Manchester United Do It Again

Today, Man United showed yet again why they should never be written off at any point during a match. They came back from 1-0 down to win 2-1 against Southampton in the FA Cup. Their "never say die" attitude is one of the reasons that a majority of people are backing the Red Devils to be lifting the Premiership title and other honours by the end of the season. Goals by Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez and Michael Owen sealed United's place in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

After conceding late goals against Everton and Fulham that denied them victory at the start of the season, it seems that lapses in concentration have been removed from the system. United seem to be at their best in the last ten minutes as they have recorded two victories by means of a comeback. I'm referring of course to their victory today and their victory earlier this week against Blackpool as they showed great character to comeback from 2-0 down to leave Bloomfield Road 2-3 winners.

Man United are still unbeaten this season but people are still doubting the prospect of them repeating the success of the 2003/04 Arsenal "invincibles" team. Although they do have Chelsea still to play twice and Man City will be visiting Old Trafford next month, I don't see any reason why they can't. After all, I think it is fair to say that they haven't reached their full potential this season.

With the form Berbatov is in, it does seem that they won't have to rely on the Rooney of old and with the ability of Hernandez, it seems that Rooney might even struggle to find himself in the starting XI more often than  not. With the managerial talent that Ferguson possesses, I wouldn't write them off.

So, will they win the league and in the process go the whole season unbeaten?

I would love to hear any comments that you may have.

One Striker On His Way In While One Possibly Heading Out

It wasn't looking very good for Liverpool only a month or so ago but after the weekend's victory at Molineux against Wolves it looks like the Anfield faithful will soon be chanting with joy as it looks like Luis Suarez looks a certainty to join the ranks at Liverpool. But just as it looked like Liverpool were on the verge of having one of the most formidable strike duos, Torres crushed that possibility as he requested that he is allowed to talk to Chelsea.

After the World Cup, with the exception of the late Paul the Octopus, Luis Suarez was the name that was reasonably unknown before the World Cup, that everyone was going to remember in the near future. Not only for his controversial hand ball which ultimately denied Ghana from becoming the first African nation to reach World Cup Semi Finals but for his, at times, sublime play. He will surely be a real asset for Liverpool and shouldn't disappoint.

Now to the player, with the exception of Wayne Rooney, who will want to forget the Summer of 2010 as quickly as possible, Fernando Torres. After an unbelievably good start to his Liverpool career,  it just seems that Torres can't find the form that made him so popular on Merseyside. He showed glimpses at the weekend though, that might signal the start of a goalscoring run that the Liverpool fans have been dying to see.

But although Liverpool have insisted that the Spain international is not for sale, Torres has insisted that he would like to at least see what Chelsea have on offer. With only a few days left in the transfer window, Chelsea will have to act fast. Apparently, the offer on the table is 35 million pounds. With the arrival of Suarez practically complete, you would have to think that Liverpool would be a little less reluctant to let go of the Spaniard if the right offer was made.

If Liverpool are to keep Torres and sign Suarez and get both strikers to reach the standard that we know they are capable of, then with a bit of luck, the fourth spot could be within Liverpool's sights.

I would love to hear any comments that you may have.

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Why Did Bent Decide To Move To Aston Villa?

In a shock move, Darren Bent has obviously decided that Villa Park is the place to be even though they happen to be in 17th position and no doubt a relegation battle. He left Sunderland, who are in a very respectable 6th position in the premier league with a Europa League spot very much on the cards.

Is it me, or am I right to be slightly baffled by Bent's decision? I don't know, maybe Bent sees something that we don't. All I'm saying is that it just seems strange that he would move to a club that, very clearly, are struggling to keep their Premier League status.

Sunderland have shown some tremendous performances, most notably against a very poor Chelsea side but a 3-0 victory at Stamford Bridge none the less. They have shown quality and I wouldn't put it past them to do well in the Europa League should they qualify. Steve Bruce has put a team together, that on their day, can beat anyone in the Premiership at the moment.

Now to Aston Villa. I think it's fair to say that they have had a below-par season struggling to win games this season that they would have won with little effort last season. So obviously, like Chelsea with Ray Wilkins, the loss of staff has really affected their season as Martin O'Neill decided to take an early exit from Villa Park. Gerard Houllier has struggled to have an impact on the way that Villa have gone about their football, showing in their poor form.

So, who would you decide to play for? I think it's fairly clear that Sunderland are in the better form and position in the league, so what was the motivation for Darren Bent's audacious move away from the Stadium of Light. It does seem rather mind boggling. I think it is fair to say, that Bent hasn't been Sunderland's top dog in front of goal. For me, Welbeck has proved to be slightly more affective this season so maybe that had an affect on Bent's decision. 

I would love to hear any comments that you may have.

Pienaar Should NOT Leave Everton

Remember the time when Jolean Lescott was the star on the rise, the leader for England's next generation for central defenders. Well around that time, Man City decided to go into their pockets and cough up a pricey £20 million or so for the big man. Where is he now? Not really doing much at the City of Manchester Stadium and has gone out of contention of being the next solid defender that England manage to produce.

For this reason, I think it would be wise of Pienaar to stay put at Goodison Park. I think it would be an awful shame if he quickly fizzled out and became practically unknown in some parts of the world. Of course he will still be known here and of course in his native South Africa but where else?

Since arriving at Goodison, David Moyes has done what a lot of managers aspire to do. Get a relatively unknown player which will leave a lot of people bemused at the decision and then prove all the doubters wrong by making him into a valuable asset. A lot of managers have tried this with only the best being able to emulate the success of managers like Moyes so I think that is a testament to Moyes as well.

