It’s Premier League match time at the Britannia Stadium as Stoke get set to host Bolton in a second leg meeting in match week 23 on January 15.

Bolton prevailed 2-1 in a thrilling first leg match hosted by the Trotters on October 16, 2001, which ended with the winning goal on 90 minutes from Klasnic who go sent off promptly thereafter. Lee gave the hosts the lead on 22 minutes, and Coyle’s men went into the break with a 1-0 lead. Four minutes after the break, Stoke drew level on the back of Delap’s strike, to set up an enthralling second half.

It was a patchy game for Bolton who played better in the first half. the equaliser came off a corner thanks to a defensive error by the hosts. Ironically, Klasnic’s winning goal came off a long throw, minutes after Davies had missed a sitter.

It is fair to say that Stoke took the game to Bolton in the second half and would have felt justifiably disappointed not to have taken a point from the game. Etherington missed on a couple of scoring opportunities, and a win would have taken Stoke to a top four position in the points table. Currently, Bolton are in 7th place, three adrift of Stoke, on 10th.

Stoke have won 5 of 11 home games this season, while losing 4 and drawing the remaining 2. Bolton have not had a great away record with as many 5 losses in 11 games on the road while winning just 2 and drawing the rest.

While Stoke have won 2 of their last 5 league games, while losing 3, Bolton have just the one win in their last 5, while drawing one and losing the rest. In match week 22, Stoke lost 2-1 away to Manchester United, while Bolton drew 1-1 at home against Wigan.

Head to head Bolton have won 3 of their last 5 games against Stoke while losing one and drawing the remaining.

On current form, Stoke hold the edge, though given their inconsistency, this season, they can expect a hard-fought encounter against very physical rivals in Bolton.

Stoke’s first eleven against Manchester United had Begovic, Wilkinson, Huth, Shawcross, Collins, Sanli, Wilson, Whitehead, Delap, Etherington and Jones. Fuller, Walters and Pennant featured as substitutes.

The following men comprised Bolton’s starting eleven against Wigan: Jaaskelainen, Ricketts, Knight, Cahill, Robinson, Moreno, Muamba, Davies, Taylor, Davies and Elmander. Blake and Petrov played as substitutes.

With the summer transfer window now open there is a hive of activity amongst the Premier League clubs. As the top clubs compete against one other to attract the big name players, the transfer fees and huge wage bills puts some of our top clubs more and more in debt. Utilising figures collated by Deloitte, we have a look at the ten clubs with the most debt in the English Premier League based on the financial year 2009-2010.

10. Sunderland – 66 million. Not a massive debt in the grand scheme of things and does not include the 24 million that they received from the sale of Darren Bent to Aston Villa or the reported 20 million that they received from Liverpool for star player Jordan Henderson. Steve Bruce is however expected to spend the majority of this money on replacement players including Wes Brown, John O’Shea and Darron Gibson from Manchester United amongst others.

9. Wigan – 72.5 million – A staggering fact is that Wigan spend 90% of their turnover on wages in order to compete with their Premier League rivals. Not the most fashionable club by any stretch, they have one of the lowest ticket prices in the league but still have one of the lowest average attendances. With the likes of Bolton, Man United and Man City nearby they are always going to struggle to fill their stadium. The cost of relegation for a club like Wigan would be huge so it is testament to Dave Whelan and Roberto Martinez for keeping them up.

8. Tottenham – 78.6 million – The biggest problem that Spurs have is that White Hart Lane is simply too small. It’s capacity is 36,000 and to getting a ticket for a game is a mission impossible. A friend of mine is on the season ticket waiting list and is 24,000 in the queue. Tottenham can easily fill a 60,000 capacity stadium so a massive revenue opportunity is missing at the moment -this is being addressed at the moment but it can’t come soon enough. The Champions League run would have brought in a lot of cash this season and there is also talk of Bale and Modric going for mega money. This will significantly reduce the debt but will be disastrous for the team as a whole.

7. Bolton – 93 million – A massive jump from the previous season of 29 million leaves Bolton in seventh place in the list. Similar to Wigan, an unfashionable club with an extremely high wage bill they need to ensure Premier League survival each year or they will be in big trouble.

6. Aston Villa – 110 million – Villa are in a interesting position due to the fact that the debt of 110 million is owed to Chairman Randy Lerner. Of course he can write off this debt but it is highly unlikely. With the sale of key players this summer (Ashley Young and possibly Stuart Downing), the debt will of course be reduced but the team will never get into Europe without the money being reinvested in quality players.

