We’ve all seen Victor Moses play before, but when his previous club Crystal Palace side traveled to lowly Reading in December 2009, he owned the pitch he played on and his stock rose considerably. Then 18, Moses scored a long-range curled effort, and his second came as he powered through two challenges and fired across Adam Federici in the Reading goal. His manager Neil Warnock was already talking about the possibility of the youngster leaving the cash-strapped Eagles for the Premier League very soon.

Two weeks later, the attacker than scored a blistering overhead kick at Barnsley. He followed that up with goals against Ipswich Town and Plymouth Argyle which ensured he was the hottest young property in that January’s transfer window. Glamorous names such as Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea were being branded around in a possibly short-sighted fashion, but Moses chose a surprising destination to further his career.

It was Roberto Martinez’s Wigan Athletic who snapped up Moses for £2.5m. Injuries and Martinez preferring to blood in his new starlet have seen the 20-year-old make only 27 appearances since joining, but he earned his first England-under-21 call-up last summer. With a European Championships three months away for Stuart Pearce’s side, you’d think this would be a prime opportunity for Moses to shine.

However, in a drastic u-turn which could prove costly for England in the future, Moses, who has represented England since under-16’s level, was earlier this year selected for Nigeria, the country of his birth. Moses is uncapped for the Super Eagles, and has reportedly turned down numerous approaches from Samson Siasia. The question is how long will Moses wait before succumbing to the advances of the African nation?

Another interesting turn of events came when FIFA recently scrapped the age limit of switching nationalities in international football. Before, a player aged 21 or under could switch countries if he had represented them at youth level. Once you have appeared for a country at full international level, you are unable to switch back.

Despite his immense potential, it is hard to see a call coming for Moses within the next season. If Martinez continues to use Moses as a substitute, Fabio Capello may look to other younger players who lead the line for their side. In 11 appearances for the DW Stadium side this season, seven have been from the bench.

So the FA and Capello could take note that Moses could switch to the Nigerians at any time. England have slipped up in the past in taking on young talent at their disposal. For example, Arsenal’s hailed goalkeeper Bob Wilson made over 300 appearances for the Gunners, yet earned two Scotland caps through family connections after being ignored by England.

There are many other examples, like Moses.

Like Moses, another player with brimming promise in the Premier League is Manchester United’s Danny Wellbeck, currently on loan at Sunderland. He has fired in six goals for the Black Cats, and Ghana’s football association, as well as team-mate and Ghanaian Asamoah Gyan have both spoken explicitly about their desire to see Wellbeck in the Black Stars’ shirt.

Especially in this case with younger players, we live in dangerous times. It is sad to see a player brought through the age levels with a certain country, then be the subject of interest from another country. When Ghana approached James Harper about appearing for the Africans, he admirably rejected them as he said he didn’t even know where Ghana was on the map, despite the fact that he’d love to play international football at some time. His Reading team-mate Dave Kitson gave the Republic of Ireland a similar reaction.

So it’s good to see there is a display of loyalty in some cases. Yet, international football does become somewhat fractured at times. Ciaran Clark is a hot prospect and represented England up until under-21 level, but then appeared for Republic of Ireland. Jermaine Pennant has also issued a bemusing come-and-get-me plea to the Irish after being repeatedly overlooked for England, after amassing an astonishing 24 caps for England under-21s.

Like the case of Clark and possibly Moses and Wellbeck ending up in the same boat, it is a shame to see talent from England’s youth levels seduced by other countries. Particularly at major tournaments for the under-21s, many of the side would have already been capped by the full side, or at least are on the cusp. In that case, surely these unsavory tugs of wars between players are unethical. The players of course get the final say but the rules are complex at times.

But is Moses good enough for England in the first place? Would you like to see him lining up for the Three Lions and at this summer’s under-21s European Championships in Denmark? How do you feel about the rule that players can switch nationality after they have represented a country’s under-21s? We’d love to hear your opinions as you readers are what drives the website. Please feel free to comment below.

With four matches still to play in February, including the thrilling prospect of tomorrow’s Champions League last-16 tie against Barcelona, many speculated that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger might begin to dig deeper into his squad players. However, during Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, the jewels in Arsenal’s crown, Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas, both started and made huge impacts, with Van Persie scoring both goals.

Despite the duo’s exploits in helping tear Wolves to shreds, it was young, English prodigy Theo Walcott who was most crucial that afternoon. He has come into his own this season, starting the Gunners’ last seven league matches, compared to just 12 starts throughout his last Premier League campaign.

His sprinting and timing of runs was impeccable against Wolves. Arsenal’s second goal was as much down to the opportunistic Walcott as it was to the quick thinking of Fabregas, who toed a looping ball over the top of a sleeping Wolves defence, leaving Walcott to run free in devastating fashion. He then looked up and played in Van Persie for an uncomplicated finish from 18 yards out.

It was the sheer ease of the counter-attack which was so stunning. When Wolves made a rare foray into Arsenal’s final third, Bacary Sagna wrestled the ball back and slipped a close pass to Johan Djourou. The Swiss international tapped it to Jack Wilshere, whose quick thinking then brought in Alex Song. With a first time pass, Song laid the ball to Fabregas, who instinctively hooked it over for the rapid Walcott to run onto. He was away. It was as simple as that. The presence of mind to feed Van Persie with his first touch made the goal even more special. When you consider that this goal came 16 seconds after a Wayne Hennessey goal kick, the ruthless nature of this attack glows brightly.

It shows that having an attractive passing side does not mean you have to pinball pass around the penalty area for 90 minutes. In reality, Arsenal could have had six or seven if they were more clinical such as during their second goal. The goal showed that they can still utilise their creative players like Wilshere and Fabregas whilst camped in their own half.

Wilshere and Walcott were at the axis of a similar goal which Arsenal scored at Shakhtar Donetsk earlier this season. After a disappointing corner from the Ukrainian side, Arsenal’s yellow away shirts began to explode forward from their own box. The two young Englishmen played a quick one-two and again Walcott was in full flight. He needed just one touch before his ice cool finish from 20 yards out. He took his goal with a relaxed roll into the bottom corner, showing the technical wizardry of Dennis Bergkamp or Thierry Henry. In the second leg of last season’s Champions League quarter-final with Barcelona, Walcott’s tearing run from deep and decisive pass across the six yard box was also key to Nicklas Bendtner’s goal.

This is how they can get the better of the Spaniards. Arsenal are a beautiful footballing side at their majestic best, but Barcelona are the masters of tika-taka football. La Liga’s leading side play with a sheer love of having the football at their feet, effortlessly stroking it around the turf. With the likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi in their ranks, they categorically do not lose the ball. Walcott and his teammates look unlikely to succeed playing a silky, passing game and trying to open up pockets around the pitch whilst using the ball.

It was the rugged determination of Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan which defeated the Catalans in the semi-final of 2010’s competition. The Italian side were down to ten men and kept their heads high, soaking up Barcelona’s aggressive pressure like a sponge. Of course, Arsenal will not combat Pep Guardiola’s men by placing bodies behind the ball. That is not the Arsenal way. Wenger’s side should only take note of Inter’s gameplan.

Against Wolves, albeit a wholly different task to the daunting feat of beating Barcelona, Arsenal showed that they can carve out goals from any position on the pitch, whether on the offensive or not. The Carling Cup finalists should avoid the perfect goal attempts on Wednesday night. Walcott’s motoring runs from deep are where the English side should look to create opportunities.

Much like their Arsenal counterparts, Barcelona centre-backs Gerard Pique and Carles Pique are ball playing defenders. They like to join attacks in the final third, and are therefore in danger of using a high, defensive line. Wenger should tailor this to his own side’s advantage. With a clinical, in-form striker such as Van Persie, and expertly timed passing from the likes of Fabregas and Wilshere whilst sitting deep, Arsenal’s counter-attacking can be the undoing of the Spanish giants.

The imperious Barcelona have recently embarked on a record-breaking 16 wins in a row in La Liga, which highlights what formidable opponents they will be at the Emirates on Wednesday night. Plus, Wenger will be fully aware of Barcelona’s prowess after his side was knocked out of this competition last year by the La Liga title holders. However, their draw at the weekend with Sporting Gijon caused a minor earthquake of media outcry and shock. The Nou Camp side still reside in top spot with a five point cushion over bitter rivals Real Madrid, who they brutally slayed 5-0 earlier this season.

This Champions League campaign could be the making of Walcott. A player so maligned by rival supporters, yet fiercely praised by his own club’s patient fans, he has been a creative force for the Gunners this season, with seven goals and seven assists. He is of course not the finished article just yet, shown by Saturday’s embarrassing miss after Wilshere’s cunning ball had cut out every Wolves player on the pitch including Hennessey. Walcott then calmly placed the ball the wrong side of the post. The empty goalmouth was seemingly stretching to a tantalising size.

If he can prove to the stubborn doubters that he is the real deal, Barcelona in the Champions League seems to be the perfect stage. We have already seen Gareth Bale single-handedly gun down a European powerhouse on two separate occasions this season. Can Walcott now emulate the feats of his fellow Southampton academy graduate?

Photo by Ronnie Macdonald

During Birmingham City’s nerve-jangling 2-2 draw with Manchester City last week, Nikola Zigic’s 23rd minute equaliser was the first time a Birmingham striker has netted in the Premier League since November. That’s a staggering 937 minutes of action without one of their marksmen beating a keeper. With their recent cup adventures in reaching the Carling Cup final and FA Cup fifth round, Birmingham seem to have found a catalyst for success. Zigic, bought for around £6 million from Valencia, was previously lambasted by critics with just two goals to his name in 19 Premier League appearances. The rejuvenated Serb has since made it two goals in two matches with his headed finish against fellow relegation candidates West Ham United.

24 goals in 24 matches show where Birmingham’s problems in the league have been lying. Matt Derbyshire looked a cunning loan signing from Olympiakos for Alex McLeish’s men, but the 24-year-old is still searching in vain for his first league goal for the club after eight appearances. McLeish’s strikers have only scored six league goals between them all season, and when you consider that the likes of Kevin Phillips, Derbyshire and Zigic have all netted more frequently in cup runs, it demonstrates how the pressure can be eased whilst playing in a domestic cup.

However, Birmingham will need to be firing on all cylinders if they are to avoid relegation. Of the teams looking down on them in the table, Blackpool have scored 38 goals, Everton have found the net 33 times, and local rivals Aston Villa have scored 30 goals. With these sides posing a far greater attacking threat, Birmingham should hope the form of Zigic is not only temporary.

What Birmingham lack in opportunistic predators around the six yard box, they make up for in goals from a range of other areas. Defender Liam Ridgewell has scored three in the league, whilst his centre-back partner Roger Johnson lies with two goals. Set-piece specialist Craig Gardner has also been influential from midfield with five league goals this season. This is all well and good, but to survive you need a differential, a player who is always looking deadly in front of goal. The likes of Peter Odemwingie at West Bromwich Albion and DJ Campbell at Blackpool have exactly this. They have changed games for their sides this season.

Defensively, Birmingham have fared better and kept six clean sheets thanks to the sterling form of Ben Foster between the sticks. The England international is in imperious form and has made 107 saves this season, more than any other goalkeeper in the division. Their record of 33 goals conceded is wholly superior than Blackpool and West Brom’s gaping defences. But the menacing presence of Ridgewell and Johnson at the back is thrown heavily into context by their side’s unenviable record of four goalless draws this season.

Whilst they only managed three shots on target in their scrappy basement battle against West Ham, an ugly 1-0 win over positional rivals was exactly what was needed. Shot-shy Birmingham elevated themselves out of the drop zone with these three precious points. Their mini-revival in the league has also coincided with the arrival of David Bentley on loan from Tottenham Hostpur. The forgotten man of Spurs and England has been in majestic form since arriving and notched up an assist in his team’s 2-2 draw against Manchester City.

McLeish’s men will be praying the goals can flow a little easier as they encounter a brutal end to the season. In the next three months, Birmingham will face relegation rivals West Brom, Everton and Wigan, as well as a Carling Cup final against Arsenal and the FA Cup fifth round clash against League One outfit Sheffield Wednesday. The spirit of heroic victories against Chelsea and draws against both Manchester clubs will need to be summoned if Birmingham can continue their recent hot streak and hopefully clinch some silverware in the meantime.

As the wintry January chill sets in, the transfer window is also upon us. And with clubs needing to dig deeper to find hidden gems with big clubs largely inactive, Midlands rivals Aston Villa and Birmingham City are reportedly engaged in hot pursuit of Blackpool trickster Charlie Adam. His manager Ian Holloway has reacted angrily to the alleged £3.5m bids and feels they have undervalued the Scot. This is another classic case of showing how much a club’s talisman is valued.

Transfer fees are not black and white. A fee is not only based on a player’s ability and potential, but also their worth to that particular club. From a purely objective view, £3.5m seems a very reasonable fee for Adam. He has limited Premier League experience but is a player in hot form and one of the most important players for Blackpool and Scotland.

To look at a different angle, Tottenham Hotspur completed daylight robbery when buying Rafael van der Vaart for a meagre £8m from Real Madrid. Of course, the difference was that the talented Dutchman was largely unwanted in Madrid. But after nine goals and six assists in the Premier League this season, the cunning nature of Harry Redknapp’s transfer becomes clear.

