The best-kept secret in English football is out. David Moyes has been sacked and will no longer be forced to prowl the Old Trafford touchline, scowling and wincing in equal measure, as Manchester United’s season goes down the proverbial drain.

As with Sir Alex this time twelve months ago, soccer moves on relentlessly. Thoughts must now turn to Moyes’ inevitable successor at the Theatre of Dreams.

Here we will look at the runners and riders for the biggest job in English football and consider the criteria Manchester United fans would like the successful candidate to meet.

According to various media outlets and fan-blogs, to become the next manager of Manchester United he/she must;

1. Possess a proven track record in Europe
2. Command the respect of the players
3. Know the European transfer market and have contacts across the continent.
4. Have a strong emotional connection to the club, possibly through time as a player.
5. Look to develop players through the United youth system.
6. Sign the very best young talent in Europe.
7. Be in the market to compete for elite players.
8. Play expansive, high-tempo, attacking football.
9. Have a history of winning trophies.
10. Have worked at a big European club.

The bookies are suggesting some of the usual candidates. Let’s see how the top 5 measure up to the above criteria.

Louis Van Gaal

The current favorite and understandably so. The old-campaigner will lead the Dutch national team in Brazil but would offer a safe pair of hands and would probably halt any further decline at Old Trafford. At 62 he is by no means a long-term solution but his track record speaks for itself. He’s worked at three of the biggest clubs in Europe, winning the league at each. Would he bring back the football so desired by the United faithful? Probably not, though he would make them hard to beat – an improvement on Moyes, and would not tolerate the insipid displays from Young, Nani et al. Going forward, he will not reshape Manchester United and lead them for another decade or more.

VERDICT: If the Glazers want a short-term fix, they could do much worse than Van Gaal.

Jurgen Klopp

The thinking-man’s choice. Klopp has proved something of a maverick during his six-year spell at Borussia Dortmund. He speaks good English, plays a vibrant, highly energetic brand of football and has shown himself to be quite adept in the transfer market. Unearthing gems like Robert Lewandowski, Ilkay Gundogan, Mats Hummels and Shinji Kagawa suggest he works well when the purse strings are tight. Like Moyes at Everton, Klopp accepts that Dortmund are a ‘selling club.’ Can he bring his transfer nous to a club that would not accept that moniker under any circumstances? In support, Klopp regularly bloods young talent and possesses experience at the very top of the European tree. His success in recent years can be seen as over achievement considering the resources at his disposal and having the Bayern behemoth for ‘noisy neighbors.’

VERDICT: Klopp would be a fine choice. But he ruled himself out of the job today.

Ryan Giggs

The sentimental choice. The heart says ‘Yes!’ but the head screams ‘No!’ All fans prefer their manager to have a strong bond with their club, and no bond could be stronger than Giggs and United. At time of writing, the current interim manager of Manchester United knows the club; its history and traditions and would instantly command the respect of the dressing room.  Despite all this, to risk a multi-million pound business in the hands of an unknown quantity with no managerial experience at any level would be fool-hardy. As much as Manchester United fans would will him (and his Class of 92’ coaching team) to succeed, facts generally speak for themselves. The most successful coaches in the Premier League era – Wenger, Ferguson, Mourinho, Benitez – and the ‘up and comers’ like Rodgers and Martinez all hardly had playing careers to shout about. Giggs must earn his stripes lower down the leagues if he is to end up in the Old Trafford dugout

VERDICT: Come back and apply in 5-10 years. Alternatively take the global sporting brand ambassador job on offer

Diego Simeone

A fascinating character who is already achieving incredible things in Spain this season. His tenure at Atletico Madrid has seen European and domestic success without spending huge amounts of cash. To challenge and potentially disrupt the Barca-Real duopoly shows that in football, even today, money is not everything. His strong personality, bullish qualities, and emphasis on a high pressing, intense style of play could be grafted onto the United framework. Like Klopp, Simeone has enjoyed lower expectations, often competing as the under-dog in terms of finances and the ability to attract the best players. Could he adapt to the pressures of United? He was formed a formidable unit of unheralded Spanish players, and proven able to cope with the departures of Aguero, Falcao and De Gea and come out stronger. Language may be an issue, plus his knowledge and understanding of the Premier League. Atletico is very much his club, playing in his image. The question has to be, could Simeone make a player out of Tom Cleverley?

