In April Chelsea announced that they had reached a deal to sign Werder Bremen striker Marko Marin. The deal was said to be around £10 million. It came at a time when the managerial job was still undecided, Andre Villas-Boas has been removed from the job and the fate of caretaker Roberto Di Matteo was still unclear. This raises the question of who is behind these transfer deals at Chelsea? Further more when a new manager is brought in will he be given the freedom to chose the players he wants?

It has been a common theme through out the Roman Abramovich era that transfers have been arranged without the input or knowledge of the manager at the time. Jose Mourinho was said to be less then impressed when Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack were brought to the club without his approval. He was then forced to play a striker in a system that didn’t suit him, and pick change his preferred formation to accommodate Ballack. The whole incident caused a rift between ‘the special one’ and Abramovich which would fester into a situation that became unsustainable. Jose would leave the club the following season. Graham Taylor commented on the situation at the time: “Once you take away the authority the manager has in signing players, you’re on a slippery slope.”

The situation was similar to that of Fernando Torres and David Luiz arriving in the January transfer window of 2011. Manager Carlo Ancelotti was given the two players when he didn’t ask for them. Like Mourinho with Shevchenko, Ancelotti was forced play Torres due to the large transfer fee (£50m) and as a way of keeping Abramovich happy. In the end it didn’t suit his tactics and Ancelotti tried to squeeze them both into his side when they faced Man United in their Champions League quarter-final first leg. They lost the match 1-0 at Stamford Bridge and then lost the return leg 2-1 where Drogba started on the bench (Drogba scored a equalizer for Chelsea when he came on). In the end Ancelotti lost his job at the end of the season, despite finishing in second spot and winning the double previous season. His inability to get the best out of Torres could well be one of the reasons for his sacking.

The trend continued this season when, even before Andre Villas-Boas was announced as manager the club had already signed Belgium striker Romelu Lakaku for £18m. The striker has hardly featured at all this season following his big money move. Obviously failing to win the favour of AVB. Lakaku has now gone on record saying he will “never forgive” Villas-Boas for how he has treated him this season. He was left out of the Champions League squad in the group stage even though the club was short of striking options.

So far Abramovich has approved the signings of a number of young prospects. Who is deciding that these players are worthy of Chelsea is anyones guess. Although most fingers would point to Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo. He appears to be overseeing the deals that brought a number of young players to the club. So far the only prospect who looks likely to feature in the future for Chelsea is Thibaut Courtois. The 19 year old Belgium goalkeeper has just enjoyed a successful season with Altetico Madrid, helping them win the Europa League. He will be seen as a long term replacement for Petr Cech.

How other sighings will fair at the club seems less clear. Young Mexican striker Ulises Davila was signed for £1.75m in Aug ’11 then loaned to feeder Dutch club Vitesse. He’s joined there by 19yr old Czech defender Tomas Kalas who was signed for £5.2m in 2010. The highest profile signing has being that of 20yr old Kevin De Bruyne, bought from Genk in the January transfer window for £6.7m. And even he is unknown name outside his native Belgium. The issue over these players is that they were signed without an idea of fitting into a managers vision of a Chelsea side. But rather were signed solely of their playing potential. Which may not be a bad thing, but without a clear direction or playing philosophy in place signing every young prospect out there seems counter productive.

So while Chelsea are still celebrating their triumph in the Champions League over Bayern Munich, the issue of who will be managing them next season remains unresolved. Whoever comes in will want a say in who is brought into the club. As their history shows the current direction of bring in players against the managers wishes is unsustainable. The club may have finally won the Champions League but to repeat the feat again with this same squad would seem highly unlikely. Abramovich brought in Andre Villas-Boas because we wanted to change the playing style of philosophy of he club. To do so does not happen over night and that aim is not helped when a manager is not trusted to bring in his own players- who he feels will adapt and comply with his vision.

Roberto Di Matteo is the sentimental favourite to take over the Chelsea job. But it seems that despite the win in Europe Abramovich remains unconvinced. Bigger names will be linked to the job- Pep Guardiola, Laurent Blanc, Fabio Capello but whoever gets the job the question remains- Will it be a case of new manager but same old Chelsea? Or will the Champions League victory finally allow Abramovich to trust the judgment of whoever he brings in.

It’s now days until the opening ceremonies in Poland and Ukraine. Your football fix may not have been fulfilled up to now, but assurances that this European Championships will more than make up for lost time.