Adam’s Blackpool sadly do not have the money to compete with similar big-money transfers. Out of nine players bought over the Summer, cash exchanged hands in just one of them, Craig Cathcart’s £600,000 move from Manchester United. The club’s entire wage bill for a season is around £5m, which is less than John Terry’s yearly income. Plus Bloomfield Road is three times smaller than many Premier League grounds, and the club’s highest transfer fee paid is the £1.2m to Leicester City for the services of in-form goal-getter DJ Campbell. So the sparse finances of the club place speculation over bids for Adam into context. A fee of somewhere near £6m or £7m looks to be what Holloway and Blackpool might be after. That is if they would let their prize asset go in the first place.

After signing from Glasgow Rangers in August 2009 for £500,000, offerings of £3.5m show how Adam has excelled, and are a credit to Holloway’s management and his team. But the 25-year-old may not want to up and leave just yet. Aston Villa and Birmingham have both struggled this season, and also sit below Premier League newcomers Blackpool in the table. Stewart Downing and Ashley Young take care of playmaking duties at Villa Park, whilst David Bentley’s arrival at Birmingham will quash suspicions about a transfer.

The influence of the Scotland international is clear and concrete. In all but two of the Seasiders’ victories in the Premier League this season, Adam has chipped in with either a goal or an assist. Like fellow promoted clubs West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United, the star players are paramount and will not go cheaply. If you took Adam and Campbell out of Blackpool’s squad, the club’s first season in the top flight may not have been so rosy. There is a similar story with Chris Brunt and Peter Odemwingie at West Brom, as well as Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan at Newcastle.

Holloway has described Adam as a “genius” and declared: “you won’t get him strutting around the place. He’s not like that, but he’s a fantastic footballer.” The witty 47-year-old is also a wise man and has admitted he may be inclined to sell if the price is right, and it is only for us to see if Adam could make a step up in his career. After reaching a Europa League final with Rangers in 2008, surely Adam could fit into most Premier League teams aside from the top three or four. Holloway is probably the only man who could determine this and make it happen.

Newcastle’s experienced Kevin Nolan set the ball rolling in the 23rd minute with an improvised overhead kick from close range after another Joey Barton corner kick caused mayhem. Chris Hughton’s side double their lead when unmarked Nolan got his second after reacting to a loose ball. He steadied himself and tapped home from close range. Just before half-time, flying Argentine winger Jonas Guttierrez was felled which left Shola Ameobi to drill his penalty into the bottom left-hand corner and leave his side on cloud nine.

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce’s game-plan was unravelling ominously. Seemingly to add more sweetness to the occasion for the home side, former Magpie Titus Bramble was dismissed early in the second half for clattering into the unplayable Andy Carroll. Ameobi helped himself a second from ten yards out after Carroll’s header cannoned violently off the crossbar. The 29-year-old was also involved in his side’s fifth as his header was diverted in by Nolan who completed his hat-trick. There was also time for meagre consolation as Sunderland’s Darren Bent hooked in from six yards towards the final whistle.

It seems there is never a dull moment for Newcastle fans. 18 months ago, they were relegated, below their North-East rivals, and at war with their then fiercely unpopular owner Mike Ashley. Fast-forward to the present day, and they sit pretty in seventh place with 15 points in the Premier League. Hughton has moulded a squad with hardened pros such as Alan Smith, Barton and Nolan, and talented youngsters such as Carroll and James Perch. Carroll has been a revelation this season with five goals and four assists. His bullish presence at set pieces and powerful heading have earned him comparisons with Newcastle legend Alan Shearer.

The rout over Sunderland is not a first either. Hughton’s spirited side mauled a jaded Aston Villa 6-0 at home in August. The heralded trio of Barton, Carroll and Nolan were also majestic on that afternoon. With Fabio Capello’s England squad currently in turmoil after a series of disappointing results, maybe some of Newcastle’s triad of stars could be expecting a call soon.

Like Newcastle, many pundits wrote off Roberto Di Matteo’s West Brom side in August. However, since the inspired capture of the previously unknown Peter Odemwingie, the Baggies have rocketed up the table and find themselves in sixth place. The Black Country side have already showed tremendous spirit to bounce back from a torrid first day 6-0 drubbing at Chelsea, and their highlights include a thrilling 2-2 draw away to Man United and convincing wins over Arsenal and Manchester City.

West Brom are rapidly becoming every fans “other” team. They play attractive football and the story of Odemwingie’s rise to prominence is delightful. Before Odemwingie rescued his team with a 81st minute winner against Sunderland, he had only joined his team the previous day and had barely spoken with or met his team-mates properly. Born in Uzbekistan and a Nigerian international, Odemwingie was frequently the subject of racist abuse whilst playing for Lokomotiv Moscow. However, he is fast becoming a cult hero at The Hawthorns due to his timely goalscoring. He is skilful and calm in front of goal and has scored around once every three games throughout his career in Russia and France.

Di Matteo’s men have already scored 13 goals this season and are notoriously hard to beat at home. They have conceded just four goals on home turf this term and have scored three times in the last 20 minutes to change the outcome of matches. Their Northern Ireland international Chris Brunt is showing himself to be one of the most productive playmakers in the Premier League. Brunt has scored once and helped himself to six assists, meaning he has been involved in half of his side’s goals this season.

Blackpool are the next opponents for West Brom, and the tangerine-clad Northerners have also been humbling their more experienced rivals just like Newcastle and West Brom. Watched away at Wigan Athletic by 4,000 incredulous travelling fans on the opening day of the season, Ian Holloway’s team bossed the game and romped to victory with goals from Marlon Harewood (2), Gary Taylor-Fletcher and Alex Baptiste.
The Lancashire side have little funds for transfers and four of the side that started against Wigan had only arrived earlier that week. It is a testament to Holloway’s character and people skills that he was able to throw a team together so quickly. Blackpool were also left red-faced at the start of the season after Bournemouth’s sought-after striker Brett Pitman refused to join, later opting to play for Championship side Bristol City.

However, they make up for their modest transfer targets and budget with their attacking flair and spirit. They have already beaten Liverpool 2-1 and played out thrillers in losing to Blackburn Rovers, Man City and a gripping 2-2 draw against Fulham. Despite their dip in form and languishing in 16th place, there is an ever-present feeling that Blackpool can enjoy their time in the top flight whatever the result.

Their away support has been praised by fans and Holloway has already been putting his good spirited conveyor belt of quotes to use. After Charlie Adam scored an own goal against Blackburn, his manager praised him for what was apparently a good finish. Scottish international Adam has already chipped in with three assists and two goals so far, but is currently involved in a dispute over ostensibly unpaid bonuses to add to his side’s off-field woes.

With Arsenal, Aston Villa and Liverpool all being humbled at the hands of newcomers, it is refreshing to see the smaller sides in the division getting the recognition they deserve. This season, the likes of Carroll and Odemwingie have impressed on the pitch more than Wayne Rooney and Fernando Torres. Plus with Holloway doing a difficult job well at Blackpool, there are reasons to fall in love with the three promoted clubs. Chelsea, Man United and Arsenal may have completed unspectacular wins this weekend, but West Brom and Blackpool promises end-to-end fireworks tonight.

Sunderland forward Darren Bent has a right to feel hard-done-by in terms of his international career. Since making his debut under Sven-Goran Eriksson against Uruguay in March 2006, Bent has won just six more caps. Considering he has scored 65 goals in 147 Premier League appearances since then, you might think he would walk into any international side. However, with the recent international retirement of Emile Heskey, injuries to Jermain Defoe and Bobby Zamora, and Wayne Rooney suffering a lack of minutes whilst fending off allegations about his private life, now is a profitable time to be an England striker.

As Bent trains with England before tomorrow’s Euro 2012 qualifier with Montenegro, fans might wonder what might have been if the former Tottenham Hotspur man was picked for the World Cup. Even Rooney, once talismanic for his country, only scored one more league goal than Bent last season. The likes of Ian Wright, Andrew Cole and Les Ferdinand were in the same boat as Bent during their international careers. Legendary at their clubs for their goals and always nudging the goalscoring charts, they were all underplayed and misfiring for England.

But that is the pitfall of being a striker at international level. They are of course judged on goals, and with squads announced sometimes three months apart, it is occasionally a case of whoever times their form, and more specifically, their goals. The injured Defoe has seized recent opportunities with both hands, and rejuvenated his side with a brace against the Netherlands, and weighed in with a goal against Slovenia in the World Cup, plus a hat-trick against Bulgaria in Euro 2012 qualifying. With England’s latest saviour missing, this should be even more motivation for Bent to take his chance.

Bent knows how difficult it is to get into the Spurs side as a striker. Peter Crouch has been used as a substitute 18 times in his 44 league appearances for Harry Redknapp’s side. Bent has contrasting fortunes at Sunderland and is a key man for his club. Unlike Crouch, Bent has never been used as a substitute in his 45 appearances for the Black Cats. With five league goals this season, he is the highest English goalscorer in his league, and Crouch has failed to net in four league appearances for Spurs this season.

Heskey may be the reason why Bent has become so undervalued at international level. Whilst Rooney and Bent have been the highest scoring English strikers by far over the last 12 months, Fabio Capello has preferred to use Aston Villa’s Heskey as a physical, rugged, support striker. Strikers have to feel comfortable playing with a certain kind of striker, particularly at international level where games are not as frequent.

This is where Bolton Wanderer’s Kevin Davies comes in. The 33-year-old has committed more fouls than any other player in Premier League history, and his bustling, agricultural style of play may not endear every pundit, but he is an effective go-between striker and integral to Bolton’s game. England’s latest recruit has scored twice this season and clinched one assist, as well as forming a menacing front-line with Johan Elmander.

A lot has been made of Davies’s age and how fortunate a call up is at this stage of his career. Because of this and many other factors, this is a huge chance for him to impress. He is not going to score hatfuls of goals for England, and is not the most glittering, gifted footballer on the planet. However, if he can aid presumably Rooney and hassle the Montenegro defence, who knows how far Davies can go for his country? In the event that Capello continues to favour a big man and a runner upfront, there are few better than Davies.

Newcastle United’s Andy Carroll was another name being spread across headlines in connection with England recognition, after his four goals in seven games at the start of this season. The 21-year-old has time on his side and his shrewd movement coupled with powerful heading have earned him comparisons with Alan Shearer. Another name a little further off the radar is Manchester United’s Michael Owen. His hat-trick against Scunthorpe United in the Carling Cup was a subtle reminder of his talents. The 30-year-old has not played for England for well over two years, and has been poignantly ignored by Capello. Sometimes, being a striker in the international frame is just about being there at the right time. Portsmouth striker and one-time England cap Dave Nugent will most definitely agree with this.

After watching his forlorn West Ham United side lose 3-1 against Bolton Wanderers this weekend, manager Avram Grant slammed the fans who booed their penalty-missing striker Carlton Cole. Whilst not possessing the goal-getting attributes of Wayne Rooney or Darren Bent, Cole has been a valuable striker for the Hammers, with 20 goals in 57 league games for the club in the last two seasons.

West Ham seem unable to find another alternative to Cole or a partner for him, with the previously promising Freddie Sears flattering to deceive and other youngsters such as Zavon Hines and Frank Nouble still lacking in experience. Benni McCarthy has also signed from Blackburn Rovers, but has failed to net in his first six league games. So with this in mind, does Cole deserve a beasting from his own fans after finding his feet in East London and gaining England caps?

The former Chelsea man was jeered after a nervy performance in which he repeatedly finished tamely when in front of goal. Cole pelted his spot-kick low and straight down the middle of Jussi Jaaskelainen’s goal, resulting in a routine stop for the Bolton goalkeeper. To be fair, he had a shocker. Today was a day in which nothing was going to go Cole’s or West Ham’s way. In a season lasting nine months, there will be matches where the Gods are shining against one team.

Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboue was memorably jeered when he was substituted during Arsenal’s unconvincing win over Wigan Athletic in December 2008. The Ivory Coast international was reduced to tears after trudging off the pitch on his return from a knee injury. Considering his team won, surely the fans’ abuse was unwarranted. Eboue has of course recovered and is now a firm favourite at The Emirates.

With this in mind, it is clear that players’ commitment and performance levels are tapped upon by fans. Cole’s perceived lack of effort and technique in crucial moments against Wigan was bemoaned by sections of Hammers fans on internet forums after the match, and the fans’ reaction was both condemned and applauded on radio talk shows.

Players at all levels encounter wildly expectant fans. Since England’s tumultuous collapse against Germany at the World Cup, many of England’s biggest names have been criticised. There has been much debate into why the likes of Rooney and Frank Lampard did not perform in South Africa after such electrifying form at club level.

Tensions run very high in the stands and every emotion is multiplied when the stakes are high. West Ham look to be a club in freefall, and only the players themselves can know whether they are giving 100%. However, should players be subjected to booing from their own fans?

YES

It’s no secret that footballers earn a handsome wage in these difficult economic struggles, so some fans may see this as more responsibility for players to shoulder. Many fans fork out great amounts of money for season tickets. They have worked hard all week earning money for that long awaited Saturday afternoon, so surely they have a right to condemn their own players when they are losing. Fans have obviously seen dreadful signings come and go, but they will only support one team in a lifetime, whereas players could turn out for nine or ten teams in a career. Therefore fans may sometimes think their loyalty and passion is not duplicated by the players.

NO

A more dignified way for fans to show their feelings could be to vote with their feet. Many times each Saturday, supporters on the end of a thumping are shown streaming into the concourses after 85 minutes. Finishing the match with half of the stands empty would surely send players a message. Certain supporters may feel that if you are only going to boo a player, you may as well stay home as you are not actively backing your team. Things should be put into perspective as well. West Ham have endured a torrid start to the season, but have only played two games. There are 36 games left and the Londoners still have plenty of chances to scale the table.

