Edin Dzeko Transfer to Manchester City May Not Happen if Bayern Munich Become Involved

According to a number of sources, Manchester City seems to be in the driving seat as far as signing Wolfsburg's Edin Dzeko is concerned.

The striker is one of the few top class strikers in the world today not residing in what would be regarded as a top club. However, the deal may not be as simple as a mere £25 million bid and buy.

It is no secret that Wolfsburg is having a poor season. Currently, Die Wölfe are languishing in 13th, a massive 24 points off Borussia Dortmund in first place and are facing a real struggle to stay in the league, never mind qualify for Europe or challenge for the title as many expected.

The signing of ex-England boss Steve McLaren from FC Twente was meant to be the catalyst that propelled the Volkswagen backed team towards becoming perennial title challengers, but the move has not worked as hoped.

Under McLaren, Wolfsburg got off to their worst start to a league campaign in recent memory with three defeats in their opening three games.

The situation improved somewhat after that though as Die Wölfe went unbeaten for four games with three straight wins.

However, things then took a slight turn for the worse and as we head into the winter break, Wolfsburg have gone eight games without recording a win and have suffered an embarrassing defeat to Energie Cottbus in the German Cup.

That shock defeat caused the Club President, Dieter Hoeness, to release a statement backing McLaren but also sending a shot across the bows of players with perceived bad attitudes.

Hoeness told the club's official website: "We have got some cleaning up to do.

"We told the team eight weeks ago after the defeat in Nurnberg that their basic attitude must change.

"We did not get a reaction so now we have got to react. The fans do not deserve to see what they are seeing on the pitch, particularly given the exemplary way in which they supported us against Cottbus.

"We expect the coaches to act consequentially and to punish bad behaviour both on and off the field."

Hoeness intimated that McLaren had much work to do and that January would be an important month for getting the Wolfsburg project back on track.

"Above all, we will push on with our rebuilding of a successful team next summer," explained Hoeness.

"It is difficult to do that in the winter, but we will see what we can do.

"It is going to be a painful time for one or two people around here. With this current team in this current situation, enduring success is no longer possible."

Wolfsburg's sliding down the table has had a huge effect on the team, chiefly its talismanic goal scoring machine Edin Dzeko.

The striker has made no secret of his love for Die Wolfe, but he has also made it clear that he will move if he does not receive regular Champions League action.

At the start of December, Dzeko and McLaren had a heated exchange after the Bosnian striker was substituted with two minutes remaining in the 0-0 draw against Werder Bremen.

It was the first public sign that all was not rosy in the Wolfsburg garden and almost immediately, Europe's top clubs came circling.

Manchester City is believed to have placed a bid of around £25 million (€40m) with the club for Dzeko's services, but thus far the club have remained tight lipped.

The main problem Manchester City face in signing Dzeko is that Wolfsburg are probably the only other club in the world where money is not a major factor in sales.

The club grew out of Volkswagen wanting an outlet for their workers in the newly created city of Wolfsburg and the club have become something of a play thing rather than a business enterprise for the world famous car group.

In short, VFL Wolfsburg does not need to sell players to balance the books and are not run for profit.

It is also worth noting that Volkswagen owns Audi and that Audi own a 10 percent stake in Bayern Munich.
Over the last couple of seasons, there have been persistent rumours that Bayern Munich have first preference on Dzeko and it seems very surprising not to hear their name being mentioned as the bidding war for the Bosnian's services begin.

On top of the Bayern Munich links, you also have to look at Manchester City's bench. Brian Marwood was brought into the club with a view to reducing the club's wage bill with "Financial Fair Play" in mind and it was partially his doing that the club have dramatically reduced their reliance on using players’ agents.

Agents being moved to the periphery of importance at Manchester City were one of the direct causes for the recent Carlos Tevez spat. His agent, Kia Joorabchian, was once one of the most powerful individuals at City, through his recommendations and contacts, and it is no secret that he despises not being a shoulder for the club to cry on anymore.

City also has an abundance of strikers at the club at the moment in Tevez, Balotelli, Jo, Santa Cruz and Adebayor. Obviously, the latter trio are not rated by Mancini, but it seems an antagonistic approach to bring in their replacement now when the summer would make more sense.

Wolfsburg's situation must also be looked at.

Their main problem this term is scoring goals and selling their best player and main onion sack assassin would be nothing short of domestic suicide.

At the moment, they are nine points off the bottom of the table; on the other hand, they are only 12 points off the Champions League and if Steve McLaren can bring in one or two influential signings, there is no reason why Die Wolfe cannot climb the table.

Daniel Agger and Bayern Munich's Mark van Bommel are the latest pair to be linked with the club.

There is little doubt that Edin Dzeko will move on from Wolfsburg one day. Moving in the summer looks a far better bet than January though and Manchester City will not be the only team bidding for his undoubted talents.

Wayne Rooney, Alex Ferguson, Manchester Dis-United and Contract Ploys?

The news that Wayne Rooney has told Manchester United that he wants to leave seems to have hit the club like a bolt out of the blue.

However, this has been coming for a long time, as his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson has somewhat soured over the last seven months or so.

Harry Redknapp and Danny Murphy: Misguided Or Malicious?

Within the space of a couple of days, both Harry Redknapp and Danny Murphy issued extensive comments about two of the hottest topics concerning the English footballing world at the moment, the financial situation at Liverpool and dangerous tackling respectively. But were those comments genuine attempts at voicing their opinions or just misguided attempts at something else completely?

EPL Preview 2010/11: Chelsea's Pensioners Not Too Old for Another Title

Carlo Ancellotti's may side have won the title on the last day of the season with an 8-0 demolition of Wigan but the real truth is that Blues were by far and away the best team in the league last year and will be the team to beat once again.

EPL Preview 2010-11: Manchester United Always Win After a World Cup

The stars are beginning to align and as if that wasn't enough, Manchester United's preseason form has been bloody ominous.

David Beckham to Replace Fabio Capello as England Manager in 2012?

Fabio Capello has announced that a new English coach will be added to his England backroom team before September. The man to take the job and succeed the Italian in 2012 could be David Beckham, for a number of reasons.

Despite the 115 cap international star stating on July 14 that he had "no interest in being a coach or becoming a manager" speculation has begun to grow that Beckham will be talked around by Trevor Brooking into taking the job.

Newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch, who in turn owns NewsCorp and Sky TV, have begun to print articles stating that Beckham would be the ideal successor to the Italian because of his experience and Diego Maradona like celebrity.

News Corporation are the second largest media conglomorate in the world behind Walt Disney, and are the third largest in terms of entertainment.

And when an organisation with the kind of money and resources NewsCorp have at their disposal start to run with Beckham for manager stories you know that somewhere there is a benefactor that would like to see it through.

