Hodgson's opening statement

This afternoon brought with it the announcement of England's squad of 23 players for the European Championships next month. It was also a first chance for new manager Roy Hodgson to put his stamp on the job. Would he call up players overlooked by his predecessor? Would he go for form over reputation? How would he solve the conundrums of Rio Ferdinand and John Terry, Rooney's two-game ban, and the centre of England's midfield?

His squad looks like this:

Goalkeepers - Joe Hart, Robert Green, John Ruddy.

Defenders - Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Glen Johnson, Phil Jones, Joleon Lescott, John Terry.

Midfielders - Gareth Barry, Stewart Downing, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Scott Parker, Theo Walcott, Ashley Young.

Strikers - Andy Carroll, Jermain Defoe, Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck.

Standby - Jack Butland, Phil Jagielka, Jordan Henderson, Adam Johnson, Daniel Sturridge.

The headline selection was of Terry but not Ferdinand, a decision that dominated his press conference shortly after the squad announcement. Hodgson claims the decisions he has made are purely for football reasons, and whilst I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt here due to the respect I have for him, I find this an odd explanation. Ferdinand has been in good form, has played regularly despite suggestions he is incapable of doing so because of injury issues, and has been a key part of the second best Premier League defence this season, one that has been robbed of Nemanja Vidic almost throughout. On the flipside, Terry has been in patchy form in the worst Chelsea defence, in terms of goals conceded, in years. Though I did not watch the recent league game against Liverpool, from all reports he was extremely poor. There is also the small matter of his red card against Barcelona when his team needed him most. I have actually always been a fan of Terry as a defender, in sharp contrast to my views on him as a human being (saying that, the only story I have heard of him that didn't come from the media actually painted him in a positive light), but I have not been particularly impressed with him on the pitch of late. If the Ferdinand-Terry situation did not exist, I would actually still have Terry in my squad despite his form alongside Ferdinand, but I would not have him ahead of Ferdinand. Hodgson's assertion that Ferdinand has hardly featured for England in the last couple of years is true, and his claim that he wants to largely stick with the players involved in qualifying is honourable, yet it doesn't completely hold up when you look at some of the other players to be either selected or not selected.

England look a little short in defence, with just seven picked which mirrors the World Cup two years ago when Jamie Carragher surprisingly got a call up which had him covering both centre-back and right-back. Phil Jones is in that role this time, but whilst I think he has great potential, he has not looked very assured since a bright start to the season. Micah Richards, who has been excluded from the squad much like he was time and again by Fabio Capello, offers the same versatility and has been an impressive part of Manchester City's title winning squad, but perhaps he has paid for not featuring so much in the last weeks of the season due to Pablo Zabaleta's form. Hodgson said he had planned to take Kyle Walker before his injury, and was then left with a choice between Jones and Richards, with Jones the ultimate winner. Gary Cahill is definitely a part of England's future post-Ferdinand and Terry, but is he really a better candidate in 2012 than Ferdinand? Is he really better than Phil Jagielka who is only on the standby list? In his favour is the fact he now trains, and sometimes plays, with Terry at Chelsea, as well as his rather impressive ability as an attacking threat. The left-back selections were obvious, with Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines two of the best around.

Hodgson has packed his squad with midfielders, explaining that he believes the likes of Ashley Young, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are capable of playing as second strikers or even out-and-out forwards. There are two main points of contention with the midfielders that have been selected: firstly, Michael Carrick has been the pick of English central midfielders for many observers this season yet he is not even on the standby list should Scott Parker fail his fitness bid; secondly, why is Stewart Downing in the squad after an awful season for Liverpool that, if the statistic I read is accurate, did not even see him provide an assist for a goal let alone score one himself? Adam Johnson is on the standby list, probably because he has not featured much for Manchester City lately, but he is potentially a much bigger threat than Downing and has looked quite impressive previously in an England shirt. Downing is about as uninspiring a winger as can be imagined, and there must surely be better options than him out there. Maybe Downing looked good when Liverpool played West Brom this season. I can think of few other explanations. The other strange decision on a similar theme is Downing's Liverpool clubmate Jordan Henderson making the standby list, as he has been just as poor as Downing and done nothing to justify his big money move last summer which was based on little more than a decent six months for Sunderland.

The issue of replacing Rooney was alluded to in the selection of midfielders that can also play in attack, and Hodgson has also opted to take Danny Welbeck, Andy Carroll and Jermain Defoe. Welbeck was largely expected to be in the squad, although it is surprising that Daniel Sturridge, who has enjoyed a similar profile to Welbeck, has only made the standby list. I suspect that is mostly due to his backseat role under Roberto Di Matteo's stewardship at Chelsea as a few months ago he would have been a shoe in. Carroll makes the plane for two reasons: he has the potential to be a battering ram should England need a more direct approach, and in recent weeks he has looked like regaining the form from late 2010 that saw Liverpool shell out for him. In form, I am a fan of Carroll, and thought he was going to be the answer to England's striking issues when he first appeared in the national side. He has endured a difficult year and a bit at Anfield, but I commend Hodgson for taking him. Defoe is something of a surprise in that he has barely started for Tottenham, but he has still scored 17 goals in all competitions this season which is impressive, and he probably has benefited from Darren Bent's lack of match action and fitness as he is the closest option to the goals-and-little-else Bent. What disappoints me is that Hodgson has not taken a punt on the strikers in the best form this season. I'm talking primarily about Grant Holt, and to a lesser extent Danny Graham, but I had hoped that Hodgson coming from working with mid-table players at West Brom may have been brave enough to reward the form players who aren't at glamour clubs. There are of course arguments against the likes of Holt, offered up by pundits such as Alan Shearer who should know a bit about strikers, which say that Holt has no experience of international football so is too risky in a major tournament, but I believe that a striker in form and full of confidence is not a major gamble. If you can score against Premier League defences, you shouldn't have trouble against many international defences as they are made up of the same players.