Do you agree with the treatment of Carlton Cole? How do you feel about the booing of former players who have moved to rivals? Have you ever been in the stands when fans are hurling abuse at their own player? Do you think fans are sometimes too deluded with expectations?

Tell the website about your experiences of this and your opinions. The comments system is here for you to create debate and have your say.

As 4,000 Blackpool fans roared their side on in a sea of tangerine at Wigan Athletic, it seems that last weekend’s 4-0 victory will not be the only moment to savour for Ian Holloway’s men this season. The seaside club are ironically enough in a fantastic position of being favourites to lose every week. There is therefore no pressure on Holloway or his player’s shoulders, and Holloway achieved a miracle in taking his side to the promised land of the Premier League. Having been starved of top flight football since 1971, Blackpool’s faithful can enjoy the novelty of visiting The Emirates, Old Trafford, Anfield and Stamford Bridge.

Fellow promoted team Newcastle United have endured a few miserable years including crippling injuries to key players, fan boycotts, despised owners and calamitous collapses in matches. Chris Houghton’s men are in a different position to Blackpool and need to stay up due to their history and demanding yet fiercely loyal fans. West Bromwich Albion, who finished as runners-up in the Championship last season will be desperate to stay up purely for a spot of stability. The Baggies have experienced four promotions and three relegations in the last 10 years, and are getting a reputation as an unaspirational club due to ostensibly being too good for the Championship and too weak for the Premier League. Roberto Di Matteo’s men would not have enjoyed their baptism of fire in getting smashed 6-0 away to Chelsea in the opening weekend.

Of course, Holloway has been in management for 14 years, and would be foolish to not expect a few hidings himself this season. Pundits and fans alike will be anticipating goals galore as Blackpool travel to European giants Arsenal this Saturday. But being the underdogs, not one Blackpool fan will leave The Emirates disheartened on Saturday. Just facing Arsenal in the league is an incredible feat for the Tangerines. For example, two seasons ago, when Blackpool elevated themselves from League One, their second league match was away at Norwich City.

Holloway, managing at the top level for the first time, is one of football’s most adored characters due to his larger-than-life personality. As well as bringing his brand of incisive, cutting edge, attacking football, his interviews are soaked in good-natured wit and self-deprecating humour. The 47-year-old once cherished a hard-fought, battling win as QPR manager by declaring: “To put it in gentleman’s terms, if you go on a night out, and you’re looking for a young lady, some weeks they’re good looking, some weeks they’re not the best. Our performance today would have been not the best looking bird, but at least we’d have gone home in a taxi with her.”

However, there were no life lessons regarding the fairer sex following Blackpool’s famous demolition of Wigan. The manager affectionately known as “Ollie” said: “We still have our feet on the ground. We’ve got a long, long way to go to that target to stay in this wonderful Premier League.” Holloway made a name for himself managing in the Championship and League One, and like his reputation, Blackpool’s facilities are a world away from the Premier League. Their wage bill is around £6m, and was the second lowest in the Championship when they got promoted. Consider the wage bill of Chelsea at around £140m, and the gulf in funds is further clear.

It is a testament to Holloway’s character and people skills that three of his vibrant, victorious starting line-up against Wigan were signed less than a week before the match. Along with ex Manchester United man Craig Cathcart and CSKA Sofia’s former player Elliot Grandin, Marlon Harewood impressed by scoring a brace on his debut after signing from Aston Villa.

With his 2 goals against Wigan, Harewood scored almost half the amount of goals he scored in his doomed spell at Villa which was largely spent on the substitutes bench. However, Harewood has spent six seasons in the Premier League and adds valuable experience to the Seasiders. The goalscoring prowess of Gary Taylor-Fletcher and Charlie Adam can aid Blackpool this season, whilst Jason Euell adds another old head who has almost a decade’s worth of experience in this league.

Mirroring their maverick manager, the sight of 4,000 Satsuma-like fans bouncing up and down joyously in the away end is one which raises a smile to neutrals. Holloway has done the impossible by taking a club with an average attendance of 8,811 to arguably the best league in the world, and is now a hero in the Lancashire town. Many will tip the Seasiders to sink, but they are safe in the knowledge that they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Premier League football for the first time in 39 years is a wonderful thing, and the celebrations will continue right up until May. Football manager turned dating expert extraordinaire Holloway will of course hope his side can pull many birds this season, be it Megan Fox or Margaret Thatcher. We know which one we’d rather have.

New pretenders emerged in the likes of Germany’s Jerome Boetang and Mexico’s Javier Hernandez in South Africa. However, the likes of Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka faltered as their nations endured dissapointing, early exits. Dirk Kuyt was a creative hub in the wheels of Holland’s charge to the final, and let’s not forget the sprited, productive turn outs from Ghana’s Kevin-Prince Boateng, who looks like he could leave doomed Portsmouth for a top flight club soon. It’s been an engrossing four weeks, with flashes of brilliance nestled in between resolute defences. There’s been a few shocks as young unkowns such as Ghana’s Andre Ayew and New Zealand’s Winston Reid made a name for themselves.

Here are the players from our league who I feel graced South Africa with their talents. Your debate and opinion is of course welcome, so please comment and tell the world your top 10.

10 Park Ji-Sung (South Korea and Manchester United)

South Korea were a ray of light in South Africa until their second round exit. They were one of the few underdogs who played with energy, positivity and freedom. Park epitomised this. The player of seemingly any position showed relentless running and athleticism, and showed opportunistic qualities in his goal against Greece. After an embarrassing passage of clumsy passing at the back from the Greeks, Park scrapped for the ball and breezed past two challenges resembling a young Michael Owen, before finishing in serene fashion by passing into the bottom right hand corner. The David Beckham of South Korean football carried his team well and led by example.

9 Javier Hernandez (Mexico and Manchester United)

Wayne Rooney’s lethargic performances contrasted with his new teammate Javier Hernandez’s divisive adventures in the Mexico side. The fearless 22-year-old has a frightening amount of confidence on the ball and evaded markers with ease at set pieces. He scored a beautiful goal against Argentina in the second round. Hernandez showed shades of Dennis Bergkamp by casually dragging the ball and turning his man on the edge of the box. He rotated to face goal and slammed home a no nonsense Ruud van Nistelrooy style finish, booting the ball into the roof of the net. Signed for an undisclosed fee by Alex Ferguson, the Scot will hope Hernandez can succeed where the likes of Diego Forlan and Giuseppe Rossi have failed.

8 Robin van Persie (Holland and Arsenal)

Having appeared in just 20 matches for Arsenal last season, Van Persie’s blossoming reputation would obviously outweigh his niggling ankle injury. The silky swivels on the ball were present, but the sharpness and final touch were not. However, you do not become a bad player overnight, and Van Persie scored against Cameroon after a defence splitting one-two with Real Madrid’s Rafael van der Vaart. The 6 foot striker weighed in with 3 assists and was helpful to his side as opposed to wholly invaluable. He was one of many Dutch hopes who did not deliver in the final. He is still clearly one of the best finishers and most skilful centre-forwards around, and one wonders what Holland would have achieved if a fully fit Van Persie had boarded the plane to South Africa.

7 Jerome Boateng (Germany and Manchester City)

The German defence were one of the most unaccommodating in South Africa, conceding just 5 goals. Jerome Boateng was a reliable figure in their back line in the 394 minutes which he played. The 21-year-old showed unflinching discipline to allow those above him on the flanks to attack, and was calm in defensive duties, conceding just 3 fouls. If you look closely at the Germans stampeding forward before their third goal against England, Boateng started the attack, tapping the ball towards the unplayable Thomas Mueller as England’s defence frayed. Manchester City’s new singing is an industrious worker, and became the first footballer to face a sibling at the World Cup this summer. He faced brother Kevin-Prince Boateng when the Germans played Ghana.

6 Clint Dempsey (USA and Fulham)

When you consider that Clint Dempsey grew up in an American trailer park, his immense exploits at the World Cup seem even more unforgettable. Unforgettable became unbelievable after Dempsey’s speculative effort against England spilled through Rob Green in Group C’s opening match. A penetrating runner when played on the flanks or as a traditional striker, Dempsey had 11 shots on target during the tournament. As a youngster, Dempsey’s Dallas Texans teammates put funds towards his football as his family could no longer afford it. Coming into the World Cup after a Europe League final with Fulham, it is heart-warming to see a protagonist of the tournament lacking the ego of those who failed in South Africa.

5 Cesc Fabregas (Spain and Arsenal)

Largely involved in sub-plots at International level, Fabregas excelled himself and had a huge hand in the scripting of Spain’s blockbuster World Cup win. Despite only playing for 123 minutes, Arsenal’s skipper wrote himself into Spanish folklore by showing quick thinking in slotting through Andres Iniesta for the goal which won Spain the tournament. The 23-year-old breathed new life into his fatigued side as a substitute in the final. He could have scored but his close range one-on-one effort was smothered in dramatic fashion by Maarten Stekelenburg. And if reports are to be believed, the energetic terrier in the middle of the park could be linking up with many of his International teammates at club level. Watch this space.

4 Richard Kingson (Ghana and Wigan Athletic)

Ghana’s Richard Kingson was a relative unknown at the start of the World Cup. A few weeks later, he was keeping Africa’s hopes alive with a string of superhuman saves. Against USA, Jozy Altidore was hurtling towards goal unmarked, but Kingson darted from his goal to complete an impossibly calm sliding tackle. Ghana were so cruelly eliminated on penalties in a thrilling quarter-final against Uruguay, despite Kingson’s heroics in thwarting Luis Saurez twice. 32-year-old Kingson’s journey to South Africa was a heartening yet turbulent one. He played in footballing backwaters in Turkey and Sweden and has had 11 different clubs, never staying at any club for more than two seasons.

3 Robinho (Brazil and Manchester City)

2 Carlos Tevez (Argentina and Manchester City)

In the opening weeks before their forlorn surrender against Germany, Argentina ignited the tournament, playing in a boundless, attacking fashion. Carlos Tevez was the inspiration for many of their memorable moments and scored twice against Mexico in Soccer City, Johannesburg. It was in this second round match that Tevez produced one of the goals of the tournament. 25 yards from goal, with the ball running slightly behind him, Tevez cut back before a defender could react and hammered the ball sweetly into the top corner at a ferocious velocity. Many players found it difficult to shoot from range with the Adidas Jo’bulani ball, but the Manchester City attacker was one of the few with the grace and technique to succeed.

1 Dirk Kuyt (Holland and Liverpool)

With 3 assists, Dirk Kuyt topped the World Cup’s assists table with a host of other players. The Liverpool attacker was severely lacking in the final, but was a part of the Dutch’s lethal Kuyt-Sneijder-Robben midfield trio, who produced 8 goals and 5 assists between them in South Africa. Kuyt showed a great eye for a pass particularly in the last third, as well as optimum awareness of his teammates and opponents nearby. The 29-year-old is a slight enigma at club and country level however. Previously a goal grabber in the Netherlands for Feyernoord, Kuyt has been criticised at Liverpool and has switched to playing behind the striker. His lack of goals is irrelevant when you consider his other attributes. The World Cup has shown that in terms of killer passes, creativity and endless labouring, there are few better in the Premier League than Dirk Kuyt.

My World Cup 11

Neuer (Germany); Van Bronckhorst (Holland), Lucio (Brazil), Puyol (Spain), Maicon (Brazil); Ayew (Ghana), Muller (Germany), Iniesta (Spain), Robben (Holland); Villa (Spain), Forlan (Uruguay)

Life is rosy if you are a Slovenian football fan. Not only have the Slovenians qualified for a World Cup for the second time, their Prime Minister Borut Pahor also cleaned the team’s boots as a reward, a charming act showing how football can emphasize a sense of community in a country. Earlier today, Matjaz Kek’s side wrote a little more history for themselves, in picking up their first ever major tournament win against Algeria.

Coming from a country with a population of just over 2 million, England’s World Cup group opponents were rank outsiders in their qualifying play-off against Russia. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov got the Russians off to a dream start on home soil, as he dodged numerous tackles and spun towards goal, before blasting into the top right hand corner. The hosts doubled their advantage when Bilyaletdinov scored a second, after a goalmouth scramble ended with the Everton man poking the ball into the net. Not wanting to go down without a fight, Slovenia showed heart and scored an away goal when substitute Nejc Pecnik headed home an easy rebound.

The reverse fixture was an all together different story, as much fancied Russia began to crumble early on. Slovenia went close numerous times in the first few minutes, with strikers Zlakto Dedic and goal machine Mile Novakovic both unlucky not to score. Just before half time, the dominant hosts finally made their advantage count. Dedic scored for Slovenia by hooking home a wicked ball in from Valter Birsa.

After their miraculous qualification, a 1-0 victory over Algeria in World Cup group C was heartening, but came with a stale, negative performance. The only goal of the game summed up proceedings. Robert Koren’s tame effort from 18 yards wriggled through the attempted save of Algerian keeper Faouzi Chaouchi.

The side ranked 25th in the world beat Slovakia, Northern Ireland and Poland in qualifying group C, and Koln’s Novakovic was a talisman in their route to South Africa. Scoring 5 times in qualifying, it became clear that when Novakovic plays well, Slovenia play well. He has a stunning International record of 16 goals in 38 appearances.

Slovenia are a well organised unit and may prove a frustrating test for Fabio Capello’s side. However, if England attack in numbers, goals will come with a bit of patience. The 1966 World Cup winners can have things very much their own way by keeping Novakovic and Dedic quiet. Algeria stifled most forward play from the Slovenians, who resorted to short, passive passing, unable to find a way to their strikers. Koren and co only grasped any initiative when their opponents were reduced to 10 men, and their freak goal was symbolic of their lacking performance.