Trevor Brooking's Coach Search:

Indeed, the FA have charged Fabio Capello and Trevor Brooking, the FA's Director of Football Development, with bringing a young Englishman into the set up for the Autumn internationals with a view for future development.

After England's abysmal showing in South Africa the FA have decided to shake things up at the highest level by introducing an assistant to the Italian, who would be given the chance to learn from him before succeeding him.

It is a model that has been used successfully in other countries and with the FA's insistence that Capello is a short term answer to a long term problem, they have moved to install an early candidate.

So why David Beckham over Stuart Pearce or Ray Clemence?

For the media and for the promotion of England he would be a dream. He is one of the most recognisable men on the planet, and while he may not be the footballing ideal, he is. without doubt, the most well known English footballer of all time.

This is something that the FA will be eager to capitalise on, hence the need to install an apprentice two to four years before he actually takes over. One train of thought on why the FA is willing to gamble on a young coach is the lack of right-aged English managers in the game.

Harry Redknapp and Roy Hodgeson are the two stand out candidates at the moment, but both are in their 60's.

Beckham has absolutely no coaching badges, other than those afforded to players who have plied their trade at the highest level and would need time to earn his UEFA badges before taking over from Capello. As such, There would be no better place than as assistant to one of the most thorough managers in Europe.

Perhaps, the most important reason for installing Beckham into Capello's team is England's World Cup bid for 2018 or 2022.

In years gone by, countries like France, Germany, Portugal, and Brazil have been able to wheel out great thinkers on the game like Michel Platini, Franz Beckenbauer, Eusebio, and Pele to promote their bids to hold the tournament and a David Beckham / Sebastian Coe led assault on FIFA does look very appealing.

Apart from being one of, if not the, major influence for London gaining the Olympics in 2012, Sebastian Coe is recognised the world over for being one of the best sporting politicians on the planet.

FIFA recognised this back in 2006 when they made Coe the Chairman of their Ethics Committee. He has since stepped down to help lead the charge for 2018/22.

With Coe as the face meeting and greeting around the world and Beckham as the face of the team, the England bid would surely have an upper hand on it's rivals.

On May 14 Beckham travelled to FIFA headquarters in Zurich to hand over England's bid to host the World Cup, a mammoth 1,752 page document. So the FA have already seen what an influence the midfielder can be.

On a negative side for Beckham, Pearce would be the current squads undoubted favourite to take over as manager after the injured midfielder publicly blamed the players for their poor performances in South Africa, further stating that Capello had prepared each player meticulously.

He has also alienated certain senior players who felt his appearance at the World Cup was not needed and that he served no purpose other than to increase his own celebrity.

However, Pearce would not command the same attention media that Beckham would guarantee.

FA orders a shake up at the highest level:

The shake up at senior level in Fabio Capello's team comes on the back of a disastrous World Cup where England only won one game from four.

There has been much finger pointing, from Capello seemingly over training the squad during their six week recuperation period from the end of the English season to the start of the World Cup, to players attitudes, the 4-4-2 being outdated, and altitude.

However, the main reason for England continually failing at major tournaments is their management structure.
When each and every manager starts off in the England hot seat he is doing it from square one. Thus meaning that every regime goes back to the start every time there is a changeover
.
No previous manager is ever sought and questioned or asked for advice on what he did right, even though things invariably went wrong in the end.

From Graeme Taylor to Terry Venables, past managers are always ignored by the FA. While some of you may scoff at Taylor's name being mentioned, he is currently spearheading Watford new philosophy as they become the template for player development throughout Europe.

When clubs like Ajax, Valencia, and even Barcelona are sending representatives over to see the Hornets pioneering coaching and schooling methods you know that it is definitely time that the English FA also go to see what is transforming the way football will be coached in years to come.

At it's most basic, Watford have integrated their academy players into a mainstream school, guaranteeing the players an education and the club at least three times more coaching time with aspiring 11 to 16 years than any other club in Britain.

Every manager does something right, and it is on this aspect of the game that countries like Germany, Italy, Brazil, and Spain have moved away from England. They are not afraid of introspection and using previous ideas from ill fated reigns, thus benefiting from a wisdom of crowds type approach.

If England had used a similar ideal then Fabio Capello would not have trained his team so hard after a long tough season, and they would not have been as tired.

In placing an apprentice with Capello the FA seem to be acknowledging this is someway but they have once again fallen short of what is really wrong with English football.

In English football there is a belief that kids are now receiving too much coaching and that the football is being coached out of the player, that's akin to saying there is too much education in school.

The facts speak for themselves; there are 2,769 UEFA qualified coaches in England.

Compare this with 23,995 in Spain, 29,420 in Germany, and 34,970 in Italy.

That means the ratio of coaches to players in England is 1:812 while in Spain it is 1:17.

The future of English football is in the hands of the FA.

Club football dominates the structures of English football to such an extent that teams often defy the FA when they are requesting young players for underage international squads. Whereas in Europe conventional wisdom is that the international teams come first and that experience at underage levels is vital for player development.

Just look at the trouble Noel Blake ad recently when clubs like Arsenal, Blackburn, and Everton all refused to release players for England's assault on the U19 European Championship Final's in France.

During the last World Cup in South Africa we read almost daily of how English players were bored with being stuck together for so long when in actual fact the German side of Jogi Loew had been together even longer. Five of Loew's first XI had been directly promoted from their successful U21 team where they gained invaluable experience when they won the UEFA U21 European Championships in 2009. Only one player from England's 2009 U21 squad made Capello's final 23, James Milner.

England is relying on 2018:

Quite simply, they will not win the World Cup in 2014.

And with every indication thus far that they will figure in the running for the almost certainly Europe-bound competition in 2018, the FA have moved to promote the game early.

If England do not win the competition on home soil then the game runs the risk of moving backwards in the country of it's birth, to such an extent that club football would almost certainly take over from international football completely.

The pieces are beginning to fall into place. John Peacock's U17's are probably the best passing team England has ever produced and in May they beat Spain in the final of the UEFA U17 European Championships. In 2018 they will all be at their peak and need an English manager to lead them.

The English FA recognise this and are moving to have an Englishman in charge for the World Cup. David Beckham?

The hearts and footballing minds of the country is at stake.

History Of The World Cup Football 1930 to 2010

Football has changed greatly from the first World Cup in 1930. Players are fitter than ever before, football gear has changed from baggy shorts to tight fitting jerseys,  rules have changed to suit the attacking team, and believe it or not the roundness of the simple football has become something of a science all in itself.

The balls that were used in the 1930s are very much different from what we are used to now, literally made from a pig's bladder, they are now put together with the science and preciseness of space age technology.

Here is a brief history of the development of the one device that the game cannot exist without.

