Discussing The English Premiership.

What's Going On At St James's Park?

2009-05-05T14:41:00.000-07:00

For a few years now, hardly have we seen any common sense decision come out of Newcastle United. The take over by Mike Ashley, the signing of Joey Barton, the re-appointment of Kevin Keegan, the proposed sale to a Nigerian consortium, the appointment of Alan Shearer and so on.

Talking about the appointment of Shearer, it seems to me an emotional decision rather than common sense. Shearer himself has accepted that his impact has been limited since he took over as manager.

They have a must win game at home to Middlesbrough who themselves are in deep relegation troubles but they don't look like a team that can rise to the challenge when needed especially with in house troubles caused by no other than the unrepentant Joey Barton.

It's looking dicey for Newcastle and anything other than a win on Monday will confirm they are really in big trouble.

Akin Alabi

Welcome Back, Big Sam!

2008-12-17T09:45:00.000-08:00

Sam "Big Sam" Allardyce is back in football, this time as manager of Blackburn Rovers who has sacked their manager, Paul Ince.

There was no doubting the fact that Ince would be given the boot as their form has been poor to say the least. No victory in 11 games can only mean a slide towards regulation, and that is not a word that is palatable to the ears of football club owners theses days.

I really wished Paul would succeed. I admired him as a Manchester United and England player and I've been following his career as a football manager especially his stint at MK Dons. I saw the Don's play times without number in Milton Keynes and I was impressed with with the teams brand of attacking football. Maybe the Blackburn role came too early for him but it still was a chance to make a big leap in his career.

It's up to Big Sam to turn things around at Ewood Park which I'm sure he'll do. He did a great job at Bolton and I'm sure he will draw on his wealth of experience to make a success of this.

Akin Alabi

Why Keano? Why?

2008-12-04T09:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I was writing about West Brom's manager, Tony Mowbray and his fight against relegation. I did not have the faintest idea that just a few hours later, another struggling premiership side, this time sunderland would part with their manager.

According to Naill Quinn, both parties parted amicably. "The board has reluctantly accepted his decision and wish him and his family well for the future.'' He said.

The question is, should Keano have left the stadium of light? There is no doubt that in today's game, results matter more than ever and there is no hiding the fact Sunderland have been poor this season. I guess the last straw that broke the camel's back was Saturday's 4-1 wretched loss at home to Bolton.

I know Roy Keane to be a tough guy so I did not for once consider him leaving the club because of a few bad losses. It's not Christmas yet so we can't write them off yet.

I'm a big admirer of Roy so I wish him the best in his future endeavours. A job abroad or even a minor role at Old Trafford won't be a bad idea.

Akin Alabi

Tough Task For Mowbray!

2008-12-03T05:24:00.000-08:00

Tony Mowbray is one of my most admired English managers. I started following his career when he took over Hibernian in the summer of 2004. He did a great job there and I was glad when he was appointed the manager of West Bromwich Albion. He led them to promotion playing some fantastic football in the process.

Life has however been tough in the premiership. A confirmation of the wide gulf between the premiership and the championship. They are at the bottom at the moment and although it's too early to write anyone off, I'm tempted to wonder where the quality they need will come from.

A forward line comprising Roman Bednar, Sherjill MacDonald and Luke Moore, all of them with about 4 goals in total do not sound exciting to me.

Maybe a couple of quality signings in January would do the magic.

Akin Alabi

A Standing Ovation For King Ronaldo!

2008-12-03T04:20:00.000-08:00

Cristiano Ronaldo, on Tuesday, in what was not a surprise to any living soul, was crowned the best player in European football for 2008. The 23 year old Portuguese becomes the fourth Manchester United player to land the Ballon d'Or. The others were Dennis Law (1964), Bobby Charlton (1966) and George Best (1968) .

Ronaldo pulled in an amazing 446 as he left his closest "challenger", Lionel Messi with 281 points. Liverpool's Fernando Torres was third.

It's of no use going over Cristiano Ronaldo's achievements this year and like I said earlier on, no one was surprised Ronaldo won this. I'm sure even his biggest critics would agree.

There's no doubting the fact that he'll be crowned the world football of the year in a few months.

Congratulations Ronaldo.

Akin Alabi

PS: Do you think Cristiano Ronaldo will be crowned the world footballer of the year? You can back him here.