England play Slovenia on June 23rd and Wayne Rooney will be eager to capitalise on Marko Suler’s shaky defending displayed against Algeria. Capello’s team will go in as heavy favourites despite disappointment against USA, and it appears unlikely that England will sit back and admire Slovenia’s aimless, short passes. England learned a lot about their group opponents in a friendly last September when they beat them 2-1. They will be confident of a similar result, but Capello must demand a better performance than both against Slovenia at Wembley, and Saturday against USA.

Algeria’s path to South Africa was nothing short of explosive. Their savage rivalry with Egypt produced incredible displays of passion and shocking, barbaric violence. England’s second group opponents lost 2-0 to their bitter rivals in their last qualifying match, after seething Egyptian fans pelted the Algerian’s team bus with missiles. Miraculously enough, Egypt’s victory meant that both sides finished qualifying with identical records at the top of Group C. Algeria and Egypt would settle their differences in a play-off at in Omdurman, Sudan on 18th November 2009.

The match was a cagey affair played with a hostile atmosphere in both the stands and on the pitch. Numerous scuffles took place and the tension was heightened even more so by hordes of police squads surrounding the pitch, keeping a watchful eye on the boisterous crowd. Despite the scrappy nature of the contest, the only goal of the game was scored with optimum class and precision. A looped, cross field ball from Wolfsburg’s Karim Ziani was volleyed home from an acute angle in breathtaking fashion by VfL Bochum’s Anatar Yahia.

The bloodthirsty feud meant there were few handshakes between opponents after Algeria stubbornly held on to their 1-0 lead. Algeria’s fans and players celebrated exuberantly, milking the occasion in their enemy’s misery. Flares were ignited in the stands and fans, staff and substitutes flocked onto the pitch like wild animals being released from a cage. Players were hoisted onto the shoulders of fans and heroic goalkeeper Faouzi Chaouchi sat atop his goal, shaking the crossbar with manic fist pumping and gesticulations in front of his team’s crazed fans.

Egypt gained some form of revenge by thrashing The Desert Foxes 4-0 in the 2010 African Cup of Nations final. Rabah Saadane’s side were unable to cope with the seven time African champion’s creativity and free flowing football through midfield. Fabio Capello should also take note of Algeria’s ill discipline. The red mist flowed as Saadane’s men had three men sent off in a match which saw numerous horror tackles executed with reckless abandon.

The problem for England will be what to expect from Algeria. Reaching the African Cup of Nations was an unpredictable road for the Algerians after losing to International flyweights Malawi 3-0 and then fighting past the formidable Ivorians. Algeria are capable of monumental collapses as seen the African Cup of Nations final. The outcome usually depends on the fragile mentality of the two time World Cup participants.

England can presume their African opponents will line up in a 4-4-2 formation with 35 year old veteran Rafik Saifi supporting Abdelkader Ghezzal in attack. South Africa 2010 could be Saifi’s last chance to shine on the big stage. The enigmatic Al Khor man has a big reputation in his home land was named in the best 11 line-up for the 2002 African Cup of Nations in Mali. Capello’s full-backs will know all about Portsmouth’s Nadir Belhadj’s willing running and determination. Belhadj’s International team-mate Hassan Yebda also played for Portsmouth last season and scored a winner against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The side ranked 30 in the world should pose problems for USA and Slovenia in Group C. At their best, they are fast at breaking and solid in holding leads. However, when on the back foot, it is a different story. Heads will drop and shin pads will get a real test of durability. Algeria lack World Cup pedigree and renowned names in their ranks, but there is always one underdog from Africa who can shock the world. Remember Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002? Look out England.

US football has come on leaps and bounds in the last two decades. When the US hosted the World Cup in 1994, most of their squad had never played in a professional league. Fast forward to present day and Major League Soccer is becoming a huge brand with star names such as David Beckham and Freddie Ljungberg playing in the division. Thierry Henry has also been linked with a move to New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference.

The national team is also improving rapidly, as they showed at last year’s Confederations Cup. In the semi-final against Spain, the Americans produced a fairy tale story and won 2-0 with goals from Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey. After beating arguably one of the greatest International sides ever, goals from Dempsey and an astonishing breakaway goal by Landon Donovan gave the US a 2-0 half-time lead against Brazil in the final. Brazil later took advantage of the American’s naivety and won 3-2 to write the final chapter of the fairytale.

World Cup qualification was routine enough for Bob Bradley’s men. The Americans finished the final round of CONCACAF qualifying top of their table with 20 points and just two losses, having defeated feeble opposition in the form of Cuba, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago and Guatemala in previous rounds.

The US look to be formidable opponents for England in their Group C clash on June 12^th in Rustenburg. Since their Confederations Cup heroics, the US have also reached the final of the albeit less reputable CONCACAF Gold Cup and beaten Euro 2008 semi-finalists Turkey in a recent friendly. Fabio Capello’s men will know all about the main threats coming from their opponents. Donovan was on loan at Everton last season, and has won an incredible 122 caps, more than any other American. During his time in England, LA Galaxy’s Donovan became a darling of the Merseyside terraces for his unrelenting workrate and creativity on the ball. Donovan scored twice for the Toffees in 10 league games and was named the club’s player of the month for January 2010. Dempsey has also reached the Europa League final with Fulham in a superb domestic season for the former New England Revolution man.

American media and fans have high hopes for 20-year-old striker Altidore. The Villareal man struggled for form whilst on loan in England with Hull City, but his international performances have been outstanding. Altidore scored a hat-trick against Trinidad and Tobago, making him the youngest man to do so for his national side at just 19. A keen Twitter fan, Altidore has always been tipped for glory and represented his side at under 17, under 20 and under 23 levels.

Bradley is likely to organise his troops in a 4-4-2 formation with Donovan or Dempsey as a support striker to Altidore. Donovan will be the danger man who John Terry and Rio Ferdinand will need to keep tabs on. The former Bayern Munich loan man put in a sterling performance against Turkey and set up both of his team’s goals. Expect goals galore when the Americans play, they have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 7 outings and Jonathan Spector looks a slightly worry at right-back. Should Aaron Lennon travel to South Africa, he would easily have the beating of the slow, flat footed Spector. But despite a shaky defence, goalkeepers Tim Howard and Marcus Hahnemann are both hugely experienced at the highest level and very dependable.

The US have an impressive record of qualifying for every World Cup since 1990 and look to be heading for a battle with Algeria for second place in Group C where they are also joined by Slovenia. They would possibly face Germany in the second round if they finish as runners-up in their group, and Bradley’s men will therefore have a tough task at hand but they have spirit in abundance and a never say die attitude. England will have a tricky test on June 12^th and will come up against a team who thrives on driving through open defences and scoring on the counter attack. England and the US have pledged allegiance to each other in many aspects of politics and the war on terror in recent years, but there will be no more favours handed out at the World Cup.

England have always had a great tradition for goalkeepers, the likes of Gordon Banks and Peter Shilton are legends, and David Seaman was dependable for well over a decade and kept goal for his country in four straight major tournaments. However, in recent years, the likes of David James and Paul Robinson have wrestled for the number one shirt with neither putting in outstanding performances. James and Robinson are by far the most experienced goalkeepers England have in their arsenal, with Rob Green and a host of untapped youngsters also vying for position. James started 5 times in World Cup qualifying, with Green in favour most recently starting 4 matches, so there is still a myriad of possibilities for who will be starting in Royal Bafokeng against USA next month. EPL Talk will now look at the contenders who will be knocking on Fabio Capello’s door.

The Probables

Robert Green (West Ham Utd, 30, caps 9)

Like his counterpart James, Green has played in a struggling side all season but in competitive Internationals, Green has recently been Capello’s first choice. Despite good form for his country, the former Norwich stopper would have been disgraced with himself for being the first England goalkeeper to be sent off against Ukraine. His age is an advantage over James, and Capello may feel there is little point in playing James who he knows inside out. Green has kept his labouring West Ham side in matches this season and has the experience in playing in must win games.

David James (Portsmouth, 39, caps 49)

James has had a topsy-turvy season, the devastation caused by Portsmouth’s form on the pitch and finances off the pitch has been diluted by the elation of another FA Cup Final. The man dogged with the moniker “Calamity James” for so long is of course no stranger to a defensive mix up. It was he who brought down Thierry Henry at Euro 2004 and conceded a penalty in a horrific series of events.  However, James has seemingly put his error prone nature to bed over the last few years and is the most experienced keeper in the running for Capello. The Portsmouth man started in goal more than anyone else in qualifying and is ever reliable for his country.

Joe Hart (Manchester City, 23, caps 1)

If Capello does indeed pick his players on form rather than reputation, Hart may as well be sitting on the plane to South Africa as you read this. Hart has been a revelation on loan at Birmingham and has been one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League this season. The youngster’s reflexes and confidence in close range situations stand out in his attributes. Not only does he control his box effectively but he is a specialist shot stopper above anything else, something England haven’t had since Seaman. Capello will also no doubt be aware of Hart’s heroics at the u21 Euro 2009 finals. The 23 year old scored and saved a penalty in a penalty shoot-out against Sweden in the semi-finals.

The Possibles

Paul Robinson (Blackburn Rovers, 30, caps 41)

We all know about that blooper against Croatia, but you can hardly blame him for a bizarre divot in a sub standard pitch. His club manager Sam Allardyce has predictably enough hailed his man as Capello’s number one for the world cup, but Robinson has not appeared in an England shirt in well over two years. Robinson however would look the most likely to be drafted in if any of the above three were injured.

Ben Foster (Manchester United, 27, caps 4)

Ben Foster is always one of the outsiders for an England place, despite being starved of first team football and playing just 12 Premier League games in the last 3 seasons. Foster did indeed start England’s disappointing loss to Brazil in November, and Capello appears to be a fan. Foster also kept a clean sheet in England’s 3-0 demolition of Belarus in qualifying. Any inclusion in the final 23 for Foster would be a surprise though, considering he is effectively third choice for his club and has four goalkeepers in front of him who have both played regular football all season.

Predicted final 23

Green, Hart, James; Terry, Ferdinand, A Cole, Johnson G, Upson, Lescott, Baines, King; Gerrard, Lampard, Barry, Carrick, Lennon, Walcott, Milner, J Cole; Rooney, Crouch, Heskey, Defoe

It has been an emotionally draining week for Tottenham Hotspur. After losing 2-0 to Portsmouth in the FA Cup semi-final, Spurs regrouped wonderfully and scored a sensational 2-1 victory over bitter rivals Arsenal. They then stunned a lethargic looking Chelsea side by the same score, a result that will again leave a fuzzy feeling in the stomachs of Spurs fans, as there is no love lost between the two London clubs. Gareth Bale in particular has enjoyed a spectacular rise from the ashes of defeat.

Bale did not begin his Spurs career in rosy fashion by any stretch of the imagination. He had an astonishing and unwanted record of never appearing for a winning Spurs side in his first 25 Premier League outings for the North London side. However, in his recent performances higher up the pitch in midfield, he has been an invaluable asset to his manager Harry Redknapp.  The Welsh International scored his first goal of the season against his side’s local enemies Arsenal. The winger showed all the cunning of a veteran centre-forward, as he glided past the offside trap to gracefully tap home Jermain Defoe’s exquisite through ball.

Bale showed a few majestic touches in the North London derby, and demonstrated a sly awareness of team-mates and opponents around him. He took his goal beautifully, but it was an all together different narrative at the weekend where his side beat Chelsea for just the 3rd time in 40 meetings. Bale haunted Paulo Ferreira down the wing for the entire 90 minutes. The 20 year old shimmied this way and that numerous times as he rendered the Premier League leaders defenceless. Spurs forced the issue early and created havoc at the back for Chelsea, as Bale easily had the beating of Ferreira, before looping the ball over Petr Cech. The ball dropped agonisingly into the six yard box before Alex provided cover in slamming the ball high and out for a throw. The winger got his deserved goal when he danced left and right, twisting Ferrara inside out before turning and belting home a low drive from 18 yards out.

It is difficult to remember a match in which a one on one battle between two counterparts was so largely dominated. Bale was once the laughing stock of the Premier League with a dismal record, but Redknapp has now transformed him into a dynamic, sizzling winger with pace to burn. You have to admire Bale’s character, he is only 20 and has not even played 100 league games yet, but he has experience of immense pressure. Bale is the youngest player ever to play for his former club Southampton, making his debut at the age of just 16 years and 275 days. He was engrossed with responsibility immediately, as he was playing in a youthful and recently relegated side, dismantled by financial crisis and footballing shortcomings.

Bale has again shouldered responsibility and has compensated well for the gutting injury to miniature, jinking winger Aaron Lennon. Bale has slotted into Lennon’s more attacking role perfectly, and you have to credit Redknapp for crafting Bales recovery after a horrific introduction to life as a Spurs player. After not playing for a winning side for his first 25 games, Bale has won his side two almightily important games at the business end of the season which could go far to make up for his early form. With Lennon elsewhere and injured, Bale could be crucial to Spurs’ alive and kicking Champion’s League hopes. The race for fourth could come to a tumultuous climax as Spurs and the millionaires of Manchester City meet on Wednesday 5^th May, and Bale will be looking to play a starring role in the potentially gripping finale. The City defence will need to be limbering up well for this great test, and probably won’t need any tips from Ferreira.

