New Year needs New Ideas from Mancini

Does Mancini know which eleven players most merit one of these?

Looking at the Premier League table as we approach New Years Eve, it’s slightly strange to see both Manchester teams sat happily atop the pile on 38 points apiece. Both clubs seem to have had rather rocky starts to the season, with inconsistency on the pitch often overshadowed by controversy off it – epitomised by the twin sagas of Rooney and Tevez, where toys were thrown out of the pram and then quickly scrambled back in.

Given all this, fans of each club could be forgiven for feeling a little relieved at finding themselves leading the title race. Manchester United fans especially will look forward to their usual post-Christmas form which may well see them surge to another title ahead of a faltering Chelsea and the traditionally inconsistent Arsenal. But Manchester City fans may rather ask themselves what might have been – if they’re top now, where could they have been if Mancini had got the best out of his team?

Premier League Team of the Season-So-Far

With the year coming rapidly to a close and the Premier League nearing the half way stage, it’s easy to take on a reflective air and ask who have been the standout performers in this season’s competition so far. To attempt to answer that question and no doubt spark some healthy debate, I’ve decided to put together a Team of the Season-So-Far. It’s obviously a difficult thing to settle on, and I’ve tried to pick a balanced team, but let me know whether or not you agree with my selections!

Merry Christmas

I’d just like to take this opportunity to wish all of the readers of this blog a very Merry Christmas. It’s been a pretty busy year for me and this place has been quiter than I’d have liked but if you’ve read anything on this site at any point then I am very appreciative. I hope that everyone has a great festive period and you all enjoy the football that’s on offer at this time of year – so long as it’s not all snowed off!

Anyway, eat lots, enjoy being with your families and have a generally great time, and I’ll see you all after Christmas with some more football talk. Merry Christmas everyone!

Guest Blog: It’s Silly Season in the Premier League.

Today I bring you a guest blog that I wrote for World Football Commentaries which responds to the recent sacking of Chris Hughton from Newcastle and Sam Allardyce from Blackburn. It’s that time of year again where managerial casualties always tend to come thick and fast, and this article looks at why that is, and whether the decisions by the owners of those two clubs to wield the managerial axe were at all justified.

Click on through to check it out…

“All I want for Christmas is…”

What will Premier League managers be asking for this Christmas?

So, the festive season is well and truly upon us, football matches are falling foul of the weather and it’s even snowing on They Think It’s All Over… However, to help myself find some Christmas spirit – something that’s hard to come by in this part of the world due to the sun shining all over the place – I’ve decided to try and think what a few Premier League managers will be hoping for from Santa Claus come Christmas Eve.

Some managers have had a good start to the season, others not so good, but the success or failure of their team come May could well depend on one little addition to a squad, or hanging on to someone in the transfer window, or steering clear of injuries. So who are three managers most in need of a little Christmas magic?

The Ashes: International sport at it’s best, football – take note.

England take first blood in the 2010 Ashes Series.

Cricket. Even mentioning the word on a football blog seems akin to blasphemy, but hell, this is my blog and I’ll do what I want. And while football is, and always will be, my first and eternal love, I must profess that cricket has something that football can’t quite match. The Ashes. It has been central to my existence for the last few weeks, the ultimate in sporting rivalries, it takes any football rivalry to a whole new level.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good derby match in football. As an Evertonian, Merseyside Derby day is always marked firmly on my calender and approached with equal parts excitement and anxiety. Then there are the other great rivalries – like the recent El Clasico and the Old Firm – as well as games like Arsenal vs. Spurs which is developing a reputation for being one of the best fixtures in the Premier League. But, I’m genuinely sorry to say, none of these can quite compare to the Ashes.

Guest Blog: Barca vs. Real or Messi vs. Ronaldo?

Today I bring you another guest blog written for World Football Commentaries, an article that centres around the recent El Clasico, or Barcelona vs. Real Madrid for the uninitiated. The match was billed as the showdown between the world’s two best players, with Messi and Ronaldo facing off against one another, and after Barca’s emphatic 5-0 win, Messi is being hailed as the genius who made it happen. But when asking who is the best player in the world, are we asking the wrong question? I think so.

Click through to find out why…