Why are the Euros so important this time around? Well, it’s the final ever time the tournament will be played with 16 teams. The reason experts find this tournament more competitive and a better litmus test for the cream of the European crop is its size.

But to Poland and Ukraine one can’t look far from the dreaded group of ‘death’, a group which holds Holland, Germany, Portugal and Denmark.

Let’s not forget the calibre of these countries — Holland, who were World Cup finalists in 2010; Germany, European Championship finalists in 2008; Portugal, European Championship finalists 2004; and the dark horse Denmark who last lifted the trophy in 1992.

However, the excitement of the tournament can lead to extremist behaviour. Stories of Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain’s families both opting out of traveling to the tournament demonstrates that. The apparent racist taunts that still plight soccer is a disheartening side of the game, this writer for one wants eradicated.

Despite, some inherent racism still ingrained in football there’s so much to look forward to. The tournament will test holders Spain’s fortitude, with Carles Puyol and David Villa absent. Also, the exciting prospects of Holland and Germany could create an interesting tournament, with the two nations in different ends of the spectrum. Holland a team of more experienced players, who are possibly in their last major tournament, whereas Germany possess a team very much young, hungry and ready to amaze the football world.

The football deployed by sides will entertain. With the sudden appeal of a more attracting playing style a focus in European football after the exploits of Spain.

Two ‘dark horses’ in this summer’s tournament that shouldn’t be over looked are France and Italy. Countries that have played many a final against each other, lest we forget Euro 2000 that saw a David Trezeguet goal crown France champions of Europe.

Also, Italy’s change from a more tactical and counterattacking football synonymous with Italian sides, to a more fluid and possession orientated game has had varied performances. The win against Spain displayed progress. However, equally the loss against the United States signified the opposite.

In contrast France’s exploits of late have been under the radar. Even though a win against Germany (one of the tournament favourites) and an unbeaten record that stretches far and wide. Le Bleus are still not taken serious in this tournament. A fair assessment after the debacle in South Africa, but sides must not take France lightly.

Enter England. Where to start? Most have categorised England as a team in crisis. Rest assured Three Lion’s fans. Roy Hodgson thrives under next no expectations. Not to mention under mediocre sides, and however you want to put it England are just that mediocre.

But, the best team doesn’t always win the tournament. Notable examples of that is Greece in 2004. A small tournament with a few games is the perfect stage for an underdog. Whether or not this will be England is yet to be seen. But, there have been sides that have won with less, a token for all you Three Lion’s supporters.

Regardless of the winner the tournament it’s expected to be one to remember, so all you football fans get ready to “enjoy your football.”

Scoring in the 9th minute of a very blah game, Ashley Young proved a lot of everything and nothing during the Three Lions safe win over Norway.

What’s to say about this result for England? Not really much. The starting XI contained a lot of players who may put in some time in the Euros (Gerrard as captain of course, Young, Carroll, Lescott among others), but mostly the England squad for this matchup looked like senior skip day. No Rooney, Hart, Welbeck, Lampard, Cole among others gave new media target, err, manager Roy Hodgson the chance to give youngsters like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain some playing time.

While no one really needs to dissect a game that means nothing and employed what’s probably going to be a very different looking England squad in a few weeks, there are a few interesting questions to be asked of the 1-0 result. Questions such as…

With Ashley Young looking good today playing behind sole striker Andy Carroll, what’s that XI going to look like when Wayne Rooney comes back? Will Young get moved to the midfield to make room for Rooney? Is Hodgson looking at Young with the correct mindset? And why does the FA keep ignoring my letters about how nonsensical it is to pick Andy Carroll as a forward on your squad?

Again, there’s nothing to say about a day of friendlies in which nothing special happened save for Steven Gerrard attempting to amputate Norway’s Tom Hogli’s ankle from the rest of his leg. What’s most telling about this game is a stunning lack of depth with the goalkeeper selection made by Hodgson. It’s going to be the longest three weeks of Joe Hart’s life as he looks right and sees where now injured Norwich keeper John Ruddy was going to sit and looks to the left and sees West Ham keeper and today’s starting keeper Rob Green, a man who let a jabulani roll softly, delicately through his legs in South Africa two summers ago.

So since an article about a rather un-judgable game will fade into the ether, let’s have some fun and stir the pot by giving you the fantasy starting XI and reserves I would have taken into that first matchup against France if the FA responded to my other letters about me being available to manage the England squad.

Let’s do a 4-4-1-1 formation to keep it nice and easy.