Speaking as a Reading fan, I remember the day vividly. In my time away at University in Portsmouth, we were playing Middlesbrough away in an utter dog fight of a match in 2007/2008. This was not going to be pretty, with both teams languishing in the relegation zone, the deepest, darkest echelon of any league table where nobody wants to be in May. With 91 minutes of this dire spectacle gone, terrier like midfielder James Harper popped up to score a priceless winner for us. Sheer jubilation. I leaped from my seat and thrust a fist into the air. I was of course sitting in my work canteen watching Sky Sports News before embarking on a painfully mundane and pointless 5pm-8.15pm checkouts shift. My depressed colleagues surrounding me in the canteen all looked up at me with glum expressions as I sheepishly sat down with a crimson face. A good story, don’t you think? We of course went down at the end of this season, though.

Relegation scraps create heroes out of the least likely players. Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres are not the ones being championed in today’s papers after another hectic weekend of football. Kanu of Portsmouth and Hugo Rodallega of Wigan Athletic are the ones whose spirit and late goals have lifted their team in a literal and metaphorical sense. Portsmouth’s Premiership safety looks to be teetering on a knife edge after a 9 point deduction, but the character of their performance against Hull City has to be praised. In an epic 3-2 victory, Jamie O’ Hara and Kanu unbelievably scored in the last 2 minutes to turn the match on its head and give their South Coast faithful a rare opportunity to celebrate. O’ Hara has been one of the rich catalogue of storylines in Pompey’s soap opera of a season. He battled with the league to get his loan from Tottenham Hotspur extended and propelled himself into Portsmouth folklore after a match winning performance in the 4-1 FA Cup win against bitter Hampshire rivals Southampton. The midfielder was first to every ball in midfield, scored his side’s winner and ran his lungs to the ground for 90 minutes.

Rodallega is also an unsung hero of this season. His 9 goals this season leave him as Wigan’s top marksman and his last gasp equaliser this weekend against Burnley produced a picture that says a thousand words. After he dived to fire in Victor Moses’s cross with authority, he sprinted to the corner in front of his own fans as his claret and blue opponents stood crestfallen with hands on heads. Burnley’s Graham Alexander and Stephen Jordan crouched towards the turf wordlessly, staring into space as if wondering how they had conspired to concede a cruel 93^rd minute uppercut. Wigan look relatively safe at the time of writing and are perched nicely, 7 points away from the dreaded behemoth that is the relegation zone. The promising Moses has been used sparingly since joining from Crystal Palace, but his turn of pace and confidence on the ball before Rodallega’s winner resembled that of a player who has played at the highest level for years. The teenager can be crucial to Roberto Martinez’s side’s survival, and when he is ready for a permanent starting place, he looks sure to terrify defenders witless.

Relegation scraps are beautiful because they etch players into memory who may not have won uncountable medals. The likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are players we will talk about for decades to come, but how can Kieran Richardson’s heroics for West Bromwich Albion in 2004/2005 be forgotten? The 25 year old moved to the Midlands on loan from Manchester United and played just 12 games for his loan club, but had an immediate impact and scored 3 times in his time at The Hawthorns. After his side began the day bottom of the table, a miraculous 2-0 victory over Portsmouth sparked a mass pitch invasion with West Brom fans hoisting their adopted king Richardson onto their shoulders and proudly parading him around their stadium.

Manager Bryan Robson may have kept the Black Country side in the Premiership then, but he was not so lucky so many years earlier. The heartbreaking narrative of Robson’s flamboyant 1996/1997 Middlesbrough side which featured Juninho, Emerson and Fabrizio Ravanelli will be remembered forever. The club were runners up in both the FA Cup and League Cup in 1997 and were brutally stripped of their Premiership place. A 3 point deduction after bizarrely failing to fulfil a fixture against Blackburn Rovers crushed realistic hopes of survival. Boro’s diminutive playmaker Juninho was captured on camera weeping on the pitch after his teams relegation was cemented with a 1-1 draw at Leeds United. This is a touching memoir which still tugs at my heart strings and if any man interested in football can watch these pictures with a dry eye, you are clearly a much bigger man than most. The juxtaposition between the passion of the fans and team and the tragedy of their season’s conclusion was so poetic. Manchester United won the league this season, but the fortunes and misfortunes of the red side of the North-East are far more emphatic for me.

Wayne Rooney and Drogba will be in everyone’s minds for player of the season in May although they are not the only players who can make a difference. Stephen Fletcher at Burnley and Jozy Altidore at Hull can contribute something equally significant by the end of the season. The plight of fans plunging their hopes and dreams into modest clubs and unknown players is sometimes even more watchable and emotional than the tedium of Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United et all defeating Hull, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Portsmouth in a foregone conclusion of a match. The question is this, though. Will it be memorable scenes produced by Kevin Doyle of Wolves, Carlton Cole of West Ham United, Fletcher or Altidore as this season hurtles to a thrilling finale?

On August 15^th 2009, Everton faced Arsenal on a sun drenched, season opener and lost 6-1. Joleon Lescott pulled on a royal blue shirt that afternoon despite reinforcing his desire to leave Goodison Park and angering manager David Moyes. The team were without influential performers such as Phil Jagielka and Mikel Arteta and looked to be careering dangerously towards a long, hard season. How times change. Five months later, Everton are sitting pretty in eighth place and within touching distance of a second successive Europa League campaign.

Since that opening day shambles, Toffees have beaten Chelsea, drawn at Arsenal and more recently this weekend battled to a 3-1 victory at home to Manchester United. Moyes’s men suffered a shaky start and conceded early as Dimitar Berbatov poked home on the turn from 8 yards out, after a bullet of a low cross from Antonio Valencia. The goal served as a wake up call for the home side as Diniyar Bilyaletdinov thumped home from 20 yards into the bottom right hand corner just three minutes later. The Russian international took advantage of a poor headed clearance from Johnny Evans to score his fifth goal of the season.

As the second half commenced, Everton’s Phil Neville was assured defensively and Bilyaletdinov and Landon Donovan were majestic in their offensive play and passing. United began to struggle to find avenues to explore as their Merseyside opponents snuffed out crosses  and denied any entry into their 18 yard box. The introduction of fresh youngsters Dan Gosling and Jack Rodwell provided a cutting edge Everton needed. This was a stroke of genius from Moyes as his substitutions changed the game. Stephen Pienaar and Donovan linked up tidily on the left side as if they’d played together all of their career, and Pienaar’s angled cross found Gosling who bundled in from 8 yards out to deservedly give his side a 2-1 advantage. In the dying minutes, 19 year old Rodwell took the ball from the halfway line, cantered past Evans whilst heading away from goal, and calmly fired the ball from his laces low into the bottom left of the goal. Moyes’s side are so often dismantled by injuries and star players Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill were unfit this weekend, ironically leaving places for two youngsters in Rodwell and Gosling to steal the show.

Moyes has crafted a squad beautifully, with academy players such as Leon Osman and more recently Gosling and Rodwell blending into the first team seamlessly. Pienaar, Bilyaletdinov and Fellaini were relative unknowns before joining from the German, Belgian and Russian leagues and transforming into irreplaceable talismen. The Scot, Moyes, also has Neville in the form of his career at the age of 33. The ex England man grafts hard ironing out any errors in defence and is a reliable figure who is good in the air.

Former Preston North End manager Moyes has to be celebrated for the way he was managed his squad with limited money and limited resources. This season and last term, Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini have played as makeshift strikers due to crippling, long term injuries to James Vaughan, Yakubu and Louis Saha. Cahill and Fellaini gave a decent return for midfielders masquerading as forwards and scored 16 goals between them last season. Australian international Cahill is truly deadly from set pieces, with his cunning runs and unbelievable spring and heading power for a man under 6 foot. Fellaini has gained a reputation as a hard tackler and an adroit runner with the ball. He too is a danger from set pieces. The loss of loanee Donovan to his parent club LA Galaxy will be a blow to the Blue half of Merseyside but Mikel Arteta is playing his way back to full fitness at the moment.

You talk about Wenger, Ancelotti, Benitez and Ferguson as esteemed managers, but the flame haired Everton boss deserves his recognition too. A top four finish, European football, an FA Cup Final and exciting youngsters have all been brought to Everton by Moyes. Let us not forget it was Moyes who unleashed Wayne Rooney onto the footballing world, when he shocked Everton’s recent 6-1 conquerors Arsenal with a curling beauty from outside the box. Rooney may have gone onto bigger and better things but had the face of a well beaten man when he shook his former mentor’s hand at the end of 90 minutes last weekend.

It is always an enlightening and captivating experience heading to a foreign country. The sense of the sheer unknown and undiscovered unfolding in front of your very eyes is unique to say the least. Barcelona, the heart of Spain’s Catalan community is no different. Spain’s second biggest town is particularly renowned for its art, with many works of Pablo Picasso and Antonio Gaudi standing proudly for the culture-thirsty tourists and locals alike. And then there’s the football team. Some of the finest footballers ever to kick a football in anger have worn the famous blue and red stripes of Barcelona. Forever heralded names such as Ronaldo, Diego Maradona, Romario and Johan Cruyff have all etched an everlasting legacy with the club. Last week, Dan, a friend from University and I decided that our trip to Barcelona was not complete without a mouth-watering venture to Camp Nou to watch the current European champions take on Seville in La Liga action.

The match was to be played on the Saturday evening, the day after we landed. We spent the early hours strolling around Gaudi’s almost violently eye catching Sargrada Familia, whilst feeling very smug about it being close to 15 degrees, unlike the treacherous, blizzard like conditions back home in England. Like many of Barcelona’s overpowering stone structures, this feat of architecture purely demands your attention. Craning your neck to the top of the almost never ending structure was almost scary in itself. The exterior of the faded golden brown building cuts an impressive figure. An upturned V shape supports numerous thin, circular towers which dominate nearby skylines.

Throughout our first 24 hours in Barcelona, we noted a sheer enthusiasm and pride within the local fans. When we trudged away from Sagrada Familia not wanting to join a horrendous queue upstairs, we found many people handing out flyers for the team and talking about the football with other fans. Like lazy, ignorant, English tourists, Dan and I could just about muster up half a “hola” in Spanish between us. Thankfully the locals were more intelligent than two wooden planks glued together and spoke OK English. When talking to two girls dressed in luminous peach Barcelona merchandise, Dan asked where to get off of the metro on the way to the stadium. As if luck was shining down on us like the mediocre, breeze filled sun we were feeling so cocky over, Camp Nou was on the same line as our hotel. Perfect! Being the worrier than I am, I asked if we could sit anywhere, as I had heard it was a bit of a free for all. There were not enough tickets left for us to sit together, leaving Dan and I a row apart, plonked unceremoniously in a scrum of angry, volatile, Spanish football fans. As soon as I opened my mouth, the language barrier had been efficiently hauled up and the girl answered a completely different question to what I had asked, smiling back at me dressed in her Day-Glo uniform. Like so many times on this trip, I hadn’t the heart (or patience) to correct her, and I smiled, thanked her, and Dan and I carried on with our apparent walking marathon.

That evening, we left the metro at Maria Cristina at about 8pm local time, 2 hours before kick-off at 10pm, which by English standards is a bizarre concept seeing as all TV games kick off at 7.45pm or 8pm. After disorientation in the night-time drizzle arrived, we finally found our route and about 10 minutes later, we could see Camp Nou tantalisingly poking its head over the roadside fences and ubiquitous palmtrees.  Although it is a magical spectacle in its own right, Camp Nou is hardly the modern, flashy, “plastic bowl” type of stadium which is the trend in England at the moment. The exterior features mammoth strips of concrete diving vertically with blue and red banners hanging down. These banners depict the likes of Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique and Lionel Messi, arms around each other and fists raised to connote masculinity, celebrating yet another goal or victory. The hundreds of stairs spiralling towards the pinnacle of the stadium can be seen between the aforementioned, gargantuan concrete slabs on the stadium’s exterior. I don’t know about you, but any sign of the inside of the stadium from outside leaves butterflies dancing in my stomach. We were at the gate and I could hardly wait to get in.

In textbook tourist fashion we rushed in to the gate before dithering and pondering over where our seats actually were. We then tackled the assault course of hundreds of stairs as we were of course at the very top. Considering I am about 5 foot 8 and 9 and a half stone when soaking wet, my pathetically puny frame was in need of a good sit down as Dan rushed off ahead like so many other times on this trip. As we finally reached our block in the encapsulating cube of concrete which is the concourse, we were so high up we had to walk down a set of steps to get to our seats. My heart leapt as we finally caught sight of the red and blue stands which gave way to the pristine, eye wateringly green pitch. As I attempted to soak up my immense surroundings, I then noticed just how high we were. It looked as big and daunting as four or five average sized stadiums placed on each other. We were within a close proximity to the nearest of the few floodlights and in the most vulnerable spot at the top due to the gushing pouring of fine but persistent rain. I started to think to myself “Christ, nobody lean forward please.” It is one of those heights where you feel like gravity has forgotten its primary function and your limbs feel higher than they are supposed to be. Despite my immense vertigo, the height did add a feel of theatre as we really were looking down as opposed to looking at the action.

Despite Seville dumping Barcelona out of the Copa Del Rey in the 5^th round earlier that week, the stadium was sparsely filled and the frequent sight of empty seats around our tier in particular did not help with acoustics. To be fair, the stadium can hold almost 100,000 fans and 63,000 supporters in attendance is hardly a pitiful turn out. This also meant that Dan and I got to sit wherever we wanted in our block. The only downside of big stadiums is that the amount of people inside the stadium makes it difficult to get one chant around the whole ground and create atmosphere.