VERDICT: A bit of a risk. Could be brilliant, could be a dangerous experiment.

Sir Alex Ferguson

Football historians will know that when Sir Matt Busby retired, his handpicked replacement, Wilf McGuiness barely lasted a season, with Sir Matt returning in an interim capacity to help steady the ship. Could the same happen again? Ferguson remains close to the club as a director and is probably fit and healthy enough to work for at least one season. However, bringing back Sir Alex would be a step in the wrong direction. It would prevent any serious long-term planning taking place this summer and would continue to place his eventual successor under a huge Ferguson shaped cloud. United must move on from their most successful ever manager sooner or later and now is the time to do it. In addition, Ferguson would not want to harm his legacy any more than he already has by, like Busby, hand-picking Moyes as his successor. Though many fans will long for the security of Ferguson’s reign, United will never return to the top if they are looking back as opposed to forwards.

VERDICT: That way madness lies.

Klopp would be best choice, despite distancing himself from the job in early reports. What are your thoughts?

The word on the street is that Fergie’s Empire is crumbling and the Blue Moon of Manchester City is on the brink of eclipsing their rival’s long-held supremacy. Pundits talk of the dawn of a new era and the end of another. They have questioned for how long United could realistically hold out against the spending power of their cross-city rivals. For the Old Trafford faithful there is an air of a grim inevitability around City’s (almost) guaranteed title triumph this Sunday. Ever since the Sheiks arrived in late-summer of 2008, the Blues have been edging ever closer, creeping up the league season on season. Sir Alex has held back the flood waters for as long as humanely possible, but when the levee’s break on May 13th and the Premier League trophy heads to the Ehtiad, a new period of dominance seems all most assured.

Let’s not speak to soon in banishing Fergie, Wazza and United to the dustbin of football history and look a little closer at these seasons achievements in isolation. With one round of fixtures left to go the two sides are, for all intense and purposes, neck and neck. There results on the pitch have been largely similar, if maybe not their overall style of play. City have a slightly better goal difference and have put United to the sword in both their league fixtures this season. That aside, the Reds have stuck in there, churning out result after result up until their inexplicable end-of-season choke. Given the experience in the side it is hard to believe fathom the collapse at Wigan and Everton that have cost United a 20th crown. From a position of supreme authority a little over a month ago they contrived to blow it with one hand already firmly grasped on the trophy. However, they were not trailing by 30 points and scrapping for Champions League qualification like some other former members of the ‘Big Four.’ This was a title that City, despite all their quality, had no right to win, given the standings after their defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates.

If the unthinkable happens and City do slip up at home to QPR and United win at Sunderland, Ferguson will be hailed as a genius, once again outfoxing the young pretenders. If City do as is expected and win the game, the media will print the reverse. It is most likely that the title will be decided on goal difference with both teams finishing on eighty-nine. This is a point’s tally that would have seen City or United win the league in four out of the last five seasons. Whichever team comes up short it would be harsh to brand either as underachievers or failures in any way, especially for United who have faced much tougher obstacles this season.

I accept that this United is a shadow of some of the great sides that Fergie has produced; the 94’ vintage, the treble side and the 07/08 team that won in Moscow. The majority of the latter are still knocking around, minus Ronaldo, but age and injury has caught up with Scholes, Giggs, Ferdinand and Fletcher. On top of that, Edwin Van der Sar and Gary Neville retired last year and the captain, Nemanja Vidic has spent most of the season on the treatment table. Other experienced heads such as John O’Shea and Wes Brown have been shown the door without ceremony. These players have been replaced by an influx of young and improving players who have shown considerable promise; Jones, Smalling, De Gea, Rafael/Fabio, Cleverly, Wellbeck, Chicharito et al. The likes of Liverpool and Chelsea have attempted or are currently attempting this policy of squad evolution; buying players with potential who can develop within the fabric of the club. Whilst their league form has suffered from this overhaul, United have managed to keep the ship afloat, grinding out victories in big games, still maintaining the same spirit.