In case you haven't heard, Tottenham and Chelsea are the two clubs interested in the South African. Now I don't about you, but with the quality of players that both teams have, it's hard seeing Pienaar getting a first team spot more often than not. He has proven that he can deliver in big matches and can score and create goals, but I just think it isn't the right move for him at this present time.

With the proposed offer being in and around the region of £3 million, I'm surprised Everton aren't holding out for more especially with the kind of quality that he possesses and especially when you see that Aston Villa have reportedly offered Sunderland £18 million for Darren Bent.

So do you think he should leave Goodison? What do you think would be the best move for his career?

I would love to hear any comments that you may have.

Do Arsenal Ever Stop Complaining?

It's quite clear that everyone loves to watch Arsenal play football. Why? Because they play the game right. No "Route 1" stuff, just fantastic, crisp passing on the deck. But if there is one thing gets me slightly aggravated, it's Arsenal's tendency to complain when things aren't going in their favour. Arsene Wenger is almost famous for saying that teams "are too rough" or "they kick us".

Don't get me wrong, half the time Wenger does have a valid point and sure how can you blame him for complaining. Two of the most horrific injuries I think that we have seen in the past two or three years have come at the cost of an Arsenal player's leg. Of course, I'm talking about the skillful and unfortunate Ramsey and Eduardo. 

Lee Bowyer had to accept a three match ban due to literally kicking Bacary Sagna only a few weeks or so ago. So I think he does have every right to complain, you just wish he wouldn't go on about it so much.

Yet again though, it happened today as Arsenal skipper was caught saying that Ipswich used "rugby" tactics last night as they ran out 1-0 winners through a goal from Ipswich's Tamas Priskin at Portman Road. If you didn't watch the match, Fabregas wasn't complaining about rugby-like tackles but more about the obsessive use of the "route 1" option. 

We all know that when we see Arsenal using the "route 1" option that they are in dire straits and are getting desperate by that stage. I'm sure most of this harmless rant was due to frustration but it was inevitable that Arsenal weren't going to accept losing to a team that is a league below them but there is still no need for the outburst. 

I would love to hear any comments that you may have.

Is Gareth Bale That Good?

Today, Roberto Mancini boldly stated that if Spurs were to lose Bale, they would lose 50% of their potential. Now, I know he is good, but is he that good? I think the only reason we aren't seeing offers left, right and centre for the Welshman is because Redknapp knows he is one of the most feared players in the world and wouldn't dare to sell him. I think the only man that would have the nerve to contradict Redknapp when he says that Bale is unavailable would be Mancini himself.

I don't know what Bale did over the Summer but whatever he did, I think a lot of players will be taking a leaf out Bale's book as they attempt to become the hottest property in world football. When he joined, he was well publicised as being the new kid sensation and didn't really live up to the hype. We then find out that the only thing that was missing was that he was playing left-back not left-midfield.

A few more years of the same form that Bale has been showing in the past few months then we seriously might have a Welsh Ballon d'Or winner. I'd say he is only behind Messi, Iniesta and Xavi in the list of the world's best players. I'm sorry Tottenham fans but it seems that it is only a matter of time before Bale makes the move away from White Hart Lane.

But is this just a phase of good fortune. I'm not underestimating the player but it could just be. I hope not because if so, there goes Tottenham's chances of doing well in the Champions League unless, of course, the likes of Modric and Van Der Vaart can win it for them single handedly. Bale has proved he can play against the best and not get phased by the hype surrounding the match.

Bale has clearly stated that he wants to stay put but there is bound to be an offer with big money involved soon. Tottenham have felt the pressure this season to retain the coveted fourth spot and with the odds stacked highly against them to do so, that might have a say in Gareth Bale's future. I wouldn't bet against them but yet again, if I'm being brutally honest, I think they will come just too short and unless they win the Champions League they might have to settle for Europa League football next season.

So was Mancini right to say what he said or is he over-rating the Welshman?

I would love to hear any comments that you may have.

2010. What A Year For Howard Web. 2011. Not So Much

It's been hard to go onto a football site lately and not hear about the controversy that Howard Webb caused in the Man United v Liverpool match on Sunday. Although the penalty was a bit dubious, I think he got the sending off of Steven Gerrard spot on.

I think we should cut him a bit of slack though. He is easily one of the best English referees at the moment and you can't doubt that especially with the credentials that he has to his name. Unlike a lot of the referees that we see today, I think it is fair to say that Mr.Webb doesn't get pushed around by the players into making decisions.

I don't think the year could have got off to a worse start and especially after last year in which we couldn't run out of superlatives to describe the policeman, 2011 might just be the year that brings him back down to earth.

FIFA and UEFA found him worthy of refereeing both the Champions League and World Cup final respectively in the same year. I think it is fair to say that he didn't have his best performance in the World Cup final which was of course contested between Holland and Spain in Johannesburg. 

But in fairness he didn't get much assistance  from the likes of Marc Van Bommel and Nigel De Jong, in which they led the public to believe that it was a Kung Fu tutorial rather than a football match. Not even Spain could turn it in to a match worthy of watching as we had to endure 120 minutes of drivel.

Ryan Babel obviously didn't care what Webb achieved in 2010 as he had this to say "And they call him one of the best referees? That's a joke." Babel, like many others, knew he wasn't going to get away with it and quickly withdrew his comments. But do you agree with Babel? Is he over-rated? I personally don't think so, don't we all have "a bad day at the office"?

I would love to hear any comments that you may have.