English Football Blog

Ronaldo Saga Rumbles On

2008-06-23T19:11:00.003+01:00

Now Portugal have departed Euro 2008 Cristiano Ronaldo has arrived back in Manchester to be examined by United's medical people prior to an expected foot operation.

Real Madrid appear to be leaving the ball in the player and club's court (at least publicly) and as Alex Ferguson is still on holiday there is no real news on the situation emanating from Old Trafford at the moment.

They say all players have their price and some of the figures being talked about such as £75 million are astronomical and while they may be slightly wide of the mark surely the previous world record for Zinedine Zidane's transfer will be broken if the deal goes ahead.

No wonder crafty old Phil Scolari was advising Ronaldo to sign for Madrid it would certainly make his task of winning the premiership title next season considerably easier if it materialises.

If it does happen then United have been there before and all great players have to be replaced at some point but saying that Fergie has stuck his neck out for Ronaldo in the past and will probably feel somewhat miffed how things have developed in recent weeks.

The Complete Soccer Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Chelsea Go For Scolari

2008-06-11T23:49:00.003+01:00

Premiership runners up Chelsea have announced that Portugal boss Phil Scolari will be their new manager taking up his new job from the 1st July onwards.

The Brazilian emerged as one of the favourites for the job so the appointment itself is perhaps no surprise but the announcement coming in the middle of Euro 2008 is very surprising and one suspects that Chelsea rather than Scolari would want the news released now rather than after the tournament.

The man has a fantastic record at international level with both Brazil and now Portugal so it will be interesting to see how he fares in English club football.

So provided 'Big Phil' does not do one of his famous about turns and decides he does not want the job after all then we can look forward to him locking horns in the Premiership next season with Fergie, Arsene Wenger and Rafa Benitez.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

FIFA's Five Foreign Player Plan

2008-06-02T23:52:00.005+01:00

The world governing body FIFA has approved plans to introduce a quota of 5 foreign players per team although whether it will ever get the green light is another matter as the European Commission have been quick to point out that the proposal actually contravenes EU labour laws.

From an English point of view a restriction on foreign players would be welcomed by anyone with the national sides interests at heart although this would be better for the clubs point of view if it were brought in gradually over a period of seasons to allow the clubs to accommodate the new rules.

Would it lead to a better England team? Yes I firmly believe it would more younger players would get more opportunities regardless of whether they played for a top four premiership team or a struggling side although the benefits would take a while to filter through the game.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Stockport County Win League Two Promotion Play Off Final At Wembley

2008-05-26T18:52:00.008+01:00

Stockport County have won the league two play off final at the new Wembley stadium and promotion to league one after a 3-2 win over Rochdale.

Rory McArdle actually gave Rochdale the lead in the first half before Stockport equalised with a Nathan Stanton own goal to leave the match all square at half time then Anthony Pilkington and Liam Dickinson netted in the second half to seal the win despite a late strike by Rochdale winger Adam Rundle.

This game was the last of the English football promotion play off finals and it was probably the best match out of the three with no shortage of goals, incident and excitement.

The great thing about these games is that they are now once again being played at the national stadium no disrespect to Cardiff's millennium stadium but you simply cannot beat Wembley whether it is the old or the new version.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Doncaster Rovers Win League One Play Off Final

2008-05-25T21:54:00.003+01:00

Doncaster Rovers have won the League One play off final at Wembley beating Yorkshire rivals Leeds United 1-0 with a goal from James Hayter.

After narrowly missing out on automatic promotion on the final day of the season the win gives Donny promotion to the Championship and a return to the 2nd tier of English football after an absence of 50 years.

Their chairman John Ryan deserves a lot of credit as the club could not have been in a worse state than it was when he took over 10 years ago and to take the club from non league to where it is now is some achievement.

Leeds United now face at least another season in League One and you get the feeling that losing manager Dennis Wise when they did was crucial and ultimately put paid to automatic promotion although new boss Gary McAllister will be aiming to win the division outright next season.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Hull City Win Championship Play Off Final

2008-05-24T16:58:00.006+01:00

Hull City have deservedly won the championship play off final at the new Wembley stadium with a narrow 1-0 win over Bristol City to gain premiership status and an estimated £50 million pound windfall.

