier League scoring some stunning goals  and becoming the Tottenham’s most valuable player. When Bale has scored in a match, the side have won 14 of their games (2/3′s of their wins!) In total he has scored 21 goals equaling at 31.8% of his team’s goals in the league. Ever since moving up into midfield, Bale has got better and better demonstrating blistering pace and an uncanny eye for goal. He will be a player on many of the European Elite’s transfer lists and I feel if the right offer is made then Levy will surrender. If the side want to gain a top four finish next year they will have to cling on to his services but this will be hard to do against the attraction of European football in the upcoming season.

ST = Michu:

He has been the bargain of the season! Costing the Swans just £2 million, the Spaniard helped deliver a top ten finish scoring 18 goals being the league’s 5th top goal scorer. He has looked impeccable in front of goal being the Welsh side’s key player in what has been another surprise season and he memorably scored a brace at the Emirates to state his claim as one of the best strikers in the top flight. Being the signing of the season is my key reason for this pick as without his goals, Swansea would have been a much weaker attacking threat.

ST = Robin van Persie:

After making the surprising move to Manchester United instead of Manchester City, the Dutchman had a lot to prove in order to show how much he wanted that illusive league title. Scoring 26 goals and becoming the sides most valuable player, I think it’s fair to say that Robin has gone beyond the call of duty as he picked up the golden boot to accompany his league winners medal. In a striking quartet of Rooney, Welbeck and Hernandez, van Persie has been in a different league in comparison to the other strikers and he is the ultimate reason why the team regained the title. Despite going through a dry spell mid-way through the season, RVP is undoubtedly the best striker in the BPL.

SUBS = Begovic, Sagna, Nastasic, Lampard, Coutninho, Suarez and Benteke. 

Inspiration from this post comes from http://robmilnesport.wordpress.com/2013/05/19/milnes-premier-league-team-of-the-season/ , be sure to check out his selection and a lot of his other posts on his sports blog

‘Mighty Mike’s’ coming of age

Traditionally Taylor dominates the Darting world and when ever you hear any news regarding darts it often involves him winning a title. Now it looks like the tide is changing as their is a new kid of the block who looks to be ‘The Power’s’ match. 23 year old Michael van Gerwen came away as the Premier League of Darts champion after beating the former champion Phil Taylor in a stunning game which saw the Dutchman comeback from 2-5 down to win 10-8 in legs, becoming the first non-British player to win the league.

This is the 9th edition of the Premier League and it has arguably been the most thrilling and publicised season to date. Taylor had won 6 out of the 8 seasons leading into this year’s campaign but this time around he had to contend with the favourable Michael van Gerwen. ‘Mighty Mike’, as he is known, has dominated the league season from start to finish winning 11 out of the 16 matches. During this campaign, Mike has served up some brutal performances beating both Gary Anderson and overachieving newbie, Robert Thornton, 7-1. Come the end of the league season, van Gerwen had won the most points, hit the most 140′s and he had hit the most 180′s as well. Going into the play-offs he had lost just 1 from his last 8 games and one of the key traits that has been ever present in this Dutchman’s game has been consistency. Taylor on the other hand has been far from consistent. He finished his league campaign winning just half of his games (not being critical but for ‘The Power’ that’s below par) and he scored the least amount of 180′s out of the top 8! Memorably after his defeat to Thornton on Judgement Night in Brighton, there were fears whether Taylor would make it to the play off’s let alone retain his title. Fortunately he hit form at the right time, like all great champions do, going unbeaten for 6 games leading up to the play off’s leaving him sitting 3rd just behind the two Dutchmen.