Goalkeeper:

Joe Hart  (reserve Ben Foster) No more Rob Green, Joe Hart is the easy pick and Ben Foster takes the place of John Ruddy.

Defenders (from right to left):

RB: Micah Richards, CB: John Terry, CB: Gary Cahill,  LB: Ashley Cole (reserves would be Leighton Baines, Joleon Lescott, Phil Jones and Glen Johnson)

As imaginary England manager I went ahead and righted the wrong by including Micah Richards on the squad. As for Terry, well… your opinion of him should not cloud the fact that he’s (with one huge exception) played great over the last few months and if he ends up “Alexis Sanchez-ing” someone at the tournament you have dependable reserves in Lescott and Baines.

Central Midfield/Attacking Wingers:

RM: Theo Walcott, CM: Scott Parker, CM: Steven Gerrard, LM: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (reserves would be Frank Lampard, James Milner, Michael Carrick, Adam Johnson, Stewart Downing)

Theo and Alex provide speed, plus both players are young guys who have a lot to prove, with Walcott coming off a successful run with Arsenal and a not as successful run for England. Chamberlain is to appease the “youth movement” folks. Parker and Gerrard would be interesting if only for the reason that Parker and reserves like James Milner would be able to cover the field and fill in for times when guys like Lampard and Gerrard go off pace.

Strikers:

Daniel Sturridge up front, Ashley Young right behind (reserves would be Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck, Bobby Zamora and Peter Crouch).

First off lets get this out of the way: I have no issues with Andy Carroll whatsoever. Fine young player, needs to get back on track to realize potential but Euro 2012 is not the place to work yourself back into shape. Since Welbeck may or may not be 100%, Sturridge gets the nod as a solo striker, the role he really wants to play instead of winger. Ashley Young backs him up and more rights are wronged as Bobby Zamora and Peter Crouch fill out the rest while the squad waits for Wayne Rooney to finish his suspension and back up Sturridge or Welbeck for future games. Youth and veterans, marquee stars that sell England shirts and young guys who will soon sell England shirts and a nice versatile mix to choose from. Sure my XI probably wouldn’t win the tournament, but who’s would?

www.9479.net - We already know who’s going to win Euro 2012. 

Relegation isn’t nice for any club whatever level they’re at. It wasn’t nice for Newcastle to go down a couple of years ago, it wasn’t nice for Villarreal to go down in La Liga this year and it can’t have been nice for Darlington to be relegated 4 divisions because of financial problems. Whatever the reason for relegation be it financial or just a poor season relegation is detrimental to every club that experiences it. There are positives however for the clubs that remain in the division as they suddenly find a number of quality players looking to stay in the division and therefore available on the cheap. Sadly for Bolton, Blackburn and Wolves fans it was their turn to suffer the ignominy of relegation and each of their squads have players that deserve to stay in the Premier League.

Bolton:

Out of the three teams to go down Bolton have perhaps the least amount of players that spring out and shout “I deserve to be in the Premier League” but there are players there who should be playing at a higher level than the Championship. Players like Adam Bogdan, David Wheater and Chris Eagles are nothing special but for a bottom half club they will be solid squad players and useful backup. Teams that have just come up or avoided relegation should consider looking at these types of players to strengthen their squads. Bolton had well documented injury problems, least of all Fabrice Muamba but they missed other key midfielders Stuart Holden and Lee Chung-Yong and if these two can recover to their former abilities they are very good players and fully warrant their place in a Premier League starting XI. Mark Davies is another who I think has the ability to play at a higher level and is a very technically sound player, not something we often associate with Bolton which is unfair given they do have a number of technical players.

Blackburn:

A team with a number of solid players who just, for some reason haven’t performed as well as they could have done this season. Obviously losing the influential captain Chris Samba was a huge blow to the Lancashire side in their relegation struggle but there are still players that will move on. Junior Hoilett is one player who will certainly move on this summer with clubs as prestigious as Arsenal being linked with the young Canadian. Another young player who has impressed this season is fullback Martin Olsson. Despite his brother joining the club in January the Swede will be wasted in the Championship and he should really move on for the sake of his career especially as good left backs are hard to find. Elsewhere players like Scott Dann and Yakubu might move on but I can equally see them staying put. The Yak is a proven goalscorer but he is getting on and he’ll be thirty in November and with his wages (rumoured to be 30k a week) it’ll be interesting to see how many teams will take a gamble on him. One more player Blackburn will be desperate to keep hold of is Argentine Mauro Formica. The playmaker has had a really impressive season just behind the striker and he will want to stay in the Premier League.