Veteran striker Dean Windass who seems to go on and on scored the only goal of a tense game which was an excellent finish itself worthy of winning a place in the premiership.

Hull City boss Phil Brown is developing an impressive reputation as one of the games better up and coming managers after staving off relegation last season he has masterminded an impressive season which saw the tigers only just miss out on an automatic promotion spot.

It all means that Hull will now be playing premiership football next season for the first time in their history and their fans can look forward to visiting grounds such as Old Trafford, Anfield, Stamford Bridge and The Emirates.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Man Utd Win Champions League Final Via Penalty Shootout

2008-05-22T16:18:00.003+01:00

Manchester United have conquered Europe for the 3rd time in their history by beating Chelsea 6-5 in a nail biting penalty shootout although at one stage Chelsea were on the verge of winning with the penalties poised at 4-4 skipper John Terry stepped up to take his teams fifth and final penalty and a successful conversion would have seen him lifting the trophy himself but he slipped as he was about to make contact with the ball which undoubtedly had an effect on the kick which hit the post.

During the match itself United had the better of the 1st half and Christiano Ronaldo scored his 42nd goal of a great season with a nice header and just before the break Frank Lampard put away his 20th goal of the season to leave the best two teams in England neck and neck.

In the 2nd half Chelsea seemed to get stronger the more the game went on with Didier Drogba hitting the post and Lampard hitting the bar and as the match went into extra time with players from both sides suffering from the effects of cramp a penalty shootout seemed more and more inevitable.

Nicolas Anelka was the unlucky player who had his and Chelsea's 7th spot kick saved by United keeper Edwin van der Sar to send the red and white contingent in the stadium delirious.

It was a little tough on Chelsea who will quite rightly think overall they had the better of the match and in particular John Terry who looked distraught after his penalty miss.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Portsmouth Win The FA Cup

2008-05-18T20:42:00.003+01:00

This years FA Cup has been strange with so many premiership clubs falling by the wayside even at a relatively early stage although many football fans will not have been too sympathetic at seeing the bigger clubs get knocked out as there is a feeling that some managers have been a little guilty of not taking the Worlds greatest cup competition as seriously these days by fielding under strength or weakened teams.

It is still hard to believe though that so many premiership clubs missed out on a golden opportunity to not only win a major trophy but also the experience of competing in front of a crowd of 80,000 people at the new Wembley stadium.

The match itself was always going to be tight with Cardiff City providing stubborn opposition and it was a scrappy goal scored by Kanu in the first half that proved to be the winner and settled the game 1-0.

Harry Redknapp has been around for some years and he is deserving of this major trophy and the subsequent European adventure that comes with it in the UEFA cup next season.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Championship Play Off Final A Tale Of Two Cities

2008-05-16T19:48:00.006+01:00

The championship play off final at the new Wembley stadium will be Bristol City versus Hull City after both clubs came through their respective 2nd leg matches.

Both Crystal Palace and Watford had their moments in the 2nd leg but in the end Bristol and Hull won convincingly and can quite rightly claim to be the better team on the strength of the two matches.

Since promotion play offs were introduced we have quite often seen the clubs that have narrowly missed out on automatic promotion flatter to deceive while the team that just sneaks into the play off places at a late stage tends to go on and do well.

That has not been the case this season and this years championship play off final will be contested by the 3rd and 4th best teams in the division who seem to be particularly well matched and are led by two astute managers in Gary Johnson and Phil Brown.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Man Utd Win Premiership As Reading And Birmingham Relegated

2008-05-12T23:57:00.003+01:00

Manchester United clinched their 10th premiership title in 16 seasons with a win at Wigan Athletic on the final day of the season finishing a clear 2 points ahead of nearest rivals Chelsea who only managed a draw with Bolton at home although in fairness the news from the JJB stadium filtered through to just about everyone inside Stamford Bridge anyway and the miracle that the blues needed never looked like materialising.

It will be interesting to see how Chelsea react to missing out on the premier league crown when they meet United in the champions league final as they will need to get over this disappointment and pick themselves up.

At the other end of the table Reading despite a 4-0 win at Derby were still relegated and after a great season last year which surprised many observers this term has been much the opposite and the loss of Steve Sidwell was probably a factor.