5. Arsenal – 135 million – The Arsenal strategy of investing heavily in their new stadium for long term gains in the long run whilst at the same time being extremely frugal in the transfer market seems to be working as their debt has more than halved in the space of a year. Your everyday Arsenal fan would rather see the money invested in the team and frustration is abound amongst their supporters at Wenger’s reluctance to splash out on some much needed world class players.

4. Liverpool – 143 million – A vast portion of Liverpool’s debts are in the form of bank loans which means that they are paying ridiculous amounts of interest. Although they received 50 million for Fernando Torres this has been spent on Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez. Expect the debt to increase as Kenny Dalglish restructures the entire first team in order to gain a top four spot and entry into the lucrative UEFA Champions League.

3. Fulham – 190 million – A big surprise in this list is Fulham who for a mid-table team have racked up a huge 190 million debt. There is only a finite amount of times the Mohammed Al-Fayed can bale them out and their position seems precarious as they don’t have the funds to get world class players therefore always seem destined for mid-table obscurity.

2. Manchester United – 590 – This massive debt is largely due to the Glazer family who have placed their debt onto the club. Manchester United are however still the most valuable and well supported club in the world and their achievements this season will have helped the coffers. Sir Alex Ferguson has seen 3 key players retire this season so he will no doubt be using some of the money from the Cristiano Ronaldo transfer for replacements. The financial pressure to maintain their success is huge as their interest payments on their debt runs into millions.

1. Chelsea – 733 million – Whilst this debt is huge it is not as bad as Manchester United’s as the majority of it is owed to Roman Abramovich. This means that unlike Man Utd, they don’t have to pay millions back in interest. Not the best of business models but at the same time not the worst.

The FA Cup is the oldest association football competition in the world and an enormously important symbol of the History of Football in England. In 1872, Wanderers Football Club won the first title in the history of FA Cup football. The record for the most wins is held by Manchester United with 11 triumphs, followed by Arsenal with 10 and Tottenham Hotspur with 8. The trophy is held by Wigan Athletic, who defeated Manchester City 1-0 in the 2013 final.

FA Cup Football in the 1940s

1940s was a decade of war. World War II was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. Two Opposing military alliances fought against each other, the Allies and the Axis. Large parts of the European continent were war zones; to play the FA Cup was not to think about. Both the Football League and the FA Cup were canceled during the war. FA reinstated the tournament as soon as the war ended. The first post-war final was played between Derby County and Charlton Athletic.

Attendance figures at the Finals increased during the postwar period. All finals in the 1940s had over 98 000 spectators (1946-98,000|1947-98,215|1948-99,842|1949-98,920). Charlton was the only club that played two FA Cup finals in the 1940s. Both finals Charlton participated in went to extra time. In 1946 they lost after conceding three goals in extra time against Derby. A year later, they won against Burnley since Duffy scored the only goal in the game in the 114th minute.

Club of the decade: Charlton Athletic Football Club was founded on June 1905. Charlton have played two Finals in their history. Both times were in the 1940s. In 1947 they won the Cup thanks to a late goal from Scottish striker Chris Duffy.

Player of the decade: Charlton fullback Bert Turner was probably not the decade’s best players. Scoring for both sides in a FA Cup Final gets you in on the top of the list of the Player of the decade. It’s not just that Turner scored both Charlton and opponents Derby but it only differs one minute between the goals. The game was goalless until the 85th minute, when Turner tried to kick the ball clear, but only managed to put the ball into his own net. In the next minute Charlton fullback Bert Turner scored for his own team when he took a freekick that was deflected past Woodley in to the net. Turner played 179 games for Charlton scoring two goals.

Results and Scorers FA Cup Finals 1946-49

1946 FA Cup Final (Wembley Stadium)

Derby County – Charlton Athletic 4-1 aet

1-0 B. Turner 85′(og), 1-1 B. Turner 86′, 2-1 Doherty 92′, 3-1 Stamps 97′, 4-1 Stamps 106′

1947 Final (Wembley Stadium)

Charlton Athletic – Burnley 1-0 aet

1-0 Duffy 114′

1948 Final (Wembley Stadium)

Manchester United – Blackpool 4-2

1-0 Rowley 28′, 1-1 Shimwell 12′(pen.), 1-2 Mortensen 35′, 2-2 Rowley 70′, 3-2 Pearson 80′, 4-2 Anderson 82′

1949 Final (Wembley Stadium)

Wolverhampton Wanderers – Leicester City 3-1

1-0 Pye 13′, 2-0 Pye 42′, 2-1 Griffiths 47′, 3-1 Smyth 64′

It’s Premier League match time at Britannia Stadium when Stoke host Everton on New Years Day, in match week 21.