However, give the Catalan fans their due. As I stood sipping the strongest espresso known to man, Dan and I exchanged looks of shock and wonderment at the deafening whistles which greeted the Seville team as they ran out to warm up. It is the type of animosity towards an away team which almost evokes an unwanted air of sympathy. As I watched the Barcelona team run out to applause worthy of being for a heroic army on their homecoming, I raised my hood to combat the now searing rain. If you thought the English were adverse to rain, the Spanish acted as if they had been jetted in to the set of Day After Tommorow, and thrown into the flood’s rapturous claws. Everywhere you looked you saw men sporting ridiculous ponchos and using all sorts of objects to keep their head shielded from the downpour. Dan spotted a man near us wearing enormous, black headphones and a thick plastic bag, hilariously enough perched delicately on his balding head. To top it all off, he was sat with a sombre expression on his face as if he was rendered bored to the brink of tears by what he was watching. This was one of those moments where you could not help but dissolve into heaving, involuntary spasms of laughter. There was an old bloke, with a face like a smacked arse, sitting near us with a plastic bag on his head. Hilarious! Dan of course obliged to take numerous photos of the poor sod in question. This was all on Facebook soon after, obviously.

The first half was a frustrating one for the reigning La Liga champions, they had a wealth of possession, only for the final ball to be insufficient, or Thierry Henry or Zlatan Ibrahimovic to miscue a run and stray offside. There was of course the surging, almost unbelievable runs of Lionel Messi, who constantly dribbled the ball as if it is stuck to his feet and weaved in and out of rash challenges by men much taller than his meagre 5 foot 7 inches. There were also a few flashes of brilliance in audacious, delightful flicks by Andreas Iniesta, who at times looked on a different planet than the other 21 players on the pitch. The things he does with the ball are so unexpected and inventive. Iniesta uses every player on the pitch and every part of his boot to create chances. Ibrahimovic missed a few opportunities which were purely licked with guilt and the home side should have been leading by two or three goals as the referee’s half-time whilst was only a preliminary to yet more unspeakably shrill whistles from the Barcelona fans. The first half was entertaining, but La Liga’s leaders needed a goal, and badly.

Thankfully, the goals in the second half mirrored the weather, unrelenting. The home side’s inevitable breakthrough came when a Pique ball across the six yard box was unfortunately poked in by Sevilla’s Nicolas Escude into the back of his own net on 49 minutes. 20 minutes later, Xavi stroked a defence splitting ball for Pedro to delicately chip home to make it 2-0 with another unsurprisingly graceful Barcelona goal. Messi began the dark, wet night on 99 Barcelona goals and decided it was his time to shine under the lights. Pedro rose well and flicked on a Dani Alves cross which left Messi unmarked in the middle. The diminutive Argentine then calmly cushioned the ball on his chest for control, took a touch and placed the ball past Andres Palop in the Sevilla goal. It was an emotional experience and an honour to see Messi’s 100^th goal for his club. It may be a slightly obscure nugget of a statistic, but Dan and I witnessed a small slice of Barcelona history that night. Five minutes later, with Barcelona having already won the match and the seconds ticking into injury time, Eric Abidal rolled a ball through the Sevilla defence which Messi again obliged to take and finished well, tapping home easily. The formidable Catalans had won 4-0, and now all we needed to worry about was dodging crazy scooter drivers who appeared completely dumbfounded to actual humans walking across the road on the way home. It was a very long, wet journey back to the hotel, and I didn’t collapse on my bed until about 1.30am, but it was worth it for something every football fan needs to experience once. May the man with a bag on his head “enjoy” many more Camp Nou visits like we did.

In the days where the sun is still ablaze in the sky at 9pm, there is nothing more gripping than staying glued to rumours about new transfers for your club on Sky Sports News and the Internet. Be it a youthful Spanish prodigy or an established International, it is the perfect way to wet the appetite for the new season. Last Summer, Manchester City spent in excess of £100m, more than the entire top four put together. With the 09/10 campaign well under way, Manchester City’s mouthwatering attacking options of course dominate this list.

The less fashionable clubs have also added to the squads though, with much need resiliance and reliability in all positions. With the January window recently thrown open, which positions does your club need to enhance? Who would you love to send to their next club? What do you think of the list below? Do the top four need more recognition? Is there any glaring omissions? Let the debate begin.

10 Diniyar Bilayaletdinov (Lokomotiv Moscow to Everton) Apps 12 Goals 3

The man with more syllables in his name than the rest of his teammates put together has been a revelation for Everton. Hailing from the old Soviet Union, Bilyaletdinov introduced himself to his fans in spectacular fashion in the Europa League against AEK Athens. On this his debut, the midfielder provided two assists in the 4-0 cruise. In the reverse leg away in Greece, he also bagged a crucial goal to seal the Toffee’s qualification for the next stage. The Russian has shown his attacking prowess in the league as well, scoring 3 times in 12 games from midfield.

9 Kevin Doyle (Reading to Wolverhampton Wanderers) Apps 16 Goals 5

Sylvain Ebanks-Blake was the man tipped to score the goals for Wolves this season, after he helped himself to 25 of them last season when Wolves were promoted from the Championship. Kevin Doyle finished just below Ebanks-Blake in the scoring charts scoring 18 whilst at Reading. Now as a Wolves player, Doyle is his side’s top scorer with five league goals. Doyle not only offers goals, but he is also adroit in holding the ball up and drawing cheap fouls. The £6.5m the Berkshire club received from Wolves is around £6.4m profit on what Reading paid for him so this is more than ample consolation!

8 Joe Hart (Manchester City to Birmingham City on a season long loan) Apps 20 Goals 0

Birmingham City have been one of the success stories of this season. They sit comfortably in mid-table and have conceded just 19 goals all season in 21 matches. That is in no small part down to the form of goalkeeper Joe Hart. The 22 year old has also kept a staggering 9 clean sheers this term, with heroic performances in gutsy draws against Manchester United and Chelsea. The England goalkeeper first started a match in the Blue Square Premier for Shrewsbury Town against Gravesend & Northfleet and is a true portrait of a non league player making it on the big stage. Manchester City’s loss is Birmingham’s gain. Roll on South Africa…

7 Ivan Klasnic (Nantes to Bolton Wanderers on a season long loan) Apps 13 Goals 6

Ivan Klasnic endured over a year away from football with deadly kidney problems in 2007 at Werder Bremen. In a fairytale story, Klasnic will now be elated to be scoring regularly in one of Europe’s top leagues as a fans’ favourite at Bolton Wanderers. The booing of Klasnic being replaced against Hull City told its own story. This was further amplified by Bolton losing their 2 goal lead later. The loan capture of the Croat was one of the few moves former Bolton manager Gary Megson made that got Bolton fans excited. Since November, Klasnic has been in a productive mood, scoring 5 goals in his last 8 games, including a glistening brace at home to Manchester City.

6 Lorik Cana (Olympique Marseille to Sunderland) Apps 13 Goals 0

Albania’s vice-captain has nestled into Sunderland’s side this season as if he had always been there. The 26 year old has been handed the captain’s armband by Steve Bruce and is fast gaining a reputation as one of the best defensive midfielders outside of the Premier League’s big four. In Sunderland’s victory over Arsenal in November, Cana pulled the strings and controlled the game seamlessly in midfield, always looking determined in the tackle and refusing to let Arsenal stroke the ball about on the turf at their own leisure. The former Olympique Marseille man was also instrumental in his club’s 2-1 scalp at home to Blackburn Rovers in the opening weeks of the season.

5 Antonio Valencia (Wigan Athletic to Manchester United) Apps 19 Goals 5

When Cristiano Ronaldo jetted off to Real Madrid in search of yet more silverware, many United fans expected a marquee signing, as opposed to a replacement from a modest mid-table club like Wigan Athletic. From day one, Antonio Valencia always had huge boots to fill, but he has gelled with his teammates easily and chipped in with goalscoring duties, significantly against his old club Wigan in a 5-0 rout. The Ecuadorian seems unfazed by the big stage, and has performed well in the Champions’ League as his side have progressed easily into the group stages. Ask United fans who they would rather have in their side out of Nani and Valencia, and the answer will always be the same.

4 Gareth Barry (Aston Villa to Manchester City) Apps 16 Goals 1

Though Aston Villa fans might disagree, Gareth Barry acted with dignity and respect when stating his desire to leave Villa Park. When moving up North, Barry wrote a letter to the Birmingham Mail, personally thanking Villa supporters for their support over the years. At his new side, Barry and Dutchman Nigel De Jong complement each other very well in controlling the midfield, with both players steaming forward in Manchester City’s frequent counter attacks. Barry has contributed four assists this season and looks a sure bet to be in Fabio Capello’s World Cup squad.

3 Darren Bent (Tottenham Hotspur to Sunderland) Apps 20 Goals 13

Darren Bent is a man who has being scoring for fun and he has timed his form to perfection in a World Cup season. Bent scored 5 minutes into his Sunderland league debut against Bolton Wanderers on the opening day of the season, and went on to score 7 in his first 10 games for the Black Cats. The former Spurs and Charlton man has shown he has scored a range of headers, penalties and poachers goals. Kenwyne Jones and Bent’s interplay will be crucial to Sunderland’s outside chances of Europa League action come next season.

2 Carlos Tevez (MSI Group to Manchester City) Apps 18 Goals 9

Although no stranger to a scuffle in his younger days in South America, Carlos Tevez is the type of player you cannot help but love. The man plays with a smile on his face and always works hard for the team, leaving no blade of grass untouched. It is great to see Tevez finally starting regularly at Manchester City. When he is in form, he is a joy to watch. The Argentine was electric against Arsenal as City dominated their London rivals in the Carling Cup, winning 3-0. Tevez has searing pace and has emphasized this when running from deep on the counter. It is not only the opposition half where the 25 year old is effective, he is resilient in tracking back and tackling but is in devastating scoring form with 8 goals in his last 8 matches.

1 Thomas Vermaelen (Ajax to Arsenal) Apps 20 Goals 4

This summer, Arsene Wenger demonstrated his shrewd eye for obscure talent yet again. A 24 year old Belgian defender by the name of Thomas Vermaelen was recently handpicked by Wenger from the faltering Dutch league. Vermaelen has steadied a defence which looked shaky last season. William Gallas looked on the brink of breakdown at the height of his eccentricity, but alongside Vermaelen, Wenger can sleep easy now. The pair have formed a formidable relationship at the back and like so many other Wenger signings and Gallas himself, Vermaelen has shown that he can be handy at both ends of the pitch. Vermaelen has netted four times at the time of writing, including a scintillating double against Wigan.

The top four heavyweights in the Premier League are all immense forces it has to be said, but they are most tested when without their talisman. Look at Liverpool without Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, and how Arsenal have at times struggled without Robin Van Persie against Sunderland and Burnley. The African Cup of Nations sees yawning holes in the heart of Chelsea’s squad. John Obi Mikel (Nigeria), Michael Essien (Ghana), Solamon Kalou and Didier Drogba (both Ivory Coast) will all be representing their respective countries in Angola next week for up to a month.

Not even manager Carlo Ancelotti could argue that Chelsea do not look lightweight up front without Drogba. The gangly Ivorian has come up with some moments of inspired genius this season, particularly his skilful team goal against Bolton Wanderers. Ancelotti seems to have Nicolas Anelka and striker partner Drogba interacting better on the pitch in a communication and footballing sense. The likes of Luis Filipe Scolari and Guus Hiddink struggled to help the two compliment eachother, but this season, particularly against lower teams, both players have been devastating.

It remains to be seen how the Londoners will cope without Kalou and Drogba. I am sure most Chelsea fans would admit their team was in trouble if Anelka suffered an injury. Chelsea do have an abundance of young talent to call upon if the worst does come to the worst however. Daniel Sturridge was impressive against Watford in the FA Cup last weekend. His first goal was a knock on at the far post from a scuffed John Terry effort and his second an all together more skilful finish. The former Manchester City striker received the ball just outside the six yard box, steadied the ball on the side of his boot under pressure, before calmly slotting home with the outside of his left boot with the confidence and arrogance of Drogba.

Chelsea’s following can take heart from the recent performances of 20 year old Sturridge as the likes of Fabio Borini and Gael Kakuta are even less experienced. But the question is can Sturridge lead the line and lift his team like Drogba can? Playing at Chelsea, Sturridge has a lot of responsibility. Over the next few months, his goals or miscues could prove the different between titles. He has only played against far inferior opposition such as Watford, Sunderland and Bolton so far. It is a tough learning curve for an English striker of his age at such a huge club. Sturridge is yet to experience consistent first team football anywhere, so can he be relied on in the absence of Chelsea’s big guns?

By missing players such as Essien and Drogba in particular, Chelsea must change the way they play drastically. Without Essien, the back four is not as protected and counter attacks may be a little harder to fashion. Anelka and Sturridge may not hassle defenders for possession as much as Drogba either. Apart from Frank Lamapard, Joe Cole and Anelka, Chelsea have few constant goal threats in their team for the next four weeks. Chelsea have to play Hull, Sunderland, Preston North End, Birmingham City and Burnley in the next few so the African Cup of Nations could have arguably not come at a better time, but Chelsea are clearly now without key players. Manchester United have no players on International duty and defenders to return from injury, so they will be hoping for plenty of upsets this month. Chelsea’s 7^th February fixture at home to Arsenal straight after the African Cup of Nations looks a huge game and Chelsea next realistic test, but will it be before convincing wins or lacklustre draws?

If you’re a Chelsea fan, tell us your views on the next few weeks without Drogba. Maybe you are going to be signing reinforcements like David Villa? Would Ancelotti spend the money when he knows his players will be back in four weeks? Have you seen the youngsters for the reserves? Maybe you saw Sturridge score a hat-trick against Ipswich’s reserves in September? Or are these youngsters going to be even better than Drogba? We want to hear your opinion.

