Stoke aim to defy the odds

Posted by Jon Champion on 13/05/2011

Tony Pulis faces the biggest day of his career in football. © Getty Images

Stoke approach their first ever FA Cup final as definite underdogs. Who says so? Well, their chairman, Peter Coates, whose online betting company has been offering odds as generous as 9/2 against the Potters lifting the cup.

To be unfancied suits Stoke perfectly well. Manager Tony Pulis has also sought to emphasise what he calls the “void” between the two clubs. He knows full well that his team lack the pedigree and poise of their opponents. What he doesn’t say but knows to be true is that Stoke’s boundless passion and persistence is often enough to bridge any gap in quality. Just look at last weekend’s victory over Arsenal.

I must confess that I am delighted to see a club like Stoke in the final. My ears have only just stopped ringing after the decibel-fuelled choruses of ‘Delilah’ that provided a raucous backdrop to the most one-sided semi-final in more than a century.

In this age of foreign ownership and style over substance, Stoke City stand out. They are the only surviving founder members of the Football League never to have won the FA Cup. Image concerns them not one jot.

Times are hard in the Potteries, and ever since Coates returned to the club in 2006, buying out a misguided group of Icelandic investors, the club has done its best to put a smile on the face of a city that has had more than its share of economic setbacks.

The chairman’s first act was to re-appoint Pulis as manager. To say his return was greeted with scepticism would be an understatement: 90% of the club’s fans suggested they would have preferred someone - anyone - else. Ask them now and you would get a very different response.

Pulis and his team have guaranteed a fourth consecutive season in the Premier League, they will play in Europe for the first time since 1974, and the biggest day in the club’s 148-year history is now upon them.

Many of Stoke’s finest former players will be in attendance. Gordon Banks, Denis Smith and Terry Conroy have places in the Royal Box. Conroy scored when Stoke won the 1972 League Cup - their only major honour. Eight weeks ago, he collapsed with an aortic aneurism and was told he had just a 10% chance of surviving the surgery that followed. Happily, he has defied the odds and the thought of being at Wembley has sustained him through the dark days of post-operative recovery.

All of the above mentioned players represented clubs other than Stoke, yet all have gravitated back to watch them on a regular basis. That says a great deal about a club that has a genuine heart. From chairman via manager through an honest group of players to the officials and staff, it’s an organisation that knows its place in the grander scheme of things. That’s why the 28,000 with final tickets are so lucky and why exiled Potters from across the world are scrambling back to savour an occasion many thought Stoke would never be part of.

An internet campaign has been launched encouraging Stoke fans to stay on at the final whistle even if Manchester City have won the cup. The aim: to ensure that a Mancunian moment of celebration has a Potteries backdrop to it. If the worst comes to the worst and their team is second best, they are determined that ‘Delilah’ will be louder than ‘Blue Moon’ when the cup is raised.

Stoke are set on making the most of their biggest day - come what may.

Final flourishes for bosses?

Posted by Jon Champion on 22/04/2011

Will Avram Grant be in charge at Upton Park next season? © Getty Images

Carlo Ancelotti and Avram Grant will occupy the dugouts for ESPN’s live Barclays Premier League fixture between Chelsea and West Ham this Saturday, but you would get long odds against them both being in charge of their respective clubs should they meet again next season.

Ancelotti gives the impression of being a man who already knows - or at the very least strongly suspects - his fate. He’s been down this path before. For Berlusconi in Milan read Abramovich at Chelsea. Both rich, powerful men who apparently like to have a say in the running of their teams. Both demand trophies, yet neither shows much inclination to be patient.

Strangely, Avram Grant probably enjoys a better relationship with the Russian oligarch than the current Chelsea manager. At the request of his friend, the Israeli picked up the pieces after Jose Mourinho’s abrupt departure in 2007 and guided the club to a treble of sorts. Runners-up in the Champions League, the Premier League and the League Cup with just six defeats in 54 matches – good enough for most clubs, but not enough to earn a second season in west London.

Off the back of his stint at Chelsea, Grant has landed jobs at Portsmouth and now West Ham, and in both roles he has been faced with adversity and animosity. He gives the impression of being a man with better connections than qualifications. His hang-dog look is more Clement Freud than Alex Ferguson.

Frustratingly for the Hammers he has shown himself capable of producing results in knockout football. Even now, with four league games left, he has more Cup victories to his credit this season than three-point wins. The humbling of Manchester United in a thrilling League Cup quarter-final will go down as one of the great Upton Park nights, yet all too often the Hammers’ vocal terrace yeomen have been let down by anaemic, listless performances.

Three months ago, Grant looked a goner having thrown his claret and blue scarf into the crowd after a hefty home defeat by Arsenal. Martin O’Neill’s arrival was meant to be imminent. The Israeli’s wave as he sloped down the tunnel was taken as a farewell. In fact it was anything but. The axe never fell and the club’s dalliance with O’Neill had fatally undermined a struggling manager.

Since then there have been suggestions of improvement followed by confirmations that not much has changed. If chairmen Sullivan and Gold had done the deed in January, maybe the club’s plight might have eased. As it is, West Ham now need to win three of their last five games, two of which are against Chelsea and Manchester City. There’s little evidence to suggest that Avram Grant does miracles. Scott Parker sometimes does, but he’s injured.

In fact given West Ham’s travails, this could finally be the week when Fernando Torres breaks his Chelsea duck: 725 minutes without a goal is bad news for a new striker that cost £50,000, let alone £50 million.

I remain to be convinced that Ancelotti really wanted him. The Italian’s body language at Torres’ introductory press conference reminded me of a child forced to say thank you for an undesired Christmas present, proffered by a grandparent with oodles of money but precious little insight into the workings of a young mind.

Ancelotti must have known that Torres’ arrival would unsettle his best players and require a new system to be implemented, but he is a coach not a manager. His job is to work with the players the club decides to buy.

He must feel like the curator of an art gallery that has bought a rare Picasso yet can find no room to display it because of all the other Old Masters already on the walls.

Managing expectation

Posted by Jon Champion on 11/03/2011

Roberto Mancini's side have stumbled on occasion this season © Getty Images

Manchester City and Reading don’t have a great deal in common these days, save that they appointed their managers within two days of each other some 15 months ago - and neither club has had cause to regret their choice.

At tea-time on Sunday, Roberto Mancini and Brian McDermott will be cast as equals for a day as the Football League’s last remaining representatives play their FA Cup quarter-final at Eastlands. You can enjoy the game live on ESPN from 1600 GMT.

The replacement of Mark Hughes with Roberto Mancini created plenty of headlines, but frankly City could have appointed Henry Mancini and, given the resources available, expected him to make a decent fist of the job.

Reading’s scenario was somewhat different. After six years of unparalleled achievement under Steve Coppell had ended in relegation and a failure to return to the Premier League at the first attempt, the Royals had engaged Brendan Rodgers as the man to rebuild their fortunes.

When Plan B yielded little return, Sir John Madejski parted company with Rodgers and, as a way of buying some thinking time, put the club’s faithful servant, Brian McDermott, in temporary charge.

McDermott had been at the club for a decade as chief scout and manager of the youth and reserve teams and was regarded as a safe pair of hands. In fact, he quickly proved to be much more than that, and after a dramatic FA Cup win at Liverpool, the former Arsenal player was confirmed in post.

He went on to oversee a run to the last eight. Reading led 2-0 at Villa Park in the quarter-final, only to be derailed by a John Carew hat-trick, but the ascent in the league from relegation peril to mid-table safety was accomplished with some style and the momentum has continued this season.

Reading are still in with a shout of a play-off place and now face only their third ever FA Cup quarter-final. I saw them win at Goodison Park in the last round - and if they can play as well as that on Sunday, and if City are as insipid as they have tended on occasion to be, then no one should discount the Royals’ chances, especially as their visit comes so soon after a gruelling trip to Kiev for the hosts.

Of the other ties, I would not be surprised if Alex McLeish makes some compromises when he selects his team to face Bolton. Birmingham’s Premier League position is worrying, whereas Owen Coyle can choose his best side with no fear of recrimination.

West Ham appear to be on a roll and must fancy their chances of beating Stoke for the second weekend in a row. However, the hostility of the Britannia Stadium is a big plus for Tony Pulis and his men of steel.

And at Old Trafford, two heavyweights collide. Both managers have had communication issues in the past week. Ferguson has refused to speak, Wenger has said rather too much to a Swiss referee. But if that game is as good as it should be, then everyone will be talking about it.

A truly heavyweight round

Posted by Jon Champion on 28/01/2011

Louis Saha celebrates his record-breaking goal against Chelsea © Getty Images

Whatever happens this weekend in the FA Cup, it will have to go some to outdo the drama, incident and upsets of an outstanding Third Round. Events at Stevenage and Crawley will live long in my memory, but the emphasis over the next few days is on heavyweight rather than catchweight contests.

I am really looking forward to Saturday lunchtime’s reprise of the 2009 final between Everton and Chelsea, which you can enjoy live on ESPN. Goodison Park may be a relic of a bygone age, but there are few better venues for a big match.

When the sides met at Wembley two seasons ago, Louis Saha scored the fastest ever goal in an FA Cup final, expunging the name of Bob Chatt from the record books with his intervention after a mere 25 seconds. Contrary to popular belief, Roberto di Matteo’s 42-second effort in a previous Chelsea final appearance was only a modern mark; Chatt’s record had stood since 1895!

Despite Saha’s moment of history, it was Chelsea who emerged victorious in 2009 thanks to Didier Drogba - who has scored in all three of his finals - and Frank Lampard.