Wolves:

Ironically the bottom team has the most players who I think will move on this summer. A squad packed with talent has just underperformed consistently this summer and Wolves will have a fight on their hands to keep their star names. Wayne Hennessey has proven himself a number of times this season and he can consider himself unlucky to be part of a relegation campaign after showing how much he has matured as a goalkeeper. I haven’t been too impressed with the backline for Wolves this year and I’m sure other teams will look towards a defence that has conceded 82 goals and think twice before submitting any bids. In midfield wingers Michael Kightly and Matt Jarvis has done really well this season and the latter is apparently being chased by some European clubs. It is hard to see those two not moving on especially Jarvis as he will look to get back into the England squad. It is equally difficult to envisage their two front men staying. Both Steven Fletcher and Kevin Doyle have performed time and time again and although it wasn’t the Irishman’s most prolific season Scot Fletcher bagged 12 league goals and was a shining light in an otherwise grim season for Wolves. Wanderers have got to be careful in the close season as they could quite easily lose the key core to their team and find themselves struggling to bounce back into the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Southampton, Reading and West Ham won’t have umlimited budgets and neither will Wigan or teams like Swansea and Norwich so looking to the relegated clubs will provide an option for them in terms of recruitment. In reality teams probably won’t lose as many players as they could but every club still has to be wary in the transfer window as it is so easy for a squad to break up and a club to struggle thereafter.

“Hey look Dad, a Saint and Greavsie Cup Final special at 1 o’clock”…. Nothing says FA Cup Final day like Jimmy Greaves wearing a comical oversized Spurs hat whilst Ian Saint John laughs through his piece to camera. Those were the good old days, but first, lets fast-forward to the 2012 FA Cup Final. A 5.15 Kick off on ITV with their coverage sandwiched between the green fingered detective show ‘Rosemary and Thyme’ and intense game show ‘The Cube’ hosted by silver fox Phil Schofield. If that doesn’t get you in the mood for the world’s premier domestic cup competition, nothing will. It seems bizarre how the FA Cup has gone from being a must watch family affair to an after thought, or even “I’ll catch up with the highlights online”. This great competition has been around since 1871-1872, intertwining itself into the fabric of English football culture but maybe that is changing, but why and who is to blame?

I can still remember that feeling on FA Cup Final day, perusing through the day’s TV guide and ringing the main programs of interest with a thick red marker…i.e. anything apart from the news bulletins. This day was more exciting than Christmas for me, a day to slip on my newly purchased Everton top and watch every delicious minute of compulsive TV, whilst my Dad looks on wearing a Liverpool jersey supping on a can of local brewed lager. The year is 1989; the Final is Everton vs. Liverpool. The entire day is an entertaining blur of amazing TV coverage of fans, celebrity fans, players and ex-players airing their views on the up coming main event. The Wembley Towers glistened in the sunlight like a football utopia as my boyhood idol Kevin Ratcliffe led out my team. Abide With Me follows the national anthem and the game is set, all the chess pieces are in place and the subplots just add to the tension.  By the time the referee blows the full time whistle after a pulsating, heart breaking, emotional rollercoaster, the game finishes 3-2 to Liverpool. I turn to my mum for comfort as the tears trickle down my cheek, my dad offering the comforting words “it’ll be your day one day son”. This is what the FA Cup Final day is to me…. a family affair, an all day football fiesta devoid of social networking sites and trips to gardening stores to see if that patio furniture is in stock. Whether it was the Argentinean final of 1981, Coventry beating Spurs in the breathless final of 1987 or unknown and unfancied Wimbledon defeating European giants Liverpool in 1988, a bygone era of football supporter’s memories of FA Cup Final day are probably similar to mine. It used to be the crown jewel in the English football calendar but there are multiple parties inadvertently destroying these types of experiences for the new generation of football fans.

So where are we in 2012…? The combination of the FA, TV companies, advertisers, club priorities and the police have given the FA Cup Final an ugly facelift. To start with, the FA Cup Final shouldn’t be played on the same day as vital games in League 1 and League 2. I am sure the fans of the two teams in Sheffield, Barnet, Hereford, Stevenage and Crawley wouldn’t have been remotely interested in the Chelsea vs Liverpool final happening just less than 30 minutes after the conclusion of their pivotal games. Add to that melting pot, with the Premier League reaching a critical stage, a PL fixture list looming over the horizon on the following day. Has the FA Cup almost become a sideshow to the main attraction of the Premier League and the leagues below it? TV companies and the clubs appear to think so, and maybe fans think the same too. Is finishing 4th in PL more important than that special day out at Wembley?