The main question here is should managers be forced to shake hands after matches? Bolton manager Gary Megson has slammed Wenger’s snub and remarked “you can do whatever you want, say whatever you like during the game but after the game, you should shake hands – even if you don’t particularly mean in.” When managers fail to show mutual respect at the final whistle, it reeks of a bad example, this effect is prolonged by the fact that Wenger played a young side inexperienced in big club matches. It is a sad day when a club is fairly beaten by quite a margin and a manager cannot be doing with holding his hands up and saying “fair play.” This lack of respect between managers is dangerous and can rub off on other parts of the game, there is a huge campaign on respect for referees, but why not any talk to promoting respect between managers? Why not give the referee or assistants a chance to step in if sour words are shared between managers?

On the other hand (pun slightly intended), managers not shaking hands is not as big a problem as diving, racism, foul play or any other pressing issues in the game. When all is said and done, how much difference does a handshake make? Half of the time it does look insincere and half-hearted as both parties outstretch arms through hordes of staff congratulating or commiserating, and then rush off in their opposite directions down the tunnel. Wenger and every other manager has a right to an opinion, and if he did not like Hughes encroaching in his technical area, then fair enough. Passion and emotions run high in the game, and managers may not even like each other in the first place. In every walk of life including everyday work, personalities clash but after clocking off time (or the 90 minutes) everything is done and dusted and you get on with your life afterwards.

Do you think Mark Hughes is just being melodramatic by criticising Wenger’s actions? Do you think Wenger was just showing his passion for his team by failing to accept defeat with a stiff upper lip? Tell us in the comments what you think and get involved in the debate.

For the first hour or so, Sunderland got stuck into their opponents on this grim, dark Saturday afternoon. The likes of Kieran Richardson and the instrumental Lorik Cana frustrated their opponents with tough tackling and tracking back across all quarters of The Stadium of Light’s pitch. Wenger’s side had to resort to speculative long-rage efforts and lofted balls across the box and were not allowed space to be clever and showcase their usually dazzling passing. Without Robin Van Persie, who was injured this weekend with Holland, the Londoners lacked a more predatory centre-forward who could manufacture space for himself and react to high crosses quicker than centre-halves. The match was a tight, gritty affair with few moments of class or skill, both elements clearly missing as Steed Malbranque ballooned a few left footed half volleys into row Z for the home side, as he failed to make use of a generous amount of space on the wing.  With 71 minutes gone, the game was still yearning for a goal, and it came from arguably the best Summer signing this season, Darren Bent. A Stephen Reid corner was initially nodded well wide by Bent as the ball ricocheted kindly off of his teammate Frazier Campbell. The deflection feel fortuitously in Bent’s path for him lunge at the ball and stab home into the roof of the net from 6 yards out. Wenger might inquire as to why the ball was allowed to take two ping-pong like touches before Bent grasped his opportunity. No blue shirt managed to get anything a meaningful intervernsion after the ball was stroked into the danger area from the original corner.

Arsenal deserve credit where it is due and did not let their spirit become deflated after Sunderland netted. Andrei Arshavin found an avenue to run into between napping Sunderland defenders and stretched his diminutive 5 foot 7 frame as much as he could, but only found side netting from close range as he slid in hopefully. The away side should have had a penalty as they threw everything forward in the dying minutes. Carlos Vela controlled the ball neatly after a cross darted in low by Bacary Sagna and was then bundled over unceremoniously by Campbell.  This was made even more of a bitter pill to swallow as it was Campbell who scurried away towards the halfway line with the ball at his feet and was then the victim of an ill advised, dangerous lunge by Armand Traore. Traore was lucky to escape with only a yellow produced by Alan Wiley.

48 year old Bruce has this season showed that he is an expert in creating blueprints on how to play the bigger sides. Sunderland did all the ugly jobs well and hassled the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Alex Song in midfield. Song and particularly Fabregas were impotent for large parts of the match and Bruce’s defenders did not always dive in, but stayed with their marksmen and cut off angles and always knew what the next passes would be. It is clear that Wenger’s side are not able to settle comfortably into midfield battles. Sunderland took control of the game, look assured on the ball, and they may not have created much but scored when it counted. Bent is a gem in an otherwise modest squad and beach ball or no beach ball will win Sunderland an invaluable number of cheap points this season.

Arsenal will feel aggrieved not to have won this match as they did have chances. The Emirates Stadium side are still a moderately realistic bet for the title and have a game in hand over most of their counterparts. Arshavin is capable of providing magic no other player in this league could muse of and Van Persie guarantees goals. The one thing Wenger would not have wished for was a talisman like Van Persie to be unavailable for such a tricky encounter. Sunderland forced Arsenal to play the ball in the air and the presence and height of 6 foot 3 Van Persie and 6 foot 4 Nicklas Bendter were greatly missed. Fabregas, Tomas Rosicky, Arshavin and Eduardo provide a plethora of mouth watering attacking options but are all some way short of 6 foot. When Arsenal are not allowed to stroke the ball majestically along the turf as if it is their divine right, against mean defences like Sunderland matches may crumble beneath them.

Sunderland have shown they can beat the best in the league and in some cases the best in Europe and now must deem anything other than a top half finish a failure. It does however remain to be seen whether the North-East club can turn disappointing results against ostensibly lesser sides such as West Ham United, Burnley and Hull City into maximum points.

Chelsea’s Didier Drogba is a man who has a beautiful ability to make headlines, be it good or bad. This weekend, he was the victim of a shocking tackle, no, make that assault from Manchester United’s Johnny Evans. He then had the last laugh, darting across Edwin Van Der Sar in an offside position for John Terry’s late goal. Midway through the second half, a ball was lofted into the Manchester United box, it bounced between Evans and Drogba and as both men leapt to fight the cause for their team, Evans inexplicably jumped with his left boot raised and plunged his studs into Drogba’s shoulder.

At the risk of sounding like Sir Alex Ferguson, how on earth Martin Atkinson could have got a decision so wrong is beyond me. A player has jumped with his foot raised five or six feet off of the ground, thrown his foot into an opponent and gets off scott free, and the man on the ground who is clearly in pain receives a yellow card for what, holding up the game by being on the floor?  But of course, the pantomime comedy antics from Drogba just had to come out. Whilst on the floor, the Ivorian threw his legs about as if in some kind of involuntary spasm and Atkinson sheepishly signalled for the Chelsea physios. What I do not understand is why Atkinson booked Drogba if he called for the physios as therefore it cannot have been for diving. Drogba for once put up little fight against the decision so did could not have been cautioned for dissent, but let’s face it, we all raised a smirk at the sight of Drogba’s forlorn demeanour as he trudged to the sidelines with the physios. Drogba threw his arms in the air at the sight of yellow like an incredulous, grumpy infant who had been ordered to go to bed early.

After the match Ferguson routinely verbally lambasted the officials, calling the free kick which lead to Chelsea’s goal “a bad decision.” The Scot ranted “you lose your faith in refereeing, that’s the way players see it.” I begrudgingly admit he had a point. Darren Fletcher won a 50-50 tackle against Ashley Cole with neither player diving in and Cole obliged to hurl his body to the floor, legs flailing higher than any other part of his body like a gymnast hoping for extra points.  As John Terry feebly nodded Frank Lampard header past the penalty spot, Drogba was up to his usual gamesmanship tricks and scampered across, bundled Wes Brown over and threw a hopefully boot in the direction of the ball as he strayed offside. Van Der Sar in the United goal saw the ball late and really had no chance. Chelsea were 1-0 up and Drogba was smarting. Justice was done as Drogba should have been awarded at the very least a penalty 20 minutes earlier.

It is such a shame when big games are marred by refereeing decisions as opposed to moments of individual brilliance, and United appear to be gravely missing these moments from Cristiano Ronaldo. United looked toothless going forward and Wayne Rooney single handedly created three or four chances for himself. The likes of Nani and Gabriel Obetan hardly draw fear bubbling in the stomachs of opponents. Despite United’s lack of real magic going forward, they created far more than their opponents and should have won. When his team is on the up and scoring 96^th minute goal, Ferguson seems more than willing to laugh and joke with officials, but when the going gets tough and his team doesn’t take their chances, it is a far more bitter pill to swallow. Atkinson evened up his decisions and quite frankly Manchester United are not ones to moan about decisions not going their way when Rooney should have scored two or three with no help from the referee anyway.

Just two months into the 2009-2010 season, the “big four” of Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool have lost 10 matches combined. Compare that with 18 matches lost by the league’s elite combined in the entirety of last season, and it’s clear that either the big four are weaker, or the rest of the league is getting stronger. Aston Villa and Manchester City look promising and have taken maximum points against Chelsea and Arsenal respectively, whilst Wigan, Sunderland and Burnley have put in spirited, positive performances and come away with three points against Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United respectively.

For the neutral, it is fantastic to see young British managers such as Steve Bruce from Sunderland and Owen Coyle of Burnley gearing up teams of apparent no hopers and setting out playing football against the superstars of Liverpool and Manchester. Wigan’s Roberto Martinez crafted a brilliant game plan in exploiting Chelsea’s weakness at set-pieces and crosses, and ended up with a glittering and deserved 3-1 victory at home. Chelsea’s poor organisation at the back was also further underlined by Villa when they beat Blues 2-1 with two free headers from corners. John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho are usually assured and reliable as Chelsea’s last line of defence, but this season they have looked vulnerable. It seems Carlo Ancelotti’s men are missing Brazilian defensive rock Alex more than they thought they would. Ancelotti will be without the likes of Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Jon Obi Mikel and Salomon Kalou for the African Cup of Nations and his side could be hit hard by their recent transfer ban.

Bruce in particular deserves massive praise for instilling a look of freedom and direction about his Sunderland side. Black Cats faced a seemingly brutal run of Manchester United away followed by Liverpool at home but came away with four points and without an unlucky last gasp own goal from  Anton Ferdinand at Man United, might have had six points for their efforts. Sunderland look calm and collected at the back and the absence of recently injured Lee Cattermole will be a huge blow. The 21 year old was previously bought by Bruce at Wigan for £3.5m and many Sunderland fans may overlook the likes of free scoring Darren Bent and Kenwyne Jones as their best player this season in favour of Cattermole. Cattermole’s energy in the middle of the park, breaking up attacks plus bombing forward has been dynamic in Sunderland’s success, and Fabio Capello’s England currently lack a more gritty, tough-tackling midfielder who excels at both ends.

Results like Sunderland’s have put big club’s strength in depth in question. The likes of Andriy Vorinin and Ryan Babel pale in insignificance to Fernando Torres at Liverpool and they have looked lightweight without Torres and Steven Gerrard so far. They lack natural goalscorers in abundance and maybe letting Robbie Keane go without a real chance was a poor decision by Rafael Benitez. His transfer dealings haven’t been brilliant by a long shot aside from the likes of Torres, Luis Garcia and Xabi Alonso. Do the likes of Josemi, Fernando Morientes and Jan Kromkamp strike great memories of individual brilliance into scouse hearts? Benitez has recently “led” the Anfield club to four straight defeats in all competitions for the first time in 22 years. Liverpool have however won a big game this season against Manchester United unlike Arsenal this season.

Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal side will be disappointed by losses to rivals Man United and Man City. At Old Trafford, Arsenal did everything but win. The magician that is Andrey Arshavin not only scored a delightful peach of a chip (does he ever score a bad goal anyway?) to put his side into the lead, only then for Gunners to go down 2-1 after Robbie Van Persie and co missed wonderfully created, unmisseable chances upon chances. Unlike Liverpool, Arsenal have goals throughout the park. Arshavin, Van Persie, Eduardo Da Silva, Cesc Fabregas and Nicklas Bendtner are all good bets to score in double figures this season. In Arsene Wenger, Arsenal have a man who unlike Benitez knows the transfer market like the back of his hand. Wenger for years now has shrewdly scanned obscure locations, bringing in unknown quantities and gently, slowly moulding them into world class players. Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen from Ajax already looks a sure fire replacement for Kolo Toure if not better, and has done the business at the other end of the pitch, bizarrely enough scoring four times in nine matches so far. Wenger has taken the likes of unfulfilled potential such as Barcelona’s Thierry Henry and Internazionale’s Partick Viera and nurtured them beautifully into world class players.

Manchester United’s Alex Ferguson has been far from flamboyant in the transfer market this summer in terms of new faces, but one key introduction was that of Michael Owen, a man with a point to prove. Owen may find starts hard to come by this season and has only scored twice in seven games so far. The 29 year old has also been overlooked by the media in favour of the likes of Villa’s Gabriel Agonlahor and Sunderland’s Bent in terms of strikers who could make Capello’s World Cup squad so far. United have already been the victim of a cruel scalp to Burnley and lost to bitter nemesis Liverpool. Cristiano Ronaldo is also surely irreplaceable compared to likes of the purely average Nani and Antonio Valencia. Criticism has also been aimed at centre-back Rio Ferdinand for his form for both club and country. Ferdinand at times is the defender equivalent of Tottenham Hotspur’s Heurelho Gomes. He is majestic in his composure and tidying up with the ball, and then the next minute baffling with his indecision and madness. Serb Nemanja Vidic was yet again given a torrid time by Liverpool last Saturday, and for the second season in a row was sent off against the Merseysiders.