Anyone who saw Chelsea score four at Bolton on Monday night would have gained the distinct impression that they are finding their feet again after an awful run. For their part, Everton made their usual sluggish start to the season and find themselves below mid-table in the Premier League.

I feel for David Moyes because of the severe financial restrictions placed upon him. Steven Pienaar and Yakubu have both departed recently and, as yet, there have been no replacements. Tim Cahill’s participation in the Asian Cup has left a huge gap. Even so, Everton at Goodison is a daunting proposition for any opponent. I can see a replay being necessary.

My other FA Cup tie this weekend is Sunday afternoon’s meeting of Fulham and Tottenham. Fulham were unfortunate to lose to a freakish own goal at Anfield on Wednesday and have been showing better form of late.

However, it is the Cottagers’ misfortune to have been drawn against a talented team whose best hope of silverware probably lies in this competition. Tottenham have three plates to spin and, given the complexities of Europe and the Premier League, the one marked FA Cup is the easiest to keep up in the air.

They have a first-team squad of 34 players, meaning two and sometimes three front-line options for every position. What a contrast to Fulham, for whom finding 18 names to put on a teamsheet can sometimes be a challenge.

Having said that, this is the FA Cup. And as the competition has shown so gloriously and so often already this season, those who believe form or pedigree are important are those who end up cursing the intervention of forces unrelated to logic.

Ashley regime demeaning Newcastle

Posted by Jon Champion on 10/12/2010

Mike Ashley is a deeply unpopular figure on Tyneside © Getty Images

Newcastle United reminds me of the Marie Celeste. The lights are on but it’s been abandoned by its custodians and is drifting dangerously close to the rocks.

That may sound over-dramatic, but how else can one explain the decisions made by Mike Ashley and his cohorts since his purchase of the club? Nothing I’ve heard has suggested that he bought Newcastle on anything other than a whim. He has twice put it up for sale and clearly regards it as an unwelcome drain on his resources.

But for a unique club which commands such devotion to find itself treated like an unwanted Christmas present is demeaning to those who follow it. Ashley is a successful businessman but a failure as an owner. He appears to know the price of everything yet the value of nothing.

It’s all very well to apply business principles to a football club - in fact I would go so far as to say that is admirable - but an inability to recognise that our national sport is an emotional commodity has let Ashley down.

Newcastle United may not matter to him any more than a stake in any other business, but to those whose first waking thought every morning is for their football club, these are distressing times.

And so we have the extraordinary prospect at ESPN’s live match on Saturday of a new manager walking out of the tunnel, before a ball has been kicked, and being booed by the crowd.

If that happens, then Alan Pardew shouldn’t take it personally. The ire will be directed at him as a way of expressing outrage at the owner. Last week, he was a decent manager who was out of work. This week, he has become a decent manager who’s had a lucky break. I will be interested to see how long he considers himself fortunate. Messrs Allardyce, Kinnear, Keegan, Shearer and Hughton may have been amongst those who texted the Newcastle appointee to say he must be mad to sign a contract drawn up by the current regime.

It had been a depressingly open secret that Chris Hughton’s days were numbered. I’m sure he knew it, and even if the timing may have surprised him, he is too clever to have felt anything other than undermined by the conspicuous lack of boardroom support.

On the eve of Newcastle’s 6-0 demolition of Aston Villa in August I had cause to ring Hughton. Pleasantries included the usual “How are you?” to which the reply - delivered with a chuckle - was “Well, I’m still here”!

In time, he may come to regard his exit as a blessing. Wherever he next plies his trade, he will enjoy proper support and trust, and given his widespread popularity, he certainly won’t have to run the gauntlet at his first home game.

If you join us on ESPN for Newcastle against Liverpool, and if Alan Pardew is given a hard time, then spare a thought for the man caught up in the emotional maelstrom of managing a club that is like no other.

St James’ Park has the air of a cathedral about it standing high on a hill above the elegant Georgian buildings of the city. Cathedrals are built on the faith of those who attend them. Mr Ashley would do well to remember that faith in any walk of life has an incalculable value. My fear is that only its price registers with him.

A rainy night in Rochdale

Posted by Jon Champion on 04/11/2010

Now, please don’t get me wrong, there is no job I would rather do than the one I currently have. Even so, there are times when my enthusiasm can be tested, and an example occurred at 7.51 on Tuesday evening.

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The location was Spotland, the well-appointed and much-improved home of Rochdale. The occasion was the first League visit for 36 years of local rivals, Oldham Athletic.

Much as I admire the earthy qualities of Lancashire derbies, it was the chance to examine Rochdale at close quarters ahead of ESPN’s first FA Cup broadcast on Friday that led me to book a ticket. When the Dale players trot out to face FC United, I need to know what they look like, hence a three hour car journey seemed worthwhile for peace of mind.

That was to reckon without the fickle British climate. Leaving home in bright sunshine, the weather didn’t even seem a factor. By Birmingham it was dull, by Stoke it was wet, by Manchester the rain had become torrential enough for the M6 to grind to a halt (it doesn’t take much!).

A three hour trip stretched beyond the four hour mark, but the warm welcome from Rochdale chairman Chris Dunphy made the frustrations worthwhile. He used to walk to the ground as a child from his home five miles away in Milnrow and he guides the club with the love and attention one would expect from a lifelong fan.

Out we went in time for kick-off, only to be greeted by monsoon conditions. The ball couldn’t travel reliably across the surface, the Oldham left-back was in danger of drowning, and less than six minutes in, the referee, Tony Bates, had little option but to abandon the game. 300 miles for 300 seconds of football!

Hopefully, I gleaned enough to be able to recognise the Rochdale team. Friday evening will be the test. But for all the angst, I have to confess it was not my worst ‘call-off’. That came when I was assigned to an FA Cup tie between Carlisle and Sheffield Wednesday - then in the Premier League. A spying mission to Brunton Park for a midweek game against Hull was thwarted when fog descended just before kick-off. That was a 600 mile round trip for no football at all, so maybe I should consider myself fortunate.

In any case, I can forgive just about anything when the FA Cup is involved. For me, it remains a special competition, celebrating the inequalities it throws up and creating memories and heroes.

Officials at Rochdale reckon Spotland’s 10,000 capacity could be tested when FC United and their many followers come to town; it promises to be a unique occasion.

FC were only founded in 2005 and still retain their original manager, Karl Marginson. Many of those who support them travelled the continent watching Manchester United before the Glazers’ arrival brought debt and disillusionment. One elderly gentleman who was at their game at Ossett Town last week explained to me that he has two highlights in his football-watching career: One is Solskjaer’s never-to-be-forgotten winner in Barcelona in 1999, the other is Carlos Roca’s goal against Barrow that took FC United into the FA Cup proper for the very first time.

FC United has given a significant number of football followers a sense of belonging that Premier League and Champions League teams can no longer offer. It is a cause as well as a club and Friday will provide a defining moment. That the FA Cup has provided the framework for it to happen is another reason to be grateful to the best club cup competition in the world. Let’s just hope the weather plays ball.

Spy games and Spurs games

Posted by Jon Champion on 27/10/2010

ESPN is proud to be broadcasting the FA Cup this season © Getty Images

The first round of the FA Cup is almost upon us, so this week I have been on a spying mission. Nowhere exotic, you understand, and a disguise wasn’t strictly necessary, but on Tuesday, I found myself at Ingfield. For longer than anyone can care to remember, it has been the home of Ossett Town, proud members of the Evostik Northern Premier League Premier Division.

Ossett is a town in the Heavy Woollen District of West Yorkshire, founded on the prosperity of the 19th century wool industry. It is not big, but it supports two football clubs – Ossett Albion play in the league below Town. The reason for my visit was a game against the headline act in the cup’s first round, FC United of Manchester, the club born out of the discontent engendered by the Glazers’ purchase of Manchester United.

FC United won 3-0, defying spirited opponents and a difficult pitch. Their supporters made up perhaps 80% of the crowd of 387. Many of them were bedecked in flags and most sang at a volume better gauged by the Richter scale than by decibels.

Next week, ten times that number of FC United fans will make the short journey to Spotland for their Cup tie at Rochdale – I have a visit to Rochdale v Oldham lined up next Tuesday so will give a considered view of ESPN’s first live FA Cup tie in my next blog once I’ve seen both sides – but the point of mentioning FC at all is by way of introduction to our big game on ESPN this week.

Those FC supporters may be disenchanted by the way Manchester United are run, but they still want the club to do well on the pitch, so once FC’s FA Trophy tie against Colwyn Bay has run its course on Saturday, I’m sure they’ll be joining us for the 1730 BST kick-off at Old Trafford and one of the season’s showpiece games – Manchester United against Tottenham.

It’s a fixture that is rarely dull and is famous for spectacular turnarounds. Eight years ago at White Hart Lane, Spurs led 3-0 at half-time yet ended up losing 5-3. Two seasons ago at Old Trafford, they were 2-0 ahead only for Ronaldo to earn a penalty that shouldn’t have been given. Just 22 minutes later, Tottenham trailed 5-2!

Such has been the way of meetings between these two, and I nearly neglected to mention Pedro Mendes’ ‘goal’ that should have given Spurs a last-minute win at United’s home. Roy Carroll’s fumble took the ball way over his own line and only the officials failed to spot it.

This time round, I foresee an open contest but a close game. For all that they remain unbeaten, Manchester United have yet to truly convince and it’s they who’ve been throwing away leads for once. I feel that Harry Redknapp is still discovering how best to confront the twin demands of Champions League and Premier League matches in quick succession.

You will get no prediction from me, other than it’s a game you’d be unwise to miss!