The other interesting selections were the two uncapped players in the party. Whilst there was no room for the aforementioned Holt or various other untried players, there was room for Oxlade-Chamberlain and Norwich keeper John Ruddy. Oxlade-Chamberlain has impressed in the limited outings he has had for Arsenal, and in a squad of 23 with at most six games to be played, it is not a major risk to include him. He could well be the wildcard that England need, looking as assured and mature as he has done for the Gunners. He is certainly a better selection than Walcott was in 2006. Ruddy is a welcome addition to England's limited goalkeeping resources, and in all honesty is unlikely to get a game as third choice keeper so his merits hardly need discussing. What is probably more noteworthy is the inclusion on the standby list of young Birmingham keeper Jack Butland, who I am reliably informed has been very impressive on loan at Cheltenham this season. Whilst Butland has little chance of making it to the finals, and no chance of making it on to the pitch, it is curious to note that a youngster who has been playing in League Two is higher up the list than the likes of Scott Carson. Then again, Joe Hart started off at a similar level with Shrewsbury so maybe potential is more important than experience.

Overall, the England squad looks solid, and my nitpicking article overlooks the fact that nearly every player in the squad has a strong case for being there. It is only really Downing, and possibly his clubmate Glen Johnson, that I would strongly object to making the 23, and it perhaps highlights a surprising strength in depth in English football that there are many excluded players you could make a case for selecting. I would be disappointed if this was the squad for Hodgson's first World Cup qualifier in the autumn, as I believe this should be the last big tournament cycle for some of England's elder statesmen, but we at least have a solid if unspectacular squad to take to Ukraine and Poland with us. Hodgson will no doubt come in for far more stick than I have given him for some of his selections, as you can never please everybody, but I am prepared to give time for him and his selections to prove themselves.

The incredible finale (part two)

With QPR losing in such dramatic style, the door would have been opened up for Bolton to achieve Premier League survival. However, by that point, full time had blown at the Britannia with the Trotters only earning a draw away to Stoke, a result that meant they were relegated, whatever happened at the Etihad. How Bolton must have been kicking themselves once they got the news of the late swing in City's favour. Had Bolton managed one more goal, they would have been safe. The relegation fight took almost as many swings as the battle for the title, with Bolton coming back from a goal down to lead at half time. Coupled with QPR being a goal down at the break, Bolton had moved out of the bottom three. It was then Rangers' turn to look like staying up as they drew level after the interval, before stunningly taking the lead over City. Bolton were now looking doomed, whatever their result, and the final nail in their coffin was hammered when Stoke earned and scored a debatable penalty. With the fans and players surely aware of events elsewhere, perhaps the belief needed to go out and regain their lead had vanished from Bolton, and they had to settle for a solitary point that confirmed their relegation. News of the Bolton result will have reached QPR fans around the time that they saw their lead overturned, and so watching their side concede two late goals will not have been the massive blow it otherwise could have been. It is therefore goodbye from the Premier League to Bolton after eleven seasons. It is a shame to see them go down under Owen Coyle who has revamped their playing style which had previously still been an ugly hangover from the days of Allardyce-ball. Unfortunately, the reduction in their direct tactics has also proved less effective, and they have suffered from poor home form, with only 16 points taken at the Reebok. Coyle was unhappy with the decision for Stoke’s opener to be allowed after what looked a clear foul on his keeper Adam Bogdan, but then QPR were similarly unhappy when they had a goal ruled out earlier in the season against Bolton when Bogdan clawed the ball out from behind the line. What goes around comes around.

The third set of twists and turns came in the battle for third place and the final guaranteed Champions League place. With Chelsea contesting the Champions League final on Saturday, the usual fourth placed qualification spot is not a certainty, making finishing third all the more important. Usually third is the last spot that guarantees a place in the group stage, with fourth needing to go through a preliminary round, but this time it is the last spot that guarantees being in the competition at all. Newcastle had an outside shot, but realistically it was a straight fight between Arsenal and Tottenham, with the Gunners having a point advantage going in to the games. It took less than two minutes for Spurs to strike the first blow and move in to third, thanks to Emannuel Adebayor's early goal at home to Fulham. However, it took only that amount of time again for Arsenal to reclaim their spot as Yossi Benayoun took advantage of a howler from West Brom keeper Marton Fulop who was making his first league appearance for the Baggies because of an injury to Ben Foster. Ironically, Fulop endured a frustrating period as a Tottenham player a few years ago, not making a single appearance, and he did his best to frustrate his former employers with a shocking performance against their big rivals. West Brom struck back twice to lead 2-1 and put Spurs back in to third place, before Andre Santos beat Fulop at his near post from outside the box to give the Gunners hope. It would be harsh to put all the blame on Fulop for this goal, but he will feel he could have been better. It was Fulop who was involved again as Arsenal scored their winning goal to seal third, his poor punch gifting Laurent Koscielny an open goal. The victory for Arsenal meant that Jermain Defoe doubling Tottenham's lead was irrelevant, with Spurs staying in the fourth place in which they had started the day. What was quite amusing was seeing the celebrations of the Arsenal contingent, which were at a similar level to those witnessed at the Etihad. Perhaps this is a sign of just how huge the Champions League has grown; perhaps it is a sign of how Arsenal's ambitions have lowered from their Premier League winning days.