Barcelona Move For Cesc Fabregas and David Villa Leaving The Door Open For Arsenal To Move For Ibrahimovic or Toure

Barcelona are on the verge of a sensational double signing after the Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas told Arsene Wenger that he wanted to return to his spiritual home. The Catalan side have now opened talks with the adviser's of Fabregas and David Villa over proposed moves to the Nou Camp, while Barca also made it known that Zlatan Ibrahimovic has an escape clause in his contract if an English Premier League team places a bid for him.

The highly ambitious move to sign two of Spain's best players came mere hours after Barca claimed their 20th La Liga title with a record 99 points. It is believed the transfers were sparked byLa Blaugrana's exit from the Champions League at the hands of Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan side.

Ibrahimovic was widely criticised for his lack of effort in the Champions League games against Arsenal and Inter Milan where statisticians were able to point out that at the Emirates he ran for only 450m when the average is over 10,000m and that against Inter Milan Victor Valdes, the Barca 'keeper, actually ran further than the striker.

From then on, the giant Swede found himself on the bench and was little more than a spectator as La Blaugrana closed in on the title.

Ibrahimovic was supposed to be "Plan B" if their fluid passing game did not work. However, his shocking performances against Inter Milan left Pep Guardiola, Barcelona's manager, highly unhappy, especially as he had paid Samuel Eto'o plus £47 million for his strikers services.

This defeat to Inter has caused Guardiola to move quickly in an effort at re-building his team with winning the Champions League in mind.

When their backs were against the wall against the 10-men of Inter Milan Barcelona struggled to create anything of real note. Having been robbed of the sublime Andres Iniesta through injury all Inter Milan had to do was shut Xavi out of the game, with the Spanish international in shackles the supply route to Lionel Messi was effectively shut off.

Cesc Fabregas' signing would repair this immediately. The Arsenal midfielder weighed in with a highly impressive 19 goals and 19 assists before his season was ended with injury, somewhat ironically against Barcelona which could turn out to have been his last game in the red and white of the Gunners .

The ties between Fabregas and the Catalan side are well known and it is generally accepted that it is only a matter of time before he returns to the team where he began his career. Such is Fabregas' stock in Catalunia that the youth side he played for is still referred to as the dream team or class of '87.

Gerard Pique and Lionel Messi who have progressed to the first team are also noteworthy graduates from the conveyor belt at La Masia.

David Villa's move to the Camp Nou makes a lot of sense when you realise that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is unwanted by Guardiola. He is probably the best striker in the world at the moment and is one of the first names on the team sheet for Spain.

He was on the verge of a move away from Valencia last year but chose to stay and help the Mestalla based team to finish a highly impressive third in La Liga this season, and in effect has secured the financial future of the club.

The 28 year old has been in blistering form for Valencia over the last five seasons, scoring 108 goals in just 168 league games and is only moving into his prime now. At a believed £30 million he would be a far cheaper and better option than Barcelona's Plan B, the injury prone £50m rated Fernando Torres.

His signing will prompt Barca to offload Ibrahimovic. La Blaugrana have just announced that the Swede has an escape clause in his contract whereby he can be sold to a team in the English Premier League if they agree to pay a certain fee for the player, clubs in Italy or Germany would have to pay far more.

With that in mind, Ibrahimovic could become a pawn in the transfer of Fabregas if Barcelona can convince Arsene Wenger to take the striker.

It could be a good option for the Gunners who really struggled for goals when the injury prone Robin van Persie missed almost half the season with ankle problems.

The Dutch striker only averages 25 games a season at the Emirates and Wenger could look at the extra options Ibrahimovic could bring.

Marouane Chamakh will join the club on a free transfer from Bourdeaux, but he is more a right sided forward than the central figure the club require. Van Persie naturally drifts out to the left so a triumvirate with Ibrahimovic at it's centre could be highly attractive to Le Prof, especially if he is also given another £20million to £30 million for Fabregas. This would enable him to replace his captain immediately and with a player at almost the same standard.

However, the most likely situation to occur will be Barcelona offering Yaya Toure plus money for Fabregas' signature, but that could depend upon whether the Ivorian wants to leave or not.

The next couple of weeks will be crucial to Fabregas and Villa. Outgoing President Joan Laporta has told the fans he wishes to leave them a parting gift; Fabregas? The incoming candidates have all focused on either Villa or Torres as the centre piece of their campaigns and with Real Madrid expected to bring in a new manager, possibly Rafael Benitez , and spend another fortune La Blaugrana have made the first move.

The World Cup has yet to start and already the summer is shaping up to be one to remember.

World Cup 2010: Where Will You Watch It? BBC, ITV, Sky, or How About RTE?

For many the biggest question over the entire length of the World Cup is which channel to watch it on. BBC? ITV? Sky? or how about RTE?

Don't know who RTE are?

As a football fan you should be ashamed of yourself. RTE, without a shadow of a doubt provide the best analysis on football anywhere on the planet.

Radio Telifis Eireann, or the Radio and Television of Ireland have for many years now cornered the market in top class punditry. From the English Premier League, to the Champions League, to the European
Championships, to the World Cup. There is really only one place to watch football, and that is the mecca of punditry.

With the simplest of formats, one host, Bill O'Herilhy, a man who is expert at playing the fool and letting his panel do what they do best, analyse and most importantly, give honest comments. Eamon Dunphy and John Giles are the pundits of choice and they manage to bring the very best out of their guests who frequently join them in the shiny studio.

One of the biggest turn offs when watching Sky is the lack of criticism. Even when the match is an absolute stinker, Andy Gray usually refers to the match as being low on quality but high on guts and determination. This is the usual kind of drivel we have to put up with as Sky are quite careful not to put their best commodity down, and there are often close links between pundits and the clubs they are covering.

Likewise the BBC.

Take away Football Focus, and the Beeb's analysis of football is somewhere between watching paint dry and reading a phone directory, and that really says something when you realise how superior they are to ITV, who just defy logic with their choice of pundits, their sycophantic questions during interviews, and basic boredom.
However, there is a silver lining to the cloud of World Cup analysis.

Simply put, John Giles, Eamon Dunphy and co. provide the best analysis on football anywhere to such an extent that they are often more entertaining than the match they are covering.

For those of you who don't know who they are, Giles was one of the original Busby Babes before he moved on to Leeds United, becoming the pivot upon which they moved as they dominated English football in the last 60s and early 70s. He then went on to manage West Brom before taking over and professionalising the way the international team was selected in Ireland.

Eamon Dunphy was no where near the same class of player as Giles, who is regarded as being one of the best midfielders in England of all time, but he also started his career under Matt Busby at Manchester United.
He was more an honest journey-man footballer, eking out a living in Division 2 with a good Millwall team before moving onto York City. He was also part of the group of Irish players who led Giles to moving Ireland away from using a selection committee to pick the team, to one where the manager had full power.
Ironically, Dunphy received every one of his caps under the old selection system...

