I managed to watch four Premiership matches this weekend, each of them entertaining in different ways, all of them showing me that the Premiership is essentially the same as last year…

Spurs 2 BlueNoses 1…Tottenhma should have won this by half-time and how McCleish can claim his side deserved something is beyond me. They did have a decent final fifteen minutes and could have scored a winner I suppose before Lennon’s winner for Spurs in the 94th minute, but it would have been a terrible injustice if they had. Tottenham looked very good at times and maintain their 100% record but with Modric out for several weeks I expect them to slip a little and still do not see them finishing a top four team as some would have you believe – the B.B.C. for one…

Man U 2 Arsenal 1… Now this was an unjust result with the Gooners dominating the first forty-five which should have seen them a couple of goals clear. They had a clear penalty denied them when Fletcher committed his umpeenth foul to upend Arshavin but moments later the little Russian sent a thunderbolt into the top corner via the weak hand of a static Foster in the Man U goal. With Fletcher and Carrick fouling at will and not gettting carded Man U came back into the game in the second half but were still fortunate when Rooney initaiated contact with Alumnia to gain a penalty as the ball hurtled unretrievably into the Stretford End. The maturing Boy Wayne put his head down, concentrated hard, and dutifully put the ball in the back of the n. Soon after there followed an inexplicable moment of madness from the otherwise superb Diaby when he headed calmly past his own ‘keeper and Man U ran our winners as Wenger was run out of the ground fololowing a riduclous red card from an extremely over-officious fourth ref. The Arsenal manager has been moaning ever since and for once I agree with him…Man U drew first blood in the first Big Four battle of the season but I fully expect Arsenal to bounce back strongly and challenge all the way…

Everton 2 Wigan 1…I was surprised with Everton’s overall poor display and yet they deserved to win. Wigan boss, Martinez, claims his team deserved something but not really and it seems that it’s only a matter of time before every manager’s job description will include instructions to claim that every defeat was unfair. Why can’t it be that you were beaten by a better side as is far more often than not the actual reason you lost? 2-1 was fair, Everton are not what they were, Wigan aren’t either – they are worse…

Villa 2 Fulham 0…Villa aren’t that good either at this point. A fairly dull affair saw them coast to victory over a tired and uninspired Fulham side. Villa’s five man midfield never let the Cottagers settle and whilst Ashley Young continues to irritate with his complaints and soft falls to the ground, he caused the Fulham defense numerous problems. Agbonlahor scored a fine goal but remains very raw and naive, the back four were solid for the first time this year, and although the game was not a sellout, the fans seemed to be behind the team all the way – amazing what an own goal in the third minute can do eh?

Liverpool 0 Fulham 0…Once again a Liverpool performance not befitting potential League Champions and although Fulham are a decent team who will finish mid-table nmainly due to their home form, they are a team that Liverpool must beat at Anfield to win the league. However, with the other contenders all failing to win this was not as bad a result as it might have been…With Gerrard in the stands socialising, the home team once again lacked that spark and, despite dominating most opf the play, they have to think of this as two lost points…

Chelsea 0 Newcastle 0…An even more one-sided game than the one above – I think Cech in the Pensioners’ goal touched the ball twice – but ultimatley Chelsea failed to produce enough cklear-cut chances and Given pulled off a couple of great saves. Cole’s goal was offside; Newcastle’s effort was excellent; Owen was once again anonymous; and the Chelseas fans were quiet – how many were at Stamford Bridge ten years ago?…

Villa 0 Man Utd 0…A fair result in the end although Man U were the more “polished” side for a couple of lengthy periods. Ronaldo spent most of the game falling over, Rooney missed a great chance but was ineffective otherwise, Barry was poor in the first half and very good in the second, Petrov had yet another good game as did Laursen at the back – when doesn’t he?…Villa had a couple of half-chances to snatch a win but it wasn’t meant to be, yet at this stage of the season they are certainly the 5th best team in the league…