A welcome return to Tyneside

Posted by Jon Champion on 19/08/2010

It is part of a commentator’s job description that they must show impartiality at all times and I stand resolutely by that dictum. However, I can’t help but say that I missed my visits to St James’ Park whilst Newcastle were languishing in the Championship last season, and I’m delighted to be renewing acquaintance with one of the game’s most passionate arenas so early in the new season.

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Roberto a Man of action

Posted by Jon Champion on 25/03/2010

It’s that time of year, all right. Seven weekends to go in the Premier League, and if we needed a reminder that things are getting serious, then Roberto Mancini’s decision to pick a fight with a rugged Glaswegian centre-half-turned-manager on the Eastlands touchline provided it.

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To Hull and back

Posted by Jon Champion on 12/03/2010

What a difference a week makes! Last Saturday, Arsenal's self-assured Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner invited ridicule with his impression of a Sunday League striker against Burnley. By Tuesday night, he was being lauded as a world-class talent after his hat-trick had helped destroy Porto in the Champions League.

The truth, as ever, lies somewhere between the two extremes – and ESPN's Saturday tea-time live game at the KC Stadium offers a wider public the chance to make an assessment.

It is, of course, another very important game for the Gunners as they pursue the most unlikely of title wins. Yet it will be equally significant for Hull City, whose tenuous grip on a Premier League place was weakened still further by last weekend's capitulation at Everton.

Last season's surprise package have become this season's predictable strugglers. Chairman Adam Pearson's revelation at a recent forum that relegation could cost the club £100 million merely cranked up the pressure on a squad of players that is bigger on quantity than quality.

Prior to the Tigers' promotion, I had always regarded Hull and Plymouth as the two English clubs with the greatest untapped potential. Both out on a geographical limb and therefore with huge catchment areas, they had never really suggested they had Premier League football in them until Phil Brown's transformation of Hull took them into uncharted territory via Dean Windass' wonderful Wembley winner.

After last season's flying start, Brown's team have now won just 5 of their last 38 fixtures in the Barclays Premier League. Yet they retain a home record – 1 defeat in their last ten at the KC – that sustains hope of survival.

They also know how to get under Arsenal's skin. Let's not forget that they won at the Emirates in the League last season, were beaten by an offside goal in the FA Cup, were level in their home game against the Gunners until 8 minutes from time, and – earlier this season – Geovanni spurned a penalty in North London that would have tied the game at 1-1.

That was also the day when Samir Nasri trod on Richard Garcia's foot, triggering a wider disagreement among the players that cost both clubs FA fines.

So the message from the Hull manager will be to get in Arsenal's faces and make sure effort overcomes elegance. It may not work, but it's their best hope.

At the other end of the M62, Liverpool's season gets no better. I thought they were really poor at Wigan last Monday and didn't improve enough at Lille in the Europa League.

A trip down memory lane

Posted by Jon Champion on 04/03/2010

In 18 seasons of covering and watching the Premier League, there are perhaps ten matches that stand out in my memory as “I was there” occasions, and ESPN’s live game between Wolves and Manchester United on Saturday reminds me of one of them.

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Paying the penalty

Posted by Jon Champion on 18/02/2010

Executives in television land love nothing more than to boast that "the action comes thick and fast – and it's live on...(insert relevant channel)". This weekend, they may just be right.

Tom Huddlestone's failure to convert a penalty in Tottenham's FA Cup 5th round tie at the Reebok condemned Bolton and Spurs to a replay and led to Monday night's Lancashire derby at Blackburn becoming an h'or d'oeuvre to Sunday lunch.

Even at World Cups – where the group stages are relentless – I don't think I can recall commentating on two games quite as close together as ESPN's upcoming live offerings from the Barclays Premier League.

That's close, by the way, in terms of time not distance. A quick glance at the RAC routefinder uncovered the joyless statistic that Fratton Park to Ewood Park by road is a trip of 281 miles. The predicted journey time of 5 hours and 11 minutes doesn't allow for the fact that a section of the M6 is being closed on Saturday night. As for average speed cameras, don't get me started on them!

Not that I am moaning. The logistics are a challenge not a chore, and as we approach the business end of the League season, there is plenty to recommend both games.

By way of preparation, I motored down to Portsmouth last week to watch Pompey play Sunderland. I wasn't expecting a classic, but after 3 red cards – one of them initially delivered to the wrong player, the dismissal of an angry Avram Grant, plus a series of other contentious incidents, I was clearly wrong.

There was enough spirit in the Pompey team to suggest they'll be awkward opponents for Stoke, albeit the Potters are still unbeaten in 2010. There is a siege mentality at Fratton, in the midst of which Grant has become an unlikely folk-hero. I have never seen him as animated as during that Sunderland game. Portsmouth fans must feel the whole world is against them right now with March 1st the next D-day at the High Court, so a defiant manager has become a rallying symbol.

The men in the dugouts will also hog the attention at Ewood on Sunday. Sam Allardyce was the man who established Bolton as a Premier League force yet now guides local rivals Blackburn. His successors at the Reebok have struggled to emulate him, yet Owen Coyle clearly feels Bolton are a better vehicle for his managerial ambitions than Burnley.

The road that links the two towns, winding its way across the West Pennine Moors and on through Darwen, wouldn't have been called the A666 when these founder members of the Football League first met in an FA Cup tie in 1881, but it'll be just as busy on Sunday morning as supporters make their way to the 156th engagement between the teams.

And seeing as that penalty save by Jussi Jasskelainen from Huddlestone is the reason for the strange kick-off time, it's worth pointing out that in Bolton's last three visits to Blackburn they've conceded five penalties of which Jaaskelainen has saved a superb three of them.

This Lancashire dust-up is one that rarely passes without incident. It's recent history is littered with late goals, red cards and an infamous dive by El-Hadji Diouf that earned a penalty when he was playing for Bolton at Ewood in this fixture five years ago. The Senegalese took the kick, saw it saved, but scored the winner from the rebound. The fact he's now playing for Blackburn merely adds spice to a lunchtime Lancashire hot-pot.

Rejuvenated rivals clash at White Hart Lane

Posted by Jon Champion on 04/02/2010

This Saturday, ESPN offers a teatime appointment with two of the teams intent on breaking into the top four. Tottenham against Aston Villa promises to deliver everything that our last live game, Sunderland versus Stoke, sadly failed to.

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An old-fashioned welcome

Posted by Jon Champion on 28/01/2010

Even as someone lucky enough to visit the great citadels of English football on a regular basis, I am really looking forward to my trip to Turf Moor on Saturday. And not just because of the quality of the fish and chips outside the ground or even the pies within!

Whenever I have been to Burnley over the years, I have always been struck by the authenticity of the experience. The Clarets were founder members of the Football League in 1888. Turf Moor was their home then, just as it is now. As a backdrop, the Pennines take some beating, while the stadium itself, with its steep stands and old wooden seats, radiates history and noise.

The dressing rooms are spartan by today’s standards of luxury. The corridor that runs outside them is dimly lit and heavily populated by people scurrying in and out of a myriad of tiny rooms housing boots, laundry and memories.

Contrast that with the majority of Premier League venues, where the players’ environment is all subdued lighting, plunge pools and brushed steel - there is no comparison. When Chelsea’s multinational squad strut off the bus ahead of Saturday’s teatime’s live game on ESPN, they will be stepping back in time.

Indeed, the last Chelsea team to turn out at Turf Moor - back in 1983 - would have encountered similar conditions. For the record, Burnley won that game 3-0, with a brace of goals from Northern Ireland’s World Cup hero Billy Hamilton. Playing at right-back for the Clarets that day was 21-year-old Brian Laws. Saturday sees him make his home debut as Burnley’s manager.

It’s not the easiest job to have walked into. Owen Coyle is a hard act to follow and money is clearly tight. Three months without a Premier League win has seen much of the early-season optimism drift away. The last four home matches have ended in 1-1 draws and, for the first time, Burnley are in the bottom three, but if they are to save themselves, most of the salvage work will have to be done on their own pitch. They need Turf Moor to be as partisan and unwelcoming as possible.

They will hope to give Chelsea a stiff examination. The leaders have breezed through January and barely noticed the loss of their African players, but Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou are now back in the mix. They entertain Arsenal next weekend but can afford no slip-ups at Burnley or Hull before that capital collision.

So Saturday is all about antiquity of surroundings, while ESPN’s Monday Night Football comes from the most modern of settings as Sunderland face Stoke at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland have forgotten how to defend and therefore how to win, but Stoke will arrive still buzzing from their FA Cup win over Arsenal. Only two points separate them in the Premier League table.

It will be a night for reunions. Six current Potters - Sorensen, Higginbotham, Collins, Delap, Whitehead and Lawrence - used to be Black Cats, and Stoke’s assistant manager, Peter Reid, was the man who led Sunderland to consecutive seventh-place finishes in the Premier League.

Steve Bruce’s men haven’t won in the League since beating Arsenal more than two months ago. Victory over the Gunners was a bad omen for them; their aim now is to make Stoke suffer a similar fate.

Bobby Manc: The Man City deity

Posted by Jon Champion on 14/01/2010

Their new-found wealth notwithstanding, there truly is no other club quite like Manchester City. Black and white would be more appropriate colours than the cherished light blue because they only seem to deal in extremes.

There is no middle ground for City’s followers. It’s either desolation or delight. The glass is never half-full or half-empty, only brimming over the edge or totally drained.

A straw poll of fans and officials in the wake of Monday’s impressive display against Blackburn uncovered a general belief that world domination cannot now be far away. After December’s messy divorce from Mark Hughes, January has brought a whirlwind romance with Roberto Mancini.

No other manager in the club’s history has begun with four consecutive victories, and when the urbane Italian strolled along the corridors of power at Eastlands late on Monday evening, still wearing that now familiar scarf, he was greeted like some sort of deity.