When he left football he trained himself as a journalist and provided insight into anything and everything from politics to economics to clerical child abuse to football.

When RTE first started showing football in the early 80s, they only used O'Herilhy with Dunphy as the sole analyst.

After the 1984 European Championships in which France won, Dunphy realised that he needed someone to balance his outspoken views on the game, he needed someone to be the straight man, but who would also provide good and above all honest analysis.

His ephinany came after France beat Yugoslavia during the tournament, with Dunphy proclaiming that this would be the night that Platini would be found out. That he was no where near the level of player that some people claimed he was.

Platini went out and scored a perfect hat-trick...

A distraught Dunphy called his friend, Giles, on the phone after the game asking "Was I mad to say what I said?" Giles replied "No, I understood what you meant, but you were a fucking eejit for putting it the way you did!"

With that in mind and with the World Cup in Mexico looming, Dunphy approached RTE and fought tooth and nail to have Giles installed as his co analyst. At first Giles did not take the job too seriously but something happened in Irish football in 1986 that only caused a small ripple amongst the football world, but in a way set the path in motion for the best analytical team in football.

Jack Charlton took over as manager of Ireland.

All of a sudden viewing figures for Ireland games were going through the roof, with Giles and Dunphy offering some blistering criticism on Charlton's tactics and running of the team.

Ireland progressed to Euro 88 and Giles and Dunphy were now not only analysing Ireland but the other seven teams in the competition too. This would be the first time they would be tested and compared to their contemporaries across the water.

They did not shirk their duty. Holland were applauded and England were roasted while the old boys club's on BBC and ITV did everything in their power to analyse England positively and criticism was pushed to one side.

Charlton's Ireland also received their fair share of criticism and praise during the tournament and everyone watching knew that you were getting honesty.

You might not agree with their views, but nobody faulted their convictions. Euro 88 gave way to Italia 90 and the boys were on their way.

Some 22 years later and the format is exactly the same with the same three core presenters and pundits. Over the years many others have been added to the mix, the best being Liam Brady who left to take up a post with Giovani Trappatoni and Ireland, and Graeme Souness.

Yes, I mean Graeme Souness.

Souness on Irish television is a very different proposition to Souness on the saccharin sweet couches of Sky Sports. If anything, his time on RTE has influenced him to throw off the shackles of Sky and act like a punditry version of Spartacus as he launches into a critique of something that someone like Jamie Redknapp has just praised.

On his first appearance with Giles and co. his jaw nearly hit the floor when Manchester United were criticised for poor play even though they were leading 2-0 at half-time, on Sky and BBC such negatives would be brushed under the carpet, not so in Ireland.

Jamie Redknapp...

RTE's punditry is now so revered that the originator of Football 365, Danny Kelly, got every match analysed by Giles and Dunphy recorded and shipped over to him in England following their program.

One of the secrets of RTE's success is the good humour, the rapport of the panel is natural, and there is an obvious respect shown for each other. Quite often the panel can cause a stir, like when Dunphy openly called Ireland's display in Italia 90 against Egypt a disgrace to football or when he and Giles disagreed over a statement Dunphy made over the ex-Leeds player breaking someone up in the 70s, the end result was the pair not talking to each other for a couple of years before they were reunited by a radio station for football analysis.

Can you imagine the pundits on Sky, BBC, or ITV arguing over tactics or anything for that matter?

One of a few nice examples is this discussion on Ferguson and Strachan, Manchester U nited v Celtic, 2006:

Dunphy: “They’re both jocks, and as far as I know jocks come in two types – nice and horrid. And both of these men fall into the horrid category, they’re not one bit forgiving.”

O’Herlihy: “That’s a bit racist, Eamonn.”

Dunphy: “It’s not racist, it’s ethnic stereotyping!”

One particular Champions League match in 2009 that upset a lot of Arsenal fans was when Eamon Dunphy questioned Arsene Wenger's record in the transfer market. (The same questions are being asked today...)

Souness took exception to Dunphy's persistent line of questioning and had a bit of a go at the outspoken one.

Souness: “You don’t know what you’re talking about, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Where did you manage?"

Dunphy: "I didn't manage anywhere...but I managed to stay alive for 63 years baby!"

Surprisingly, BBC do have much better analysts that the likes of Hansen, Lineker, and the painful Alan Shearer, but they are all hidden away on radio.

Steve Claridge, Chris Waddle, Danny Mills, Robbie Savage, and Paul Parker have all built excellent reputations for themselves in the world of analysis, with Mills in particular having an great future ahead of him.
The one thing that links all of these, with the exception of Waddle, is that they are all journeymen footballers. None were ever recognised as being top players. It is a stark contrast to the boring trio of Hansen, Lineker, and Shearer, who are all well known greats.

Perhaps the "honest punditry bone" does not exist in great players, with only those legends who sup the Black Stuff excempt from losing their analytical skills.

While on ITV pundits are brought in and brainwashed before hand so that they all end up looking like gormless smiling buffoons. Terry Venables, recognised as one of the great modern coaches often comes out with such rubbish that you actually wonder why he is saying it. Andy Townsend is horrendous, but thatnkfully he doesn't have to drive around in his "Tactics Truck" anymore. Steve Macmanaman is simply unbelievable.
When all is said and done, the football on the pitch will do the talking.

Sky have, without doubt, the best production values available under the sun, BBC have the best commentators, ITV have, ... and RTE have the best analysis.

With the upcoming World Cup having something like 78 games for us to enjoy, I think it is fair to say that on at least one occassion we are going to have to rely the half-time show for entertainment.

So unless you're a Jimmy "different class" Magee fan the best place to listen to the commentary is BBC, but there is only one place to go for analysis.

KPMG; Liverpool FC On The Verge Of Administration After Massive Rise In Debt

The season that just keeps kicking gave Liverpool and it's many fans the worst news imaginable after it emerged that the club have sunk deeper into debt . Yesterday's financial report from Kop Holdings revealed a record loss of £54.9 million over the course of the last season meaning that the clubs total debt now stands at £472.5 million.

Accounts for the club's holding company for the year ending in July 2009 show spiralling interest payments of £40m, wages breaking the £100m-a-season barrier, a record loss of £54.9m and an increase in the club's debt of £51.5m.

At the end of last season, after a record profit of £10 million, Liverpool's debt stood at £350m. Urgent negotiations with RBS and a refinancing of the loan reduced the deficit to £237 million, and the British Government owned bank are now expected to come back and seek their money.

Liverpool now stand £351m (net) in the red. Some £233m of that is owed to the British government-owned RBS and the US investment bank Wachovia, while another £144.4m is owed to Hicks and Gillett's parent company, Kop Cayman.