This is a second leg encounter between the sides who met for the first time this season at Goodison Park on October 16. Everton won that game 1-0, on the back of a 67th minute strike by Yakubu.

The Toffees took control of the game early on, and Arteta returning to the side had a good day in midfield. Heitinga was outstanding in the back-line, on a day Tuncay was among few impressive players for the Potters. Tuncay’s goal was disallowed for an ostensible foul on Baines and Potters’ fans would have felt aggrieved with the referee’s decision.

The win took Everton up the table to 7th position, their highest of the season. To stoke’s credit their defence was resolute for about an hour when they did not allow Everton any shots at goal from close quarters.

Stoke, currently in 10th place in the points table, have had an average home record with four wins and four losses in 10 games hosted, the remaining two games having ended in stalemates. Eleventh-placed Everton’s away record has been even less impressive with six draws and two losses, in ten games, while winning just two games on the road.

Head to head, in five league games between the sides, the Toffees have established a 3-0 lead over the Potters, with the remaining two games drawn.

Everton have had just the solitary win in their last nine games, with six draws and two losses, and their last home win was in October’s first leg game against Stoke. In contrast, the Potters have revived their campaign in their last eight games with four wins. But after a home loss to Fulham, in match week 20, the Potters will need to work hard if they want to take away any points from the Everton game.

Stoke had the following men in their starting eleven against Fulham, in match week 20: Begovic, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Huth, Collins, Pennant, Whitehead, Delap, Etherington, Walters and Jones. Fuller, Wilson and Sanli featured as substitutes.

The following players were in Everton’s starting eleven against West Ham in match week 20: Howard, Neville Hibbert Distin Baines Coleman Rodwell Arteta Fellaini Pienaar and Cahill. The substitutes used were Beckford, Bilyaletdinov and Yakubu.

Premiership

Birmingham City vs Arsenal

Arsenal would be looking to bounce back from 2 disappointing results by winning at Birmingham to maintain their 5 point gap or even increase their lead at the top.

Birmingham would feel that if they could get a draw at the Emirates than they can either get the same result or provide a shock against the league leaders but it would not be easy.

Arsenal should win this but with some difficulty.

Liverpool Vs Middlesboro

You never know what you are going to get from Liverpool and especially from their manager. The 1 thing you do know you are not going to get is the same side that beat Inter Milan on Tuesday. Middlesboro have not lost a game this year and would like to keep that run going but if Liverpool play to their full potential they should win. It would not surprise me if this ends in a draw but I really do expect Liverpool to with this game.

Newcastle United Vs Manchester United

Newcastle have not won under Kevin Keegan and after tomorrow, I expect that record to continue as anything other than a Manchester United victory would be a total surprise.

They would not lose 6-0 as they did at Old Trafford but I still expect them to lose against a team that would be buoyant after decent results against Arsenal and Lyon in the champion’s league.

The 1 saving grace for Newcastle is that Manchester United do not always play well immediately after a champions league tie but unfortunately Newcastle do not have the desired quality to trouble the champions.They did get an improbable draw against Manchester United last season and Keegan always wants to beat Ferguson so you never know.

Carling Cup Final

Chelsea Vs Tottenham Hotspurs

Juande Ramos is a past master in winning cup finals but I cannot see them defeating Chelsea on Sunday bearing in mind they played 2 days after Chelsea did in the midweek and also how very organised Chelsea are defensively.

If Ledley King plays then Spurs would stand a slight chance as he provides so much defensive prowess to them but if he does not then I do not give them a chance.

Spurs have all the flair and attacking prowess but Chelsea are a very hard nut to crack and Tottenham have to score 1st to stand any chance.

I would like to see Spurs win the cup but I just cannot see past Chelsea winning it.

SerieA

Roma Vs Fiorentina

This is the game of the weekend in Italy and pits 2 of the most attractive teams against each other.

Roma managed to defeat Real Madrid in the champions league on Tuesday and that would have boosted their confidence after some shaky results whilst Fiorentina defeated Rosenborg to go through to the next phase of the UEFA cup just last night.

The fact that Fiorentina played 2 days after and do not exactly have a very good away record makes me opt firmly towards Roma.