Ronaldo To Real Madrid? No Chance!

2008-05-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

There has been lots of speculations surrounding Christiano Ronaldo's future in the last few days. There are rumours that he will be heading to sunny Spain to join the Spanish champions, Real Madrid.

The rumours intensified after Manchester United's champions league triumph over Chealsea in Moscow last week. Ronaldo was reported saying that he would not promise anyone as regards his future.

I strongly believe Ronaldo will be at Old Trafford next season and why not? Manchester United are the champions of Europe and arguably the best team on the planet. Why would he want to move to Real Madrid that "peed in their pants" when they faced Roma in the champions league.

Gone are the days when we believe that the only way to win laurels is by playing in Real Madrid and AC Milan. Milan won't even be playing in the UCL next season after they finish 5th in the Italian league.

Back to Ronaldo.

The only thing that can make Ronaldo leave Old Trafford this summer is if he has an out of this world tournament next month at Euro 2008 and a club comes in with 100 million pounds.

Anything apart from that, I'm certain he will remain at Sir Matt Busby way.

Manchester United fans however know that Ronaldo is not a United "lifer". He will still leave to play in another country. He'll probably play about 2 more seasons. That will take his number of years at Old Trafford to seven.

I'm not sure one can complain about the loyalty of a player (foreigner) that served for seven years.

Akin Alabi

PS: Can Man Utd win the league next season? You can get more than double your money on them if you back them here.

Bye Bye Grant!

2008-05-25T01:45:00.000-07:00

I don't think this came as a surprise to anybody.

Avram Grant was yesterday sacked as Chelsea manager less than a week after he led Chelsea to their first ever Champions league league apearance.

Avram Grant was never a popular choice at the bridge and his tactics came under scrutiny more than once especially after the Carling cup loss to Spurs after taking a lead through David Drogba's splendid free kick (although Paul Robinson should have done better).

Avram did well in my reckoning although managers are judged according to the trophies they won, and he failed to win any. He was a penalty kick away from winning the UCL but their "strong man" John Terry bottled it.

So who's taking over?

- Guus Hiddinks
- Frank Riijkaard
- Sven Goran Ericsson
- Ten Cate
- Jose Mourinho
- Roberto Mancini

The list is endless.

I have a feeling Peter Kenyon already has a candidate in mind but he wants the UCL furore to cool off before getting back in the news.

Fingers Crossed.

Akin Alabi

PS: Can Chelsea win the league next season? You can get more than triple your money on them if you back them here.

All Hail Manchester United!

2008-05-23T03:58:00.000-07:00

There is hardly anything I can add to Manchester United's premiership and Champions leauge triumph that has not been discussed extensively.

All I can say is well done to the reds. They are no doubt the best clubside in European football.

They won the premiership scoring the highest number of goals and went through the champions league undefeated.

And in Christiano Ronaldo, they've got the best footballer on the planet.

Akin Alabi

PS: Can Man Utd win the league next season? You can get more than double your money on them if you back them here.

Blatter's Off The Mark!

2008-03-07T12:52:00.000-08:00

Sepp "51 bad ideas out of 50" Blatter has asked for a life ban on Matin Taylor for his tackle on Eduardo.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/03/07/sfnbla207.xml

Knowing Blatter and his tendencies to talk out of his a*se, I'm not surprised to hear this.

For heaven's sake, Martin Taylor's tackle was bad. But since I've been watching football, I've lost count of the number of times I've seen worse tackles. Quique Alvarez' tackle on Robben last week in the Spain was as bad.

He even recommends legal actions.

How do you determine a players intentions? Taylor had only been booked 6 times in his whole career so what motivation could he have had to break Eduardo's leg?

Blatter went on to advocate special treatment for good players.

"The referees should be aware that if there is a very good player, they need to protect him"

Special tratment for certain players?

Please when is the next FIFA election? I need to contest :-)

Akin Alabi

Quieroz After Sir Alex?

2008-03-07T05:18:00.000-08:00

Who should take over from Sir Alex Ferguson when he eventually quits Old Trafford in a few years? I gathered he plans to retire in about three years.

We can tout many names. Marcello Lippi? Guus Hiddinks? Jose Mourinho? Roy Keane? Fabio Capello?