Newcastle finish a very credible fifth after an excellent season that surpassed all expectations, and which could have seen them qualify for the Champions League had they not run out of steam with defeats in their last two games to Manchester City and Everton. Whether they can keep hold of their star players this summer remains to be seen, but either way they will have to cope with the Thursday-Sunday schedule brought on by Europa League qualification. The same schedule awaits Liverpool thanks to their Carling Cup win, the one positive - FA Cup final defeats aren't really positive surely? - from a poor season for the Reds. They ended the campaign on another low note, losing 1-0 at Swansea. For the Swans it has been a tremendous first season in the top flight since the early 1980s, and they deserve their 11th place finish after being a breath of fresh air with their passing game. Fellow newly-promoted side Norwich also deserve much praise after finishing 12th, with just goal difference separating them from Swansea after a routine victory over hapless Aston Villa. It looks increasingly likely that Alex McLeish will leave his job as Villa manager, hardly surprising as he was never wanted, even before a poor, poor season. I should probably give positive mentions to Fulham and West Brom, who despite finishing with defeats have deserved their places in the top half of the table. It will be interesting to see who the Baggies bring in to replace England-bound Roy Hodgson and whether the new man can match the relative success Hodgson has achieved. The top half was rounded out by 7th placed Everton, who finished four points clear of neighbours Liverpool, although manager David Moyes refused to describe the achievement as something worth celebrating.

The final day action was rounded out by the last Premier League games for at least a year for Wolves and Blackburn. It was party time at the DW Stadium where Wigan hosted Wolves, with the home team and their fans celebrating having retained their Premier League status for yet another year. Wolves threatened to spoil the party with an excellent strike from Matt Jarvis, one of their better performers this season. However, it did not take long before the Latics hit back, and they ran out 3-2 winners. If Wigan can keep hold of Roberto Martinez and learn how to perform over the course of a season then they could well be clear of the relegation battle next season. Their form in recent weeks has been superb, and they were only four points off the top half in the end, with relegation a whole seven points away. Why they always leave it so late to get their act together, I don't know. That left Blackburn who went down 2-1 to a Chelsea side for whom team selection clearly had the Champions League final in mind. Champions League glory may await Chelsea, but Championship football definitely awaits Rovers.

The incredible finale (part one)

An incredible end to an incredible Premier League season, one that went right down to the wire in the most dramatic of styles. Forgetting for now the other issues to be decided, namely Champions League qualification and relegation, the battle for the title was a rollercoaster of emotions for fans of both Manchester sides. United supporters would have held far more hope than belief at 3pm when the games kicked off that QPR could do them a favour, the Hoops having a dire away record and City an imperious home record. What hope did exist came from the possibility that QPR needed a result to avoid relegation, depending on what happened elsewhere in Bolton's game at Stoke. If you're reading this, you probably already know what happened so I'll avoid a blow by blow account. However, it is pretty safe to say that no one would have written the script the way it happened. Once City had taken the lead, it looked a near certainty that they would go on and take the title with some ease. I was watching the United game, seeing if they could at least stick to their side of the bargain by winning at Sunderland, but at half time I decided to switch over and watch the City game. I figured that I would watch until City scored a second to seal the win, then go back to watching United without the tension that was previously there. I had the score updates on the BBC red button service, with a slight delay so it was not ahead of my SkyGo live feed, and my ears pricked up every time a goal was announced, or the words Etihad Stadium were mentioned. In the second half, I barely noticed the BBC, such was the drama going on at City.

Barely had I begun watching the City game, and QPR were level. Joleon Lescott's poor attempt at a headed clearance let in Djibril Cisse and the Frenchman buried home an equaliser. On a side note, it was unfortunate timing by Lescott ahead of the Euros as he has had his most convincing season in terms of being worthy of a place in the England team. Errors like that do not help his cause, particularly with the question marks in his position over taking both Rio Ferdinand and John Terry, but he has probably on balance done enough this season to be considered a decent option. Within minutes of drawing level, Rangers were down to ten men after one of the most astonishing pieces of idiocy I have seen on a football field. For once, it was not Mario Balotelli surpassing himself; instead it was that never-to-be-fully-reformed sad act Joey Barton landing himself in the hottest of waters. His decision to throw an elbow in the face of Carlos Tevez off the ball was bad enough, and whilst there is some truth in his Tweeted argument that Tevez lashed out at him first, Barton is old enough and pretentiously pious enough to know that he shouldn't retaliate. The retaliation is what was spotted by the linesman and Barton rightfully ended up with a red card. What happened next was just insane. Barton walked up behind Sergio Aguero, whose crime in Barton's eyes I cannot decipher, and kneed him hard in the hamstring. With City players reacting, he then attempted to headbutt Vincent Kompany, before escaping the clutches of calming influence Micah Richards to try and square up to Balotelli. Having already been sent off this season, Barton will face an automatic four game ban for the red card, but that tally must surely grow several fold for the incidents with Aguero and Kompany. I would not be surprised to see double figures in terms of games he is banned for.