When you throw into the murky mix the FA already ruining the football masterpiece with the random kick off time, the fact the Semi Finals are also played at Wembley, diluting the Final experience for players and fans alike, and the atmosphere at the stadium being halfhearted at best, the whole game came and went and didn’t really register with me. Pretty much the same can be said about the last few finals, including the horror show of Manchester City v Stoke…. truly forgettable. The FA Cup was once the envy of football federations across the globe; can the same be said about the FA Cup in its current form?

So I issue this battle cry for the return of the Saturday 3 o’clock kick off, for it to be the last game of the regular season, bring back the family bbqs, random football related game shows hosted by fast –talking-overexcited-northern commentators, the slightly incoherent fans eating overpriced hamburgers chanting their team’s name as the hapless reporter tries to make sense of their ramblings, C list ‘celebrities’ talking passionately about their ‘team’ at pitch side, the return of the deadly duo of smooth ‘Dishy’ Des Lynam and the insightful though slightly bonkers Jimmy Hill and, the infamous pre-match rituals of young kids taking penalties against the likes of Dave Beasant whilst the band marches up and down the pitch for no obvious reason….

In summary, bring the FA Cup back to life.

Although Manchester United tragically blew an eight point lead in the title race and bowed out of the 2011/2012 season as runners up, the Red Devils gained a lot from this drama filled year. If history repeats itself as it normally does, United will come back stronger and deadlier next season with a mean vengeance, just like they did after losing the title to Blackburn on the last day of the 94/95 season.

5 things we learned and can take away from United’s season.

1. Ten is the number of tries it took Sir Alex to find the true and worthy heir to Peter Schmeichel’s throne. And it seems all that practice has paid off. Heads were turned when United paid a whopping 18 million pounds for 21 year old David De Gea. It did not take long for the whispers to become roars when United’s new number 1 endured a dreadful first half of the season. The errors were noticed from the start, but United’s attack was able to save the keeper from his own ironic inability to make saves. After his hard to watch encounter with the bullying Rovers, De Gea was benched in favor of Lindegaard, who played well under the spotlight. Injury to the Dane would welcome the return of De Gea, after a random start by Ben Amos between the sticks. Since returning to the staring lineup, De Gea has been absolutely magnificent. The six goal thriller versus Chelsea was his coming out party (yes even though he conceded three goals), along with the games against Bilbao. United played awful in Europa, however De Gea was forced into making world class saves and really saved United from humiliation. In 29 games, De Gea made over 100 saves and kept 13 clean sheets. I’m quite confident that Sir Alex has got his man.

2. The return of Yorke and Cole. After Chicharito’s impressive debut season, I would’ve bet City’s billions that he would secure the slot alongside Rooney in the United attack. Then Danny Welbeck burst onto the scene with his clever runs, sticky ball control, and his telepathic connection with Wayne Rooney. They have terrorized defenses together, and really upped the tempo of the United attack, leaving Chicha and Berbatov spitting seeds on the bench.

3. There are only wings on a pitch, but poor Sir Alex is stuck with three top wingers! What a headache! Ashley Young is arguably the best crosser of the ball in the Premier League, capable of whipping dangerous balls into the box in open play and from set pieces. It must be noted that his shooting accuracy is just as lethal as his crossing, having scored fantastic goals by bending the ball around the helpless keeper. Nani is a talent, but a wildcard. He can be a traditional winger, but he likes to cut inside and shoot, or dribble past a defender, go back and dribble past him again. He is the opposite of Valencia. Antonio Valencia is the perfect winger. His teammates feed him the ball and he continuously and tirelessly drills crosses into the box for 90 minutes. Sometimes he’ll float them in, while other times he’ll smash them in hard and low. So unselfish a player, he needs to be begged to shoot!

4. When United have been beaten, most of the time the blood has poured from the flanks. Gary Neville’s replacement is not any of the four players that started at right back this season. Patrice Evra has also been caught out countless times this season. Leighton Baines and Dani Alves would be dream purchases and would seriously bolster United’s dimming defense.