Let us not forget that Chelsea arrived on a wave of extravagant spending and won back-to-back titles, indicating a new footballing dynasty had arrived. We all know that things did not quite work out the way Abramovich planned. As Mourinho made off with the silverware, Fergie rebuilt, allowing the likes of Beckham, Van Nistelrooy and Keane to leave in favour of the Rooney and Ronaldo. This policy took time but United remained competitive whilst still steadily progressing. Chelsea persisted with a policy of short-termism that saw fluctuating levels of performance as United returned to the top of the tree. Ferguson has proven that he can cope with periods of transition and come back stronger. To sustain a championship challenge with a squad made up largely of exciting prospects and rickety old campaigners (and one world class player in Rooney) is an incredible achievement. He has pushed City all the way and arguably should already be champions with one game to go.

The great fear for all United fans is hovering spectre of Old Father Time. The Scot cannot go on forever and when he finally shuffles off to become Club President in a few years the spirit that sustains the club and the team may well die out. With Ferguson at the helm, Manchester United will continue to evolve and challenge for honors. City can spend another 100 million in the summer and I still expect it to be close next season. By rights, a squad with the quality, class and experience of the Citizens should dominate the Premier League for the next decade but football is about more than names on a team sheet. It is about guts, self-belief and a ferocious appetite for success, something Fergie and United still have in spades.

If soccer was played on paper, Liverpool would be challenging for a place in next season’s Champions League whilst Newcastle would be scrapping, trying to avoid relegation to the nPower Championship. That was the opinion of many pundits before this season kicked off. The Reds were expected to finish top four or at least come pretty close, especially given the supposed calibre of their players, their rich heritage and King Kenny enjoying his first full season in charge. The Magpies, on the other hand, was a team in disarray back in August 2011. Andy Carroll had flown the coop with little or no money invested in a replacement, whilst the two most experienced characters in the dressing room (Barton and Nolan) had been allowed to leave for next to nothing.

Seeing as the beautiful game is played on God’s green earth and not via Big Sam’s Pro Zone simulator, these predictions have been resoundingly silenced, encapsulated in the result at the Sports Direct Arena (cough cough) on Sunday. Ex-pros and knowledgeable experts (never the twain shall meet) have gone on at length about how Liverpool is underperforming and how their star names are producing way below what they’re capable of. Is this so? Should the five-time European Cup winners be fighting for fourth spot? Does their playing squad demand such a status?

The best sixteen or seventeen players at Liverpool read like a squad list from Championship Manger. They are footballers bought purely on the basis that they have performed well for a period of time at another club without any apparent basis on how they will fit together. Downing, Henderson, Adam, Carroll and Enrique have never been part of a squad team that has won anything or ever threatened the top half of the EPL. Each stood out in lesser teams and would make for reliable LFC squad players in time past, but not top-draw game-changers that offer that little bit extra when it matters most. All top clubs have players like this that can help a club rotate in order to compete on three or four fronts. However, to rely on Stewart Downing, a consistent nearly man for club and country, to provide the crucial goal or assist at key moments is hopeful at best. Adam as well, is a man out of his depth. At Blackpool, he surrounded himself with industrious, hard-working players to do his running for him, allowing the Scot to spray passes left and right. Now, at Anfield, he is asked to do too much. Now that the defensive balance offered by Lucas (sorry Jay Spearing fans) has gone, he inhabits an unknown, unspecified position alongside the equally confused Jordan Henderson and Steven Gerrard.

Yes, we come to Stevie G. Captain Marvel. The Martyr of Merseyside, who sacrificed his career ambitions in return for legendary status and eternal hero worship. For so long, Gerrard has dug Liverpool out of hole after hole, his lung-busting runs and last minute winners were the stuff of Scouse dreams. An excellent player, truly one of the greatest the EPL has known, but his time is coming to an end. He no longer has the tools around him; Xabi Alonso, Mascherano and Torres (yes, even him) or indeed the physical fitness to make the required impact. The head and heart are willing, but sadly, the feet are not.