So anxious are Manchester City’s followers for sustained success that reason may have temporarily deserted them. Yes, they’ve made a perfect start under their new mentor and things look promising, but when this observer dared suggest a touch of realism and pointed out the accommodating nature of their recent fixtures, he was dismissed as some sort of spoilsport lunatic!

They may well be right, but if Roberto Mancini had been allowed to choose his early games, he might well have picked Wolves, Stoke, Middlesbrough and Blackburn. The Carling Cup semi-final ties against their neighbours and Premier League games in February against Liverpool and Chelsea may be a more accurate indicator. So too will be ESPN's live game this Saturday at Goodison Park.

Cruelly deprived of their best players for much of the past year, Everton are beginning to find their feet. They led twice at the Emirates last weekend and both the Gunners’ goals came courtesy of hefty deflections. The signing of Landon Donovan provides new impetus and genuine quality. They will be no-one’s soft touch from here on in.

Therefore we may start to get a clearer picture of where City stand. What Mancini has unquestionably brought is greater defensive rigour. Extra training sessions at Carrington have centred on establishing two banks of four when defending and the manager’s mantra demands those lines of midfielders and defenders should never be more than ten yards apart.

In Mark Hughes’ last four games, City conceded ten goals; in Mancini’s first four matches, they’ve let in just one – and Morten Gamst Pedersen’s effort for Blackburn on Monday elicited immediate anger from the Italian on the touchline.

There’s also the Tevez factor to consider. A United substitute has rapidly become a City star, relishing the trust placed in him and happy to hog the limelight.

Others displaced under Hughes – and I’m thinking in particular of Martin Petrov – have been given a fresh start. And then there was the left-field selection of Benjani, who promptly set up 3 of the 4 goals against hapless Rovers.

So, all in all, a terrific start for Bobby Manc, as the fans have taken to calling Mancini. But Manchester City wouldn’t be the club it is without a history of false dawns, so a little perspective wouldn’t go amiss. We’ll know more in a week’s time.

The 'Big Freeze' is snow joke

Posted by Jon Champion on 07/01/2010

According to our overworked weather forecasters, we are now in the midst of Britain’s coldest spell of weather for nearly 30 years. Another week or so of this and the comparison will be with the ‘Big Freeze’ of 1963 when, so my ageing relatives tell me, the nation had to do without football for a full six weeks.

Inactivity led to innovation. Leicester tried - and failed - to protect Filbert Street with a tent, Chelsea used a tar-burner, whilst Blackpool employed a flame-thrower.

These days, pitches have better heating systems than most houses, and the majority of postponements at our well-appointed stadiums come about because the surrounding roads and pavements have yet to enjoy similar luxurious treatment.

All of which is a roundabout way of saying that any blog looking ahead to this weekend’s football may be rendered redundant by an army of Health and Safety officials - and that would be a pity because ESPN’s two live games have plenty to commend them.

Saturday teatime sees Manchester United visiting St Andrew’s to face a Birmingham City team defying expectation. A run of 11 Premier League games without defeat is Blues’ best in the top division since 1908…12 would be a club record - and if Alex McLeish names an unchanged team for a ninth consecutive match, that would be a first in the history of the Barclays Premier League.

By contrast, Sir Alex Ferguson is likely to ignore the attraction of saying “same again” for the 100th time in a row, although given the dreadful nature of their FA Cup exit against Leeds, perhaps that’s not a shock.

What is surprising is the way all the leading teams are passing up the chance to seize the title baton and run with it. Arsene Wenger reckons the Premier League could be won with as few as 78 points this year, and that is unheard of.

Two weeks ago, Birmingham would have beaten Chelsea but for a dubious offside call against Christian Benitez. Manchester United have every reason to feel concerned over what awaits them in Bordesley Green.

Then on Monday it’s off to Eastlands for ESPN’s other live fixture. Manchester City versus Blackburn could be a foretaste of the Carling Cup Final.

Roberto Mancini couldn’t have asked for a more accommodating sequence of games with which to ease himself into the manager’s chair. Blackburn have gone eight matches without a league victory - too long for comfort - but they showed at Old Trafford earlier in the season that they can be obdurate, and Sam Allardyce will have them well prepared.

City’s list of injured and absent will also be a factor, although reinforcements would seem to be on the way, quite possibly led by Patrick Vieira.

The club’s reporting of an annual loss of £92 million passed without rigorous comment this week, but it appears recruitment will continue apace. At this stage of the Abu Dhabi ‘project’, the balance sheet is immaterial. It’s to be hoped the beating heart of a unique club remains strong amidst the cascade of cash.

The pies have it at Wigan

Posted by Jon Champion on 17/12/2009

I would venture to suggest that this Barclays Premier League season is setting new standards for unpredictability. The sides that apparently want to win the title are making a good fist of appearing ambivalent about it.

Aston Villa's first win at Old Trafford in 26 years and Chelsea's aversion to defending set-pieces transferred the spotlight onto Arsenal at the start of the week. Arsene Wenger was quick to declare that his charges were back in the picture after coming from behind to heap more misery on Liverpool. Three days later, a performance of baffling mediocrity at Turf Moor made his assertion ring hollow.

Worse still, his leading scorer Cesc Fabregas succumbedto a hamstring injury, so the Spaniard – who with 12 assists has created more Premier League goals than any other player this season – will be sorely missed when ESPN broadcasts Saturday's visit of Hull City to the Emirates.

Just as damaging is the absence of Robin Van Persie. The rapier that is Arsenal's attacking play has become a blunt instrument without the Dutchman. However incisive their passing, however inspired their movement, the Gunners appear to have no-one capable of adding a finishing touch to their art work.

Andrei Arshavin may be a terrific footballer, but at 5'6" he's hardly going to be the focal point that all teams need. Eduardo offers slightly more physical presence, yet he appears a shadow of the rampant goalscorer that terrorised defenders prior to his horrible injury. The leg may have mended but I'm not convinced the mind is back to what it once was.

Of course, Hull created one of the shocks of last season by winning at the Emirates. Geovanni's swerving 25 yard drive remains indelibly etched in the memory, so too the disbelief an Arsenal faces in the wake of Daniel Cousin's winning header.

Yet the meeting that created the biggest headlines was the stormy FA Cup quarter-final in March. Arsenal came from behind to win with an offside goal from William Gallas. Arsene Wenger went AWOL when there was a risk of having to shake Phil Brown's hand, whilst Fabregas – not involved as a player that evening – marched onto the pitch in hoodie and sneakers at the final whistle to add fuel to the fire of Hull's frustration. Allegations of a spitting incident involving the Spaniard in the tunnel were unedifying and unproven. No-one emerged from an unsavoury occasion with much credit.

So it's to be hoped that both camps decide a fresh start is their best course. Arsenal have played twice since Hull last took to the field. That should offer the Tigers some hope, but the bookies are offering odds of 18-1 against an away win.

ESPN's other live Premier League offering this weekend is Monday night's Lancashire derby between Wigan and Bolton. Mere mention of the Latics brings us back to the theme of unpredictability, whilst Bolton do seem to have rediscovered some semblance of form. A difficult one to call, this. The only certainty is that the pies will be outstanding – in that category, Wigan has no peer!

Confrontation a part of management

Posted by Jon Champion on 10/12/2009

As we career headlong towards Christmas, some members of the footballing fraternity have clearly forgotten about the season of goodwill. As if the coming together of manager and star striker at Stoke wasn’t bad enough, Monday brought another confrontation between Queens Park Rangers’ Jim Magilton and his mercurial Magyar, Akos Buszaky.

Such disagreements have always been a part of dressing room life. That’s not to justify them, merely to put these latest incidents into some sort of context. Latest reports suggest Magilton may lose his job for losing his temper. In truth, there wouldn’t be too many managers in work if every bust-up ended in disciplinary action.

Any ex-pro will regale you with tales of far more serious bust-ups that simply went unreported, but times have changed and player power has increased dramatically. A clip round the ear may be tempting for a frustrated manager, but its consequences could be career-threatening. A point for Richard Bevan and his staff at the League Managers’ Association to ponder.

Of course, if such scrutiny had always existed, the career of British football’s most successful manager might never have got off the ground. Popular rumour suggests Sir Alex Ferguson has never been averse to a confrontation. Players at East Stirling, St. Mirren, Aberdeen and – for the last 23 years – Manchester United have been kept in line by a man with a hair-trigger temper. Yet crucially, Ferguson has used the threat of an explosion as much as the temper itself when dealing with the precious commodities who make up his teams. As a result, he commands enormous respect.

When he addresses his depleted forces ahead of ESPN’s live Premier League match against Aston Villa this Saturday, Ferguson will emphasise the importance of the next couple of months. This is his favourite time of the season when, with the Champions League and international calls out of the way for a while, his team can move through the gears.

The first signs that the reigning champions were finding their feet came in their unlucky defeat at Chelsea. Since then there’s been a growing sense of conviction in their performances. The biggest threat to them on Saturday would appear to be from their own injury list. The absence of seven defenders tests even the deepest of squads.

The other issue for them this weekend will be dealing with the pace and exuberance of Aston Villa. The return to fitness of Stewart Downing has allowed Martin O’Neill to field James Milner in central midfield, and in the past two games he’s been a revelation. The former Leeds United ball-boy is one of six candidates for England’s World Cup squad likely to start at Old Trafford.

It’s 26 years since a Villa team won there. Of 34 Premier League meetings home and away, Aston Villa have won just two. History suggests a Manchester United victory, so does the time of year, but there is no better motivator of players for a challenge than Martin O’Neill, so this game should produce the sort of dust-up that no-one will see fit to complain about.