Sampdoria Vs Inter Milan

Inter would be looking to put their 1st defeat in 5 months against Liverpool firmly behind them and I strongly fancy them to beat Sampdoria at Genoa.

Sampdoria, inspired by Antonio Cassano did well to defeat city rivals, Genoa last weekend but I do not see them repeating the trick against Inter unless Inter decide to implode by having a man sent off early again.

Inter do have problems at the back though with Ivan Cordoba ruled out for the season joining Walter Samuel as casualties for the season.

Reginna Vs Juventus

Juventus are coming off 2 excellent results and would be full of confidence when they face relegation threatened Reginna on Saturday evening knowing fully well that a victory would catapult them to 2nd albeit for a few hours.

This would not be easy as Juventus have shown this season that they tend not to win games you fully expect them to and have drawn a lot of games they were expected to win. But I do think they would win this game but not very comfortably.

Milan Vs Palermo

Like Liverpool, you never know what you are going to get and this is not an easy game to call. You would think Milan should win this game but they have drawn far too many home games to consider any game a home banker.

Pato and Kaka are back so that should help and they would also be buoyed by their midweek performance at Arsenal.

I expect a very narrow victory for the Rossoneri.

La Liga

Sevilla Vs Zaragoza

Sevilla are quite formidable at home and Zaragoza are inconsistent everywhere so I would expect Sevilla to win this game.

Barcelona Vs Levante

Barcelona looked like they are coming back into some semblance of form with a number of key players performing well against Celtic including Ronaldinho, Deco, Thierry Henry and most especially Lionel Messi.

Samuel Etoo is back as well and Levante, which is possibly the poorest team in La Liga this season do not have a prayer.

Real Madrid Vs Getafe

This is a local derby with the added spice of Real Madrid manager Bernd Schuster coming up against his former club and Getafe manager, Michael Laudrup coming up against a side he graced so well as a player.

Real were unlucky to be defeated at Roma and have a 100% home record in la Liga this season. They also have the additional boost of Robinho returning to the fold so I fully expect them to be too strong for a Getafe side that played yesterday in Uefa Cup defeating AEK Athens 3-0.

There is much to see for those who are interested in football in London. Just to clarify for any readers of this article from outside the UK, football means the ‘beautiful game’, what is commonly referred to as Soccer around the world.

London has a proud tradition of famous football teams with much competition between them to be the top club. There are generally four or five London teams in the Premier League and there are many commentators who believe that this is one of the biggest obstacles to any one of them winning the league. A ‘local derby’ between two London football teams could produce an electric atmosphere and turn current form on its head they are so well contested.

Premier League tickets are sometimes difficult to obtain, but a bit of persistence often gets results. There are a number of ticket agencies that can get them for a price.

In the last decade, both Arsenal and Chelsea have each won the illustrious Premier League title twice and reached the final of the European Cup.

Here are some details about the top 10 football clubs in London and to avoid any accusations of being partisan, they are listed in alphabetical order:-

Arsenal

The Gunners, Arsenal have played in the top division of English football in consecutive seasons since the 1919-20 season. They have been champions on 13 occasions and achieved a unique record for modern times in 2003-04 season when they went the whole season without being beaten.

Arsenal have won the much coveted ‘double’ (league and cup winners in the same season) three times, in 1971, 1998 and 2002

In recent years they have moved to a new venue, The Emirates Stadium, with a 60,000 capacity. The Arsenal Museum is well worth a visit and is open every day.

Brentford

The Bees, Brentford Football Club are currently playing in Football League I. They were founded in 1889 and play their home games at Griffin Park their home stadium since 1904. Brentford’s most successful spell came during the 1930s, when they achieved consecutive top six finishes in the First Division.

Since the War, they have spent most of their time in the third and fourth tiers of English football. Brentford have been FA Cup quarter-finalists on four occasions, and have twice been Football League Trophy runners-up.

Charlton Athletic

The Addicks, Charlton Athletic have seen better days. There halcyon days were in the 1930s and 40s. In recent years they have struggled after being relegated from the Premier League in 2005 and then from the Championship in 2008.

They play at The Valley just south of the River Thames in Greenwich. The club was founded in 1905.

Historically, Charlton’s most successful period was the 1930s, when the club’s highest league finishes were recorded, including runners-up of the league in 1937, and after World War II, when the club reached the FA Cup final twice, winning in 1947.