Without their departed captain - and I laugh at the thought that such an idiot has been entrusted the captaincy, not one of Mark Hughes' finer decisions - QPR battled on with heart and guts and even went ahead through Jamie Mackie, an underrated player who played a big part in their promotion a year ago. City were on the rocks. The body language of Roberto Mancini said it all; so did the images of the crowd. As the clock wore down, I decided to wait til the last moment to turn over to watch United celebrate the championship, fearing jinxing it in that way that only football fans do - it is funny how so many of us think that out of the thousands and thousands watching, it is our lone actions that will have the effect on fate. It was around about 90 minutes on the clock in both games when I let myself switch over, and the time was nearly up at the Stadium of Light when the BBC, as well as the commentators on Sky, informed me City had drawn level. Full time went for United, a nervous wait ensued before the fans and players could celebrate... and then news arrived that City had scored again. Incredible. United fans may hurt to see their formerly inferior neighbours take their crown, and they may hurt at how close their own team came to winning the title before it was snatched away. However, they can have few complaints that City have done so in such dramatic fashion, because had the boot been on the other foot they would have loved it, loved it, loved it. City won the league in the fashion that United have become famous for, keeping going until the last moment and doing it with late goals and late drama. This is how Bayern Munich fans must have felt in '99, winning the Champions League going in to stoppage time and having lost it moments later. United had been out-United-ed, to make up words and phrases, by City. 

You would have to say on balance that City deserve the title. Anyone who is top after 38 games, when every team has played home and away against every other team, deserves their title. This is a City side who for most of the season have played attractive attacking football, a world away from last season's negative catenaccio-inspired dross that few wanted to watch. It is incredible to think though that but for a last gasp winner against QPR, or for several other moments in the season that you could argue earned City points, United would have been champions. If United had won the title, you would have to say too that they deserved it. Such fine margins can change definitions of who is deserving; after all, only goal difference split the teams this season, the tightest margin ever. To me, despite having my loyalties firmly in the red camp, the blue half of Manchester are rightful winners because of their record in matches against United, winning both and with the stunning 6-1 triumph at Old Trafford earlier in the campaign resulting in the goal difference margin that won the title. At the same time, it also means that United's record against the other 18 clubs is better than City's - you could make so many different arguments for who the best team were that it is fairest to just let the table speak for itself. United will rue the recent loss to Wigan, the late concession of two goals to Everton to turn a 4-2 lead in to a 4-4 draw. Most of all, United will rue Kompany's winning header two weeks ago and the concession of three late goals in that 6-1; had United settled for a 3-1 defeat instead of going gung-ho and leaving themselves open at the back, the goal difference would have been just two rather than eight going in to the final games, and that would have been achievable considering how close United came to winning more than 1-0 against Sunderland.

So, the bottom line is this: congratulations City on a deserved title, and commiserations to United who deservedly finished within the tightest of margins of the eventual champions. An incredible season with an incredible ending.

Part two to follow later, looking at the rest of the last day action.

Ferguson fails, City succeed

Congratulations to Manchester City, deserved winners of tonight's Manchester derby, and presumably now winners of the Premier League title. Now that I have got that begrudging praise out of the way, I can concentrate on being critical of Manchester United, and in particular the usually legendary Sir Alex Ferguson. I just can't quite understand the great Scot's team selection or approach to the second half. I can understand the first half tactics, which very nearly came off, but that is about as praising as this article will be about the United boss as far as tonight's proceedings go.


The 4-4 draw with Everton eight days ago saw the best of United's attacking ability - I'm not American so won't be using the term 'offensive' - and the worst of their defensive ability. An injury to Jonny Evans enforced at least one change, and it would have been interesting to see if he had kept his place after a poor display in that game. However, I feel it would have been harsh for him to be dropped after what has been an excellent season by the Ulsterman, and ironically it was an error by his replacement, Chris Smalling, that cost United the game. At right back, Rafael was replaced by Phil Jones. I can understand the theory that Rafael is too gung-ho and that Ferguson wanted to opt for more defensive security, but I am not sure that Jones is the right player to provide that. I simply cannot remember the last time he had a good game. He started the season and his career at the club in sterling form, and received a million and one plaudits. However, whether it is a case of the plaudits going to his head or just a drop in form, he has looked very shoddy at times since, and was wasteful in possession tonight. In attack, Danny Welbeck was dropped after an excellent showing against the Toffees, with Fergie deciding to pack his midfield. Considering the excellent partnership being built up by Welbeck and Wayne Rooney, and the fact that Rooney prefers to play deeper, why didn't Fergie make Welbeck his lone frontman and play Rooney as one of that midfield five? Nani was ineffective and we didn't see too much of Ryan Giggs as an attacking force, so maybe starting Rooney from the left may have offered more balance to the team. Park Ji-Sung was called in as a reinforcement as has happened on many occasions in big games over the years. However, he has usually had much more game time than he has this time around and it was always going to be a big ask for him to come in tonight. He coped admirably for 45 minutes, but it was always going to be a risky selection alongside a 37-year-old and 38-year-old in Paul Scholes and Giggs, with it highly unlikely that all would complete 90 minutes. It was always likely that most or all would need replacing, lessening the flexibility provided by the United bench. 