Both players cruised through their semi-finals, Taylor beating his rival Raymond van Barnevled whilst van Gerwen saw off ‘The Machine’, James Wade, setting up the final everybody had been hoping for. Both van Gerwen and Taylor were the only players to finish the season on an average of just over 100 and after the stunning PDC World Championship final at the start

Kiss and make up – Taylor and Barney resolved their differences after their scruffle at the World Championships

of the year, this clash was set up to be a classic! ‘Mighty Mike’ had a score to settle with ‘The Power’ after bottling his chance of winning the world title losing 7-4 after having a 4-2 lead. After fighting back from 5-2 down, the players started to play at an equal standard keeping the scores level up to 7-7. Both players exchanged points on each others serve but van Gerwen went into the 17th game 9-8 up with Taylor serving to equalize and take the game into a decisive set. However, he pulled off an astonishing finish to prevent Taylor from levelling the score as he checked out from a score of 132 getting a 25, then triple 19, before hitting the bull to claim glory. It was a stunning match and a true spectacle that glorified the game and in the end the league was won by the deserved winner. With extended television coverage of the Premier League being carried through nationally for a further 5 years hopefully more people will tune in to watch an underated sport at its best!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSEf-XvuiVE (Highlights of the final)

What is most remarkable about this result is that Mike was just 7 and a half months old when Taylor won his first title and now 23 years on, he has become an equal to the legend of the game. He’s in the youngest player to feature in a major darts televised event (be PDC or BDO), he is the youngest player to feature in a BDO World Championship and now he is the youngest player to win the Premier League. He is the most passionate player I have seen this year and he has shown great maturity and confidence to perform so well week in and week out before holding his nerve for the league title. Obviously he is a long way off the feet of Phil Taylor who has won more than 190 proffesional tournaments but with 29 years in which to catch him, I wouldn’t write him off. Watch out for ‘Mighty Mike’ in the next few years. He’s going to be winning a lot more titles!

Au Revoir Murray

Today Andy Murray’s chances of winning the French Open took a huge hit as he was forced out of the Rome Masters with a hip injury, a reoccurring problem from the Madrid Masters. His preparation going into next week’s major already looked bad enough as he has only won 3 games on clay during the clay court season and this lack of game time will have certainly knocked his confidence. This injury couldn’t have come at a worse time with Rolland Garros in just over a week, Wimbledon and Queens soon after plus it was his birthday today!

Many pundits have argued that Murray shouldn’t have even featured in this weeks Masters event since the French Open is more important and it’s crucial that you’re at optimum fitness going into a major. His run in the tournament came to a close against Marcel Granollers, traditionally a doubles player but also very threatening on clay, like many Spaniards. Granollers showed great grit in the opening set withstanding Murray’s offence up and till the 9th game where he broke the Brit before going on to win the set. Once Andy had been broken, he didn’t look comfortable at all as he made it clear that he was having trouble with his hip. His movement was badly effected and this allowed Marcel to open up the court hitting the ball out of his opponents reach. After receiving medical attention during the interval, Murray came out in the following set and continued to look unstable. The first game took over 12 minutes and soon after, before he knew it, Murray was down 4-1 to the Spaniard. The script for the rest of the set was ever-changing as Murray broke back before taking the lead, losing it again, before finally claiming an equalising set through the tie break. In testing conditions which featured strong wind and the grit of the clay rising up creating clouds of dust over the court, neither player was having it their own way. All of sudden, after winning the second set and looking as if he was going to take that momentum into the final set, Murray retired from the match as he felt he could no longer play on.

Neither player played badly and, considering the conditions, both of them exhibited the greatness of their ability. Murray showed great determination to fight back from 4-1 down as he pushed Granollers back with stronger hits towards the baseline using the wind to his advantage. Granollers played brilliantly perfecting the use of the backhand slice to fool Murray on several occasions and he dominated the net points, showing off his skills as a doubles player. Unfortunately Murray wasn’t strong enough to push on and to be fair it was good that he left the game when he did as he left the game with a set against a good opponent and he didn’t cause himself any further damage.

However, Murray revealed in his interviews today that this has been a problem dating back from the end of 2011! He is unsure of whether he will feature at all in Paris as he doesn’t want to risk himself any further harm. Quite frankly, entering the tournament in his current state both physically and mentally with a lack of wins on clay this year would be a terrible idea. The clay courts are known for being more testing on your body as  they work hard against your legs and to win any clay tournament you have to be in the best physical shape. Although Murray had his eyes set on an improved clay season this year possibly challenging for the major, that idea now has to be out of the question. Both Nadal and Djokovic have had more experience of clay this year and they both look in better shape, Nadal more than Djokovic. Additionally Murray would have to surpass other lower ranked players who at the moment, on this surface, would beat him i.e. Ferrer, Wawrinka, Gasquet etc. Surely his team will recommend him to withdraw himself from this years event so that he has more time to recover for a tournament he has a better chance of winning.