Chelsea

The Pensioners or the Blues, Chelsea Football Club was founded in 1905, and play in the Premier League. Chelsea have been champions three times (1955, 2005, 2006), and have won the FA Cup five times, the League Cup four times and the UEFA Cup Winners Cup twice. They reached the UEFA Champions League Final in 2008

Chelsea play at Stamford Bridge in West London and their ground capacity is 42,000.The Chelsea Museum is open most days and is well worth a visit for those interested in museums and football history.

Crystal Palace

The Eagles, Crystal Palace Football Club was formed in 1905. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where it has been based since 1924. The club is currently competing in the second tier, The Championship.

Crystal Palace’s most recent successful period began in 1988-89, when the club finished third in the Second Division and were promoted to the First Division. Reaching the 1990 FA Cup Final only to lose the replay against Manchester United and finishing 3rd in the First Division in 1990-91.

Since then Palace have been relegated from and promoted to the FA Premier League on a number of occasions, their most recent relegation from the top flight was in the 2004-05 season. This is all despite the club being almost bankrupt in July 2000.

Fulham

The Cottagers, Fulham Football Club was founded in 1879, they celebrated their 125th anniversary in 2004, and are in the top tier of English football, the Premier League. Fulham are the oldest professional football team in London.

In 2009, Fulham had their highest-ever finish in the Premier League, coming 7th to qualify for Europe.

The club has produced many great British footballers including Johnny Haynes, George Cohen, Bobby Robson, Rodney Marsh and Alan Mullery and Jim Langley. They play at the historic Craven Cottage, their home since 1896, a riverside ground on the banks of the River Thames in Fulham.

Queens Park Rangers

The Hoops or just QPR, Queens Park Rangers Football Club based in Shepherd’s Bush, West London. They currently play in the Football League Championship, and their honours include winning the League Cup in 1967, and being runners-up in the old First Division in 1975-76 and FA Cup in 1982.

Queens Park Rangers Football Club was founded in 1882, and its traditional colours are blue and white. Owing to its proximity to other West London clubs, QPR maintains long-standing rivalries with several other clubs in the area, the most notable of these being Chelsea, Brentford and Fulham with whom they contest what are known as West London derbies.

In 2007 QPR was taken over by Italian tycoon Flavio Briatore and rank among the top 10 richest sporting clubs in the world. Other major shareholders include Lakshmi Mittal & F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone. So watch this space!

Tottenham Hotspurs

The famous ‘Spurs’ side of 1961, is still reckoned by many football enthusiasts, to be one of the best football teams in English football history. They achieved the ‘double’ which had not been achieved at that time since Aston Villa won it in 1897.

This has given recent Spurs’ teams a lot to live up to. But Spurs have a long tradition of playing good football so there are many exciting matches at White Hart Lane especially with their close North London rivals, Arsenal.

In 1963, Spurs became the first British club to win a major European trophy – the European Cup Winners’ Cup. In the 1970s, they won the Football League Cup on two occasions and were the inaugural winners of the UEFA Cup in 1972. In the 1980s, Spurs won several trophies: the FA Cup twice, FA Community Shield and the UEFA Cup 1983-84. In the 1990s, they won the FA Cup and the Football League Cup and in 2008, they beat Chelsea in the final of the Football League Cup. This victory means that Tottenham have won a trophy in each of the last six decades – an achievement only matched by Manchester United.

Spurs have planned a new stadium to be completed by 2012 and it is expected to be one of the best stadiums in the UK.

Watford

The Hornets, Watford Football Club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. They play in the Championship. The club was founded in 1881, and played at several grounds before moving to a permanent location at Vicarage Road in 1922, where they remain to this day. Since 1997, they have shared the stadium with Saracens Rugby Club. Watford have a long-standing rivalry with Luton Town.

The club is best known for two spells under the management of former England manager Graham Taylor. The first lasted from 1977 to 1987, when the club rose to the old First Division from the Fourth Division. Once in the highest division of English football, Watford finished second in the league in 1983, reached the FA Cup final in 1984 and competed in the UEFA Cup in the 1984-85 season.

The second period spanned from 1997 to 2001, when Taylor took the club from the renamed Second Division to the Premier League in successive seasons. Taylor is currently a non-executive director of the club, and honorary life president alongside Sir Elton John who owned the club during both of these eras and has continued a long association with the club.

West Ham United

The Hammers, West Ham United Football Club have play at Upton Park (Boleyn Ground), in East London since 1904 having been formed in 1895.

They featured in the first FA Cup Final to be held at Wembley in 1923 against Bolton Wanderers. The club have won the FA Cup three times: in 1964, 1975 and 1980. They have also been runners-up twice, in 1923 and 2006.