One man I'm begining to have confidence in is the current number two man at Old Trafford. Carlos Queiroz. If anyone had suggested this to me 18 months ago, I would have cursed the person.

But I think his eyes for talents is legendary.

He is the father of the current generation and immediate past of Portuguese football having conquered the world twice at under 20 level with likes of Figo and Costa.

At Real Madrid, he told the Real board to buy Pepe when he was available at just two million euros. They told him he wont sell shirts. A few years later, Real had to cough out thirty million for him.

I know managing Man Utd is more than buying exciting young stars but is there a better way to learn football management other than under stuying Sir Alex?

Akin Alabi

Liverpool To Play Next Week... Why?

2008-03-05T16:31:00.000-08:00

That is the question I've been bombarded with in the last few days.

The answer is simple. AC Milan and Inter Milan (Liverpool's opponents) share the same stadium, the San Siro so Inter will have to wait till next week.

Someone wondered how UEFA could screw such important fixture schedule up. No they did not. Rather, we have this unusual situation because both teams won their respective groups therefore had the right to play their second leg matches at home (which is normally an advantage).

So why was AC given the priority over Inter?

Simple. Since AC Milan are the champions and are seeded higher, they get to play this week and Inter have to play a week later.

Akin Alabi

The Rise Of English Football!

2008-03-05T16:20:00.000-08:00

I mean the premiership and not the Three "Lions".

Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea have all qualified for the quater finals of the Champions Leauge with Liverpool likely to follow suit next week. Does this signify the rise of the English clubsides?

We've had them in the last three finals with Liverpool winning that memorable final in Instanbul.

Gone are the days when "average" continental teams like Fiorentina and Borrussia Dortmund struck fear into the hearts of the English. Today, traditional heavy weights like Milan and Real Madrid can no longer have easy rides.

Just ask "Uncle" Paolo Maldini and his team mates.

Akin Alabi

Race For Fourth Place!

2008-02-29T11:25:00.000-08:00

The race between Arsenal and Manchester United is not the only exciting race to keep a close eye on in the premiership. The race for fourth place is equally interesting.

We can all safely assume that Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea will occupy the first three positions (that's not in any particular order), the fourth place is however up for grabs.

Liverpool, Everton, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Portsmouth have all got genuine claims as they are all seperated by a maximum of three points.

On paper, Liverpool should nick it especially if Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres stay fit but we all know football is not played on paper. City rivals Everton are having a fine season and they are one of the most difficult team to beat in the premiership.

Fingers crossed.

Akin Alabi

A Prayer For Eduardo!

2008-02-23T07:41:00.000-08:00

My heart goes out to Eduardo Da Silva.

Arsenal striker Eduardo Da Silva suffered a horrific injury in the opening stages of Saturday's Premier League encounter at Birmingham City. The Croatia international was injured in a tackle with City's Martin Taylor in the second minute of the encounter and was treated on the pitch for eight minutes before being taken to hospital.

Taylor was dismissed in the aftermath of the incident. The injury has been described as similar to the one suffered by Coventry City's David Busst in 1996 when his career was ended after colliding with Manchester United duo Denis Irwin and Brian McClair.

Such was the nature of Eduardo's injury that Sky Sports declined to show a replay of the incident while several players appeared to be shocked by what they had seen.

I really hope this injury is not a career ending injury. I pray he bounces back the way Manchester United's Alan Smith bounced back after that horrific injury suffered at Anfield in the FA Cup a few years ago.

Let's all say a prayer for Eduardo.

Akin Alabi

Nani's Showboating: Genius Or Silly?

2008-02-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

A lot of people have condemed Nani's showboating in the FA Cup match between Manchester United and Arsenal esterday. Arsene Wenger condemed it and Fergie has cautioned him.

I'm absolutely staggered this is even a point of discussion. Fans spend lots of money to watch these games and what they want to see is entertainment. Personally, I spent £120 in order to be there live and my high points for the day were the four goals and Nani's showboating.

If Nani had gone to a corner to do step overs, that would have been different. He was under presure from an opponent and he kept the ball so well in the air to ratain possesion for his team in a tricky situation. The onus lies on the opposition to retrieve the ball from him legally.

Nothing bad in what he did. It was great. What we should be talking about are the real disgraceful high points of the match.