It is the use of the bench that brings up my second criticism of Ferguson tonight. Having seen his plan to stifle City made redundant by Vincent Kompany's stoppage time header, I'm surprised the manager wasn't more proactive at half time. His tactics had only made a fleeting attacking impression on City early in the first half, and were otherwise not designed to lay siege to the opposition, so it was strange to see a lack of change at the break. It took a wasted ten minutes before Fergie acted, bringing on Welbeck for Park, and it then took far too long for further alterations to be made. Antonio Valencia really should have started, providing a more direct threat on the counter than the tricky Nani, and he is also the pick of United's widemen defensively. When he was finally introduced, City had already retreated in to their Nigel de Jong plan, bringing the solid Dutchman on to reinforce their midfield and protect their lead. Ashley Young was the third and final change, and with him came some shockingly wasteful set piece deliveries which seemed the only hope for the Red Devils. Given that United lost anyway by being cautious, why didn't Ferguson throw more at City? What is the worst that could have happened? A defeat? Got that anyway. Perhaps he was belatedly learning a lesson from the 6-1 drubbing at Old Trafford earlier in the season when United's late gung-ho rescue show attempt caused a 3-1 defeat to turn in to a thrashing, but on this occasion it would not have mattered. Because of that hammering, goal difference has pretty much already been decided in City's favour and so United could have afforded to risk falling further behind tonight if it gave them more of a chance of actually getting back in to the game. To lose is bad enough, but to lose gutlessly is worse.


I should probably mention City a little more given they won the game, especially as I happily stated earlier that they were the better side. At the same time, I did not think they were particularly impressive, just better or at least more proactive than their neighbours. The players that impressed me were the ones that are usually unsung, in particular Pablo Zabaleta who I have previously failed to see the point of. Tonight I thought he was superb, voiding any attacking threat United posed down the left and helping his side cause Patrice Evra plenty of problems. Evra was not helped by the lack of any defensive cover, so much so that I would be hard pushed to tell you who was meant to be playing in front of him. It was from a raid down the right hand side that the critical corner was won, powered home by Kompany after some poor marking from Smalling. One poor piece of play destroyed United's game plan, and from then on City were left just needing to do to United what the visitors had been doing to them. Neither keeper had much to do and it was no classic for the neutral. What the game was though was a nervy and tense affair suffering from the weight of importance on its shoulders.


To summarise, I have very rarely seen fit to be critical of Sir Alex Ferguson, and I would have little right to considering everything he has achieved in the game. I just simply can't understand what was in his head tonight and why he seemed to freeze on the big occasion. Many a time his teams have produced memorable comebacks and superb late rallies, but rarely have they had to do it against such a well-organised defensive shield. Tonight called for Ferguson to be more proactive, if not in his starting line up then certainly once his team were behind. It was surely a mistake to leave his key matchwinner Rooney so marginalised on the periphery of the game, and to break up a strike pairing that was so deadly a week ago. Roberto Mancini saw fit to stick with a team that had been performing so well for him recently, and even if he wanted to strengthen defensively, surely Fergie too should have at least stuck with the attack that was firing for him.

My team of the Premier League 92-12

In writing this article, I have remembered to conveniently forget that football existed before the Premier League. At any given opportunity, the powers that be, and Sky TV, like to harp on about stats and facts about what players and teams have achieve since 1992, as if nothing that went before really happened or mattered. With the Premier League coming to the end of its 20th season since it succeeded the First Division as the top flight of English Football, this trend has intensified further with the decision to award various individuals for their part in the monopolised proceedings. This buzz of debate has been going on for a little while now, but having not had the chance to catch up on yesterday's Match of the Day and feeling there is little to say about today's action other than Torres is back and Blackburn were gutless, I might as well have a go at naming my best XI from the shortlist provided by the official awards panel. Thankfully, the list of individuals available to choose from for this particular award is a bit more representative of the 20 years covered, given how the other awards seem at times to be based heavily on occurrences from the last five years or so, almost like a microcosm inside a microcosm. Perhaps it is assumed that most people can only remember the last few years, making it even easier for us all to forget anything pre-1992 if we can't remember pre-2007. 

Nb. I am basing my selections only on the list of options given - there are other players I may have liked to mention in this article but cannot pick them!

For my team, goalkeeper is one of the easiest selections; Peter Schmeichel had it all. He had such presence, such personality and such a wide range of attributes. His distribution was phenomenal, particularly that half-pitch throw that launched a thousand counter attacks. He made stunning saves, including his trademark star jump that utilised ever inch of his giant frame. Of all the top players that Sir Alex Ferguson has had to say goodbye to over the years, the Great Dane arguably proved hardest to replace, with a succession of highly-rated signings floundering in his lumbering presence. Edwin van der Sar finally proved capable of stepping out of that shadow, and was arguably even more reliable than Schmeichel, but he lacked that special something that made Schmeichel every bit as watchable as an outfield player. Special mentions are also warranted for David Seaman, as safe a pair as hands as you could hope for, with his nightmare moments against Nayim and Ronaldinho not happening in Premier League action; Shay Given, who has been a top class performer for the last 15 years without ever being rewarded with the silverware his talent deserved; Petr Cech, who was sensational in his early years at Chelsea, and has also managed to recover his form after some understandably patchy spells following his unfortunate head injury; and Brad Friedel, who has performed at a very high level consistently for a succession of clubs and has remarkably played over 300 successive games in the league.