In 1965, they won the European Cup Winners Cup, and in 1999 they won the InterToto Cup.

Their players are considered an important factor behind England’s triumph in the 1966 World Cup, as England’s captain at the time was West Ham’s Bobby Moore, and both goalscorers Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters were West Ham players.

West Ham currently compete in the Premier League, their highest finish in the Premier League was 5th in 1998-99.

With the recent news that (former) Bolton Wanderers manager Gary Megson has just been sacked, I ask the question: ‘Was it right?’

It’s true that the Bolton fans clearly hated Megson from the start, but was their hate justified? The kind of football that he was trying to get Bolton to play was admirable, but he rarely achieved this and you always felt that he never really had the potential to achieve his goal. By this I mean that he was an idealist, and that when push came to shove he didn’t know how to make his team play any better than they already were.

The fans constantly attacked the way the team played and used any excuse that they could find to try have a go at Megson. The confusing thing here is that the club’s former manager was Sam Allardyce – a manager known for playing the worst football ever witnessed by humans. They key difference here, however, may be that ‘Big Sam’ got a lot better results than Gary Megson ever did, as he took Bolton from a relegation-scrapping club to one that constantly challenged for a place in Europe.

The one major positive to come out of this is that it shows that even in this day and age of rich billionaire chairmen and money ruling the game fans still do have a fair amount of power, and this sacking is a gentle reminder of that. However, too often we look at figures in football almost as cartoon characters, yet we must remember that a good man has just lost his job, which is never a happy time for anyone.

The football transfer market came to live once again this week with Spanish giants Barca announcing the capture of Arsenal’s Midfielder Alexander Hleb and the release of Brazilian Ronaldinho to Ac Milan of Italy.

The Release of Ronaldinho is interesting because of the simple fact that his transfer means the end of an era at fc Barca and most importantly it makes the return to football of one of the greatest talents and personality in the game after a long time out due to injury, thirdly it leaves my dearest club ( yes I am a gunner fan ) Arsenal and we the fans wondering whats going on with our dear club , fourthly it ends Ac Milan’s interest in Arsenal’s Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor and also leaves Manchester City Fc ruing their miss after a long and interesting struggle for the signature of ever smiling Ronaldinho.

The capture of Ronaldinho by Ac Milan despite the fact that he has not seen action for a very long time due to injury confirms the fact that he is one of the best players to have ever played the game of football.

Ronaldinho 28, still look very young and on his way to greatness in the game of football ( Americans call it soccer ). Barcelona spotted and signed the then 23 year old from French giants PSG five years back. He was supposedly the number 2 to David Beckham before the Briton decided to join Barca’s Arch rivals Real Madrid.

He joined Barca at a time when things was tough as they have just managed to qualify for the Uefa cup after finished 6 in the La Liga that year. He joined new coach Frank Rijkaard in the job of the transformation of the clubs dwinding fortunes.

Of course he succeeded in his mission as Barca finished second place behind Real Madrid the following season and went on to win back to back titles and the Uefa champions League beating Arsenal in the final a year after.

His feat did not go unnoticed as he was courted by Real Madrid and Fifa could also not ignore his brilliance as he was name the FIFA world footballer of the year.

But ever since things have gone from good to bad and from bad to worst for the Brazilian but now he has a great chance to start a revival of sort with Ac Milan.

As for Dear Arsenal, the news of the departure of Alexander Hleb adds to the growing list of the departees after Ac Milan had earlier stolen Mathieu Flamini right under our nose and the departure of Brazilian Gilberto Silva to Greece .

Although Hleb’s transfer to Barca does not seem to surprise any one as it is very obvious but whats a surprise is why does the players who almost won the league for Arsenal in a breath taking way suddenly hate the club. It doesn’t even end there as it is very possible that Emmanuel Adebayor may be also on his way out of the Emirates as he has declared his intention to join some other clubs if Arsenal can not agree to his ridiculous and selfish demands although one wonders if Milan who are the clear favorites to sign the Togolese will still be interested after the capture of Ronaldinho.

The capture of Ronaldinho leaves Adebayor hoping Barca will regnite their interest in him. But Unfortunately media reports has it that Barca have decide to abandon their pursuit of the Togolese preferring to sign Tottenham hotspur’s Dimitav Berbatov instead. Barca’s interest in Berbatov will sure be a thing of concern for Manchester United’s Manager Sir Alex as he was also hoping to add the tall striker to his striking force.