Chelsea game a measure of City progress

Posted by Jon Champion on 04/12/2009

The view you take of Manchester City’s recent form probably reveals a great deal about your personality. Is the glass half full or half empty? Seven consecutive draws is a Premier League record Mark Hughes could have done without, but the fact remains that City are the hardest team to beat in English football.

Only Manchester United have managed it this season - and even then they relied on a goal so late it bordered on the posthumous - so when the Premier League leaders pitch up at Eastlands on Saturday teatime, they can expect their title credentials to be fully examined. It is without question the game of the weekend and is live only on ESPN.

Kevin Keegan will be on duty in the studio. He remains the last City manager to taste victory over Chelsea. The player who earned that win for the light blues back in 2004 was Nicolas Anelka, now leading the opposition line with the newly focused Didier Drogba and aiming to prove that dark blue will be this season’s colour.

Reading the reviews of Chelsea’s win at Arsenal last weekend, you could be forgiven for thinking the title race is already over. I was lucky enough to be at the Emirates, and I thought the way the game unfolded was entirely predictable. Arsenal played pretty football; Chelsea showed power and pragmatism and were rewarded with three goals and three points.

Whilst I would agree with those who say Chelsea have been the most impressive team in the Premier League this season so far, I would sound a note of caution. Even though they beat Manchester United with a fortuitous John Terry goal at Stamford Bridge last month, the reigning champions made them look distinctly ordinary. Nor did they look the part at Wigan or Aston Villa. They have been beaten and they will be again. With two-thirds of the season still to play I would hate to think that their rivals regard them as invincible.

It’ll be fascinating to see whether, at this point in their development, Manchester City are strong enough to do their neighbours a favour. Even with the financial muscle of Abu Dhabi behind them, City haven’t yet been able to attract the very best players.

Only when they have Champions League football to offer as well as Champions League money will they find the stellar names willing to come. For the time being, they have some very good players - but make no mistake, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Wayne Bridge only swapped west London for east Manchester because Chelsea decided they could manage without them.

Essentially, Manchester City are following a similar path to that trodden by Chelsea when Roman Abramovich first invested part of his fortune in the club. Expectations are inflated, so are the transfer fees and wage demands of potential recruits. There are occasional peaks but still some troughs. Nonetheless, this Saturday’s fixture is a measure of how far City have come and how far they still have to go. For once, they might even be happy with a draw.

Auditioning for England

Posted by Jon Champion on 26/11/2009

Just over six months to the start of the World Cup - and with 23 spaces to fill in his squad for South Africa, where better for Fabio Capello to spend this Saturday afternoon than at Villa Park? ESPN's live game from the Barclays Premier League is Aston Villa versus Tottenham, and between them they supply 13 England contenders. The national team coach will get no better opportunity to distinguish the probables from the possibles.

Both teams have invested heavily in pursuit of a top 4 place. Villa's likely starting eleven cost £61 million to assemble, Tottenham's nearer £70 million. They value foreign flair yet trust more homespun talent too.

So there'll be a chance to evaluate the widemen. Will the in-form Lennon outshine the Villa trio of Milner, Downing and Ashley Young? And then there are the strikers. Can Emile Heskey muscle his way back into contention ahead of Peter Crouch...will Defoe's flurry of goals see off the challenge of the improving Agbonlahor? In midfield, Huddlestone and Jenas have an opportunity to shine. Amongst the defenders, Woodgate, Warnock and even Ledley King(if fit) will know that this is one of the more important England auditions.

It's heartening to see so much English talent on display in one Premier League fixture. And lower down the league structure, there are some diamonds being unearthed.

Rather than watch Liverpool fall out of the Champions League, I took myself off to Swindon on Tuesday night. Huddersfield were the visitors for a League One fixture, and having heard plenty from my co-commentator Joe Royle about the Terriers' leading scorer, I was looking forward to seeing 19-year-old Jordan Rhodes at first hand.

In fact he had few chances to add to his 13 goals as a fierce wind did its best to make constructive football impossible. Swindon adapted better and look to have uncovered a gem of their own in matchwinner Charlie Austin. Four months ago he was working as a brickie for his father's building company whilst banging in the goals for Wessex League side Poole Town. Having almost signed for Bournemouth, he was offered a trial by Swindon. Last weekend the 20 year old scored the winner on his full debut at Carlisle and followed that up with another decisive goal against Huddersfield.

No wonder there was quiet satisfaction etched across the face of Swindon chairman Andrew Fitton, for it was he who recommended Austin as a possible recruit. Fitton is no ordinary chairman. A successful businessman, he has studied for his coaching badges and specialises in common sense. He trusts Danny Wilson to handle affairs on the pitch, whilst off it, he and his boardroom colleagues are breathing life into a club neglected for too long by previous regimes that lost the trust of supporters.

On Saturday, Swindon go to Wrexham in the FA Cup, hoping that victory will earn a 3rd round pay-day against an Aston Villa or a Tottenham. Meanwhile, those two heavyweights have a few issues to settle themselves. There won't be too many of us neutrals inside Villa Park, but it's not a game to miss.

Fergie takes his seat for Rodwell audition

Posted by Jon Champion on 20/11/2009

The initial expectation was that as the audience settle into their Old Trafford seats at tea-time on Saturday, the conductor would be among them in the stalls rather than taking up his traditional position in the orchestra pit.

Musicians often claim they’d be better off without the man with the baton. Until the FA’s clarification of when – and against whom – Sir Alex Ferguson will serve his touchline ban – this weekend’s ESPN live game against Everton was expected to be Manchester United’s chance to show the same could apply in football. As it is, the Scot will now sit in the posh seats at Portsmouth and for the Carling Cup quarter-final against Tottenham.

When the Old Trafford overlord’s banishment does kick in, it probably won’t alter too much out on the pitch. After all, his glowering stare can instil fear from long range as well as short. I just hope the ground authorities can find him a seat, unlike Arsene Wenger at Old Trafford earlier in the season.

Ferguson’s diversionary tactics have been much in evidence in recent weeks. Alan Wiley is not the only referee to find himself used as a public target, when in private, the manager’s ire will have been directed at players who have fallen short. The Wiley outburst directed attention away from Ben Foster’s shaky display in the home draw with Sunderland - Andre Marriner’s “inexperience” in big games was brought up rather than the capitulation of the United centre-backs following the setback at Liverpool. Then, at Stamford Bridge, Martin Atkinson was criticised in the wake of an unlucky defeat by Chelsea.

In the last case, I can find some sympathy. Darren Fletcher was harshly penalised for a challenge on Ashley Cole, and from the free-kick, a combination of John Terry and Nicolas Anelka gave Chelsea an undeserved victory, and with it, a five point lead in the Barclays Premier League title chase.

Yet in defeat, I thought I detected signs of better things to come from the champions. Despite a healthy number of wins, their start to the season has been underwhelming. Only in the 5-0 dismissal of Wigan have they played with the swagger of seasons past, but history suggests that they usually start to move through the gears once the string of autumn international breaks is behind them.

That being the case, Saturday’s visit of Everton may be the starting gun in Manchester United minds for the real race to begin.

David Moyes will hope not. He’s been tormented by a cruel cast list of injured players including both his best defender, Phil Jagielka, and his most creative midfielder, Mikel Arteta. Set against that, the acquisitions of Sylvain Distin and Johnny Heitinga have made the sale of Joleon Lescott look a very good deal – and the arrival of Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, although suspended this weekend, also offers plenty of hope for a brighter future.

Whether Jack Rodwell will be part of that Everton future has been a topic of hot conversation this week. All eyes will be on the 18-year-old as he strides out at what may prove to be his home ground in years to come.

I struggle to see that a move from Goodison to a supposedly bigger club is in his interests at the moment. Were it not for Everton’s injuries, he wouldn’t necessarily have been a regular this season, so what chance would he have of a starting place with Manchester United, Chelsea or any of his other reported suitors? Better to develop further under the sympathetic guidance of Moyes than languish in frustration on the fringes of a more sizeable squad.

However, Saturday’s match should give some indication of just how ready Rodwell really is. And watching on proudly will be his uncle, Tony, who works at Old Trafford on matchdays, relaying information to broadcasters covering the game around the world. He gets one of the best seats in the house to do his job, as, for this week at least, does Sir Alex Ferguson.

Can Mick "Make it Happen"?

Posted by Jon Champion on 05/11/2009

Even by the standards of Rafael Benitez over the past five years, the act of escapology now required by Liverpool if they're to reach the knockout stage of the Champions League is one of forbidding proportions. Lisandro's painfully late goal in the Stade Gerland wiped away the euphoria of Ryan Babel's wonderful drive and ensured the dissection of Benitez's stewardship of Liverpool will be no less intense as they approach ESPN's Monday night game against Birmingham.

The Spaniard regularly points to an abnormally long injury list by way of an excuse for a run of one win in the last eight matches. His critics question his strategy - or lack of it - in the transfer market. It's all too easy to pick holes in someone else's work, but the reliance on the two stellar talents of Gerrard and Torres does seem at best unwise and at worst irresponsible.

Birmingham should have beaten Manchester City last weekend. If Shay Given's penalty save from James McFadden was admirable, his diversion onto the post of a deflected shot by Christian Benitez was world-class. A display of similar resolve from Alex McLeish's Blues would ask serious questions of a Liverpool team which will again be lacking key components.

No such problems for Arsenal, who continue to carry all before them and feature in ESPN's Saturday teatime game at Molineux. Whilst Liverpool were suffering in Lyon, the Gunners were swaggering their way past AZ at the Emirates. They've scored in all 18 fixtures this season - 51 goals in total - and Arsene Wenger's apparently over-optimistic summer suggestion that they were ready to challenge meaningfully for the Premier League title is now looking factual rather than fanciful.