Arsenal 0 Villa 2…The Villa Lads gave their best performance we’ve seen for some time – certainly the best this season; in my opinion the first time we’ve given a ‘top four performance” (the effort at Tottenham was not as good as so many thought)…
Today all aspects of the game were played well – passing, closing down, battling, counter-attacking – and the Claret & Light Blues thoroughly deserved their win…The two central defenders were at the top of their game (Laursen in surely a starter in any All-Premiership eleven), the return of Petrov served to highlight his importance to the team in that role in front of the back four (something sorely missed against Blackburn, Newcastle and M’bro) and up front Agbonlahor caused problems all day, although why he can’t do this every week is beyond me – a very frustrating player indeed…
Friedel always looked comfortable and seems to spread a certain calmness in a defense known for its all too frequent “headless chicken” impersonations. The full backs were solid and the midfield four ahead of Petrov battled for everything, although Milner was poor on a few occasions when he was needed to hold on to the ball. I like this line-up in games against the top four – Carew was not missed.
I had spent the last few days, following the previous three league matches, thinking that we were nowhere near the top four (“Them”); that we had too many average players who lack the skill and creativity necessary to challenge the big boys on a consistent basis – I was of the opinion that we are at best a 5th-place team but way below “Them”…I still tend to think that but at times today it was obvious that O’Neil has the players believing that they can compete with the best and we thoroughly deserved our win. Nevertheless, being the Villa, we could take backward steps following today’s game and it would not be that outlandish to suppose that today ends up as the highlight of the season. However, if it is but we still end up 5th, with perhaps a few more points off “Them” and a good run in one of the two cups remaining (the league cup exit was ridiculous – the best chance we have of a trophy), then that is very good progress. Sir Alex has even gone as far as saying, “Villa are the one team who could break in to the Big Four”…But if we slip further down than 6th and go nowhere in the cup or Europe then O’Neil’s peculiar re-aligning of the team during games and the lack of quality in some positions will be issues he must deal with and, if he fails to do so before this time next year, then the criticism will no doubt start in earnest…
Meanwhile, the manager and his coaches along with the whole team should be very proud of themselves this evening. When Arsene “Mr Excuses” Wenger can only come with “I thought it was a foul for us before their second goal but Villa were the better side today” that’s high praise indeed and one hopes that we can learn and gain confidence from it and push on to greater glory – starting next week against “you know who” at Villa Park. I’ll certainly be there in spirit…

Hull 2 Man City 2…Having celebrated to excess I was a little groggy when the Hull v Man City game kicked off on Sunday morning. Not as ‘groggy’ as Man City’s Ben-Haim and Hull’s Zamruetta though. Their truly schoolboyish errors that led to the first two goals were gaffs of the highesy magnitude – and commentator Robbie Earl had just said that the Hull defender was a no-nonsense defender!…Anyway, Man City were second best for most of the first half but thanks to the defensive error and Irelands superb finish they went in to the dressing room 2-1 up. In the second half it was honors even and Hull managed a deserved equalizer albeit from a defelected free-kick. Not a good game, very scrappy and Man City, as predicted here not too long ago, are currently no more than a mid-table team – but with loads of money to spend in January…Hull will gardually slip down the table but their amazing start will ensure survival – for this year anyway…

Another busy weekend enabled me to watch jut four matches – non of them exactly classics…

Villa 0   Liverpool 0…

Good to see Barry in  Villa shirt rather than playing against them but either way this one seemed like a 0-0 affair all the way from the start when Liverpool lined-up with a five man midfield that included the 20 m pound Keane (23 goals in 2007-08)  out wide on the left…The draw was a fair result although Red Scouse fans had a rrasonable claim for a penalty turned down but this would have been harsh on the Villa…

Arsenal 3   Newcastle 0…

Only one team in it. A forlorn Michael Owen had no support up front for the Magpies as Arsenal returned to form following the loss at Fulham. Some lovely goals and Keegan now seems to be in a litle trouble – not knowing where he actually stands in the club’s decision-making processes

Sunderland 0   Man City 3…The Mackems will not play this poorly at The Stadium of Good Fortune very often but Man City did look sharp and ran out convincing winners. With Wright-Phillips and now Robinho joining before the transfer deadline we’ll get to see if Mark Hughes is a good manager because if they disappoint it will be down to him…

Middlesbro’ 2   Stoke 1…Poor game which only really emphasized that Southgate has got a decent bunch of hard-working players who will finish in the top ten whilst Stoke will have difficulty staying up…

Oh, and I just wanted to point out that the vastly over-rated Paul Jewel has his Derby County team – “we’ll definitely get promoted” – poised to make their  move from the bottom three of the Championship – prat…

I was not around to watch any of last weekend’s matches and only got to see a couple that were replayed during the week so this set of circumstances, coupled with Villa’s awful result at Stoke resulted in a no-show by me for the Monday morning ramble…My apologies…I’ll be there next week…