Joining Reading and already relegated Derby was Birmingham City who like Reading conjured up an emphatic win against Blackburn Rovers to no avail the brum fans apparently gave the board some stick which led to David Gold and David Sullivan hinting that they may now quit the club.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Advantage Bristol And Hull City In Championship Play Offs

2008-05-11T13:58:00.003+01:00

After the 1st leg matches of this years championship play offs both Bristol City and Hull City will feel they have a definite advantage having pulled off impressive results away from home.

Veteran Hull City players Dean Windass and Nick Barmby scored to edge the Tigers closer to the play off final and Watford who have been struggling of late and only just made the play offs will require a massive effort to overturn the 2-0 deficit in the return match at the KC Stadium.

Bristol City meanwhile snatched an injury time winner against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park and duly celebrated on the pitch at the final whistle which did not go down too well with Palace boss Neil Warnock who claimed the celebrations were over the top.

There have been plenty of occasions in recent years when teams have won the 1st leg away from home then lost the 2nd leg on their own patch so it is not a forgone conclusion that Bristol City and Hull City will be meeting in the play off final and certainly Eagles boss Neil Warnock and his team will be fired up and looking for a result at Ashton Gate in the return leg in what promises to be an explosive encounter and if I was a betting man I would not write Palace off just yet.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Championship Winners And Losers

2008-05-05T14:38:00.003+01:00

The championship season came to a thrilling climax yesterday with the outstanding promotion and relegation issues resolved with Tony Mowbray's West Brom winning the title and Stoke City managed by Tony Pulis finishing as runners up.

Any club that wins promotion to the premiership these days knows that they will have their work cut out just surviving but it can be done if funds are spent well.

Bristol City, Hull City, Crystal Palace and Watford are the teams that will battle it out for the championship play offs and the final promotion place with Palace fancied by some to go all the way with Neil Warnock having a great record at various levels with the play offs.

Relegated to League one along with Colchester United and Scunthorpe United were Ian Holloway's Leicester City whose final tally of 52 points saw them relegated by just the one point at the Victoria Stadium while Stoke City and their fans celebrated promotion to the premier league.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

A Chelsea v Manchester United Champions League Final

2008-05-01T16:17:00.006+01:00

Chelsea booked their place in the European Champions league final with a 3-2 victory after extra time over Liverpool at Stamford Bridge last night going through 4-3 on aggregate.

It was the stereotypical game of two halves as after completely dominating the 1st half Chelsea looked strangely out of sorts in the 2nd and did not really get going again until extra time got underway.

Rafa Benitez and his pre match attack on Didier Drogba only seemed to fire up the striker as he netted twice in addition to Frank Lampard converting from the penalty spot.

For Liverpool Fernando Torres scored once more before being substituted and great things are expected of him after an impressive first season in English football while Ryan Babel scored a late consolation.

Over the two legs the Chelsea versus Liverpool semi final provided much more entertainment compared to the other semi between Manchester United and Barcelona but perhaps that should be no surprise considering they are both English Premiership teams.

As the final whistle blew to signal the end of extra time and the match the Chelsea players danced their way around Stamford Bridge while their manager Avram Grant showed a rare glimpse of emotion after having led the club to the Champions League Final an achievement that his predecessor could not quite manage during his tenure at the club.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Man Utd Make It An All English Champions League Final

2008-04-30T17:34:00.004+01:00

After beating Barcelona 1-0 courtesy of a fantastic goal from Paul Scholes Manchester United last night ensured that for the first time in the history of the European Champions League that there will be an all English final on May 21st in Moscow.

It was always going to be a tight affair in the 2nd leg at Old Trafford but Barcelona without Ronaldhinho and Samuel Eto certainly do not look the same side and although they had plenty of possession you sensed that this was always going to be United's night.

Now the attention switches to who Sir Alex Ferguson's team will be playing in the final as Chelsea and Liverpool do battle tonight again this is a tough match to predict and although Chelsea have had the better Premiership season and have the away goal from the 1st leg at Anfield in the bag Liverpool will not be unduly concerned as more often than not they seem to have the upper hand against them.