5. The central midfield is still a neglected position. With the loss of the physical and combative Darren Fletcher, who United sorely missed, United were bullied in the middle of the pitch all year. Michael Carrick did return to form, orchestrating the midfield, but he is the Bruce Banner of the duo, and certainly not the Hulk. All the Robotussin in the world could not rid Tom Cleverly and Anderson of the injury bug. Ryan Giggs cannot be asked to play every week in the middle of the pitch, and Ji Sung Park has looked like he’s lost a step and one of his three lungs. This crisis forced the return of United’s favorite ginger son, the legendary Paul Scholes. I don’t even want to bring up his stats, because it upsets me that he had such an enormous effect on the team, galvanizing them, and winning every game he played in except one, but still they lost the title. I feel silly mentioning the obvious but it must be said that a central midfielder needs to arrive in the summer, and Sir Alex should not feel like he’d be doing it out of caving into to the demands of the public, but as insurance, in case a repeat of the 2011/2012 crisis occurs again.

The Blue Moon has risen, but the red hot sun will set it on fire next season as United look to bounce back with their eyes inflamed and a bitter taste of a heartbreaking defeat in their mouths.

The 2010-11 Premier League season ended in only the way it could — with as much drama as possible.

After nine months of ridiculous strikes (Tim Howard’s jaw-dropper ring any bells?), calls for goal line technology, inter-squad brawls, racial abuse cases, and the most contested race for Champions League spots ever, we were treated to the most suspenseful coronation since 1989.

At times, it seemed neither Manchester club really wanted it, before City left it late to snatch the top spot from their neighbors and bitter rivals Manchester United, ending more than four decades filled with relegation, near misses, and a lack of trophies.

As Kun Aguero’s shot rippled the back of the Queen’s Park Rangers’ net in the 94th minute, the crown was firmly placed on top of this season, defining it as (arguably) the best in the England’s top flight 20-year history.

In celebration of this remarkable campaign, let’s take a brief look back before we get too excited for this coming August.

Match of the Season:

There were several contenders — Chelsea vs. Arsenal, Manchester United vs. Manchester City, Manchester United vs. Blackburn — but it obviously has to be the one with the most at stake: City vs. QPR.

This finale had a little bit of everything. High stakes — QPR facing relegation and City facing a must-win to take home the trophy — great goals — QPR’s Djibril Cisse’s half volley to tie it up and Aguero’s definition of calm under pressure — Hoops’ midfielder Joey Barton getting red carded for elbowing City’s Carlos Tevez (and subsequently losing his mind, making the effort to jab Aguero in the ribs, almost head but Vincent Kompany, and threaten Mario Balotelli on his way out), and more emotional twists and turns than any Hollywood producer could ever conjure up.

Goal of the Season:

While Stoke City’s Peter Crouch came close with his long distance juggle and volley, there was a generous dose of luck as he whipped in the direction of goal.

The real showstopper was Newcastle’s No. 9, Papiss Demba Cisse, and his gravity-defying curve from outside the area near the touchline. It also meant a something as the score put to bed the game against Chelsea and entrenched them in fourth, at the time.

A real thing of beauty, it is a shot that is completely audacious and could only be achieved by a player with confidence and laser-like precision.

Player of the Season:

It may be a foregone conclusion, but Arsenal’s Robin Van Persie deserves all the praise heaped upon him. The Gunners finished third, but fans shudder to think where they would be without the Dutch international’s 30 league goals this season. The captain consistently delivered for his club with stunning, clutch strikes. The PFA Player of the Year stayed healthy for a change and proved that one man can still carry a major club in this modern era.

Manager of the Season:

Kudos to Roberto Mancini for somehow holding it all together when the title was all but lost, keeping mavericks like Balotelli and Tevez from tearing apart his squad, and besting the Jedi Master of mind games Sir Alex Ferguson.

But Newcastle’s Alan Pardew has done a remarkable job with a squad assembled on a Moneyball budget (take note Liverpool). His dealings in the transfer market and man management skills helped boost the club to second place early in the season and came within a whisker of the Champions League, all the while, playing attractive, fun football.

And speaking of Liverpool…

Biggest Disappointment:

It’s not good when your team’s play peaks in the first game. Despite some quality wins, a Carling Cup in the cabinet, and finishing 8th in the table, the Reds never lived up to the preseason hype and the promise they showed at the end of last season.

Their incredibly disappointing and hard to watch second half of the season culminated in a 3-2 loss to QPR that gave the then relegation team hope of salvation.

If only you got points for hitting the woodwork, all that money spent on new players might’ve paid off (also, finishing behind Merseyside rivals Everton stings more than you would think).