Up front Andy Carroll continues to do his best impression of Emile Heskey after a night on the town, whilst the forwards with real ability; Luis Suarez and Craig Bellamy, are not receiving the required service (or in Beller’s case, game time) and are thus forced to conjure chances for themselves. The defence is solid but shaky, especially when Jamie Carragher, another fantastic player in his day, is called upon to man the barricades. The more one analyses it, the cracks in Liverpool’s ‘paper eleven’ become ever more alarming. The quality of the Benitez era is long gone, with ageing greats plying their trade alongside also-rans and hand-me-downs. Suarez and Reina are the only two that can even apply for ‘world class’ status and at times this season even their claim to such titles has been tenuous at best.

Comparing them with Alan Pardew’s Geordie Boys would historically have been an exercise futility. Newcastle are considered to be playing above themselves, with each week expected to be the last good result before the inevitable slide down the table. However, another look at their team sheet suggests that more Newcastle players would sidle into an all-star team made up from both clubs than you would first think. Colocinni is an international recognised defender, easily a match for the deceptively dodgy Martin Skrtel, and Danny Simpson is a more reliable customer than Martin Kelly. Even between the sticks, Tim Krul is in the form of his life and could arguably be awarded the golden glove this season.

It is in the midfield that the Magpies show their class, trickery and no shortage of grit. Gutierrez starred at the last World Cup and his work-rate and delivery put even Dirk Kuyt in the shade, exemplified by his gutsy performance at left back on Sunday. Cabaye and Tiote (aka ‘Brains and Brawn’) work in tandem so well whist Hatem Ben Arfa could be one of the best signings by an EPL club in recent years. The former Lyon starlet was a prodigy in his native land but the French gave up on him, unsure how to best use his obvious talent. If given the chance to express himself by Pardew, he could be as big as Ginola on Tyneside. Finally, Ba and Cisse, the two poachers from Senegal, each have a history of scoring goals in Germany and have transferred this form to England. Their knack of finding space and finishing clinically could teach ‘Big Andy’ a thing or two.

These are not simply players who are having their first strong season. Many of the Newcastle team have international pedigree, something noticeably lacking at Anfield. Sure, there are some duds in Black & White (Gabriel Obertan? Peter Lovenkrands? Are you listening?), but these only fill in the gaps and not relied upon to be the deciding factor in games. Newcastle are a top side, both in terms of personnel on paper and when performing as a unit on the pitch. They are where they should be. On the flip-side, the crumbling giant that is Liverpool Football Club are closer now to an away trips to Peterborough and Watford next season than a sixth European title.

A few weeks ago I took a glance at the main contenders for the PFA Player of the Year Award 2011/2012. Robin van Persie aside, there was a definite lack of stand-out performers jockeying for position in the shortlist of six, making my choices reasonably straight forward. The Young Player award, on the other hand, offers up quite a complex conundrum when one considers the wealth of talent populating the Premier League.

The nomination criteria states that the chosen player must be at most 23 years of age at the start of the current season. I have selected the six players according to this age bracket and decided to make it as much about impact and progression as sustained quality throughout an entire EPL campaign. Certain players like Gareth Bale, Juan Mata and Theo Walcott have been on the scene for some time, with the former two in the shake-up for ‘big daddy’ version of the award. Here is a chance to shine a light on those who have stepped up to the plate this year and shown they have the skill, the strength and the heart to be winner.

Kyle Walker

Building on his strong half-season at Aston Villa last year, Walker has returned to Tottenham and become a major part of their push for Champions League football. Redknapp had the faith in the young full back to send more experienced campaigners (Alan Hutton and Vedran Corluka) packing from White Hart Lane. His marauding performances down the right flank, reminiscent of Dani Alves, have forced him into the England reckoning. Defensively he may not be the finished article but his attacking prowess, speed and stamina provide a solid base from which to improve year on year.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Could he be the Michael Owen of 2011/12 and grab that last seat on the plane to Poland and the Ukraine, just as the injury-prone United bench sitter did way back in 1998? Though limited to a series of cameo performances, few can deny that he is the most exciting English talent since Wayne Rooney. His ability to combine the devastating pace of Theo Walcott with the technique, vision and quick feet of Jack Wilshere make him a tantalising prospect for all lovers of the beautiful game. In only his second full season as a professional, many pundits have consistently questioned whether he is ready, whether he can make the step up. Game after game, on any stage, ‘The Ox’ has dismissed the naysayers, mixing it with some of the best around.  His performance for Arsenal against Milan at the Emirates was a joy to behold and a sign that England may have found her next superstar.