Take a look at Nadal for example. Rafa’s injury period stretched on for longer than many expected and that was simply because he didn’t feel he was ready. Even though he missed the Australian Open, he has now won 4 tournaments including 2 masters and he has featured in the final of every tournament he has played in this year. He is arguably in better form than he was last year before his injury and Murray should follow Rafa similarly. The grass and hard courts are more suited for Muzza’s style and hopefully him and his team concentrate on the big events in the summer rather than a tournament he has simply no chance of winning.

Rafa winning the Madrid Masters

Another Stupid Sacking

Although I’m a Manchester United fan, I like many was shocked to hear that Manchester City had sacked Roberto Mancini after 3 and half years at the club. The reason for his removal was down to a dry season where the team won no trophy and failed to reach the knock out stages of the Champions League. This is quite ludicrous considering Arsenal have kept Arsene Wenger who hasn’t won a trophy for 7 years now yet he is still a well loved figure among the fans, like Mancini is. This is just another pointless sacking in my opinion and if you look at any of the Premier League managers who have been removed from office this season, most of them haven’t deserved it.

1. Roberto Di Matteo:

A shocking and disappointing removal for many football fans especially Chelsea fans. After taking over from Andre Villas Boas in March 2012, the Italian went on to win the F.A Cup as well as the Champions League which involved beating both Barcelona and Bayern Munich en route to winning the trophy. Di Matteo had achieved the one goal Abramovich had been pleading for since arriving at the Bridge and he looked to be satisfied after offering him a new contract and the end of the year. However, by November everyone realized that Roman had secretly been searching for a reason to remove Roberto as he wanted a more well known figure head running his club rather than a small time former Chelsea player. After failing to reach the knockout stages following on from a run of poor games, Di Matteo was gone. The Chelsea fans were outraged and they still feel slightly bitter towards Abramovich to this day. And who did he replace him with? Rafa Benitez. A former Liverpool manager who was hated by the Chelsea fans originally and what’s worse, he was appointed as the interim manager till the end of the season. If your going to replace a manager who has won you the biggest prize in club football surely you should wait till the end of the season before beginning your research to find a fitting replacement. Yes Rafa has provided the club with another season of Champions League football and he may possibly win the Europa League but I doubt either of these achievements will sway the opinions of the fans. If Mourinho does return, Chelsea fans will be ecstatic but the troubling thing is that no one knows how long the Special One will stay here before he looks for his next challenge.

2. Mark Hughes: 

Mark Hughes is a well respected manager in England and last year he helped steer the club away from relegation after Warnock’s unlucky Premier League debut with his new club. Hughes though had the most troubling spell as the new Rangers boss as he survived just 12 games in which time his side won 0 games. Now obviously many will argue that his removal was justified but I would disagree. Hindsight is wonderful thing and when you look at the rest of QPR’s season, it has hardly been improved by a great margin. Since Redknapp took over from Hughes in November, the team has picked up 21 points from 26 games. That includes just 4 wins, 9 draws and 12 defeats. When Hughes took over in January 2012, he picked up 20 points from 18 games and ensured the clubs security as a Premier League club. I feel neither manager is to blame for the club’s fall instead I believe that Fernandes should be the source of the blame. Although he has invested a lot of money into signing big name players, none of them have paid off. A lot of optimism was brought up when the list of signings were unveiled by the end of August and I like many thought that the club had been re-made with promise of reaching the top 10. How wrong was I. Players like Park, Hoilett, Bosingwa and Mbia have all turned out to be massive flops.  And lets not forget Christopher Samba who has made a terrible return to the Premier League and this signing will cost the club dearly as he’s unlikely to play in the Championship next year. Hopefully Fernandes will stand by Redknapp and the team becomes more stable for a return to the top flight in 2014.