- Adebayor's dive
- Eduardo's two footed lunge
- Eboue's karate
- Gallas' kick
- Flamini's murderous tackle
- Arsenal's capitulation

We should be talking about the above. Not a moment of absolute genius.

Akin Alabi

Sven's Man City Move

2007-06-26T11:47:00.000-07:00

Hello again,

I just gathered that former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson has agreed to a 3 year deal to succeed Stuart Pierce as Manchester City's manager.

There has been mixed reactions in the North East of England abou this move. There is a general belief that Sven is not good enough to be Man City's manager considering the fact that he did not "succeed" as England's head coach.

What a load of rubbish?

Sven not good enough for Man City? City fans must think that theirs is the biggest club in the world. I'm not a big fan of Eriksson but it's quite obvious that he is big enough, if not bigger than the Man City job.

This man has won more trophies in his career than what Man City has earned in their entire history.

Let's take a look at Sven's club CV.

1976: Degerfors (Assistant Coach)

1977-78: Degerfors (Coach)

1979-82: IFK Gothenburg
Swedish Cup Winners 1979
Swedish League Champions 1981
Swedish League Champions 1982
UEFA Cup Winners 1982

1982-84: SL Benfica
Portuguese League Champions 1983
Portuguese League Champions 1984
Portuguese Cup Winners 1983

1984-87: AS Roma
Italian Cup Winners 1986

1987-89: AC Fiorentina

1989-92: SL Benfica
Portuguese League Champions 1991

1992-97: Sampdoria UC
Italian Cup Winners 1994

1997-2000: SS Lazio
Italian Cup Winners 1998
Italian Super Cup Winners 1998
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Winners 1999
UEFA Super Cup Winners 1999
Italian League Champions 2000

Do I need to say more?

Akin Alabi

Bye Thierry, Bye...

2007-06-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

Hi again,

I'm so sad to see Thiery Henry leave Arsenal.

If you're a true lover of the English premiership, there is absolutely no way you won't feel bad about the departure of Thierry Henry to Barcelona. His transfer is a big blow to the premiership.

Although I'm not an Arsenal fan, there is no doubting the fact that this Frenchman has excited us all. He is arguably the best ever player to grace the premiership.

Sure Man Utd fans will say Eric Cantona is the greatest, Chelsea fans will scream Gianfranco Zola and Newcastle fans will shout Alan Shearer. What I know is that even these great men will agree that he is "up there" as one of the best ever.

Henry says he's leaving because of the uncertainty surrounding Arsenal as a football club. It has been like that since David Dein left the club. Who knows maybe Arsene Wenger will leave as well?

It's not really a nice time to be an Arsenal fan.

One thing we can not take away from Henry is that he gave his all for Arsenal during his stay with them and I'm sure memories will linger on for life. He was a great servant for Arsenal. I'm sure he will be a smashing hit at Barcelona.

Only those at White Hart Lane will be smiling now.

Akin Alabi

PS: I wanted to put up a video of Thierry Henry above but my blogger account is really proving a bit difficult today. I'll put one up as soon as I sort it out.

Pardon me

2007-06-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

Hello again,

It's quite a long time I made a post here. Forgive me.

I've been carried away with the euphoria of Manchester United's title win last week. (It's not a secret that I'm a Man U fan). A lot has happened since then.

Transfers, new fixtures and lots more.

Now I'm back and I'll be posting daily as from tomorrow.

Cheers,

Akin Alabi

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All Hail King Ronaldo!!!

2007-04-23T17:43:00.000-07:00

Manchester United wonderboy Christiano Ronaldo was deservedly crowned the PFA player of the year as well the young player of the year award.

The last time this feat was achieved was 30 years ago when Andy Gray (sky sports pundit) did the double.

No arguments about Ronaldo's clean sweep.

Let's celebrate a wonderful footballer. Currently the best in the world.

Akin

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2010: The year Chelsea can break even!

2007-02-27T16:41:00.000-08:00

Hi,

Just saw this piece by Graham Wray in The Sun newspaper. I couldn't help sharing it with you. It's so funny...

2010: The year Chelsea can break even!

Despite debts of £80million, Chelsea FC have announced their intention to break even by 2010. Here's how they could raise the readies.

1) Treble the value of Shaun Wright-Phillips by putting a Mars bar down his sock.