James McClean

Despite only making his debut after the appointment of Martin O’Neil in December, the Irish winger has been one of the main reasons behind the Mackems resurgence in 2012. Five goals in nineteen appearances combined with a series of confident, strong, fearless displays against some of the league’s top defences, show him to be a player of real potential. Built in the mould of a traditional, barnstorming winger of yester-year, the former Derry City man is sure to make a big impact at Euro 2012 and have the big clubs sniffing around the Stadium of Light for his signature in the near future.

Jonny Evans

In what will be quite a controversial choice, the Manchester United centre-half has been the stand-out defender in a potentially title winning defence made up of much greater names and reputations. After a horror show against West Ham in last season’s League Cup and the arrival of Phil Jones and Chris Smalling many thought Evans would follow Brown and O’Shea out of Old Trafford. The Northern Irishman has responded manfully, appearing in 34 games and making the loss of Vidic much easier to bear for United fans. Evans has shown a growing maturity and self-belief with the increased responsibility placed on his shoulders. Ferguson may finally have found the long-term successor to Rio Ferdinand.

Tim Krul

The Dutchman had to bide his time. Waiting in the wings behind Shay Given and Steve Harper, Krul finally pounced last year, making the No1 shirt at Newcastle his own. Pulling off fantastic reflex saves and commanding his area at the tender age of 23, he has become a true fan favourite and key reason behind the Toon’s solid defensive unit this season. Young goalkeepers are often accused of poor decision making and lacking in mental strength, criticisms that cannot be levied at Krul. A rock at the heart of Newcastle’s almost ever-present back five, his consistently high performances have been awarded with two caps for Holland and an assured place at Euro 2012.

Daniel Sturridge

The Chelsea wing-forward just made the shortlist ahead of his England teammate Danny Wellbeck. Both have had exceptional seasons at two of the EPL’s biggest clubs but Sturridge has succeeded in an environment not renowned for the fostering of young talent. In a team wherein the ‘Old Guard’ still rule the roost, Sturridge has made a commendable 33 appearances, becoming their top scorer so far with 11. Putting the heavyweights of Drogba and Torres in the shade, he has combined pace and trickery on the right-flank with an instinctive eye for goal. The former City man can still be accused of selfishness in possession and is far from the finished article. Being forced to play out-wide and retain his discipline will surely be of benefit to him when he converts back to the role of central striker in future seasons.

As ever, the toughest decisions were who to leave out. Honourable mentions must go to Wojciech Szczesny, Martin Kelly, Junior Hoilett, Aaron Ramsey, Victor Moses, Mario Ballotelli, Scott Sinclair, Adam Bogdan and many, many more. 2011/12 has been a positive year for young players and we have seen some of the bigger teams, as well as those further down the EPL, taking a chance on talent. With the introduction of financial fair play from the start of next season, I hope to see this trend continue as more teams look to their academies and the lower leagues for the next big thing.

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Chelsea won in a blaze of glory Wednesday night to become the EPL’s only representative in the last eight of the UEFA Champions League. That is a shocking state of affairs for a global sporting brand that considers itself to be the biggest and best show in town. Can we really say that the Premier League is still sitting alone in its ivory tower, mocking the achievements of its continental rivals? Is there even a viable contender for the throne to be found amongst the big leagues of Western Europe?