Fergie would probably prefer to face Liverpool as they have tended to come out on top in recent encounters against Rafa Benitez's side but whoever goes through to take their place in the final we should be guaranteed a mouth watering game of football which will be a great advert for the Premiership as well as doing the Champions League Final justice.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Chelsea Right Back In Title Contention

2008-04-26T20:44:00.004+01:00

Chelsea produced a fantastic team performance to beat Manchester United 2-1 in a thrilling match at Stamford Bridge and put themselves right back in contention for the Premiership title.

Two goals from Michael Ballack either side of Wayne Rooney's equaliser was enough to give Avram Grant's men the three points and with Nemanja Vidic and Rooney going off injured it was not a good day for the defending champions.

The win leaves Chelsea level on points with United although Sir Alex Ferguson's men still enjoy top spot because of their superior goal difference and no doubt will remain favourites to win the premiership title as they have what is considered to be the easier run in compared to the Londoners.

After the game Fergie was as usual gracious in defeat naming and shaming aspects of recent refereeing performances and there were also rumours of post match bust ups between Chelsea and United players during the warm down on the Stamford Bridge pitch.

Regardless of what happens in the remaining two games for the neutral football fan at least the result breathes new life into the title race and strange things happen when teams are under pressure although Manchester United are old hands at getting over the line so should not be lacking in that department.

You get the feeling that after seeing off the challenge of Arsenal maybe United were a little guilty of thinking they had it all but in the bag and this result will leave them in no doubt that if they drop any points in their remaining games they may well finish as runners up to Chelsea.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Champions League Semi Finals All Square

2008-04-24T19:28:00.005+01:00

After the first leg of the Champions League semi finals we are still none the wiser as to who will be competing in the final in Moscow.

The Barcelona versus Manchester United match which finished 0-0 was not the best game of football you will ever see although that may be a little harsh with what is at stake and on another night the Red Devils may have sneaked a 1-0 away win if Ronaldo had managed to score from the penalty spot instead of hitting the cross bar.

I was a tad surprised at Barcelona though they do not seem to be as formidable as they once were and maybe the same could be said of the other Spanish giants Real Madrid as in years gone by these two clubs would be the teams that everyone else wanted to avoid in European competition.

The other semi final between Liverpool and Chelsea ended 1-1 after Chelsea managed a somewhat fortuitous draw courtesy of poor old John Arne Riise putting through his own goal choosing wrongly to head the ball when a welly into row z was always going to be the safer option.

Chelsea may well have the away goal but it is still anyones game as Liverpool are more than capable of winning in London just as Barcelona could well come out on top in Manchester come the second leg so it is still all to play for.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Avram So Near And Yet So Far

2008-04-20T19:31:00.006+01:00

After the departure of Jose Mourinho and the subsequent appointment of Avram Grant it has been a strange season for Chelsea even opposing teams fans who loved to sing f**k off Mourinho would admit to a begrudging respect for the charismatic Portuguese.

The general consensus of opinion was that English football would miss the self titled Special One and that has been proved right although as the domestic and European season approaches its climax Chelsea under Avram Grant are in theory very much in with a chance of a premiership and champions league double although you get the feeling that it is unlikely that even one of those trophies will end up at Stamford Bridge.

The style of play under Mourinho was cited as the main reason for Roman Abramovich deciding to dispense with his services but under the managership of Avram Grant Chelsea are playing pretty much the same way.

As personalities Grant and Mourinho are like chalk and cheese and this will probably be why many fans will never accept the Israeli and be quick to criticise when things do go wrong although in his defence his results albeit over a relatively short period of time are not completely disastrous but at Chelsea trophies are what is required.

After the ruthless way the owners got rid of his predecessor he should not be making himself too comfortable in the managers office unless he can pull a rabbit out of the hat.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Premiership Title Race Hots Up

2008-04-12T12:08:00.008+01:00

As we near the end of 2007/2008 premiership season it appears to be Manchester United's title for the taking as their overall strength in depth has been evident in recent weeks compared to their rivals indeed as fergie's team have kept their heads everyone else around them has been losing theirs for a variety of reasons.

At the time of writing Chelsea rather surprisingly are only three points behind in second place and look like the only team that are still in with a serious chance of winning the premiership title at United's expense although even if they can close the three point gap and equal United's tally of 77 points they still have the handicap of an inferior goal difference.