2) Sell Petr Cech headguards to Man Utd fans travelling to France. And anyone in the vicinity of Craig Bellamy.

3) Stock new lines in the club shop. Like Glen Johnson toilet seat. That lifts itself.

4) Get a sponsorship for every deflected Chelsea goal scored, recouping approximately £10million a season.

5) Offer new sites within the stadium for sponsors to place billboard ads. Like Drogba's huge a**e and Peter Kenyon's big bald head.

6) Make Abramovich's brown nosing mates pay to come in.

7) Sell off parts of the club's infrastructure that never gets used. Like Ashley Cole's left boot, Frank Lampard's head, Jose's humility and Drogba's charm.

8) Patent Arjen Robben's unique cream so that every 23-year-old can get to look like a funny little 52-year-old man.

9) Exploit the proposed tie-up with Disney by swapping Shevchenko and Ballack for Snow White and Dopey. On second thoughts, why bother.

10) Sell bottles of authentic Stamford Bridge "thin air". Okay, it's one less thing for Robben, Drogba and Cole to "trip" over but think of the cash.

It's not looking good for West Ham.

2007-02-15T17:26:00.000-08:00

Hi,

West Ham United lost a great opportunity to boost their chances of staying up at the end of the season when they lost at home to fellow strugglers, Watford.

If West Ham cannot pick up points at home in these kinds of matches, what hope do they have of staying up?

And that Harewood penalty. Why on earth was Harewood allowed to take it when you've got Carlos Tervez, Argentinian international on the field? Maybe the English factor was the reason.

I like West Ham but things are not looking good for them. Wigan doesn't look like a team that will go down either although the end of the season fixtures look tricky for them. They will be at home to Sheffield United on the last day. Surely, one of them will go down.

And West Ham? Should they start preparing for life in the Championship? If Man Utd wraps up the tilte before the last day, they should have achance of staying up.

Akin Alabi

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Leave Ronaldo Alone!

2007-02-05T11:48:00.000-08:00

Hi,

English football fans and commentators will never cease to amaze me. Up till this moment, I've not seen a good reson why he's the most hated figure in English football.

First, he was accused of accused of plotting to send Wayne Rooney off at the world cup. Meaningless as that may sound, fans all over England still singled him out as the reason why England crashed out at the quater finals last summer.

Then the issue of diving. Is Christiano Ronaldo the only one that has won disputed penalties in England this season? The answer is obvious. I heard former premiership referee Jef Winter maon about him earlier today. The outpour of hatred is staggering.

My simple verdict is "Hands off Ronaldo". The premiership is exciting because of talented footballers like Christiano Ronaldo. If we force him out, the premiership will not be better for it anyway. He'll surely move on to great things in his career.

Those boos and jeers are not affecting him. Can we just appreciate a world class talent?

Akin Alabi

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Oba Goal!!!

2007-01-15T10:33:00.000-08:00

Hello again,

I've never doubted the abilities of Newcastle United's striker, Obafemi Martins. And I was confident he would succeed at Newcastle when Glen Roeder signed him from Inter Milan for £10 million.

What I wasn't sure was how quickly he would settle in. We all know how difficult it is to adjust to life in the premiership. The pace and power of the English game is usually a problem for newcomers.

Even multi million pound Chelsea signing Andrei Shevchenko is struggling to adapt. Didier Drogba was a laughing stock in his first season but he's the real deal at the moment. We also remember that King Thierry Henry did not score in his first dozen matches for Arsenal.

But not Obafemi Martins! Full of pace, power and skills, he's been an instant hit with the fans of Newcastle, the toon army. And make no mistake about it. The "toon army" have watched Alan Shearer (who to me is the greatest sriker in the premiership ever) for a decade so they know a good striker when they see one.

Martin's goal against Totteham was an absolute stunner (See the video above). His previous seven goals in the premiership have been great. Not only that, his pace has been giving the opposition a lot of headaches.

Ride on Martins. The sky is the begining.

Akin Alabi

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My money is on Drogba.

2007-01-05T22:23:00.000-08:00

Howdy all,

First of all, happy new year.

As we already know, the new year began with both leaders Manchester United and champions Chelsea dropping two points each. Man Utd at Newcastle and Chelsea at Aston Villa. Jose Mourihno wants us to believe that the results are okay for Chelsea and bad for Man Utd. But that's by the way.