What makes something ‘the best?’ If it is purely determined on the basis of success in European competition then the mantle must surely be passed on. From the mid part of the last decade, English clubs have enjoyed a level of success in the European Cup only previously witnessed during the five straight victories in the late 70’s and early 80’s. The Heysel Ban saw the Italian clubs, particularly AC Milan, return to prominence, whilst by the late 1990’s, Real Madrid were top dogs. Looking at this pattern, one would assume the periods of dominance merely goes in cycles with one of the ‘Big Three’ leagues taking top spot for a time. Two titles and five runners up spots in six seasons is impressive stuff and certainly counts as an era of dominance for EPL’s top teams. The fact that circumstances have shifted so suddenly leaves us to ponder our place at UEFA’s top table. Spain has two teams; Real and Barca (who else??) whilst Portugal, France and even Cyprus have a place in the last eight. These facts and figures give further credence to the suggestion that the crown is starting to slip.

If ‘the best’ means high quality football being played by a plethora of world class players the EPL comes once again under scrutiny. La Liga has the two, undisputed, greatest footballers on earth. Both sides of the El Clasico divide are stacked with World Cup winners and players capable of technical brilliance week on week. The Premier League has lost Ronaldo and Fabregas in recent years, lessening the ‘Wow!’ factor on display. It has however gained Aguero, Silva and Suarez, all three of whom are thrilling on the eye. Our best sides are still able to put on a show occasionally; be it a period of sustained possession, a slick passing move, a breathless change of pace, a devastating shot. Rooney, Van Persie and co. are having no trouble unlocking English defences with their technical prowess, but increasingly find themselves unable to fool top European stoppers with the same tricks.

Opening up the debate, we have seen some great football exhibited at the Liberty Stadium and some highly effective percentage play at Stoke and Sunderland. The Potters have transported this style, with a degree of success, into the Europa League, proving also that our continental brethren ‘don’t like it up em’. Is that football better or more effective than the brand played at Lecce or Osasuna? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Whatever its merits, he physical, high-tempo nature that has long typified our play both at home and abroad appears to have run out of steam, or simply the rest have grown wise to it. Napoli’s fluid style combines kamikaze defending with speedy counter attacks, tearing up the clichés that hang heavy around the neck of Italian football. This tactical shift gives problems to English sides more used to allowing European opponents time on the ball, only to punish them on the break.

If being ‘the best’ means highly competitive football then the EPL still stands astride the rest. The Bundesliga runs it close but the unpredictable nature of the results on any weekend continues to make it the most captivating league around. Even with the Manchester clubs romping away, no result is a given. Each fixture is, with a few notable exceptions, hard fought, and both physically and emotionally draining for the players. The best sides no longer appear to have the quality to compete with the very best sides in Europe and that fact is being reaffirmed week on week at home. No longer are the ‘Big Six’ able to rest their players for ‘home bankers’ on a Saturday for the crunch UCL group stage match on a Tuesday evening. Each and every point is vital, forcing managers to either rotate or field heavy legged players in those crucial encounters.

The slight dip in quality at the pinnacle of the EPL and the steady improvement of teams lower down (and don’t forget the Championship too) has contributed to a much stronger league as a whole. This strength has, in turn, produced weaker entrants into European competition. Barca and Real Madrid, for example, hold such supremacy in Spain that a game played only in second gear can still yield three points. There are other reasons too. Many of the great players with Champions League pedigree are ageing, no longer the force they once were. The bigger clubs are cutting costs and looking longer term with their transfer policy with only City bucking the downsizing trend.

Is the Premier League still the best? Only just. The football is exciting and competitive and quite rightly still attracts huge global audiences. Germany and Italy are on the march, the former making giant strides in recent years, and even teams from the so-called ‘lesser leagues’ are enjoying success against the top teams (Ajax, Basle, Sporting Lisbon). If complacency sets in, standards will slip further.

The EPL holds the throne, but it is not sitting comfortably.

It is that time of year again. The ballot papers are being sent throughout the footballing hinterland for each of the innumerate PFA members to put an X next to the name of the standout player of 2011-12. The fact that the votes are cast in early spring, leaving two months of the season still to play, is somewhat of a joke in the first place. If a general election can be held involving an entire nation and the results released the very next day then surely, in this age of technology, the PFA Player of the Year Award could become a little more representative of the actual football, August through May. For those as yet undecided players, those floating voters, here is a handy overview of the six leading candidates for the most prestigious individual accolade in English football.