I still wonder whether they'll discover the pragmatic edge required by all champions. The loss of a two-goal lead at West Ham recently indicated they may not have found it yet. They are, though, far better without the ball compared to last season, and aesthetically, they're as pleasing on the eye as any of Wenger's works of footballing art down the years.

Facing them this weekend, a team who has manager has earned the nickname 'Magic Mick' amongst those who wear the Old Gold with vocal pride. Mick McCarthy is refreshingly straightforward in all he says and does and he seems to have found a club with similar values. There's nothing fancy about Wolves, so if they beat Arsenal for the first time in 30 years, it'll be down to determination and diligence. By the same rule that allowed Burnley to beat Manchester United and Wigan to see off Chelsea, they have a chance - and that's what makes the Premier League a compelling competition.

Win or lose, McCarthy will approach the post-match interviews with his usual mixture of dry wit and searing honesty. I was fortunate to spend two weeks of my life in his company back in 2000 when we were paired as a commentary team for the World Club Championship in Brazil. Whilst we had hoped for a posting in Rio, we were given a base in Sao Paulo, a city that made every other industrial wasteland in the world seem appealing by comparison.

Billeted in a hotel devoid of English-speaking staff or company, our only entertainment came from the hotel bar's solitary DVD, a recording of the 1998 charity concert held by 'The Five Divas', a dream team of songbirds comprising Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, Shania Twain and the incomparable Aretha Franklin. When the local brew began to take effect, as it did on a nightly basis, the bartender would proudly put on his disc of Divas.

By the end of the fortnight, we knew every phrase and chord of every song - and the Divas made such an impression that they are still a subject of critical debate whenever we meet. One track in particular sticks in the mind, and a decade on, Mariah Carey's 'Make It Happen' resonates as a mantra for a manager breathing life into one of the country's grandest clubs.

Big Sam should just go for it

Posted by Jon Champion on 29/10/2009

The more I see of the Barclays Premier League this season, the more I'm beginning to believe those who suggest there's been a levelling out of standards. Which is not to say that the likes of Hull and Portsmouth are going to start beating Chelsea and Manchester United on a regular basis, but the difference between the top four and the next group of clubs does appear to have narrowed.

In part that's down to the investment of Manchester City, Tottenham and even Sunderland plus the continued development of Aston Villa, but it's also due to the losses suffered by the so-called "Big Four". Manchester United have sold Ronaldo and opted not to buy Tevez, Chelsea waved goodbye to Hiddink, Liverpool – or at least their manager – decided they were better off without Alonso, and Arsenal parted company with Toure and Adebayor.

Significant departures in every case – and the result is a title race that should be a contest all the way through to May. Chelsea have convinced this observer more than any of the others so far, but doubts over their ability to conduct future transfers and the exodus of Drogba, Essien, Kalou and Mikel to the African Cup of Nations in January mean their participation in the race comes with an inbuilt handicap.

They were impressive in swatting aside flu-ridden Blackburn at Stamford Bridge last weekend, so Rovers' Saturday's ESPN live game at Old Trafford offers a point of comparison. Can Manchester United deal with Rovers in similarly dismissive fashion?

My hunch is they can't, not least because Sam Allardyce surely won't allow Blackburn to play as badly again. He was withering in his criticism of those players who failed to follow instructions, and Tuesday's Carling Cup victory over Peterborough allowed others to press their claims. Having said that, the champions have spent the week hurting after their meek display at Anfield, so both teams are eager to show some "bouncebackability", to borrow Iain Dowie's contribution to the linguistic lexicon.

Allardyce is a rarity – a manager with a good record at Old Trafford. He won there in consecutive seasons with Bolton Wanderers, memorable winners from Michael Ricketts and Kevin Nolan helping seal Bolton's reputation as troublesome upstarts. Last season, in only his 8th Premier League game as Blackburn's manager, he saw his team push Manchester United all the way before going down 2-1. Cristiano Ronaldo decided that game, just as he decided so many others, but Big Sam will demand similar defiance on Saturday.

Sunderland showed the best way to flourish in the champions' lair when a spirit of adventure took them to within seconds of victory at the start of the month. Fixtures like this will not decide Blackburn's fate, so they might as well follow suit – and give it a go.

Carvalho cut down to size by Carlo

Posted by Jon Champion on 22/10/2009

Carlo Ancelotti bared his teeth for the first time this week since becoming manager of Chelsea. Ricardo Carvalho’s banishment to the bench for Wednesday’s Champions League game against Atletico Madrid was a forceful response to the defensive frailty that has seen the team lose their last two away games in the Premier League.

Both Aston Villa’s goals during last weekend’s defeat emanated from Ashley Young corners. Of the eight Premier League goals conceded by Chelsea so far, six have stemmed from set-pieces. Contrast that with Manchester United – Chelsea’s prime rivals – who have yet to be breached from a corner or free-kick this season. For much of his tenure at AC Milan, Ancelotti could rely on Alessandro Nesta and Paolo Maldini, and failing them Kakha Kaladze, to keep things sensible at the back. With Alex nearing fitness and Branislav Ivanovic proving himself a muscular replacement on Wednesday, Carvalho may be in for a lengthy wait before another chance comes along.

It was difficult to draw too many conclusions from the victory over Atletico, not least because the Spaniards were so poor. Blackburn are the next visitors to Stamford Bridge for Saturday teatime’s live ESPN game, and their best bet is surely to provide a more physical challenge. Assistant manager Steve Keen was amongst the crowd in midweek and his scouting report is sure to mention Chelsea’s recent fallibility against set-pieces.

Rovers will arrive having established a semblance of stability to their Premier League campaign. However, that all comes from their home results. I was lucky enough to get a seat for last Sunday’s East Lancashire derby. A third consecutive Ewood win took Blackburn’s points tally into double figures. The game against Burnley was a thriller and reminded me of the days before the gentrification of football when a wall of unremitting noise was a much more frequent backdrop than it is today.

Sam Allardyce professed himself delighted with Blackburn’s display. The player who caught my eye was hometown boy David Dunn, who’s form is close to that which earned him his solitary England cap six years ago. For too long injuries dulled his sparkle, but a period of sustained fitness and a role operating off the main striker appears to be coaxing the best from a man who is approaching his 30th birthday.

Performing with distinction against your local rivals is one thing, but Saturday’s game provides a broader stage for him to parade his talents. And Blackburn could do with some help on their travels. Having lost all three of their games on the road this season, their record now shows eight consecutive away defeats, Rovers’ worst run in the league for 27 years.

ESPN’s statistical guru, known to all and sundry as “Toddy”, has worked out that Blackburn fans have travelled 1,948 miles since their last away win in the Premier League. Furthermore, he confirms that Rovers haven’t won at Stamford Bridge since February, 2003 – but eagerly points out that the winner that day was scored by none other than David Dunn.
Allardyce’s Bolton team gained their most eye-catching results at the homes of the so-called ‘Big Four’. There is, as yet, little sign of that trait transferring itself to Blackburn – and if the visit to Chelsea doesn’t bring success, their next port of call is Old Trafford!

To Hull and back

Posted by Jon Champion on 15/10/2009

Football is a broad church - as my upcoming weekend demonstrates.

Saturday morning sees an appointment booked to take a look at Hull City in training as they prepare for the live ESPN game at Fulham on Monday night. Saturday afternoon will be spent at Bootham Crescent watching the game of the day in the Conference, York versus Oxford, then on Sunday lunchtime it's off to Ewood Park - Blackburn Rovers feature twice on ESPN as October unfolds, so for this commentator a trip to the East Lancashire derby against Burnley is a must.

So much of my job is about preparation. Fail to prepare…prepare to fail. Not having seen Hull or Blackburn in the flesh so far this season, I welcome opportunities to study the players at close quarters. The mainstays of Premier League squads are known to all of us, but the fringe players call for a fair bit of work on the recognition front. And it is identification that matters above all else for a television commentator. It's fine to have several pages of notes on the background and breeding of those on the pitch, but if you can't recognise them instantly then you're in trouble.

For the Barclays Premier League's managerial brethren, there'll be a sense of relief this weekend as they re-gather their flocks. International call-ups en masse are still relatively new to Hull City. They are rightly proud that for the first time next summer, they will have players taking part in a World Cup. Jozy Altidore is already assured of his place at the Finals with the USA. Kamel Ghilas is almost there with Algeria. Daniel Cousin, a scorer for Gabon last week, and Seyi Olofinjana of Nigeria are still hopeful of qualification - and so are the Irish trio of Paul McShane, Kevin Kilbane and Stephen Hunt. The club has come a long way since the day of homegrown talents like Ken Wagstaff and Chris Chilton!

However, as Phil Brown is finding, rapid progress brings with it raised expectations. This time last year, his Tigers were third in the League and had just won at the Emirates. Fast forward 12 months and he finds himself having to defend his record and his methods. It takes a brave manager to do things differently in the harsh glare of the Premier League spotlight. No-one could accuse the Hull boss of lacking courage. The other thing he has is perspective. I remember him as a journeyman full-back with Hartlepool and Halifax, playing in decaying old grounds in front of barely a quorum. To emerge from that background and go toe-to-toe with Ferguson, Wenger, Benitez and company is an achievement in itself. He deserves - and retains - the support of his chairman, Paul Duffen.

As a child growing up in Yorkshire I recall big White Rose derbies involving Hull. With Steve McClaren in their midfield and big bustling Billy Whitehurst up front, they would more often than not get the better of my local team, York. But the very fact they were competing at the same level serves as a reminder that nothing is forever in football. Hull's upward mobility has been matched by the Minstermen's fall from grace.