KPMG were brought in as financial auditors to survey the wreckage on show at the Anfield based club.
They found that Liverpool's debt had grown but, just as alarming, also found that Kop Holdings were also in debt for £42.6 million.

KPMG had warned Kop Football Ltd of the "material uncertainty" of their product. In other words, should Liverpool fail to bring the EPL trophy or the Champions League trophy home in the 2009/10, then the debt would increase substantially, as there would not be any monies available to pay off their debt.

With the current findings we can see that that is exactly what has happened to the once great club.

Liverpool have until the end of July to pay RBS and Wachovia their debt, but this looks increasingly unlikely. Already ahead of the curve, the EPL and UEFA summoned new Chairman Martin Broughton to their headquarters to discuss Liverpool's participation in in their respective tournaments next year.

Their greatest fear being that the now Government owned bank will have no where near the level of sympathy for the club that they had last year. RBS restructured their core business after the EU allowed to company to redesign itself after the biggest tax payer bail out in Europe during the financial crisis, some £100 billion.

The EU’s top competition enforcer, Neelie Kroes, warned that if the bank failed to meet 2013 targets to restore healthy, natural order to its balance sheet, her successor Joaquin Almunia would not hesitate to take fresh action.

The fact that the goalposts have now shifted for RBS means that the bank will almost definitely come looking for Liverpool to repay their debt. There is no sympathy for football clubs who spend beyond their means in the current climate and Liverpool will do well to garner support from political parties because their debt is essentially tax payer money.

Broughton has been quick to talk of the proposed £81 million four year sponsorship deal with Standard Charter and how it will help to reduce the debt. However, it would now seem that the level of sponsorship depends upon Liverpool's success during that period.

One theory on Broughton's role thar has begun to surface is that his appointment to the role of Chairman is only window dressing to appease RBS, to make it look as if the club are actively looking to reduce their debts, but are in actual fact threading water with no serious buyers on the horizon.

This would seem to go with the EPL's recent talks with Broughton about their commitment to meet every fixture next season.

"I expect to be chairman until we sell, so a matter of months,” Broughton said. “There’s no fixed price, there’s no agreed price — it’s a willing buyer, willing seller trade. We have willing sellers and there are willing buyers out there — that will determine the price," which all sounds a little bit desperate.

With the club now losing £110,000 a day through interest alone it looks as if Broughton, RBS, and the UK Government will have much to discuss over the next two months.

Royal Bank of Scotland and Wachovia have been forcing Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr to move Liverpool’s borrowings away from them and on to Hicks' Cayman Islands-listed parent company, Kop Cayman.

Many fans rejoiced last year when Liverpool appeared to reduce their bank loan from £350 million to £290 million, but that was only because their offshore parent company increased its loan to the club by £86.2 million to £144.4 million. That loan, on which Liverpool has to pay 10 per cent interest, is likely to have increased over the last 12 months, explaining these new devastating figures.

Only this week Rafael Benitez eventually agreed to meet Martin Broughton about the Spaniard's future at the club. There has been a huge amount of speculation about his future role at the club, with stories emanating from Italy every day with new links to Juventus.

Benitez has played a polital chess game with Hicks and Gillett in the corridors of power at Anfield and he has become part of the fabric at the club with his people in virtually every position of power regarding the football side of the club.

He has called upon the owners to lavish him with money, or he will leave. He has told them not to sell Fernando Torres or Steven Gerrard, or he will leave. Rafa knows the club lies on the edge of a financial precipice and has made demands that he knows sound impossible given the level of debt.

During his six years at the club he has spent some £210 million on 49 players whilst bringing in some £125 million for 80 players.

With the news that Rafa is now saying he needs at least six new players to challenge for fourth it would seem that Rafa has spent quite poorly over his time in charge. To say he needs six players for a decent team after six years in charge in nothing short of Benitez admitting wasting Liverpool's money.

The biggest rise however has come in the wages bracket at the club,where Benitez has almost doubled the clubs wage bill since taking over.

2004- £66m, 2005- £65m, 2006- £68m, 2007- £75m, 2008- £79m, 2009 - £101m (£453m total)

For the second year running KPMG have given a brutal audit on all that is wrong with Liverpool FC. Citing "material uncertainty" yet again...

"These conditions indicate the existence of a material uncertainty which may cast doubt on the parent company's ability to continue as a going concern," it said.

Liverpool are on the verge of becoming the next Leeds, the EPL think so, UEFA think so, and KPMG know so. The next two months are vital for the club.

Challenging for the title is gone, keeping Benitez at the club looks less and less likely every day, Fernando Torres has intimated that he wants to leave English football, and Steven Gerrard has just endured his worst ever season in a red shirt.

Liverpool will not earn Champions League money next season, they will not challenge for the league title, their best players could leave, and their manager could go to Italy.

Next year couldn't be any worse than this one, could it?

Manchester City 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs Qualify for the Champions League

Tottenham Hotspur will head into Europe's Premier Cup competition for the first time since 1962 after they beat high spending Manchester City 1-0 at the Eastlands. The match was essentially a playoff for the final English placing in the Champions League next season.

Peter Crouch scored the only goal of the game as the man-of-the-match latched onto Martin Fulop's messy clearance to head the ball home with just eight minutes remaining.

The 1-0 win was thoroughly deserved by Harry Redknapp's adventurous side as they took the game to the home-side right from the off. 'Arry signalled Spurs' intentions with a brave team selection that included the returning Aaron Lennon and the injury prone Ledley King.

Lennon's inclusion meant that Spurs went with two out and out wingers on either side of the pitch, sending the message to everyone that Spurs were there to win the match and not to play out a draw that would have given them the advantage going into the final games this weekend.

City on the other hand were strangely subdued, and one must figure that the Italian fearful mentality of Roberto Mancini dictated the tempo his team were to play at.

While Spurs attacked and probed and got men forward at every opportunity, Manchester City played with two deep defensive midfielders and seemed happy to let the Londoners force the flow of the game.

Ex-Tottenham 'keeper Fulop made a number of brilliant saves to deny Spurs and at one stage the Blues goal was leading a charmed life. Crouch hit the post with a diving header, King had a goal disallowed for pushing, Defoe went close only to see Fulop's finger tips deny him, and Gareth Bale fired inches wide after a deft header from Crouch.

In reply, City barely troubled Heurelho Gomes, and when he was eventually called into the action the Brazilian was equal to anything the Citizens could muster.

In the end, City's game-plan and shape went out the window completely, and the more disciplined Spurs side took over. David Bentley, on for the dog tired Lennon, released Youness Kaboul who was let free by some abysmal defending by Craig Bellamy.

The deputising full back's cross was too hot to handle for Fulop and his parry sat up nicely for Crouch to nod home and send Spurs into Europe.