At right back, Gary Neville just pips Lee Dixon for me. Dixon was part of one of the tightest defensive units around at Arsenal, but Neville was so effective going forward and had a huge impact on Manchester United as club captain in recent years. At left back, the likes of Denis Irwin and Patrice Evra could have continued the Red Devils' domination of this team so far, and a similar mention for Dixon's colleague Nigel Winterburn is deserved. However, I must opt for Ashley Cole who has raised the bar in his position over the last decade. I'm no fan of his as a person, but he has been performing at the highest level for longer than Evra and has had to play against the cream of the world's talent regularly which perhaps was not the case in the days of Irwin and Winterburn. Centre back is a very tough choice, with some outstanding candidates from the last 20 years. Steve Bruce and Paul McGrath were coming to the end of their glittering careers at the beginning of the Premier League era so I am going to look elsewhere, despite the respect I have for both. Jaap Stam, Nemanja Vidic and Marcel Desailly are three rock-hard Europeans who made extremely successful transitions to the fast-paced and physical Premier League. Stam did not stick around for long enough, the one player Fergie admits to having sold too soon, and Desailly was already in his 30th year by the time he arrived at Chelsea. Vidic has been a giant for United in recent seasons, but I feel the need to overlook him for a couple of English centre backs hewn from granite. I could have picked John Terry, I could have picked Rio Ferdinand. Instead, I have gone for Tony Adams, who was John Terry-like before it was possible to be like John Terry, and Sol Campbell, who was a vital part of the only team to go unbeaten for a season.

The list for right midfield is less inspiring than I had imagined, and full of players who never made it to the top of their profession, let alone to be the best in their position over the last 20 years. Cristiano Ronaldo would be an easy pick based on a couple of sensational seasons that blow away anything achieved by any one else on the list. However, he opted to move to Real Madrid rather than staying to become a genuine Premier League legend, and so I must call on David Beckham for his delivery, spectacular goals and his medal haul. The left wing has more quality to select from, with the likes of Robert Pires, Marc Overmars and David Ginola up for grabs. As thrilling as they were to watch, I can only see myself picking Ryan Giggs. Longevity isn't always a guarantee of greatness, but in the case of Giggs it just makes his career all the more remarkable. He has featured heavily in every season of the Premier League, he has scored in every season. He has won the title more times than any other player, Premier League era or before, and could well add another medal this season too. He has gone from being a devastatingly fast winger in to a cultured central player, has extended his career by embracing yoga, and largely kept himself out of the papers for the wrong reasons, the last 12 months and Imogen Thomas excepted. In the centre of midfield, I want to pick nearly every player off the list. I can't believe I am not picking Paul Scholes, who has had a similar career to that of Giggs, only two league winners' medals behind his colleague, and having changed from a striker when he first broke through in to a classy midfielder. He is Sir Bobby Charlton's favourite player, which is as glowing a reference as is available. His passing is as good as anyone, he has a tremendous shot, and he has proven how key he has been to the way United play by the transformation in their season since he returned from retirement. Steven Gerrard also fails to win a place, despite at times being a one-man team for Liverpool, and Frank Lampard does not make the list despite a stunning goals return for a midfielder. Instead, I must go  for a pairing of Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira, two of the fiercest competitors the Premier League has ever seen and the driving forces between the two best sides that have played in the competition. The highlight of a season was always Manchester United versus Arsenal and the main attraction was the battle between Keane and Vieira. Games between the clubs are still a good watch, but it is just not the same without these two war horses on show.

How do I pick between the strikers on the list? I could stick a pin in to the list and whichever combination I ended up with would be pretty amazing. But I must pick two... My heart says Eric Cantona, who was my hero as a boy; Dennis Bergkamp and Gianfranco Zola were sensational and up there with Cantona for touch, quality and influence; Robbie Fowler, Ian Wright, Andy Cole and Ruud van Nistelrooy were goal machines. In ten years time, when a similar list is drawn up for 30 years of the Premier League, I am sure Wayne Rooney will be in most people's teams. However, I must opt for a combination of Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry. Shearer is the all time top scorer in the Premier League, winning the title with Blackburn and being top scorer in three separate seasons. Henry is just behind second-placed Cole in the scorers list, but amassed his total in significantly less time. The Frenchman was so devastating with his pace and direct runs, having the ability to win games on his own which Cole never quite possessed. So, that is my team, and I still can't believe I haven't picked Scholes or Cantona.

Schmeichel; Neville, Adams, Campbell, Cole; Beckham, Keane, Vieira, Giggs; Shearer, Henry.
(Subs) Seaman, Irwin, Ferdinand, Scholes, Ginola, Cantona, Bergkamp.

The Royals are going up!

Excuse me, at least this once, for being somewhat indulgent with my choice of topic today. I have had a day and half for the euphoria to settle down and the reality to sink in, and now I wish to pen some words of appreciation to Brian McDermott and his admirable Reading side. It is always one of the big challenges of football writing, to try and remain neutral, and is ultimately one of the main reasons why I chose not to follow through with pursuing it as a career after my work with adifferentleague.co.uk. I have teams I like, teams I don't like. Players I like, players I don't like. Etc. Etc. You get the idea. At the same time, I still like to think I do a reasonable job of being as unbiased as I can, even if I would hate to have to sit there being overly congratulatory of Chelsea for beating Barcelona (saying that, I found myself punching the air when they scored - who knew I wanted them to win?!). Back to the main issue - I am a Reading season ticket holder, born in the town and bred nearby, although I currently live elsewhere. Promotion to the Premier League six years ago was awesome, but due to personal circumstances I missed all but two games in that "106" season. This time, I have missed just one home game and made a couple of away trips - to be honest, every home game is like an away trip, and one of those away games was round the corner from where I live! - so it has been that much more special. Having said that, I did not miss a single home game in the two years that Reading were in the top flight and went on numerous away trips, so the actual being in the Premier League might not be quite so special this time around. What is magical about being promoted this time is how unlikely it seemed even a couple of months ago. It has been an unbelievable run with a wonderful end result.