3. Nigel Adkins: 

The message left by Adkins for the players after his departure from Southampton.

Arguably the most unfortunate of sackings came from St Mary’s after Nigel Adkins was fired before the end of his 3 year contract. After coming into the job in 2010, Adkins guided the Saints up through the English league gaining promotion from League 1 before achieving promotion again the following year in the Championship. As most newly promoted sides do, the Saints were struggling in the top flight but before his sacking the side were still 3 points above the relegation zone sitting in 15th and he was removed after picking up a draw against Chelsea! Many fans were resentful of the board’s decision and although Pochettino made a fitting start to his managerial reign, the team he is using was part of Adkin’s formula. If Southampton do stay up then Adkins will receive the credit for constructing the side and next year we will find out whether Pochettino was really worth heading the team rather than Adkins and hopefully he will learn some English. He’s had long enough!

4.  Brian McDermott: 

Another unfortunate and unappreciated casualty to the axe. McDermott transformed Reading from an average Championship side into a tough League side reviving the strong past of the Royals from the modern era. The team became renowned for their fighting spirit and their will to play till the last minute. They featured in several classic ties including their 5-3 defeat to Arsenal, a 4-3 defeat to Manchester United and a 3-2 win over WBA, being 2-0 with 10 minutes to go. However, like Adkins and Hughes, if you don’t get the points then you don’t survive long in the Premier League and this turned out to be another case where the manager had put so much time into the club and given them success but the past meant nothing.

5. Martin O’Neil: 

Martin O’Neil is one of the most favoured managers in the country and he has had a great deal of experience and success at the clubs he has been with. His most recent Premier League experience before this came with Aston Villa where he guided the club up to 6th place gaining a Europa League place. This new challenge looked hard for O’Neil and he never seemed comfortable in his surroundings. Perhaps being located in the North West hasn’t been his best experience but I’d still say that the Black Cats manager was hardly forced out of the club. The feeling from the fans was mutual since the team weren’t playing badly however they weren’t getting the most important thing. Points. The team went on for 8 games without a win leading up to O’Neil’s departure and the team were left sat just 1 point above the relegation zone. Enter Di Canio, a man with a great character and motivation but I feel that despite a couple of strong games, Di Canio could fall dramatically out of favour and the 6-1 defeat to Villa could mark the start of it. If Wigan are still in the frame for survival come Sunday then I could certainly see Sunderland as the favourite to take the final place in the bottom 3.

6. Roberto Mancini: 

Sacked with one game to go. Quite astonishing! The Manchester City owners are just a group amongst many other groups who are tainting the job of the manager. Becoming a major player in only the past 3 years, humongous pressure has now been set on any manager who comes to the Etihad. Like Chelsea the only thing that will allow you to keep your job at the end of the season is a trophy. This is the first year where Mancini has failed to do so. True he failed to make it past the group stages two seasons in a row in the Champions League but the Italian won the team’s first title in 44 years! Everyone knows that after winning your first title, it’s even harder to win the next one just look at Andy Murray in the tennis. Mancini should have been given a chance to fight back for the crown but unfortunately he hasn’t been allowed to do so.

David Moyes may have the hardest job in  the world at the moment with Manchester United, however, if you ask me the Manchester City and Chelsea job(s) are even harder since these clubs seem to have no support for their managers unlike United who supported one man for 27 years. The first 3 years he didn’t even win anything! Sometimes it’s not that the manager who’s to blame… it’s the towering owners who fail to give them a chance to prove themselves in the long run.

The Young Guns are on fire in Madrid

Earlier this year I uploaded a post outlining the next potential stars for this years ATP season (‘Ones to watch this year’ – http://richwaterhouse.wordpress.com/2013/02/19/ones-to-watch-this-year/) and this week some of their credentials have been proven as Grigor Dimitrov and Kei Nishikori overcame two of the biggest names in the sport at the Madrid Masters.

Officially confirmed this week that Grigor Dimitrov and Maria Sharapova are dating, Dimipova anyone?