Scott Parker

A contender for the England captaincy in Poland and Ukraine, last year’s winner of the FWA Footballer of the Year is still in the mix this time around. Stepping up from being mired in perpetual relegation dog fights with West Ham, Parker has played a major role in Spurs’ fleeting tilt for the title and more concerted effort for Champions League qualification. His tough tackling, high energy, no nonsense approach has won him many admirers but it his intelligent, patient and considered midfield play alongside Luka Modric that has enabled the likes of Bale, Van der Vaart and Adebayor to score the goals. His ability to break up attacks, play the simple pass and plug the gaps has taken Tottenham from knocking on the door to fully paid-up members of the elite.

David Silva

The Spaniard has added more than a little Iberian flair to the Premier League. Mancini gave him 2010-11 to bed in and fully attune himself with the pace of the English game, something City fans are reaping the rewards for this season with 13 assists in 25 appearances. His consistent ability to find space in the final third as well as playing an intuitive slide-rule pass is the main reason behind the Citizens enviable goal tally. Built in the mould of Iniesta, Xavi and countless other diminutive Spanish midfielders, his low-centre of gravity, excellent close-control and deft touch make him without a doubt the most creative player in the EPL this year.

Clint Dempsey

Underrated. Up until this season, the man from Texas was the very definition of the word. He had always been solid EPL player without question, notching goals on a consistent basis since he arrived back in 2006. This year, Clint has taken his game to another level. Being equally adaptable as an attacking midfielder, inverted winger or false No.9, his 18 goals in all competitions have fired Martin Jol’s side into the top half and drawn admiring glances from the big clubs. His work ethic and athleticism would make him ideal fit for a Champions League club but the Cottagers are sure to drive a hard bargain for players so crucial to the way they play their football.

Robin van Persie

Arsenal’s ‘Reliant Robin’ has been the complete centre forward for nigh on 18 months now. Taking his excellent performances from the back end of last season, the Dutchman has built on that to lead the Premier League scoring charts with a phenomenal 25 goals in just 27 games. He is a captain that leads by example, showing the current young crop at Arsenal how to behave on and off the pitch. Without his goals the Gunners would not be anywhere near the top 4, most likely languishing in mid table, with the fans feeding on a diet of the toothless Marouane Chamakh and Park Who?-Young. A truly awesome striker with poise, precision and a fair amount of finesse in the box, Van Persie has been a joy to watch this season.

Grant Holt

All Brits love an underdog story and a PFA shortlist would be a poorer place without at least one left-field choice. The Norfolk Hulk was playing in League Two less than four years ago, stepping up one division in each year before arriving in the EPL in August. Holt is the champion of the ‘old-fashioned’ centre forward; muscling his way into space, winning the flick-ons’ and ensuring he is the first to every ball. In the age of the technically gifted superstar striker (Aguero, Suarez etc) a man like Holt should not succeed. Against the odds, the Canaries front-man has notched up 10 league goals (including a gem against United) and formed a highly effective partnership with Steve Morison. Late call up for Euro 2012? You better believe it!

Juan Mata

What is most astounding about Juan Mata’s debut year in English football is not that he has been uniformly brilliant throughout (we already knew he was good), but that he’s managed to turn in such consistently great performances in what has been a turgid, car crash of a season for Chelsea. A man with more than a passing resemblance for AVB, began scoring and creating from day one against Norwich. Operating in a free role between the Blues ageing midfield and blunt attack, Mata has been the shining light in a team devoid of confidence and quality. If this is him acclimatizing to the EPL, Chelsea fans are in for treat next season.

Honourable mentions go out to Michel Vorm, Vincent Kompany, Wayne Rooney, Luka Modric, Demba Ba, Yaya Toure and Joe Hart who were all knocking on the door of my six man list. I’m looking forward to being challenged over any glaring omissions (I did consider Titus Bramble before you say anything).

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It would have been sometime around 1995 or 1996 when I first watched a game of football. It was the season of Newcastle’s collapse, of “I’d Love It!” and supposedly not being able to win anything with kids.