Biggest Surprise of the Season:

Stand up and take a bow the Welsh Barcelona, Swansea City. Manager Brendan Rodgers and his squad of no-names played the best-looking football this side of north London. It was a feel good story as ‘Keeper Michel Vorm, Midfielders Leon Britton and Gylfi Sigurdsson, and Forward Scott Sinclair showed that a squad full of self-belief, adhering to a system, and producing a bit of flair can succeed in the Premier League.

Best Moment of the Season:

While I appreciate the emotion of Bolton’s Fabrice Muamba making his return to the Reebok Stadium a mere 46 days after suffering a heart attack on the field that actually killed him, I lean more towards the lighter side of life.

And this season never came closer to approaching comedy than the touchline showdown between Ferguson and Mancini.

As the impossibly hyped derby between the Manchester clubs quickly got away from the Red Devils and tempers flared, Fergie decided to try and get inside the Italian’s head. As the two managers were only separated by an official, the Scot’s less than cordial words were quickly rebuffed by Mancini’s flippant, cocky talking-hand-motion as he turned his back on Ferguson’s gum and spittle.

In what felt like the sporting equivalent of the showdown between Judd Nelson’s Bender and Richard Gleason’s Principal Vernon in “The Breakfast Club,” Mancini simultaneously served notice that City wouldn’t be United’s whipping boys any longer.

That one, short moment was everything great about this season — dramatic, funny, iconic, and unexpected.

Recently Arsenal signed 26 year old German striker Lukas Podolski. This signing has culminated in positivity in the Arsenal camp, and has possibly put to bed the criticism of conservative signings by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

Early signings in Wenger’s tenure are almost unheard of. The deadline day ‘panic buy’ remarks placed on Wenger may have led him to this path. With it lies the potential signing of French starlet Yann M’Vila, who’s been earmarked as the next big French superstar. Already at 21, he’s become a mainstay in the international set up for Laurent Blanc.

Rumors of Arsenal’s continued transfer activity have circulated in the press for weeks. The potential moves of Yann M’Vila and Lukas Podolski who’ve both spoken of their ambitions to play for the north London club may spark a title challenge and possible cups.

M’Vila would create the Vieira-esqe presence, a type of footballer which Arsenal football club haven’t signed for many a season. He would unshackle Alex Song, who’s clearly not an orthodox defensive midfielder — much like how Manchester City and Mancini have released Yaya Toure in a more advanced role which he’s flourished in. Perhaps this create a catalyst to the future success of Arsenal?

However, recently a draw at home to Norwich City has displayed the naivety and defensive fragility still in this Arsenal side. Saying Arsenal ‘cannot defend’ has somewhat become a cliché in recent season. The once staunch, unbreakable defense with the likes of Tony Adams and Steve Bould is in the past. No longer is a trip to Arsenal dreaded, or feared, but relished — a playground in which teams can play a la Norwich City and Wigan Athletic.

Despite the defensive deficiencies, Arsenal look to rectify this. The appointment of Steve Bould as new assistant manager, the transfer signings, and a new resilience established from recovering from the early season form. This shouldn’t be taken lightly. This new found resilience is instrumental. It displayed the heart, character and fight in this group many have the worst Arsenal team ever assembled by Arsene Wenger.

Arsenal has their final Premier League fixture, which is away to West Brom. This is a season defining game. If won it will see Champions League football played at the Emirates for another successive year. This might be a springboard to greater things. The word transition has been synonymous with Arsenal for almost a decade. A young team with no backbone, however, the future transactions this summer has seen a different tune to last term.

Might the long talked about fragility of Arsenal be a thing of the past? A club whose finances are in order unlike the majority of the self-proclaimed ‘bigger’ clubs. In the wake of financial fair play other sides are looking to close the reins. In contrast to Arsenal, who’ve found themselves in a position that most clubs aren’t in. Next to no debt and with the Emirates Stadium almost paid for, they’re flexing their financial power.

Whatever the future holds, Arsenal is sure to be looking to push on and challenge for future honours. May this lead an Arsenal revival? End the seven year barren spell? You know what they say after the first taste of silverware it becomes a habit.

Celtic football club has been a cornerstone of British football. Becoming the first British team to lift the European Cup, and dominating with Rangers in the Scottish Premier League for decades, how would this club fair in arguably the most watched league in the world?

The uncompetitive nature of the SPL has been noted more evidently in recent times, with the financial instability of Rangers, and the crowning of Celtic’s 43rd league title. Could the SPL be replenished and as a result Celtic’s move to the Barclays Premier League redundant, or will it continue to manifest to nothing more than a burial ground for Scottish players careers? The state of Scottish football is at dire straits, the reassessing of the structure of the league is in need of restructuring.