For Tottenham it is the next chapter in a remarkable story. In October 2008 when Redknapp took over they were rooted to the bottom of the table with an under-performing team. Less than 18 months later and they will be one of three London teams that will play in the Champions League next year.

The Spurs boss has built an exciting team, one of the few sides who use a traditional 4-4-2 with two attacking wide players. They have a goalkeeper who has gone from zero to hero and who is regularly linked with moves to the likes of Bayern Munich and Juventus.

A midfield that combines silk and steel in equal measures with the likes of Wilson Palacios and Tom Huddlestone growing with every game. Luka Modric is a class act who will garner attention from every major club and the two wide "diamonds" of Lennon and Bale are good enough to frighten any defence.

Spurs contain quality all over the pitch and with one or two extra signings could consolidate their stay in the top four.

That very much depends on progressing towards the group stages of the Champions League, and if they do they will have the financial and motivational tools to hold onto their very best players.

As the travelling Spurs fans broke out into Glory Glory Tottenham Hotspur one could not help to feel for Manchester City's fans who had expected so much after their massive spending.

This defeat to Spurs has knocked their plans back, but they will end up in the top four sooner rather than later so it is up to Spurs to take advantage while they can and make hay while the sun shines.

Speaking after the game an obviously happy Harry Redknapp spoke gushingly about his young side, which included eight English players.

"Most people probably thought we'll come here and take a point but I picked the most attacking team you could ever wish to see," he told BBC Sport.

"We came here to a hot atmosphere and got at them and we deserved the win."

Redknapp added: "It's fantastic. It's been a terrific season for us, we've played some great football and we deserve it.

"I thought maybe the goal wasn't going to come and we'd go to Burnley with the extra point in the bag, which would have been a good situation, but this is perfect to finish it here today. It's just perfect for us.
"Crouchy was top class and led the line and he deserved the goal," he added.

"I also think Jermaine Defoe had his best performance away from home for some time.

"Finishing fourth is something that gives me a lot of pleasure. It's great for the club and it is nice to have finally done it after coming so near in the past.

"I think to finish third would be asking a lot but fourth is a great position for us.

"We'll have to have a look in the summer and see where we can improve if we have to, but we've got good players here. I think there might be eight boys in the preliminary squad for England."

Asked about centre-back Ledley King, Redknapp said: "What a player, he's got to go to the World Cup, but Michael Dawson as well—the two of them tonight were just fantastic. You've got to put them in your squad."

Eighteen months ago Spurs were on the verge of relegation, today they sit on the edge of playing in the Champions League and contributing more players to Fabio Capello's England squad than any other team.

Happy days indeed.

Manchester City vs. Tottenham Hotspur: Bigger Than the Champions League Final

Spurs travel to the Eastlands tomorrow to take on the financial might of Manchester City in a match that promises to be one of the highlights of the season, and is almost certainly more important than the Champions League Final for a number of reasons.

When the two teams met last December it was Spurs who triumphed after a brace from Niko Krancjar and a neat finish from Jermaine Defoe gave the White Hart Lane outfit full points. The 3-0 defeat signalled the end of Mark Hughes' time in charge at City, and he was soon replaced by Italian schemer and fashionable scarf wearer Roberto Mancini.

The former Inter boss has continued the early good work set in motion by Hughes and, now, as expected, City stand on the brink of Champions League qualification.

Only Harry Redknapp's over achieving Tottenham team stand in their way of a potential £60 million, European and Premier League domination.

For those of you who think that will hardly be the case think again.

In the space of just 24 months Manchester City have spent something in the region of £200 million and trebled their wage bill. That has guaranteed them a challenge at the top four, should they progress one further then they will consolidate their position and spend again.

This game represents a turning point in many futures, for not only Tottenham or City, but for the other challenging teams in the league.

Victory for Spurs will push City's master plan back a year or two, while the money they could gain should take them further ahead of rivals Everton, Aston Villa, and maybe even Liverpool.

Champions League qualification for Manchester City would almost certainly see them sign better players and it is conceivable that they would surpass Arsenal and become viable title challengers with Chelsea and Manchester United.

It is a game with many destiny's on the line, but back to the match.

Both teams have goalkeeping problems.

Shay Given is out with a dislocated shoulder, which will see the Donegalman return to action next September or October. Huerelho Gomes damaged his groin, with only one minute remaining in the 1-0 win over Bolton at the weekend, and is a major doubt for the clash.

It means that both sides could potentially have reserve team goalkeepers between the posts in the biggest match either club has had in years. City's problems saw them bring in former Spurs 'keeper Martin Fulop on loan from Sunderland after they exploited a loop hole in the FA's rules governing goalkeepers, while Tottenham will probably have to make do with young Ben Alnwick.

The ex-Sunderland shotstopper joined the Lilywhites in January 2007 and has yet to make his first team debut at Spurs.

At the back both teams are likely to be without influential defenders. Jolean Lescott is out with a hamstring injury while Spurs will be without Vedran Corluka, long term absentee Johnathan Woodgate, and most probably Ledley King.

One of the best defenders in the league, King suffers from acute knee problems and can only play every six days. Whether he will take the pain and suffer through the City match remains to be seen, but it would be the ideal calling card to Fabio Capello who is sure to be in attendance.

City are at full strength in midfield where as Spurs will miss their infulential Croatian Kranjcar.

Tottenham will have the advantage as far as defence and midfield is concerned. They are a better unit at the back—Youness Kaboul has come in for Corluka without breaking stride,  Michael Dawson has progressed into a real candidate for South Africa, and Benoit Assou-Ekotto is the only real weak link at left full.

Roberto Mancini's men have lacked a certain creative spark through the middle this year, and it is likely that he will bring Shaun Wright-Phillips in at right midfield in an effort to expose the Cameroonian.

However, that could be tempered by the fact that Gareth Bale is certain to start in left midfield for Spurs, and one would think that Mancini's Italian mentality might take over and go with a defensive player instead of the nippy winger.

The middle of the park is where the battle will be won and lost. Patrick Vieira will almost certainly start with Gareth Barry and possibly Nigel De-Jong.

It will be interesting to see if Redknapp starts with Aaron Lennon or if he'll keep the winger on the bench. It might be a gamble worth taking as there will be no point worrying about the match on Sunday if City win, however if Spurs can keep it tight and take a draw the advantage swings to them.

Harry Redknapp should counter City's midfield by dropping Luka Modric to the bench and starting with the highly combative duo of Tom Huddlestone and Wilson Palacios. If Spurs do go with this midfield pairing then expect City to hit their forward line early and quickly.