This week, the sides met again behind closed doors in a friendly arranged to help Jimmy Bullard's recovery from major knee surgery. He played 70 minutes of a well-contested 2-2 draw, so if Bullard makes it onto the pitch against his old club in front of ESPN's cameras on Monday night, then a group of Conference pros will have played their part...a point not lost on Hull's record signing, a non-leaguer himself with Gravesend and Northfleet during his days as a painter and decorator. Hope has sustained him during months of uncertainty and pain. Now comes his reward.

Sunderland to end their sentence?

Posted by Jon Champion on 01/10/2009

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the City of Manchester Stadium on Monday. It was an opportunity to assess Manchester City's progress as they step up their attempt at world domination, and whilst that is clearly some way off, there were plenty of promising signs as they put West Ham to flight.

Going forward, Mark Hughes' men were irresistible. The return of Martin Petrov couldn't have come at a better time with Robinho still three weeks or so away from match fitness. Craig Bellamy played his role as perpetual pest to perfection, and he wasn't the only former Hammer inflicting pain.

Carlos Tevez saved West Ham from the drop in 2007, his goal at Old Trafford completing an unlikely escape, yet his presence at the club nearly sank them, what with Premier League fines and compensation payments to Sheffield United once the circumstances of his arrival became clear.

The agent who took him to Upton Park, Kia Joorabchian, watched Monday's game at Eastlands from the comfort of the posh seats. Every time ESPN's cameras looked in his direction he seemed more pre-occupied by his mobile phone than the football. But even he can't have failed to notice his player's remarkable apology to the travelling fans after he had scored. It was a big gesture from the little Argentine, met with applause from those in claret and blue, and it contrasted starkly with the antics of Emmanuel Adebayor after his goal against former employers.

Monday Night Football on ESPN this coming week again involves Manchester City as they tackle the M6 motorway in search of points at Aston Villa. If there was a downside to their win over West Ham, it lay in the fact that they're still pretty open at the back. Villa's pace should be enough to discomfort them. Martin O' Neill's troops had won six in a row prior to last weekend's defeat at Blackburn. The game should be a good test of both their powers of recovery and their European ambitions.

Before that, we pay our first visit of the season to Old Trafford for the live Saturday tea-time meeting of Manchester United and Sunderland. Last season, Sunderland arrived just 2 days after the departure of United hero Roy Keane as their manager and held out until Nemanja Vidic broke their hearts in stoppage time. This time, Steve Bruce's side may show slightly more adventure. Buoyed by their best ever start to a Premier League season, they are a much more assured outfit than any Sunderland side since the days of Peter Reid.

Darren Bent's goals have helped breed confidence, whilst at the other end of the pitch, I particularly like the early performances of the Ghanaian, John Mensah. Captain of his country, not for nothing is he known in Africa as "The Beast". Whether the Black Cats can really upset the champions is a moot point, but at least it's an issue for debate rather than the foregone conclusion of recent years.

Maybe modern Sunderland teams are still suffering for the actions of their predecessors. The last time the Wearsiders won at Old Trafford was in May 1968 when goals from Colin Suggett and George Mulhall denied Manchester United the title – and worse still, helped hand it to Manchester City. For that heinous crime, Sunderland have been condemned to make 22 subsequent visits to United's lair without conspicuous success. Saturday may tell us whether they've finally served their sentence.

Fulham's Hodgson is a man apart

Posted by Jon Champion on 24/09/2009

I am prepared to wager that the final whistle at the end of last season was both the best and worst of moments for Roy Hodgson. Fulham’s hugely-respected manager had just guided the famous old club to the highest league finish in its history – 7th in the Barclays Premier League was beyond even the wildest of expectations – but with it came a passport to Europe that he could be forgiven for cursing.

Now don’t get me wrong, the Europa League is a good place to be, but for a club such as Fulham, the Premier League comes first, second and last on any list of priorities.

Finishing as loftily as they did reflected positively on a small squad that was fully stretched dealing with 38 games. Hodgson’s men claimed some notable scalps along the way. Manchester United fell at the Cottage and so did this Saturday’s visitors for ESPN’s live game - Brede Hangeland’s goal was enough to see off Arsenal and give Fulham only their second win over the Gunners in 43 years.

But as the manager puts his charges through their paces at the Motspur Park training ground, the chances of a repeat victory are surely compromised by the amount of football they’ve already played.

With a squad no bigger than last season, Fulham have contested more games than any other Premier League team. The Arsenal match will be their twelfth, and five of those have been in the Europa League, starting against Vetra in Lithuania some two and a half weeks before the domestic campaign began.

Thank goodness, then, that Fulham have such a clever manager guiding them. I first came across Hodgson during his stint at Blackburn more than a decade ago, and subsequent encounters at major tournaments, where he dissects matches for UEFA’s Technical Committee, only confirmed the initial impression that here is a man apart. Someone with whom you can discuss any topic. He has a view on Freud as well as Ferguson and can appreciate the art of Matisse as easily as that of Murphy.

A grounded and rounded individual, for too long a stranger to English football, Hodgson is now showing the Premier League what it could have had years ago. Blackburn acted in haste when things went sour, other clubs dared not take what they regarded as a risk, but Fulham’s gamble, if it ever was, seems to be paying off handsomely.

His team selections – 9 changes for the visit to CSKA Sofia, 11 for the Carling Cup at Manchester City – are a tacit admission that the Premier League is the only competition that really counts for Fulham.

So when Fulham and Arsenal emerge from the unique passageway that masquerades as a players’ tunnel at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon, both sets of players should be fresh and ready to give their all. Of course, Arsenal have a Champions League game to consider only three days afterwards, so Arsene Wenger’s selection may be more complicated than Hodgson’s, but two of Europe’s most respected coaches will relish the challenge of outwitting one another, and hopefully those of us watching at the ground and via ESPN will be the main beneficiaries.

Finding it hard to manage?

Posted by Jon Champion on 17/09/2009

Gianfranco Zola describes his stewardship of West Ham as his "project", and this weekend's ESPN live game against Liverpool marks a year in charge at Upton Park for London's favourite Sardinian.

When Alan Curbishley - one of our studio guests this Saturday - departed the club, dismayed by the actions of owners in financial distress, his team lay 5th in the Barclays Premier League. Zola's first season saw the Hammers finish 9th. Now they find themselves in lower midtable, yet still there is a feelgood factor surrounding the "project". League position doesn't necessarily bear direct correlation with any perception of progress.

Zola is blessed with a steady supply of eggs from the same "golden goose" that so helped his predecessors, namely the famous West Ham Academy, run so ably by Tony Carr. Last season, eight graduates appeared in the first team and three more made it as far as the bench. Financial realities may dictate the eventual sale of home-grown talent, but not before these players have assisted the club's development, just like Rio Ferdinand, Jermain Defoe, Michael Carrick and Frank Lampard before them.

The manager's method involves an alliance between this youthful supply line and a collection of seasoned foreigners. Last season they included Diego Tristan and David Di Michele, who brought experience and depth to the squad at key moments. This week, Zola added the well-travelled Mexican striker, Guillermo Franco, to a cosmopolitan group already containing Italian Alessandro Diamanti and Chilean Luis Jimenez. The input of Technical Director, Gianluca Nani, is clear for all to see.

At Liverpool, Rafa Benitez has no such help and nor would he want any. Benitez is lord and master of all he surveys from the window of his office at the Melwood training complex. Political battles have been fought and won to earn that position, so one can only wonder how frustrated the Spaniard is by the endless travails of the club's American owners. No sooner had Liverpool announced a recession-busting commercial deal with the Standard Chartered bank than newspaper reports were suggesting that Tom Hicks wants to sell a minority stake in the club. Hardly the stable background that all managers crave.

On the pitch, Liverpool have been underwhelming so far. Two 4-0 wins over Stoke and Burnley have failed to assuage the doubts created by the opening-day defeat at Tottenham and the home loss to Aston Villa. Wednesday's Champions League victory over Debreceni was at best workmanlike. The visit to the Boleyn may provide a more accurate barometer reading.

And whilst West Ham and Liverpool lock horns, spare a thought for an iconic figure from both clubs' recent past. Sixteen miles down the A13, Julian Dicks, terminator turned left-back, makes his managerial debut with Grays Athletic in Saturday's Blue Square Premier fixture against Altrincham. One year after Zola became only the 12th manager in West Ham's history, Dicks starts life as Grays' 14th manager in three years. Maybe Benitez doesn't have it so bad, after all?

Saturday's old pal's act

Posted by Jon Champion on 10/09/2009

So, South Africa it is then. Supine Croatia, super England. And England's Mister Big at Wembley was the smallest player in the Barclays Premier League. Someone with a sympathetic streak officially measured Aaron Lennon at 5'5". They would have been better served putting a radar gun on him and measuring his speed because this jet-heeled flyer is proving far too quick for most opponents this season.

Come Saturday and the visit of the ESPN cameras to White Hart Lane for the game of the weekend, Lennon will again be the focus - a winger on centre-stage. It'll be Patrice Evra's turn to try to shackle him, something he conspicuously failed to do when Tottenham met Manchester United in last season's Carling Cup Final.

That was noted by the coaching staffs of both clubs and was raised before the most recent meeting of the sides, an extraordinary League fixture at Old Trafford in late April. Spurs led 2-0 that afternoon and were making the champions look pedestrian until the unfortunate intervention of Howard Webb. England's top referee awarded a penalty when Michael Carrick tumbled in the vicinity of Heurelho Gomes, and Ronaldo's spot-kick offered Manchester United a route back into a game that had looked beyond them.