Arsenal need a win tomorrow at Old Trafford to maintain their interest in the title race and as good as United have been recently I would not bet against Arsene Wenger's team pulling exactly that off unlikely as that may seem it is still a game that could go any way and Chelsea will be no doubt keen observers.

Elsewhere the soap opera at Anfield continues unabated with the latest episode between one of the American owners Tom Hicks and chief executive Rick Parry with the American calling for the resignation of Parry with the turmoil in the boardroom it will be quite an achievement if Liverpool do manage to make it to the Champions League final this year.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Goldenballs To Oldenballs

2008-03-27T15:31:00.008Z

David Beckham won his 100th England cap against France last night to join an elite group of English players who have reached the same milestone.

Peter Shilton 125
Bobby Moore 108
Bobby Charlton 106
Billy Wright 105
David Beckham 100

It would not have been a surprise had Beckham announced his retirement after such an achievement but it appears he has no intention of calling time on his international career.

The issue is not whether or not he is still good enough for international football because in comparison to the rest of the England midfield he probably is (just) however the facts are he is playing a standard of football at LA Galaxy that is nowhere near the level of that which he enjoyed at Real Madrid and at this stage of his career he needs to be as fit as he possibly can.

Years ago people speculated that he would end up in a central midfield role as he approached the twilight of his career to better utilise his range of passing but we keep coming back to his club football and the fitness and air miles issue.

During the 1-0 defeat by France he looked as though he was literally on his way out a fading star substituted in the 63rd minute by Capello to spare him from the fatigue that would have surely set in if he had been allowed to complete the full 90 minutes.

Beckham talking about playing in the 2010 World Cup is like a bald man wearing a toupee he is not fooling anyone he has made a significant contribution to the English game during his career and is famous the world over but maybe now is the time for a dignified retirement.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

The Spoilt Brat Culture

2008-03-25T00:48:00.009Z

After the show of petulance from Chelsea defender Ashley Cole in midweek and the less than favourable media attention it generated you would have thought that the penny might start to drop with the big name premiership players but apparently not as Liverpool's Argentinian midfielder Javier Mascherano tried his level best and succeeded to out do Cole's behaviour.

Mascherano nor his club can have any complaints as he was continually confronting, complaining and swearing at Steve Bennett and short of physically assaulting the referee there was not much more he could have done to receive his marching orders.

There seems to be a complete lack of respect for officials in general sure they will make mistakes occasionally who doesn't? maybe it is the fact that referees and linesmen do not earn enough for the premiership stars to take them seriously but the players seem to behave like spoilt brats who don't like it when they cannot get their own way contrast this with the sport of Rugby those guys just get up and get on with the game whether they agree with decisions or not.

Quite often especially during the televised games you can see players overstepping the mark and hurling abuse at the referee or linesmen and it does not require the services of a lip reader to work out what is being said.

I wonder what the late great Brian Clough would make of it all he always use to instruct his players not to argue with the the match officials no matter what.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Another Grand Slam Sunday

2008-03-22T11:38:00.008Z

This weekend sees another of those grand slam Sundays as Sky calls them where the big four clubs lock horns as always these games look great on paper but quite often can be an anti climax to say the least hopefully this will be one of those occasions where the actual games live up to the pre match expectations.

This Sunday will also go a long way to deciding the outcome of the 2007/2008 Premiership title race with Manchester United looking as though they have stepped up a gear and you have to say they do look like the team that is best equipped to pull away from the pack given that they have the most strength in depth and that factor alone will probably see them home.

In complete contrast is Arsenal who despite topping the table recently have been stuttering of late while Chelsea have put some results together after the disappointment of losing the Carling Cup final which leaves us with Liverpool who are not title contenders at this stage having had something of a troubled season both on and off the pitch Rafa Benitez's team were written off even by their own admission some time ago so securing a Champions League spot will be their priority.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Football Has Gone Mad

2008-03-19T08:03:00.006Z

We had some further evidence this week if any more were needed of how much the game has changed over the years some would say for the worst and how the obscene amounts of money that are in football these days threatens to kill off the smaller clubs completely.