Another Monday morning…
Well not quite just “another Monday” as it’s the first one of the 2008-09 season and nothing can really be said about what will happen the rest of the season despite Chelsea already being crowned champions by many – which may happen but the headlines to this point have been nothing short of ridiculous    . Perhaps it sells newspapers in S.W.6?…
Anyway I managed to watch several matches over the weekend and here are some of my brief observations…
Bolton 3    Stoke 1…Not a particularly good game with Stoke” doing a Bolton” with their long-ball game and Bolton playing some decent stuff on the ground against the struggling newcomers.  These are the games Bolton must win if they are to survive and they did so quite comfortably…
Middlesbro’ 2    Tottenham 1…Southgate’s lads played with a lot of determination and no shortage of skill whilst Spurs were poor and their new signings, particularly Modric and Bentley in the middle, just didn’t show up. If Berbatov leaves, as is very likely, then I cannot see where the goals needed to push them into the top six will come from. Borough might do quite well, I feel, but their away form will be crucial  if they hope to finish in the top half – and first up it’s a trip to Anfield!…
West Ham 2    Wigan 1…Another mediocre match with neither team showing any improvement on last year. It’s early days of course but these two are not going to push for any Euro spots and will consider mid-table a decent enough season…
Sunderland 0    Liverpool 1…Liverpool were much the better team although Sunderland probably think they deserved a point. Torres’ goal was superb and despite all the efforts put out by Keane’s team their was a big difference in class as will be seen by the final league standings…
Villa 4    Man City 2…A fine display by O’Neil’s men but the score line at  4-1 was a little flattering. Ashley Young was always dangerous, Petrov very solid in front of the back four, and the two new fullbacks had useful debuts in front of the very capable Friedel. Agbonlahor seemed a little out of sorts and then he scores three in seven minutes – I’m still not sure what sort of season he will have. If Barry stays, and I don’t think anyone knows at this stage one way or another, then Villa have got a good side that will push for the top spots just below the Big 4…
Man U 1    Newcastle 1…A disjointed Man U performance against a surprisingly resilient Newcastle team. I particularly enjoyed seeing Rio Ferdinand getting into it with Ryan Giggs, and his foul-mouthed tirade – “pass the f*ckin’ ball…pass the f*ckin’ ball”, summed up Fergie’s team’s day…Having said that, I wouldn’t want to play them next week – good luck Pompey!
Chelsea 4        Portsmouth 0…A very good performance by Chelsea against a strangely subdued Portsmouth. David James was very unconvincing for the xth time in his career and the whole side looked poor. This will obviously change but their efforts certainly helped Chelsea look as good as they did – or are The Pensioners that good?…

That’s it for now,  I’ll be back on a little later in the week for a bit of this, that, and the other…
Claret & Light Blue and enjoying the runners-up spot for now!

A month or two ago in these pages I ranted about the Setanta Sports channel and organization. Whilst I stand by most of what I said about the ‘money-grabbing” nature of that organization in its formative days when I ran the “Home of Fotball” in San Francsico – The Mad Dog in the Fog, the comments I made about the O’Rourke brothers who headed the company not being fans of the game were unjustified and incorrect. Shane O’Rourke is a Liverpool fan who knows the game well and, whilst I wish him nothing but bad luck when it comes to his team, I have always had an amicable relationship with him and hope that it may continue. He is a decent man, a good businessman, his channel is improving each season, and they currently have the best coverage of football in this country – far superior to that provided by the Fox Soccer Channel.

Claret & Light Blue and not so high and mighty that an apology cannot be made when one is owed…

Another Monday morning…

Villa 5-1 BlueNoses…And what a Monday morning!…In a tremendous atmosphere provided by the home fans, The BlueNoses were unceremoniously stuffed yesterday at Villa Park in one of the most lop-sided Brummie Derbies in living memory. The difference in class was there for all to see and I’m not just talking about the action on the field!…The best eleven players on the pitch were all in claret and light blue, the loudest and best chants from the fans were all coming from the Holte End, and I only wish I could be in Brum today to enjoy the afterglow… Unfortunately, due to the ineptness of Bolton and Reading, I still have a horrible feeling that the BlueNoses will not go down…Meanwhile, remarkably considering their loss at home to Sunderland and draw with M’bro’ just a few weeks ago, suddenly the Villa are still in with a chance of that 5th spot, although victory at Everton this weekend is an absolute necessity I would think…

Fulham 0-2 Liverpool…Another game with a huge difference in class. Liverpool ‘reserves’ were far better than the best Fulham have to offer and the Cottagers are doomed to Championship football next season. Will the American players stay with Fulham? Who else will take them? (actually McBride could probably find a place on a lower tier Premiership team)…Liverpool consolidated their position in 4th – which is nice because they are the 4th best team…

Wigan 1-1 Tottenham…Spurs, having played poorly since their League Cup triumph, turned up for most of this match and should have won with their first half performance. They can be a very solid team and will surely challenge for a top seven spot next season…The game was entertaining and adding to this was the only funny or amusing thing I have ever heard commentator, and former BlueNose, Trevor Francis say when, following a wild shot from Wigan sub, Sobnierski, that missed the cornet flag by a foot, he commented, “That would have been the fiirst time in the history of the game that a sub’s first touch was a shot that hit the corner flag!”…Not bad coming from ‘666′ as he is known on the north side of Brum…