22 minutes later, United had scored five to keep their title pursuit on course, and Webb's admission that he got the big decision wrong was of little solace to Tottenham. Everyone makes mistakes, Webb fewer than most, but Spurs fans will point out that if their team had won that day they would have qualified for Europe.

Football being what it is, though, all that is ancient history and the challenge for Messrs Redknapp and Ferguson this weekend is to galvanise players who have travelled the world in the cause of their countries over the past ten days. At the Carrington training ground, the staff are used to the post internationals routine. At Spurs Lodge, it's still something of a novelty to have fourteen players away, indeed Redknapp claims that he's only had one fit first team player available to train. Given the number of coaches available to a Premier League team these days, David Bentley will never have had so much attention!

The Tottenham manager relishes visits from Manchester United. Go back 25 years on his CV and you'll find one of the great FA Cup upsets. Redknapp's Bournemouth humbled Ron Atkinson's United at Dean Court and ever since, there's been a special edge to Redknapp against the Reds.

That expends to his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson. There is genuine affection and respect between the two. An hour before kick-off, both are more interested in racing than football. Encounter them in the tunnel and their first question will concern the 2-15 at Lingfield rather than anything to do with Liverpool. But come kick-off they are consumed by their real passion.

One from Glasgow, the other from London's East End...The Guv'nor from Govan, Mr. Popular from Poplar. Last year their teams fought out a draw at White Hart Lane and so pleased were both managers that they indulged in a hug on the touchline BEFORE the final whistle. Tottenham's ambitions, exemplified by Lennon's rise, have sharpened since then. Roll on Saturday teatime...

International relations

Posted by Jon Champion on 03/09/2009

So, the opening exchanges of the Premier League have whetted the appetite nicely, and now comes the opportunity to draw breath and take stock as the focus switches to the international scene. You would think that club managers would welcome a week's break, especially after the closure of the transfer window, but ask any of them what's occupying their thoughts right now and the answer will be the same - the threat of injuries.

Mr. Average Premier League Manager can just about get his head around the validity of World Cup qualifiers, but games like England v Slovenia send him into meltdown. The concept of an international friendly is anathema to anyone who's job is to coax and cajole the best out of high-maintenance footballers over a club season that could involve sixty matches. When Fabio Capello was in charge of Milan he saw the conflict of interest from a different perspective; all he now cares about is finding the personnel to reach South Africa and then challenge when England get there.

As an assiduous watcher of Premier League games, Capello - like the rest of us - has no doubt been enjoying a fascinating opening to the season. What has he, and indeed what have we learnt so far?

Arsenal appear stronger than touted; the younger players have trained on and Arsene Wenger's "project" seems on course. Liverpool have had a turbulent start with one good performance, one adequate display and two moribund outings, failing to quell the questions over the reliance on Gerrard and Torres and a perceived lack of depth in the squad. The jury is still out on Manchester United post Ronaldo. Manchester City look capable of threatening the top four, Tottenham likewise, but the clearest signal of all has come from west London. Anyone who saw ESPN's coverage of last weekend's dismissal of Burnley cannot fail to have been impressed by Chelsea's fluency of thought and deed. This time last year, Big Phil Scolari was being lauded as the man who had given Chelsea an extra dimension. Twelve months on, Carlo Ancelotti seems a safer bet to lift them back to former heights.

My main reservation concerns the age of the team. Six of the starters against Burnley were over 30 whilst the average age was 29 years and 290 days. Thereagain, no club is more associated with pensioners than Chelsea!

Further down the table is beginning to assume some sort of vague shape, but it is still dangerously early to be making any firm judgments. The next few weeks will tell us much, starting with ESPN's next live Premier League game, Tottenham against Manchester United on Saturday, 12 September. Matches don't come much more attractive than Challengers versus Champions, and we'll take a closer look at the game in this column next week, but for now the focus is on the World Cup, and even a Premier League manager might acknowledge the importance of that.

A helping of fine Clarets

Posted by Jon Champion on 27/08/2009

Fifty years ago this week, Burnley played the opening fixture of a season that would end with them crowned League champions for only the second time in the club's history. Manager Harry Potts guided his team to a 3-2 win at Leeds on that August Saturday, and that set the tone for a campaign of triumph.

The line-up contained several princely footballers, perhaps the most noble of all being Jimmy McIllroy, an Ulsterman blessed with poise, panache and presence. He remains Burnley's most capped and most revered player. His performances alone were enough to endear him to the town's population, but his place in their affections was secured when he turned down a lucrative transfer to Sampdoria - complete with the offer of a villa overlooking the Med - because his wife couldn't understand why they would possibly want to leave Burnley.

Now a spritely 77 and still a regular at Turf Moor, Jimmy will no doubt be tuning in to ESPN's coverage of the Clarets' lunchtime kick-off at Chelsea this Saturday.

The whole town has embraced Premier League football with the warmth and excitement of a community deprived of top-flight fare for too long. Relegated in 1976, the downward spiral was so severe that they nearly crashed out of the Football League. Only a last day victory over Leyton Orient preserved their status in 1987. The man who scored the most vital goal in the club's history - the winner against the O's - was Ian Britton, a former Chelsea midfielder. He will be at the Bridge this weekend as one of Chelsea's matchday hosts, even though he still lives in Burnley!

I doubt that Chelsea's millionaires are quaking in their expensively endorsed boots at the thought of Burnley's visit. However, Owen Coyle's men have already beaten two of last season's top five, and the victory over Manchester United showed the admirable sense of togetherness that this clever manager has fostered.

By way of reward, George Heys, a local butcher whose shop stands in the shadow of Turf Moor, has created a range of sausages to mark the team's achievements. The "Coyle Springer" is one of the most popular purchases, closely followed by the "Claret Clouter" and "The Beast", invented in honour of Danish goalkeeper Brian Jensen.

It was Jensen who saved two penalties at Stamford Bridge last season as Burnley knocked Chelsea out of the Carling Cup. It was Jensen who pushed away Michael Carrick's spot-kick only last week. And it was Jensen whose sheer presence was enough to persuade Louis Saha to fire his penalty wide of the post when Everton succumbed on Sunday.

League One Hartlepool supplied a dose of reality by taking Burnley to extra-time in the League Cup on Tuesday, but only Andre Bikey of the Premier League regulars had turned out from the start.

These are exciting times in East Lancashire. Burnley are living proof of the cyclical nature of professional football. They offer hope to clubs like Leeds and Newcastle because they have plumbed greater depths and still come back to thrive.

The relationship between fans and club is closer than most to the point that we'll be making every effort to find Burnley's ultimate supporter with our cameras. Dave Beeston changed his name by deed poll to show his allegiance and hasn't missed a game in 35 years. Now he's known as Dave Burnley - and he'll be cheering the team on with his daughter, Clarette. Dedication that knows no bounds!

Glory, glory, Tottenham Hotspur?

Posted by Jon Champion on 21/08/2009

What a start to the Barclays Premier League season! Arsenal delivering six of the best in ESPN’s first live game at Goodison, Burnley in ‘Blake’s Heaven’ (copyright Gary Lineker on Match of the Day) and Tottenham - yes, fragile, flaky Tottenham - looking like world-beaters.

I watched Spurs’ victory last Sunday and came to the same conclusion as a number of worried Liverpool fans; Tottenham’s squad may well be stronger than that of last season’s runners-up. However, when you consider that chairman Daniel Levy has sanctioned spending of £200m during the last five transfer windows, maybe that’s not such a surprise?

Whether right or wrong, it sets up ESPN’s weekend double-header nicely. On Sunday lunchtime in the East End we have Tottenham at West Ham – and don‘t forget Harry Redknapp is unbeaten against the Hammers since leaving the club and has won on all four return visits to Upton Park – then on Monday night we’ll be at Anfield to see if Liverpool can carry on from victory over Stoke when Aston Villa come visiting.

If Arsenal hadn’t done what they did at Everton then Villa’s home defeat by Wigan would have been the standout result of the Premier League’s opening weekend. They have too much attacking power to struggle this season, but it is defensively where Martin O’Neill’s men look vulnerable. They are being linked with players like Bentley and Jenas when it is at the back that strengthening is most required. O’Neill’s determination to spend Randy Lerner’s money wisely is admirable, but I think it is beyond question that they need a larger squad to sustain a challenge for honours.

Mind you it’s dangerous to draw too many conclusions at this time of year. The last few days before the closure of the transfer window always brings some fairly frantic activity. And for those of us who commentate, it’s always a relief to get the opening rounds of the League campaign out of the way. I always feel happier after I’ve seen every team at least once. Not only is it a question of identification, but with so many foreign players there’s the issue of pronunciation too.

The sophistication of the modern football watcher is such that someone will always pick you up if you get a name wrong, so that means assiduous checking with players. Last weekend brought the challenge of Arsenal’s new Belgian centre-half, Thomas Vermaelen, who was happy to confirm in the tunnel at Goodison that his name is pronounced ‘Ver-mar-len’.

I’ve no idea who at ESPN chooses which games to cover, but he or she played a blinder with Everton v Arsenal. For my co-commentator, Joe Royle, there was a neat symmetry in the scoreline. His first memory of watching the Gunners at Goodison dates back to 1958 when David Herd scored 4 as Arsenal won 6-1. Despite his Everton leanings, Joe was thrilled by the modern day Arsenal’s football. It was a big call by Arsene Wenger to reject the blandishments of Real Madrid over the summer. Maybe last week’s game gave us a glimpse as to his reasoning.

And so to this weekend - and one stat that may resonate with Tottenham fans as they head for E13. The last time Spurs won their first three games of a League season was in 1960/61 - and even if you’re not old enough to remember Bill Nicholson and Danny Blanchflower, you’ll probably be aware that was the last time they won the title. I’m not saying they will this year, but August is always a time for hope!