The first big name to crash out of this week’s masters event was the world number one, Novak Djokovic! He was beaten by the young Hungarian, Grigor Dimitrov, in an exciting 3 set match which stretched over 3 hours. The match was scintillating and was brilliant to watch due to the contrasting styles of the players. Djokovic, as everyone knows, is a big baseline player who loves to pin you to the back of the court before repeatedly hitting you with powerful ground strokes. Dimitrov on the other hand is a great precision player. Like Djokovic he focuses mainly at hitting the baseline but much of his game is based on his pin point accurate forehand and his beautiful single handed back hand down the line, replicating the style of Roger Federer. ‘Baby Fed’  played very much to the standard of his idol as Djokovic was terrorized by consistent forehand winners down the line. Nole must’ve thought his rival was on the court with him! The first set was taken by Grigor 7-6 after a brilliant set of tennis with both players exchanging winners. In the following set, Djokovic pushed into the next gear after an injury time out and he went on to claim the set in another tie break. The final set proved too much for Nole and his troubled right ankle as Dimitrov continued to carry out his fluent strokes, maintaining a high standard of play to win the second round match 7-6,6-7, 6-3. Obviously many critics will denounce Grigor’s victory down to luck as Djokovic wasn’t 100% for most of the match however I would strongly argue that going on his form yesterday, a fully fit Djokovic may not have been able to hold him down. Already this year Dimitrov has beaten the likes of Tipsarevic, Baghdatis twice, Raonic and now the world number 1 within 5 months which has seen him rise 20 ranking places up to 28. He may have lost in the following round against Stanislas Wawrinka this week but he looks to be a threatening player considering after beating Djokovic on the surface which in the past has been his weakest. He could certainly scratch a few heads this year at Wimbledon as he already has experience winning here as part of the boys singles event in 2008. Dimitrov will certainly be looking to break in to the top 20 by the end of the year.

One man who wasn’t playing like himself was world number 3, Roger Federer, who was looked undermined by his apprentice, Dimitrov. The Swiss was pushed to the edge and knocked out by Japanese youngster, Kei Nishikori who also has aspirations to rise up the rankings this year hopefully breaking into the top 10 for a place at the tour finals in November. Kei played some sublime tennis on Wednesday to knock out the former number 1 as he played some strong forehand strokes with the occasional element of top spin which Fed was too late to react to. As well as this, Nishikori displayed great defence to limit Fed’s abilities and in the end he made his opponent look very average. In the opening set the Japanese number 1 stormed out of the blocks demonstrating great aggression against the Swiss to take a 6-4 win. Federer did show off his superiority in the second fighting back to take a 6-1 win and the odds looked to be in his favour. However, after a long break before the start of the final set, Federer looked shaken and failed to carry his momentum into the decider as Kei demonstrated another strong performance playing with great vigor on the offence to push Federer into areas of the court that he was unable to come back from. In the end, Kei went on to claim the match taking a 6-2 win in the final set to knock out the reigning champion. Kei has a real chance at this title now as he comes up against a lowly ranked Spaniard in the quarter finals today before taking on another Spaniard in the form of either David Ferrer or Rafael Nadal in the semi final. Ofcourse, if he is to make it to the semi final he will have to play similarly to today to stand any chance of beating, you’d think, Nadal, who has his eyes firmly on this title after losing to his rival, Djokovic, in Monte Carlo.

Could this affect Nole’s chances at Rolland Garros in 2 weeks time?

What has impressed me most about these two performances is that both of these players showed great determination to comeback from losing the second set to fight on to take the victory in the final set. Many other young players may have let their nerves get to them and crumbled in the decider but both of these stood strong and this is a great lesson for any aspiring tennis player. When you lose a set, move on and forget about it. The next set is like a new page where nothing has been written.

The End Of The Ferguson Era

Since supporting Manchester United from around the age of 8 years old there has always been one man whose been looked up to. He’s the messiah of Manchester and he’s a legend in his own right. Today the shocking news was announced that Sir Alex Ferguson will retire from management after an astounding 39 years, 26 of them with the Red Devils. He’s the most successful manager in British football winning 38 trophies including 13 Premier Leagues, 5 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, 2 Champions League titles and 1 Club World Cup title. Simply the greatest manager there has been. He has re-branded the United image, he has nurtured footballing superstars and now he will now sit in the stands as one of the clubs directors as he oversee’s his successor who now has huge shoes to fill.