With Gilberto also gone and Adebayor one leg in one leg out, it does confirms Arsene Wenger’s concern earlier in the summer when he said his greatest concern was not to buy new players but to keep the ones he already has. It does also looks as though as he is losing the battle to keep his players as the players seem to look elsewhere for other challenges in their careers.

As for Manchester City FC and their new Manager Mark Hughes who were hoping to lure Ronaldinho to the eastland stadium are now shocked to know Ronladinho prefers to sign for Milan for a reason that is very obvious- Champions League football. Even though Milan will not be contesting in the Champions League this term but then they have a greater chance to qualify in the future than does Manchester City who can only struggle and hope for Uefa cup appearance.

Now that Ronaldinho has signed for Ac Milan, it will be interesting to know who Manchester City and their ever ambitious manager Mark Hughes will be signing with the £25 million that was rejected by Ronaldinho and Barca.

The transfer of Hleb and Ronaldinho to Barca and Ac Milan respectively could lead to a large scale moment of players from one club to another as it looks as though Milan and Barca mean business after the bad season the last time out. Hleb’s transfer leaves Arsene Wenger with the headache of looking for a replacement for Hleb even though he has got Nasri and as for Manchester City it will be difficult to attract the kind of players who will get them breaking into the big four in the English Premiership in the coming season though they are ambitious but I still do not believe they will be attractive enough to get players of the capacity of Ronaldinho at least not for this season.

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The battle for ultimate supremacy will begin on August 16th. But there are a few questions raised on the champions of yesteryear. With last year’s title hunt lasting till the last match played, this year’s title promises nail-biters even before the season starts. Now, let us see what we can expect from this season of Barclays Premier League :

The Champions : Manchester United

Chasing their third straight EPL title, ManU has been in news all this summer (thanks to the transfer saga regarding Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Real Madrid.) And with the news that Ronaldo is staying for atleast another season, the fans and Sir Alex Ferguson can expect that their double title treat can continue this season also.

ManU’s attacking has to furious this season if they have to beat Chelsea and Liverpool. They are in desperate need of a striker who will round-up the formation (Ronaldo-Roonay-Tevez.) Maybe Tootenham striker Dimitar Berbatov is the right choice that ManU will opt for before the transfer session ends. And this season may also witness the genius of Wayne Rooney taking the center stage this time.

Equipotential Challengers : Chelsea

Missing both Champions League and English Premier League to ManU with slight differences, Chelsea has undergone a massive change this summer to be the perfect team this season. Avram Grant’s failure to bring glory to Stamford Bridge made his way out of Chelsea. And then came the Portuguese flavor.

They signed «Big Phil» Luis Felipe Scolari as their new manager. Chelsea also bought Barcelone playmaker Deco and Jose Bosingwa from FC Porto. Rumors had it that Ronaldinho, Eto’o were to join the Blue team. But they had to settle with Didier Drogba’s extended contract and now they are not sure if Frank Lampard is committed with them for long-term. However they are equally matched favorites for this season with a strong midfield presence of Michael Ballack.

Battle for third : Arsenal

Arsenal saw a big change in the team formation as Jens Lehmann, Mathieu Flamini, Alesander Hleb and Gilberto Silva left the club. Their replacement for Hleb is French international Samir Nasri. Welsh teenage Aaron Ramsey’s sign is a big step for manager Arsene Wenger.

Midfield is still a challenge for the manager. Cesc Fabregas needs a good companion in the segment for the team to be a consistent and good performing team. Emmanuel Adebayor remains the key player for the team. This season they have to play really hard to secure their third spot. Truth be told, any title win is still a mile away, but with miracles happening all around, they need a lot of luck.

Waiting for History : Liverpool

It is always hard to write them at the end of any list. Because they were once the king of kings. Liverpool is still looking to end their 18 year long for the title. The difference this season could be Robbie Keane, their new 24 million pound striker from Tottenham Hotspur. This makes their forward (along with Fernando Torres) a lethal one. But the team as a whole needs to play their 200 percent if they can expect of any title this season.

Whose our money on : ManU are still the best in the game. But soccer is not about one team and that makes it a interesting sport to watch. So support your team (whichever) and enjoy the game more than anything else.

Tribes by David Lammy promises much, delivers something, but ultimately fails to convince. Its problem lies in the very nature of its vision, not that this is wrong, misguided or anything less than laudable. This ultimate failure to convince, in fact, derives from the overall vision’s inability to confront the very issues that the author identifies at the start.