Today, I want to talk about the race for the premiership top scorer. Lots of strikers have been firing on all cylinders and it seems more is still to come. Saha, Ronaldo, Drogba, Henry (best is yet to come) and lots.

The top man at this moment is Didier Drogba. And just today I walked into Coral to place a bet on him to remain the top marksman at the end of the season with £50 at 8/5.

Although I'm not one of his biggest fans, there is no doubt that he's been in sensational form this season, scoring some unbelievable goals along the way. Currently on 13 goals at the moment, he seems unstoppable. Christiano Ronaldo is close on his heels with 12 but as a winger, there is a likelihood that he might not be able to sustain the scoring streak.

Thierry Henry is fit again and he's on 7 goals. Although you can't rule him out totally, I think he's far behind to catch up on the "Drog War"

Who's with me on this?

See you later

Akin Alabi

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Sir Alex Ferguson's birthday gift.

2006-12-30T19:44:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

Sir Alex Ferguson couldn't have wished for a better birthday present.

On the eve of his 65th birthday, his team went clear of champions Chelsea at the top of the premiership. A 3-2 win over a decent Reading and a 2--2 between at the bridge between Chelsea and their west London rivals Fulham, ensured Manchester United will go into the new year as clear leaders at the top. With a massive six point lead!

Much thanks to Christiano Ronaldo. He's on fire at the moment and I have no doubt he'll win the player of the season award at the end of the season. Six goals in the last 3 games is simply phenomenal. He's no doubt the best young player in the world and at 21, he's got a hell of a future ahead of him.

But what's wrong with Chelsea? Granted, they've got some key player injured especially at the back. But after spending over £200m in a few years, I find it laughable that they are stuggling because about four players are out.

I wonder why they got rid of Williams Gallas go in exchange for Ashley Cole.

The fight at the bottom is equally exciting. A win for Charlton (the first under Alan Pardew) over Aston Villa, a shock win by Sheffield United over Arsenal and West Ham's loss at home (a reality check for Alan Curbishely) to Manchester City, we are certain of a relegation fight that will likely go to the wire.

Watford seems doomed (although Adrian Boothroyd would disagree), but who will go down with them?

Charlton? West Ham? Sheffield United? Newcastle United?

I'm salivating already.

See you after the new year's day matches.

Cheers,

Akin Alabi

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It's all going Man Utd's way.

2006-12-27T08:26:00.000-08:00

Hi,

What a period to be a Manchester United's fan. Four point clear of champions Chelsea at the top, scoring goals at will, mean defence, few injuries and in Christiano Ronaldo, they have the best young player in the world.

I suspected Chelsea would find it difficult against Reading. Steve Coppell has built a solid, disciplined side that everyone finds difficult to play against. I saw them hold Man Utd to a one all draw at the Madjeski stadium and they were quite solid.

Jose Mourhino moans the absense of Petr Chec and skipper John Terry. Now he know what it feels like to be without key players. In the last two seasons, they've been lucky with injuries and that was a major reason they achieved great consistency.

But they are not the only ones without key player. Arsenal are in a worse situation. They are without William Gallas, Thiery Henry, Emmanuel Eboue, and Abou Diaby. And I remeber they were without Kolo Toure when they played Chealsea at Stamford brigde and still managed to pick a point.

Quit moaning Jose, that's one of the situations you're expected to manage as the manager of a top football team.

See ya in a couple of days.

Akin Alabi

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Let's get busy on boxing day.

2006-12-25T11:38:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

What a period to start this blog.

It's been on mind since the begining of the season to start this blog. I couldn't due to other schedules.

But I guess it's better late than never.

It's boxing day tomorrow and we know how busy the English football calender is during this period. There is a cluster of fixtures and the coaches are complaining.

But for me, I've not been this happy in many months. Lots of football to watch.

Tomorrow, Manchester United will be at home to Wigan while Chelsea hosts Reading. I expect both teams to pick up maximum points. Although Reading could prove difficult at the bridge. They've got a very solid and organised team.

The relegation fight is hotting up as well. I think it will be an interesting one. I should be at Old Trafford tomorrow to see the Man Utd game. I'll keep you posted.

Hope you're having a great Xmas.

See ya soon.

Akin Alabi

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