When Ferguson took over in 1986, the Scott took a while to mold his side as he steered the club away from relegation fears in the first few years before winning the FA Cup in 1990 against Crystal Palace in a replay and this was what sparked the way for his success. The following year Fergie was challenged with the task of winning the Premier League title and so he did. After this title win, the title share between United and Liverpool stood at 8-18 in favour of Liverpool. Who would have thought that in 22 years time, United  would hold the record for the most number of titles won by any team, leading Liverpool by 20-18. This has left a bitter taste in the mouths of the scousers and they aren’t the only side who Fergie has tormented.

During his reign as the United manager, Ferguson has been famous for his rivalries. Liverpool, Newcastle, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City are all bitter rivals of the Red Devils and there have many interesting encounters with these sides during his career. I greatly remember the period where London dominated the league as Arsenal and Chelsea exchanged the trophy for 3 seasons from 2006 – 2008.  After that, United came back stronger than ever. The additions of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nemanja Vidic and Edwin Van der Sar made United a powerful force again and these great players helped the club win the title for the next 3 years.

Although I can’t re-call much of Fergie’s early career I was aware when becoming a United fan of the clubs great heritage and one of the clubs greatest modern moments of brilliance came in 1999 when the club won the treble winning the Premier League, the FA Cup and a memorable Champions League final at the Nou Camp against Bayern Munich. I’m sure everyone has seen this clip but here it is again. In my opinion, this was the greatest goal there has been in the Champions League (Solskjaer’s) majorly due to the moment and the timing of the goal coming in the dying minutes as they came from 1 down on the 90th minute to win 2-1.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86BNs0wSBow

“Manchester United have reached the promise land!”

Most recently, Ferguson continued to show his grit as a manager by coming back from the agonising end to last season, losing the title to City on the final day, to win the league title for the 2oth time in the clubs history and they won it by such a classy margin in one of the most dominating league campaigns there has been. In a year where he has experienced managing his 1000th premier league game and has had a statue of himself placed outside the ground just a year after having the North stand named after him, this title was the best way to cap of his career as he finished as a winner.

This blog post would not be fitting with my regular style if I didn’t include some statistics so here we go:

Games managed: 1498 (will have managed 1500 come the end of the season)

Games won: 894

Games drawn: 337

Games lost: 412

Win Percentage = 58.15%

Remarkably, Ferguson has become known as the manager who gets the most out of his players. He is known as a welcoming and wise figure at Old Trafford who can always raise your spirits but be warned, if you get on the wrong side of him, you’ll receive the hair dryer treatment or a boot kicked to your head. He’s responsible for bringing up the likes of David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo who are just a few of many global talents who have ascended from the Theatre of Dreams.

Like the great Matt Busby, Sir Alex Ferguson has always showed great admiration towards the fans. Ferguson was aware of the responsibilities his team had to produce results and entertaining football that the fans deserve. Busby greatly lived on the idea that the football club had a duty to put on a show week in and week out to satisfy the fans who paid money out of their wages to come and watch their local team play and their support should be rewarded. I believe this is still an ethic that lives on at the heart of many football clubs up and down the country, especially at United.

The other side to this story is obviously who will replace him and is there anyone who can achieve as much as he did? I don’t think anyone will as I feel his contribution to the club has been so huge that it can never be beaten. His dedication and the backing he has received from the board has helped enhance the United brand as they are now arguably the most well-known side in the world. As for his successor, all eyes looked to be glued on Goodison Park with David Moyes being the odds on favourite to take on the role. He has done remarkably well with the Toffee’s considering his limited finance and the size of the club and he has turned them into a European side filled with stars who would fit into any of the country’s big four sides plus his playing style is very similar to Ferguson’s. Also in the running is the ‘Special One’ but I feel his fate is already sealed back at Chelsea as well as Jurgen Klopp, Carlo Ancelotti, Jupp Heynckes and my personal favourite, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. How brilliant would it be to see the Super Sub returning to Old Trafford! He had a good spell as the coach of United’s reserves and he has had great success with Norwegian side Molde winning the league title for the past 2 years.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s legacy will never be forgotten and it will never be surpassed. #Thankyousiralex