At the moment City have one of the most formidable strike-forces in the league with Carlos Tevez in fantastic form. He will be making his 100th Premier League start and needs just one goal to reach the magical 50 milestone. Craig Bellamy is ample backup to the Argentinian and is a handful for any defence, while Emmanuel Adebayor is a brilliant as he is contrary. If all three are on form then City can blow any team away.
Contrast their form with the attacking players of Spurs who seem to have gone off the boil at the most important time for the club.

Peter Crouch has been in and out all year, Roman Pavlyuchenko seems to be playing at a good level, but his finishing boots have deserted him, and Jermaine Defoe looks bereft of confidence.

Add everything together and it makes for a highly intriguing and entertaining match.

Both sides like to play football and the game will boil down to the individual battles all over the pitch.
Both teams will look to exploit each others defences. Bellamy and Pavlyuchenko will drop deep giving problems to the centre halves and centre midfielders causing confusion as to who should pick up who.
If Spurs can push on from the middle with Huddlestone, who can shoot from anywhere, this will make City's defenders follow their counterparts leaving gaps for the lightning quick Defoe to expose. The exact same can be said for City and Tevez, but Dawson is a better defender than Toure and the difference between winning and losing could be a fine line.

The game is almost too tight to call, but Spurs have that little bit extra through their team that could make the difference.

It is worth noting that of Spurs eight trips to the top eight teams in the league they have yet to win. However, Spurs have won 11 of the last 12 fixtures between the two clubs.

Home advantage for such a huge game cannot be underestimated and City will start as slight favourites for a match that will award the winning team more money than the Champions League Final and will shape the league for years to come.

NIC, NAC, NEC; Steve McClaren's FC Twente Nick The Dutch Title With Win Over NAC As Ajax Beat NEC

Former England manager Steve McClaren has guided FC Twente to their first Dutch Title in their history with a last day win away to NAC Breda. Twente win the league by one point from Martin Jol's Ajax Amsterdam who also won on the final day at home to NEC .

Ajax had beaten NEC 4-1 to move ahead of the Tukkers by two points, but a 2-0 win over the ten men of NAC gave them the title on a history making day for the new Champions.

The goals that won the league for Twente came courtesy of Bryan Ruiz and Chelsea midfielder Miroslav Stoch who has enjoyed an incredible season with the Tukkers.

Not only is their first title in their 45 year history, but McClaren also becomes the first English manager to win a domestic trophy on foreign soil since Bobby Robson won the league with Porto in 1996.

It is a triumph made all the more remarkable by Ajax's incredible goal difference, +86 after 34 games, winning all 14 of their remaining fixtures, but in the end it was Twente's discipline and only losing twice all season that captured them the title.

		| Home					| Away
	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	FC Twente	34	16	1	0	37	10	11	4	2	26	13	40	86
2	Ajax	34	16	1	0	64	4	11	3	3	42	16	86	85
3	PSV	34	13	4	0	40	13	10	5	2	32	16	43	78
4	Feyenoord	34	9	6	2	32	14	8	6	3	22	17	23	63
5	AZ Alkmaar	34	11	2	4	33	16	8	3	6	31	18	30	62

Dutch football has been dominated by the trio of Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, and Feyenoord for as long as anyone can remember and for one of the smaller clubs to break that monopoly, never mind to actually win the title is nothing short of miraculous.

FC Twente follow in the footsteps of AZ Alkmaar who won the league last year, but following the collapse of Dirk Scheringa's fortune and Louis van Gaal's exodus to Bayern Munich they completely collapsed and ended up finishing a distant fifth.

Twente contain the three best stories in Dutch football this season, in the title winth, the redemption ofSteve McLaren, and 19-year-old Luuk De Jong beating his Ajax playing brother, 21-year-old, Siem De Jong to the title.

Both youngsters have become important parts of their respective machines as the season wore on, and many pundits are now calling for Siem to be a starter for Holland when the World Cup starts.

McClaren brought Twente to finish second last year, his first at the club, and he has now gone one better.
"Today we made history. It's more than miracle," McClaren said on Twente's official website.

Speaking to Dutch broadcaster NOS, he added: "What a fantastic bunch of players.
"I said at the beginning of the season I don't know if we have a team, I couldn't tell.
"They grew and grew, they deserve it. They deserve it."

Speaking last week McClaren talked about his time as England coach and how it has changed him for the better.

"I don't think a day goes by some aspect of that experience doesn't come flashing into my mind. I felt I let down a nation,"

"But being a manager is what I do. Generally I've been quite successful in what I do, but you can't win every time. Sometimes failures come, and this was a big failure.

"I had to learn from it, be strong and move on."

He certainly has, the road to redemption for Steve McLaren is in full swing, bring on the Champions League.

Chelsea All But Win The EPL Title at Liverpool, Where To Now For Rafael Benitez?

After beating Stoke City 7-0 last week, Chelsea strolled to an even easier win today by triumphing 2-0 over a sterile Liverpool side at Anfield. In the run up to the game many pundits had questioned if the Reds would roll over and have their bellies tickled, well they did that, and more.

World Cup Fixture List

 