Hopefully I have the most up-to-date figure in my mind of 46 points from a possible 51 - just keep adding 3 to each tally has been the rule in recent weeks - a run of 15 wins and a draw from the last 17 games since a home defeat to Hull, funnily enough the one home game I have missed this season. On a personal note, the last 12 home games I have turned up to have all resulted in wins, which is phenomenal when you consider I have only missed one in that run. After a defeat at home to Cardiff in mid-November, Reading sat 18 points from the top; now, they are 3 points clear. That is quite a swing. The run has not been a fluke, not been lucky. This has been an extremely well organised team playing for each other, and in particular playing for the manager. McDermott is an absolute hero, and the only man who can challenge Steve Coppell for a place in my heart. I will admit to being totally underwhelmed at his appointment in December 2009, when he was chosen as an interim replacement for the sacked Brendan Rodgers (see my previous post From Swans to Spurs? for more on Rodgers). With Rodgers having started to show signs of turning a poor start to the season around, it made little sense from the outside to bring in our former Chief Scout and Reserve Team manager who had no professional first team managerial experience. How wrong could I be? What those of us on the outside did not know was just how ingrained in the club McDermott was, how well he knew the players and the set up and just how adept he was tactically. A heroic FA Cup performance knocking Liverpool out at Anfield helped earn the Heston Blumenthal lookalike the job on a permanent basis and he has made excellent progress ever since.


McDermott himself has said that a year ago he saw few positives to take from a Wembley defeat in the Play-off Final to Swansea, and I'm sure I speak for the thousands of Loyal Royals who were there that day that we were just as distraught as the boss. Not making promotion a year ago meant a need to continue selling our best players each summer to balance the books. Having had to lose Gylfi Sigurdsson the summer before, now Shane Long was gone, the last of our crown jewels. Even Matt Mills moved, someone who was not exactly universally popular with fans despite being captain but who had obviously impressed visiting scouts if not his own support. His multi-million pound move to moneybags Leicester was seen as further indication that we would struggle to live with the big boys in the division this time around, with little prospect of the likes of Long being replaced adequately. Our goalscorer charts suggests that indeed Long was not replaced, although Adam "Alfie" Le Fondre who was the nearest thing to a direct replacement, number 9 shirt and all, has come up trumps when it has really mattered of late after a season of intermittent impressions on the first team. Mills, though, has been replaced with someone far more popular, giant Latvian Kaspars Gorkss earning his second successive promotion having been a stalwart of the QPR side that won the Championship a year ago. Having been denied a place in the Premier League by one of Neil Warnock's less understandable bits of transfer business, he will surely get the chance to play in the big league with the Royals. Even if the squad is strengthened and his place is taken in the starting eleven, Reading surely are too sensible to sell Gorkss and not have him at the very least in the squad. His influence on Alex Pearce alongside him has turned the academy graduate in to a real leader and key player.

January brought with it news of the investment that Sir John Madejski had long talked about looking for, with young Berkshire-educated Russian Anton Zingarevich bringing his family fortune to the table. Whilst the deal has still not formally gone through, Zingarevich injected some funds in to the club to help add a couple of players to the squad as a show of faith, and those signings have helped boost the team in to the stunning run. Of the January signings, only Jason Roberts has had significant time on the pitch, but by all accounts his phenomenal impact has been felt just as much off the pitch as on. Tomasz Cywka and Matthew Connolly, the latter on loan from QPR, have been useful players when called upon, as have more recent loan signings Hayden Mullins and Benik Afobe. It is Roberts that has rightfully had the headlines, but Reading have been a fine example of the importance of being united as a team and as a squad and the newcomers have all contributed to the promotion push. The other advantage of the new ownership-to-be has been that it convinced Jimmy Kebe to sign a new contract when it looked like he may have been off in January, and if not in the summer. Kebe is a strange prospect, someone who can be either devastating or anonymous in equal measures, but he is the one bit of "X Factor" that Reading have, a player who seems to unnerve the opposition just by being there. Keeping him at the club was a moral boost as much as it has proved to be key on the pitch. Now there is no need for Reading to sell the likes of Kebe, or a Long or Sigurdsson, if they don't want to.