League Two side Rotherham United have gone into administration for the second time in as many seasons after being denied time to find new funds by the courts the club now faces another 10 point penalty which effectively puts an end to their promotion hopes for this season as they now stand in 11th place with eight games still to play.

The smaller clubs that have gone into administration over the last few years must accept some responsibility over how they are run financially although in their defence they would argue that lower league clubs have always had to sell their better players to survive and that with the advent of football academies clubs such as Chelsea can go around the country cherry picking the best young talent free of charge which is something that angered numerous clubs in recent seasons.

While that was happening we hear that Chelsea and England Midfield star Frank Lampard and his new contract negotiations have apparently hit a stumbling block with the player rumoured to be holding out for two hundred grand a week now this is not an attack on Lampard but I'm sorry no player is worth £200,000 per week it is too ridiculous for words but unless the governing bodies step in and introduce some sort of salary cap for players then it will no doubt happen sooner or later.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Who Will Win The 2008 Champions League?

2008-03-17T14:55:00.009Z

This years UEFA Champions League is now hotting up nicely with the draw having been made for the quarter finals.

English footballs big four comprising Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool all feature with the latter two sides drawing each other meaning with the addition of a premiership game sandwiched in between they will actually play each other three times in the space of seven days.

Manchester United will again meet Italian side Roma who will no doubt be eager for revenge after the seven goal drubbing they received at the hands of the red devils last season.

Chelsea will probably be satisfied with their draw against Fenerbache and a trip to Turkey which nevertheless will be no walk in the park.

Quarter Final Draw

Roma v Manchester United
Schalke 04 v Barcelona
Arsenal v Liverpool
Fenerbache v Chelsea

For what it is worth my prediction will be Man Utd, Barcelona, Liverpool and Chelsea to win their respective ties and go into the hat for the semi final draw.

A lot of focus seems to be on the English teams but I have a feeling Barcelona may well be one of the sides contesting the Champions League final on May 21st 2008 in Moscow.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

The Year Of FA Cup Shocks

2008-03-09T09:50:00.004Z

The FA Cup this year has seen quite a few shocks, upsets and giant killings as some of the old romance of the competition seems to have returned Barnsley are arguably the story of this years competition thus far after dumping the mighty Liverpool out of the competition at Anfield in the last round they then proceeded to knock Chelsea out at Oakwell winning 1-0 again although the game itself was entertaining enough it was not quite like watching Brazil as their song goes.

The other shock from yesterday came at Old Trafford where Man Utd lost to Portsmouth 1-0 who would have thought that Man Utd and Chelsea would both end up being knocked out in this round i wonder what sort of odds you could have got on that outcome prior to kick off?

Sir Alex was not a happy bunny in the slightest and roundly criticized the referee's performance as well as the referees chief Keith Hackett for not doing his job properly his anger seemed to center around the no nonsense treatment Portuguese star Ronaldo is getting from opposition teams and the lack of protection Fergie feels referees are giving him.

Maybe one or two decisions could have gone their way but it is not often that you see a referee award a penalty to the away team at Old Trafford and there have been many stonewall penalties waved away over the years with the refs usually bottling it.

I have a feeling that it may well be Harry Redknapp's men that are destined to lift the FA Cup this year.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Don't Call Us Scu We'll Call You

2008-02-28T12:06:00.006Z

Premier league supremo Richard Scudamore has now cancelled the planned trip to see FIFA and discuss the 39th game proposals citing the reason as "deferment to allow a consultation process to go ahead and refine details of the scheme" whatever way they want to word it it certainly seems to most observers that the plans which were announced to the world with breathtaking arrogance and scant regard for anyone other than themselves has now been effectively put to bed.

Over the years football's governing bodies UEFA and especially FIFA have never missed an opportunity to give English football a reprimand probably because we invented the game but on this occasion credit should go to FIFA president Sepp Blatter who has clearly got it spot on in his condemnation of the 39th game plans.

There is still talk of a breakaway European or Worldwide super league but this is pure fantasy and something which should be opposed by all fans of the game the world over and even if it were to happen it would effectively kill the game as the only benefits it would bring would be even more financial gain for the already wealthy football club owners and chairmen and maybe people like Ricard Scudamore.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.