David Lammy is a British politician, currently a member of Labour’s Shadow Cabinet. In Tribes he attempts to evaluate the political landscape, beginning with a theoretical analysis of why class and other grander identities have become fragmented into what might seem to be smaller, interest-led groupings that he calls ‘tribes’. Many readers might expect this analysis to be developed, but instead the author pursues a personal reflection on some of the ideas raised. And, as the book progresses, the context becomes more personal still, before a final section attempts its rational, credible and, given what preceded, impossible finale. The approach renders the book very readable, but less than satisfying after its promise of theoretical discussion.

The author is a remarkable man. He was born to a Guyanese immigrant family in north London’s Tottenham, brought up by a single mother and then attended the cathedral choir school in Peterborough. London University preceded Harvard Law School, where he became the first black British graduate. In Silicon Valley he became a lawyer and then was elected as a Member of Parliament on behalf of the Labour Party. And then he was a government minister. These are just a few of the facts of this brilliant man’s life – thus far! His wife is white and his children are mixed race, whatever that means, since we are all mixed race, if we are human.

But in a quest for identity of the type that seems to obsess modern people, David Lammy sought out a DNA analysis. The results suggested a mix of origins, one of which linked to the Tuareg of the west African Sahel. The author spends much time and resources researching this link and then, as far as possible, experiencing it at first hand. Though ultimately this association is revealed as tenuous at best, perhaps even illusory, the author’s willingness and enthusiasm to pursue it illustrates a point he makes early on in the book, that identity nowadays seems more strongly felt on a personal rather than group basis. Except, of course, where the group has the ability to bolster and confirm the personal.

David Lammy introduces Maffesoli’s concept of neo-tribes, communities of feeling, to identify a contemporary trend of seeing one’s own personal identity purely in terms of a group identity. Thus, rational approaches to certain issues which, by the nature, are universal, become devalued as neo-tribes develop their own internal values and explanations. It is the fact that these are identity-conferring minority positions that provides the focus for the neo-tribe identity. Fragmentation in our social, economic and religious life fosters the replacement of universalism. This is a crucial point.

A few pages on and David Lammy identifies practically how this behaviour, even propensity, has been exploited by the political Right. He cites two successful electoral slogans – «Make America Great Again» and «Take Back Control», to which might be added «Get Brexit Done» – as examples of labels that brought success to campaigns by exploiting group fears above rational arguments, thus defeating rational analyses that recognized, or at least attempted to recognize, the true complexity of the issues discussed. The slogans denied this complexity and offered an illusion of simple solutions. David Lammy persuasively illustrates how these simple emotive but inaccurate messages prevailed over the complex, unclear, yet accurate counter argument.

Still in the introduction, he quotes a survey that claims almost two thirds of UK voters still believe the oft-falsified claim that the country sends 350 million pounds a week to the European Union. David Lammy follows this by stating that there still exists a group of deluded individuals who think that Arsenal are the best football team in north London. By way of balance, I will remind him that about thirty-five years ago the philosopher AJ Ayer wrote that it ought to be impossible for a logical positivist to support Tottenham Hotspur. Joking aside, the author thus illustrates that once accepted by a neo-tribe, a falsehood can retain its own internal illusion of truth.

But people do support Arsenal and others Tottenham. They can’t both be right if they assert they follow the ‘best’ team. From the internally accepted values from within the group, however, they can both be right. Even a moment after chanting «what a load of rubbish» at their own team, such a tribe would unite if the same sentiment were to be expressed by the opposition. Welcome to the Conservative Party, which is forever internally divided, but externally as united as Stalin’s allies, until purged, then largely silent. And who cares if the message is irrational, impossible, implausible or even irrelevant? The tribe will back it to exclude others. And it works.

There is much in Tribes that it is rational, clearly expressed, credible and heartfelt. It is a superb snapshot of where British politics and society now reside, precariously in opposing camps, ideologically armed, but often not agreeing on a language where debate might happen, where sensible question is usually answered by an irrelevant, unrelated positive soundbite.

The book’s overarching message, however, is flawed, since by the end we have returned to the necessity of acknowledging and recognizing the complexities of real issues. We must trust our rationality and engage in the politics of discussion and debate. Global problems need global solutions. Working in isolation will foster failure. Messy international cooperation and thus, effectively, globalization is the only way out of local problems. The difficulty with such a laudable, deliverable and sensible analysis, however, is that it fails, repeatedly, in the face of soundbite slogans that seek and achieve short-term, but identity-giving non-solutions. Remember Vote for Victory?