Whilst this has been a huge effort from the whole team, a few players deserve special mentions. Adam Federici is my choice for player of the season, the Aussie goalkeeper being an absolute rock and having produced some stunning saves that have been worth numerous points. Previously, he had always seemed to have a few whopping errors in him, often in the same match, but I can hardly think of any this time around. His penalty save against Brighton and his stops against Southampton in successive away games three days apart recently are examples of where he has made a real difference. The central midfield partnership of Jem Karacan and Mikele Leigertwood have been a huge part of the way the team play, and would be unsung heroes to the casual observer. Fortunately, those of us that watch regularly appreciate fully the selfless work they do. It was fitting that Leigertwood scored the goal that clinched promotion, and it was wonderful to see Karacan discharge himself from hospital after an ankle operation to come join in the celebrations with his teammates. Pearce, who I mentioned earlier, has been a rock alongside Gorkss and a much better player than I thought he was capable of. Then there is the skipper, Jobi McAnuff. He can be frustrating on occasions to watch, but he is clearly influential around the team and has lead a brilliant team to some outstanding performances and promotion. The key to Reading, though, is that they are a team. Plenty of times people have looked at the names on the team sheet, even among our own fans, and written them off as individuals. I am sure the same mistake will be made by Premier League fans next season. They would be wise to be cautious, because under Brian McDermott, and with the added boost of some funds from Zingarevich, this is a team that is far superior to the sum of its parts - and those parts just might get even better too.

How do you solve a problem like Mario?

In every fall there must be a fall guy. As Manchester City's Premier League title hopes fall away, it is Mario Balotelli who has been selected for the role. In some ways this is a very fair award of blame; in other ways it is just a masking tactic covering up the real faults at the Etihad Stadium. To blame Balotelli for his senseless conduct is all well and good, but he is not responsible for City's dramatic loss of form. City have ten other players on the pitch, plenty of strength on the bench and a manager who has it in his power to leave Balotelli out. They had all these factors at their disposal in the latest slump against Arsenal, so it seems rather rich that the Italian maverick is being blamed for the defeat. Perhaps his late red card denied them any chance of fighting back for a draw, but a solitary point would not have been enough to realistically keep up their diminishing hopes of the title.


The reverse at the Emirates leaves City eight points behind neighbours United with just six games left to play. A victory would have cut the gap back to five points, the status quo before the day's play, meaning City would only have needed United to drop points in one other match, provided they beat their rivals at home in the derby at the end of the month. Now they need United to lose three of their remaining six games, the same number they have lost in the whole of the season to date. Did this last glimmer of hope fade because of Balotelli? Quite simply, no. The mad Mario may have tried his best to get sent off, a shocking early challenge on Alex Song somehow missed by referee Martin Atkinson, but he was on the pitch until a minute was left on the clock, his eventual dismissal for two yellows coming moments after Mikel Arteta's deserved winner. Reading and hearing all the post match comment, it would be easy to receive the impression that the striker was sent off early on, leaving his team a near-impossible task to play an in-form Arsenal with ten men. However, he did not leave them a man short when it really mattered. Now, I am not condoning Balotelli or his actions on the day as he blatantly should have been sent off early. What I am saying is that to blame him for the defeat is ludicrous. City lost because they were outplayed on the day by the better side. Their away form has been very poor recently and has been the main contributory factor to their demise. Can this form all be blamed on Balotelli too? If it can, then there is one man even more to blame for continually picking him: Roberto Mancini. If you blame Balotelli, you have to blame Mancini too.


As a non-City fan, I must admit to enjoying the presence of Balotelli at the Etihad, a loose cannon distraction who seems to hamper his team on and off the field just as often as he helps them with his undoubted ability and goals. Having his antics filling column inches takes the media pressure off the half of Manchester I sympathise far more strongly with, the United half. I am not party to the dressing room at City, just like nearly every other soul with something to say on the matter. I don't know what goes on behind closed doors, just how much Balotelli is affecting morale and concentration at the club. In short, I don't actually know how much blame should be placed on the Sicilian-born striker. What I do know is that if he really is the man to blame, as even his manager has begun to suggest in the fallout of Sunday's game, then surely something should have been done about the problem a long time ago. There are suggestions that Mancini allows Balotelli more licence to offend than he would other players because of some sort of compatriot nepotism. Maybe this is true, or maybe it is because he managed him previously at Inter Milan. Maybe he just hasn't previously seen him as a particularly big problem. Balotelli has come in for constant criticism in the press, and reportedly even from his own team mates, and yet the senior Italian keeps on selecting his junior countryman. If Balotelli really is the problem that it is continually suggested he is, then why does Mancini keep selecting him? Is Balotelli actually harmless? Or is Mancini just foolish?


Moving our concentration back to the Arsenal game, few would have been surprised when Atkinson brought out a second yellow for Balotelli after another daft challenge by the forward. Moments earlier, I had been wondering to myself why Mancini had not yet substituted him, as I viewed him as a ticking time bomb. Minutes before, Sergio Aguero was replaced by Carlos Tevez, following the replacement of Samir Nasri with Aleksandar Kolarov. Why did Mancini not replace Balotelli instead? Why leave a player on the pitch if he is such a potential liability? If Balotelli is to blame for getting himself sent off, which he is, then I also feel the manager needs to take his share of the blame for not using his brain and removing the chance of the situation occurring. Mancini seems to be escaping relatively lightly from his team's collapse, with pundits saying they hope he is given the chance to remain in the job, and even suggesting he has been a gentleman among all the problems with Balotelli and Tevez. To me, it is not a gentleman who continually places a young man who has clear issues in the firing line repeatedly. Mancini may not be able to control his players every minute of the day, may not be able to stop them crashing cars in to women's prisons and setting fireworks off in their bathrooms, but he can remove them from the pitch when they are walking proverbial tightropes instead of leaving them to falter and fall in to the media backlash that inevitably follows. So, how do you solve a problem like Mario? Over to you Roberto - time to earn your massive salary.