As the table stands at the time of writing, Liverpool’s ambitious title challenge looks dead and buried with Benitez’s side in fifth with Spurs audaciously splitting up the top four sitting fourth. Manchester United and Chelsea look the most likely to win the league although not flawless. Spurs have already been comprehensively beaten 3-0 by Chelsea, and Villa have beaten Chelsea albeit after a woeful start. The duo of Villa’s Agbonlahor and the wonderfully creative Ashley Young look like troubling any team in the league at the moment. Mark Hughes’s Man City have finally bought defensively with Toure and Joleon Lescott, who have slotted in seamlessly. Hughes’s side have already beaten Arsenal 4-2 at home. The top four are more beatable than ever at the moment and it is refreshing to see the likes of Cattermole, Burnley’s Robbie Blake and Wigan’s Hugo Rodallega grabbing headlines with match-winning performances. Keep an eye on Spurs at Arsenal and Liverpool at Fulham this weekend for more fantasy football results.

Stuart Pearce’s England U21 squad for last Friday’s European U21 Championship qualifier against Macedonia included players from towns such as Essex, Doncaster and Basingstoke; so it was ironic that a man born in Jamaica, the island nation in the Greater Antilles with a population of just 2.8 million, would steal the show. West Ham United forward Zavon Hines grew up in East London and scored twice on his U21 debut after coming on for Arsenal’s Theo Walcott in the second half.

Hines scored his first on 67 minutes after goasting in unnoticed and receiving a through ball from Tom Cleverly to cooly poke home under Macedonia keeper Kristijan Naumovski. The 20 year old again took his second with minimum fuss in after 90 minutes. He made another perfectly timed run into the six yard box whilst unmarked and tapped home a deliciously floated cross from Newcastle United’s Andy Carroll.

Hines has already scored for West Ham’s first team against Macclesfield Town in a 4-1 rout in the Carling Cup, and was in devastating form in pre-season, scoring six times. Hines was also scintillating in the Iron’s unlucky loss to Liverpool at Upton Park last month. His searing pace and trickery down the flanks turned the hapless Jamie Carragher inside out numerous times. It was Hines’ speed and prowess on the ball which saw West Ham awarded a penalty which Alessandro Diamanti converted with ease.

Pearce complimented Hines after his brace for England U21s and said: “He had an impact alongside Carroll when he came on. His first goal in particular was very important for us.” Hines said after the match: “I was happy to come on and it’s even better to get two goals. Words can’t express how I feel right now to be honest. I saw Carroll beside me for the second goal but as a striker it’s nice to be a bit selfish!” As well as impressive form on the pitch, Hines’ club manager Gianfranco Zola waxed lyrical over Hine’s mental attributes and said: “He is establishing himself in the team and that is down to his work and his attitude. He is playing with a brave attitude and making an impact on the game so that is really good.”

Hines has all the raw talent a striker needs. He has a good eye for goal and composure when faced with scoring, and is effective whilst running at pace with the ball or playing off markers in the six yard box. The ex Coventry City loan man resembles Jermain Defoe or Michael Owen in his younger, quicker days and can shine under the wing of both Zola and Pearce if he keeps his good attitude and form.

Roberto Martinez is a man who worked wonders with Swansea City in his two seasons at the club, leading them to League One glory in 2007-2008 and then guiding the Welsh side to an unexpected 8^th place finish last season in the Championship. At Premier League Wigan Athletic, he has appeared as cool and calm as previously in his first months as manager, whilst still having an imposing effect on his team. His managerial skills shone through as Wigan stunned Chelsea to win 3-1 at home.

Against Chelsea, Martinez’s side exploited yawning gaps on both wings exposed by Chelsea’s slack backline. Jason Scotland and Hugo Rodallega danced around Carlo Ancelotti’s defenders with ease for most of the afternoon. The movement and clever runs from the front two were the most impressive aspect of the performance as well as the convincing manner of victory. Martinez has the two playing on the same wavelength and his side were a delight to watch this weekend.

The crafty play by his side off the ball was also attributed to the taking of set-pieces. On numerous occasions the outstanding Rodallega’s short corners to former Newcastle winger Charles N’Zogbia caught the Chelsea defence napping. Wigan were one step ahead of their opponents and dominated particularly in the second half . With leaders in the side such as Austrian international Paul Scharner, Martinez’s side look assured and organised.

The Spaniard has had to wait for success as Wigan manager due to five defeats in six games before, but you can already sense echoes of his fantastic Swansea side of last season. Going forward, Wigan look dangerous and the likes of Scotland, Rodallega and N’Zogbia will capitalise on any space and can ghost into dangerous areas around the penalty spot as shown against Chelsea. Scotland’s ex Swansea teammate Jordi Gomez also looks a great signing for Martinez. Gomez possesses a varied box of tricks and can dazzle defences with his intricate skills and pace. The ex Espanyol man has only played three times so far for Wigan but if Martinez can get Gomez in the form which got him 12 goals last season from central midfield, he could be a fantastic addition to Wigan’s squad.

Martinez appears to have finally got what he wants from his Wigan side, a side playing with confidence, flair and no fear. In Trinidad & Tobago striker Scotland, Martinez has a natural goalscorer. His side are also a threat at set-pieces thanks to the rejuvenated newly imposing Titus Bramble and have all the tools to finish in the top half of the table this season.

Every good International side needs a potent strike force, and there is currently none better than Spain’s David Villa and Fernando Torres. During this summer’s FIFA Confederations Cup, Valencia’s Villa and Liverpool’s Torres ran defences ragged. Before going out to a surprise semi-final exit to USA, Torres and Villa had scored six goals between them in the group stages. In Spain’s victorious Euro 2008, the two forwards showed a telepathic nature between and both appeared to know the other player’s game inside out. Capello needs to get Heskey and Rooney playing in this way. Heskey and Rooney both offer the England side an immense workrate, with Heskey’s physical presence and Rooney’s determination off the ball. Heskey can hold up play and wait for others to take up position whilst Rooney can also drift out wide and take on defenders a lot more than Heskey. 23-year-old Rooney is in fine form for his country and has scored six goals in his last seven games for his country, boasting an impressive overall record of 25 goals in 55 caps.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Jermain Defoe is arguably England hottest goalscorer right now aside from Rooney. Defoe has scored five goals in six for England recently and currently has an aura about him where everything he hits seems to go in. Defoe scores more than Heskey by a long shot, so could feel aggrieved that he does not start more for his country. Capello might feel a little reluctant to start two like for like strikers in Rooney and Defoe, though Rooney does offer more in the way of balls across the box and assists. The 26-year-old Defoe is starting every game for Spurs now which is more than can be said for his first spell at White Hart Lane and is bursting with confidence. Defoe’s Spurs teammate Peter Crouch is a player who might not possess Defoe’s confidence right now. The former Southampton man has scored just twice since moving from Portsmouth whilst only starting twice so far in the league.

Michael Owen is another man who has not started as much for his country or new club recently, starting just once so far this season. However, Owen is already down in United folklore after scoring the winner in the Manchester derby in the 95^th minute. The ex Liverpool man rolled back the years by ghosting in behind an unobservant Manchester City defence to beat the offside trap, then settling himself and coolly side footing across City keeper Shay Given into the bottom right hand corner.  Owen showed composure and impeccable finishing with the outside of his right boot to take his goal. Owen hasn’t played for his country in 18 months since a substitute appearance against France in a friendly in Paris but is still his country’s best six-yard-box striker. He is England’s fourth highest goal scorer ever and his intelligence off the ball is far greater than any other outsider for the World Cup squad. The Chester-born striker guarantees goals and has far more International experience than the likes of Defoe and Crouch and if he can stay fit and keep playing he will surely be bearing away at Capello’s mind.

Like Defoe, West Ham United’s Carlton Cole will be confident of a place at the finals. Cole has scored 2 goals in 5 so far and despite a modest total of 10 goals in 27 last season, is in the form of his career and scored 6 goals in 7 league games during between December and January last season. Much was made of Cole when he first emerged in the Chelsea first team as a mere 18 year old, but he was deemed surplus to requirements after numerous unproductive loan spells and failing to hold down a first team place under Claudio Ranieri and later Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge. Now managed by his old Chelsea teammate Gainfranco Zola at West Ham, Cole looks a confident, intelligent, skilful footballer. Cole started the move which lead to Alessandro Diamanti’s penalty against Liverpool was a thorn in the side of the subpar but plucky Merseysiders as West Ham lost 3-2 at the weekend. The former Aston Villa striker took the ball on the halfway line and showed vision and technique, swivelling nicely to poke through for the onrushing Zavon Hines who was felled by a hapless Jamie Carragher. Cole later proved his ability in front of goal when heading home a corner. Cole moved shrewdly to get in between Torres and Carragher in the six yard box and glanced the ball low across Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina. Only time will tell if Cole is a natural goalscorer at this level but he and Defoe linked up well in a friendly against Holland and he will take heart from the fact that all of his four previous England caps have been under Capello’s reign. If Cole continues his good form, England fans will count themselves lucky as Cole was named in Nigeria’s squad in August 2008 because of Nigerian parentage but was ineligible as he was too old to switch countries.

Another player to score for his side at the weekend was Sunderland’s Darren Bent. Bent showed patience and good movement to first beat the offside trap with his back to goal, before showing a calm nature in front of goal to spin round and pass the ball home into the bottom right hand corner. Bent is one of Capello’s few out and out goalscorers and has scored a staggering 5 goals in 6 so far this season. Bent has been a clinical finisher all throughout his career and scored 19 goals in 60 for his old club Spurs despite rarely starting. The 25-year-old has scarcely featured for his country though, and has only won four caps since his debut in 2006. He enjoyed a rich vein of form for England’s u21s scoring 9 times in 14 appearances.

Gabriel Agbonlahor has also been rarely employed by Capello. The Aston Villa striker did his chances no harm by scoring against Paul Hart’s hopeless Portsmouth side. The 22-year-old exploited the  slow Tal Ben Haim by letting the ball run across him before accelerating away to stab the ball home into the top left hand corner. Agbonlahor is a player who can create his own chances, drifting out wide and creating his own space. His range of passing and crossing is also a vital element of his game, not unlike Rooney.

Capello of course has a wealth of options available, such as target menlike Crouch and Heskey and runners in the ilk of Rooney and Agbonlahor. But the great part is that England will surely have at least three strikers who have scored fifteen goals in the Premier League. If Capello can strike up an established partnership who can link up well and get the balance right, with Gerrard and Lampard storming forward into the opposition’s box, it could be a long summer of celebration for England.

If you told a hardened rugby or cricket aficionado that Real Madrid and Manchester City had spent around £340m between them this Summer, they would tell you the old cliché that football is just about money and big egos as opposed to other sports. Do they have a point?

You might argue that Manchester City’s millions are a good thing for the game as it breaks up the monopoly of the “big four” clubs in the Premier League. However, many fans may not see the point of paying £18m for striker Jo, only to play him 8 times in the league before sending him on loan to a league rival, Everton, for a season and a half. Brazilian playmaker Robinho frequently looked as if he couldn’t be bothered last season, particularly in away matches. From day one, there was a huge responsibility on Robinho’s shoulders due to the sheer size of his name and his ridiculous £160,000 per week contract, he then shockingly enough went 17 games without scoring in the middle of the season.

You would be pleased to know that despite their massive budget, Mark Hughes’ side generally field at least two of their academy products in most matches. The likes of Micah Richards, Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha are all first team regulars. City also had 3 academy products on duty for England u21s as the made the semi-finals of this year’s European u21s Championships in Sweden. These youngsters can only learn from playing with big money signings with experience at the highest level such as Robinho and Emmanuel Adebayor. For the complete neutral, City’s promise for this season is only a good thing. For the last five seasons, Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea have all made up the top four in a various order. The last team to look anywhere near like challenging for the title were Leeds United, who ironically enough are a classic example of how a club can hit freefall from reckless spending. The Yorkshire club have hurtled down the European football ladder, plummeting from Champions’ League semi-finals to League One in just six years due to immense debts culminating in a 10 point deduction in the 2006-2007 season which saw them relegated to their third tier. This was an unforgettable tale of a world beating team of young, English talent crippled by its own success and monetary gains that come with it.

Like the Leeds side of yesterday, today’s Real Madrid side have made waves with astronomical spending. The club owned by Florentino Perez made four out of the five most expensive signings of the summer in world football, and now have a frightening midfield comprising of the likes of Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso. What might make this spending seem more dangerous to purists is the exile of Real Madrid’s darling academy product Raul, who fell out of favour with the Spanish international side, and was not even picked for their squad and they strolled to victory at Euro 2008. Real Madrid had a dire season last term, finishing empty handed as bitter rivals Barcelona beat them 6-2 in the league and scooped the Champions’ League, La Liga and Copa Del Rey. Barcelona have since kept most of the previous squad to add insult to injury to Real Madrid, and have been much quieter this summer, making a few low key signings such as Brazilian prodigies Keirrison and Maxwell as well as a bigger names in Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Dmytro Chygrynski.

Iker Casillas, Guti and Raul are the only academy products in Real Madrid’s squad for this season, and Raul is arguably on his last legs whilst Guti will have be pushed to the fringes by the likes of Kaka. The club owns around 315m Euros so do not put it past the club to make even more marquee signings in January.

It is difficult to see how much big money signings make to results on the pitch at times. Barcelona’s Champions League winning side last season saw a staggering 9 academy products in their matchday 18 for the final. The thing about money is that it defines what a club sees as a success, Fulham stayed up on the last day of the season against Portsmouth in 2007-2008 and then finished in European places for only the second time the next season. This was done without strikers scoring 30 goals a season or big money signings, but they still managed to finish well and beat Manchester United on a shoestring budget. On the other hand, Real Madrid endured a torrid time last season, finishing with no major honours to their name and now face a period of transition with new owners like Manchester City.