The Scottish club has attempted to join the Premier League previously with rival Rangers, but they were denied entry. However, this time the extent of Scottish footballs problems are widely spoken about, as many believe Celtic cannot exist without swore enemies Rangers. This is debatable topic, as in football the show tends to go on regardless of the situation. After numerous unexpected fiascos which have traumatized football in a whole, it still manages to carry on, as the saying suggests the show must go on. A prime example of this is the deaths of the Busby Babes in the Munich Air disaster. Football mourned heavily for these young men who lost their lives, but eventually football and the club in this case Manchester United moved on, but hasn’t forgotten about the travesty.

Therefore, Celtic as a football club and as a brand will survive – but will this be easier as a Premier League team, and if so how will this be done? Will this historic club plump down to the lowest tier in English Football and work its way back to prominence, or join the Premier League straight off the bat. Whatever is decided football cannot allow for a club of Celtic’s ilk to be forgotten or to languish in a continued weakened league. If Rangers future isn’t clear after the financial worries they are currently in, football cannot risk the loss of Celtic too. Football fans may wonder why we should be so sentimental for these Scottish clubs. Reasons are simple, Rangers are the most successful domestic club in history, and as for Celtic they’re the first British club to win the European Cup. This put British football on the map, and several years later Manchester United was the first English Club to win the European Cup.

Recently the stature of English football had been put to question, but will the inclusion of a club like Celtic would definitely brighten the perception of English football. The introduction will allow for the two football cultures to mingle and perhaps join. The Celtic faithful in full voice in the Premier League would create freshness to the league much like Swansea has. The collaboration of the football cultures would create for a better league and equally a better style of football.

The question is Celtic for a Premier League induction or Premier League rejection. In this case the English F.A holds all the cards. The usually controversial football body may approve of the inclusion, but might equally reject it. British football won’t survive without the two most domestically successful British Clubs in the world, and if Celtic continues to be languishing in the SPL, the classic Old Firm derbies could become an afterthought?

Late last week Ched Evans was jailed, and sentenced to five years imprisonment for rape of a young 19 year old woman. This sparked a lot of attention on social media and more specifically Twitter. A man who took attention to this was Kyle Bartley, an Arsenal player on loan to Rangers, who befriended Ched Evans last term at his loan spell at Sheffield United. Bartley tweeted “there are some very very stupid girls out there lost a good friend and a good person, devastated.”

Regardless if this isn’t in reference to Ched Evans. The timing of the comment wasn’t wise. Emotions were high. People were outraged, then moments later the tweet surfaces and leaves people shocked, disgusted and confused.

This invoked negative reaction, and in turn scrutinising the future tweets of the Arsenal man. This is a prime example why footballers who are idolized for their acts on the pitch should carry on with the same etiquette off it. The past suggests footballers still don’t get the message. Ryan Taylor last week hitting out on Ashley Young with a scathing tweet “[Young’s] Biggest Cheater in the League” Taylor said. Another footballer who loves to speak their mind on Twitter is the Friedrich Nietzsche quoting Joey Barton, who on numerous occasions has felt it necessary to post the inner workings of his clubs on social media.

Why are these footballers continually placing themselves in the public eye? It baffles me. How footballers can be so oblivious to the entire footballing world watching them. As they perpetually border on idiocy with their tweeting and their social media interaction. Not to say footballers shouldn’t tweet, and mingle with fans. But they must find a middle ground.

Despite, the current negativity there are some positive elements of social media. Footballers and clubs find a gate way to further globalize their brand, and socialize with the minority supporter who feels disconnected with the clubs.

However, as so it seems footballers still haven’t grasped the notion that they are scrutinised. This allows for comments, tweets, and whatever said to be twisted however the media interprets. This creates negativity toward clubs who pay the player’s weekly wage, and who had brought the player to the club.

Footballers like Bartley have tweeted retractions attempting to distance or justify themselves. In the case of Bartley he says “My tweet is nothing about public news. It’s about something very personal to me and my close friends.” Even if this may be the case how will the general consensus of this footballer be?

He might condone rape if the rapist is a close friend of his, he may have just been talking about a different friend. Whatever is said about Bartley has his name been tainted, along with a long list of other footballers? What will you think of his actions, could you forgive or forget a moment of stupidity?

What is sure is that Mr Bartley has left himself in hot water, not only with Arsenal and their supports but the entire footballing world.