Chronological World Cup fixtures

Friday, 11 June 2010

South Africa v Mexico, Gp A, 15:00

Uruguay v France, Gp A, 19:30

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Saturday, 12 June 2010

Argentina v Nigeria, Gp B, 15:00

England v USA, Gp C, 19:30

South Korea v Greece, Gp B, 12:30

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Sunday, 13 June 2010

Algeria v Slovenia, Gp C, 12:30

Germany v Australia, Gp D, 19:30

Serbia v Ghana, Gp D, 15:00

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Monday, 14 June 2010

Italy v Paraguay, Gp F, 19:30

Japan v Cameroon, Gp E, 15:00

Netherlands v Denmark, Gp E, 12:30

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Tuesday, 15 June 2010

Brazil v North Korea, Gp G, 19:30

Ivory Coast v Portugal, Gp G, 15:00

New Zealand v Slovakia, Gp F, 12:30

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Wednesday, 16 June 2010

Honduras v Chile, Gp H, 12:30

South Africa v Uruguay, Gp A, 19:30

Spain v Switzerland, Gp H, 15:00

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Thursday, 17 June 2010

Argentina v South Korea, Gp B, 12:30

France v Mexico, Gp A, 19:30

Greece v Nigeria, Gp B, 15:00

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Friday, 18 June 2010

England v Algeria, Gp C, 19:30

Germany v Serbia, Gp D, 12:30

Slovenia v USA, Gp C, 15:00

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Saturday, 19 June 2010

Cameroon v Denmark, Gp E, 19:30

Ghana v Australia, Gp D, 15:00

Netherlands v Japan, Gp E, 12:30

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Sunday, 20 June 2010

Brazil v Ivory Coast, Gp G, 19:30

Italy v New Zealand, Gp F, 15:00

Slovakia v Paraguay, Gp F, 12:30

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Monday, 21 June 2010

Chile v Switzerland, Gp H, 15:00

Portugal v North Korea, Gp G, 12:30

Spain v Honduras, Gp H, 19:30

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Tuesday, 22 June 2010

France v South Africa, Gp A, 15:00

Greece v Argentina, Gp B, 19:30

Mexico v Uruguay, Gp A, 15:00

Nigeria v South Korea, Gp B, 19:30

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Wednesday, 23 June 2010

Australia v Serbia, Gp D, 19:30

Ghana v Germany, Gp D, 19:30

Slovenia v England, Gp C, 15:00

USA v Algeria, Gp C, 15:00

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Thursday, 24 June 2010

Cameroon v Netherlands, Gp E, 19:30

Denmark v Japan, Gp E, 19:30

Paraguay v New Zealand, Gp F, 15:00

Slovakia v Italy, Gp F, 15:00

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Friday, 25 June 2010

Chile v Spain, Gp H, 19:30

North Korea v Ivory Coast, Gp G, 15:00

Portugal v Brazil, Gp G, 15:00

Switzerland v Honduras, Gp H, 19:30

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Saturday, 26 June 2010

Winner Gp A v Runner-up Gp B, 16R, 15:00

Winner Gp C v Runner-up Gp D, 16R, 19:30

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Sunday, 27 June 2010

Winner Gp B v Runner-up Gp A, 16R, 19:30

Winner Gp D v Runner-up Gp C, 16R, 15:00

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Monday, 28 June 2010

Winner Gp E v Runner-up Gp F, 16R, 15:00

Winner Gp G v Runner-up Gp H, 16R, 19:30

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Tuesday, 29 June 2010

Winner Gp F v Runner-up Gp E, 16R, 15:00

Winner Gp H v Runner-up Gp G, 16R, 19:30

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Friday, 2 July 2010

Wnr Gp A/R-Up Gp B v Wnr Gp C/R-Up Gp D, QF, 19:30

Wnr Gp E/R-Up Gp F v Wnr Gp G/R-Up Gp H, QF, 15:00

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Saturday, 3 July 2010

Wnr Gp B/R-Up Gp A v Wnr Gp D/R-Up Gp C, QF, 15:00

Wnr Gp F/R-Up Gp E v Wnr Gp H/R-Up Gp G, QF, 19:30

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Tuesday, 6 July 2010

Winner Q/F 1 v Winner Q/F 3, SF, 19:30

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Wednesday, 7 July 2010

Winner Q/F 2 v Winner Q/F 4, SF, 19:30

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Saturday, 10 July 2010

Loser SF1 v Loser SF2, 3rd, 19:30

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Sunday, 11 July 2010

Winners SF1 v Winners SF2, F, 19:30

Jose Mourinho Guides Inter Past Barcelona On A Bad Night For Football

Jose Mourinho, the man so laughably dismissed as little more than "an interpreter" by Barcelona has guided Inter Milan through to the Final of the UEFA Champions League after they beat La Blaugrana 3-2 on aggregate.

Following Inter Milan's superb performance last week when they beat Barcelona 3-1, Jose Mourinho brough his troops to battle in the cauldron that is the Camp Nou. In front of 100,000 baying fans, Inter produced one of the best defensive performances seen in years to deny Barca a place in the final.

Morrissey and The Smiths; Writing About Tottenham Hotspur All These Years?

 

For the first time since the Champions League was introduced in 1992, Tottenham Hotspur stand on the verge of qualification. Just three games remain, Bolton, Manchester City, and Burnley. 

Win all three and Spurs will be entering virgin territory. Lilywhites fans can be forgiven for uttering a few words while looking to the skies above. It would seem that Steven Patrick Morrissey had already written the very prayer that most Tottenham fans will be uttering over the next ten days.

For those of you who don't know, Steven Patrick Morrissey is better known as Morrissey, or the lead singer to The Smiths if you will. The Manchester based band were, and still are, one of the most important and influential bands of all time.

That's not just my opinion, it is the opinion of respected magazines like Rolling Stone, NME, Q, and even the BBC.

BBC said the Smiths were "one of the most influential figures in the history of British pop", NME went one further by declaring Morrissey the "most influential artist ever" in a 2002 poll, topping The Beatles, while Rolling Stone stated that his "rejection of convention" in his vocal style and lyrics is the reason "why he redefined the sound of British rock for the past quarter-century". 


In short Morrissey was a genius when it came to writing Lyrics. 

For those of you who don't know, The Smiths were formed in 1982 when the 23 year old Morrissey met John Maher for the first time. A prodigious guitar player and songwriter in his own right, Maher and Morrissey instantly hit it off. 


Friends were added to the lineup and in 1983 they released their first single, Hand in Glove.

It was not a commercial success but it did garner the attention of one John Peel. The highly respected BBC Radio 1 DJ championed the cause of the young outfit and from there they went from strength to strength.
Being a Spurs fan you can look back and see the irony in their song titles, and one would think they were almost written directly for the North London side.

"This Charming Man," ignoring it's original intent, could refer to the endless succession of managers and next big things that have walked through the doors at White Hart Lane over the years. "What Difference Does It Make" is an obvious one for the end of almost every season.

"Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" needs no explanation...

Before we come to "That Joke Isn't Funny Any More" and the iconic "Panic".

Each one an anthem for Spurs in it's own right, before we finally come to the 1984 classic..."William, It Was Really Nothing"...yes you're reading that right.

In case you're wondering, "William, It Was Really Nothing" is about a man who becomes involved in a loveless marriage, something every sports fan can attain to at one time or another...

But that's not the song I want to talk about. No the song I'm referring to was the B-Side to that very single.
Before we go on I must explain to our younger readers that before CD's we used to have something called Cassette Tapes, and before that we had Records.

Large black things that were about the same size as dinner plates with around five or six songs on each side. Singles were smaller and only had one song on each side, they were about six inches in diameter and were the backbone of the charts.

The A-Side was the real single which received all the airplay, but the B-Side was, if you were lucky, a little gem of a song that was often better that the main one.

The B-Side to "William, It Was Really Nothing" is one of those classics. A beautiful little song called "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want."

It's the perfect song for every fan who has pleaded with the sporting God's to give their team a break. So for once in my life, Lord knows that this would be the first time, please, let me get what I want...

Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want , by The Smiths
Good times for a change
see, the luck I've had
can make a good man
turn bad

So please please please
let me, let me, let me
let me get what I want
this time

Haven't had a dream in a long time
see, the life I've had
can make a good man bad

So for once in my life
let me get what I want
Lord knows it would be the first time
Lord knows it would be the first time

I guess if Spurs fans gain Champions League qualification, and it's a big if, then "Everyday Will Be Like Sunday" for a while.