Wolves must comeback hungrier

As a football fan living in Birmingham, there has been a feeling of mixed fortunes amongst the Midland teams. West Brom are enjoying the good life, sitting in 8th place having experienced their best ever Premier League campaign. Aston Villa are rejoicing after hitting form in the past few months which looks to have steered them away from relegation and on to safety. Blues are looking optimistic for next season after finishing in the top half of the Championship whilst Walsall enjoyed a good League 1 campaign narrowly missing out on the play offs. Unfortunately, Wolves haven’t felt as jubilant this season after suffering their second successive relegation. They are the only team to have suffered this cruel fate twice in their history! However, could there be hope for Wolves with the opportunity of re-building a team capable of taking two giant leaps back to the Premiership and sticking like their neighbours are successfully doing at the moment.

Ever since Mick McCarthy was sacked in February 2012 following the clubs humiliating 5-1 defeat to West Brom, Wolves haven’t looked the same changing managers 3 times in just a year and now they seek a 4th as the revolving door moves as quick as the one at Chelsea. First Terry Connor who managed 13 games without a win leaving the club at the foot of the Premier League.  Then Stale Solbakken came in winning just 8 from 26 games before  Dean Saunders took over in January, winning 5 from 20 games and inevitably he was sacked also. Saunders’s dismissal was announced yesterday and he lasted barely 4 months. The Welshman failed to take advantage of the mid season transfer window and considering the side have only won 13 from 59 games, the team are in a dire situation.

After the club was brought by Steve Morgan in 2007 the club looked to be on the up after authorizing their reputation as a Premier League club in just 4 seasons, surviving  in top flight for 3 years. The club had many notable players at the time including Kevin Doyle, Matt Jarvis, Michael Kightly and Steven Fletcher. However, especially after losing their threat on the channels in the form of Kightly and Jarvis, the team has failed to become as aggressive as they were in attack originally. Although Sakho has been by far the teams best player down the right hand side scoring 10 goals, he has been unable to drag the team out of the drop zone. Doyle and Ebanks Blake have scored 24 goals between them but the team has failed to find goals in any other area. Yes the team has strikers who are scoring but when either hasn’t turned up prepared, no one else has stepped forward to grab the goals.

At the back, Wolves have been woeful. The side have conceded 69 goals this year having a goal difference of -14, one of the worst in the league. Losing 5 of the last 6 games was certainly a consequential factor towards the sides fall from the league. Many fans will agree that this goal summed up the sides season. Although they won, this was against the worst team in the division who didn’t even have to try to grab this consolation goal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLOw9eQiPM8

So, what needs to happen? Obviously Morgan will have to dip his hand into his back pocket and invest a new look team with an optimistic manager in order to jump back up and away from the humiliating depths of league one (for a team of their stature). I for one have to question where the £25 million from the sales of Jarvis and Fletcher has gone to? Surely some of this fund could be used wisely in investing some fresh young talent who are hungry for games. The team can take inspiration from the experiences of Norwich and Southampton who just a few seasons ago were sitting in this position before jumping their way back up the English league as two now established top flight sides. Southampton appointed Nigel Atkins in 2010 on a three year contract and he successfully brought the side up through the ranks nurturing players such as Ricky Lambert, Danny Fox and Jos Hoovield who are all currently regular Premier League players.

I and many fans may agree that this is an opportunity for the Midland side to re-brand themselves and comeback next year as a new side with a new vision hopefully gaining any support they may lose over the summer. Early bird season tickets may have dropped by 34% but the club must now work over the summer to redeem themselves so that they don’t embarrass the fans any more with another poor finish.

What’s needed: 

• Morgan investing in the summer
• Young, bright eyed players hungry for games
• An optimistic manager with a vision (Dean Smith – Walsall?)
• An organised playing style