Blackburn 1-1 Man U…A very entertaining game featuring an out-of-sorts Man U team and a resilient and battling Rovers team greatly enhanced by a superb goalkeeping display from Brad Friedel – the best shot-stopping keeper in the Premiership? United once again scored very late and seemed destined to win the league whatever happens this weekend at Stamford Bridge…

Newcastle 2-0 Sunderland…The North East Derby was not a great game and although the Geordies won they did not play particularly well. Sunderland are safe but Roy Keane needs to be busy in the off season to avaoid a prolonged flirtation with relegation next year, the newly promoted teams not withstanding…The atmosphere was o.k. but, based on what I could hear on the tele, it was just not as intense as that at Villa Park. May be I am biased but I have always thought this – too bad most of the national press have disagreed with me for so many years…

…actually Tuesday afternoon…

Reading 0-2 Fulham…A good performanmce from an almost certainly doomed Fulham team. Bullard was an inspiration and I cannot see him staying with the team when they go down – are you reading this Martin O’Neil?…Another plus about Fulham is the dignified way in which manager Roy Hodgson carries himself. Too bad other manages cannot behave in such a civilized way when the chips are down – are you reading this Paul Jewel?…

Tottenham 1-1 Middlesbro’…Lots of nice football from Spurs but they cannot seem to add the finishing touches and have now won just once since their League Cup final victory…Meanwhile my old mate from his Villa days, Gareth Southgate, has quietly done a very solid job at The Riverside. His side have responded to his challenges and are a decent bottom half side, which to be blunt, is all they can ever really expect – sorry to break it to you, Gareth…

Portsmouth 0-0 Newcastle…Not a particularly good game but the result was just about right. One commentator pointed out that Pompey fans were clamouring for Cup Final tickets. Well they should be able to take their time as there will be 25,000 made available and the club only averages a home attenmdace of just less than 20.000!…David James produced a Jamesian performance with a couple of missed kicks, hopeless flaps at crosses, along with two excellent saves…Meanwhile was that the real Jermaine Defoe out there missing numerous half-chances? The one who couldn’t keep a regular place at Tottenham. I think it might have been…

Man U 2-1 Arsenal…Man U didn’t play well for long periods of the match but their counter-attacks always looked dangerous. The changing of the guard with Scholes and Giggs now part of the strong supporting cast around Rooney and Ronaldo was evident for all to see and this “new” team of Ferguson’s will be one that secures many trophies over the next few years. It just doesn’t seem fair to the rest of us…

Chelsea 1-1 Wigan…Didn’t see much of this game but although the result was surprising it seemed that Chelsea’s performance was not. They are the second best team in the league, and that’s where they’ll finish, so any complaints about the manager, the tactics, or the performance of their world class players will be very boring indeed…

Another Monday morning…

Derby 2-2 Fulham…Four goals – either flukey or badly defended, plenty of crap play = two teams we’ll not be watching in the Championship next season, although that’s where they’ll be playing…and they may not be back anytime soon…

Bolton 2-3 Arsenal… An exciting match with Bolton missing numerous half-chances to put the game away when already 2-0 up. Arsenal kept plugging away with ten men and you knew Wenger thought the sending off was harsh and was going to use that as his excuse but hopefully he saw the replay and would agree the tackle was a clear red card. Bolton may well go down by just a point and therefore the lead lost in this game may prove to be crucial.

Man U 4-0 Villa…Men against boys. Villa played their best game for a few weeks and were still well beaten. If they had played with this effort against Middlesbro’ and Sunderland they might still be in the hunt for a European spot but it’s too late now…Man U are the league’s best team by quite a way and the title is theirs surely…

Liverpool 1-0 Everton…Not a good game although Liverpool deserved the win based on their first half display and have now consolidated their position of 4th in the league. Some of Gerrard’s passes were superb, others not so. Everton missed Cahill and with Yokubu under par and even though they were better in the second half they rarely troubled Reina in the Reds’ goal. They seem certain to finish 5th and in Europe next season…

“Tottenham caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage to the Carling Cup at a post-final party, with the base broken when it was dropped while photographs were being taken. The cup is now at the Football League’s jewellers being repaired.” As reported in The Daily Express…

You’d think after all the “success” this club has had they would know how to behave when they win something…Come of it Spurs and your fans, if you’re going to make claims to being one of the top clubs then act as if you know what it’s like and behave accordingly when you actually do win something…