I grew up in a non-football household with not a single family member showing the slightest interest in it or indeed any other professional sport for that matter. I owe my initial footballing education to a boy who lived across the street when I was only 8 years old. It was the early days of Sky Sports and the FA Carling Premiership (as it was then known) when the pre-packaged, event-like status of each match was truly taking off. The presentation of Richard Keys (shudder), Andy Gray (shudder) and the peerless Martin Tyler made every 90 minutes seem vital, essential viewing for any aspiring football fan. The boy’s father was the only person I knew who had access to live football (yes live, not just the selective once weekly highlights on BBC’s Match Of The Day), the exclusivity making it even more special. I don’t remember the exact moment, or even the exact game. Only that there was a time when football was an unknown irrelevance to me, and then suddenly the only thing that mattered.

The jarring goalkeeper shirts of Peter Schmeichel, Giggsy’s curly mop and the upturned collar of Eric The King are just three of the images that now seem emblazoned forever in my memory. It began with a battered VHS tape that would arrive each Tuesday morning containing the action from the night before. Monday Night Football was on too late for a kid like me who still thought Power Rangers were the epitome of cool and thus I would wait expectantly for the recording to be delivered each week by my mate’s dad. As they were both United fans then these were the only games I received. It was then, with a certain inevitability that I became enamoured with the Theatre of Dreams and Fergie’s Fledgelings as they chomped away at Newcastle’s healthy lead. Each tape held one game, Manchester United versus Southampton stands out for some reason but I can’t remember why, especially when the picture was jumpy, constantly requiring the tracking to be adjusted. Plus, with no sound. Without Tyler’s dulcet tones and the roar of the Old Trafford faithful, I was left to fall in love with football on my own terms. No grisly ex-pros were there to influence my own reading of the game, telling me which players were having a stinker or how the latest South American import ‘didn’t like it up at em’ on a cold night at Burnden Park. It most likely had something to do with the encryption placed on putting satellite TV onto VHS but I didn’t care. I shrieked and yelped by best impressions of Messrs Motson, Davies and Co., providing my own narrative by commentating on contrastingly dull and pulsating affairs.

Of course, it helped that Manchester United was winning and that they played such an exciting brand of football, full of heart and commitment. However, from the moment I began sourcing my football from a Man United-dominated household, there was a certain inevitability about where my loyalties would end up. By the end of that wonderful season, I recall receiving another video, this time a season review entitled ‘The Double Double Winners’ that showed every goal, the ill-fated grey kit and the emergence of a new team that would grow to conquer Europe within a couple of years. That 90 minutes or so of edited highlights encapsulate everything about why I follow United; belief, vibrancy, hard work, youth, nouse, class, flair and all that purveyed over by a Scot who has been sitting in the dugout longer than I’ve been on this earth.

The term ‘glory-hunter’ is one I’ve come to accept now though it still rather sticks in the throat. I know I’m not a Mancunian or have any real affiliation to the city of Manchester. I probably should have supported one of my local teams to guide me; Shrewsbury Town, Crewe Alexandra or someone of that ilk, but I had no father figure to guide me along that path. I ended up being a product of my environment; watching re-runs with a mad Man United fan that lived across the street. It could have just as easily been Liverpool, Everton or Hamilton Academicals and I grant that United’s success made it more difficult to escape their clutches, especially for an impressionable youngster just wanting to fit in with his mate.

Those crackly VHS tapes were the foundation stones but my dedication to football and United was solidified by a trip to see a European game under the floodlights in the autumn of 1996. Rapid Vienna travelled to Old Trafford for what was a largely uneventful match, notable for Ole Solskjaer having his crown jewels crushed at the hands of an Austrian defender whose name escapes me. From the fanfare of the Champions League anthem to the fluttering of the large football-like bed sheet in the centre circle, I was hooked. Those forays north to sit in the Stretford End have sadly been few and far between given the rising costs and insatiable demand amongst supporters but I continue to follow the Red Devils’ progress from the comfort of my armchair, at least for the present.

So, my allegiances are laid bare for the world to see. Most people who know me know I support United, but as I make my first few tentative blogging steps, I thought it prudent to put forth the whys and the wherefores behind the colours pinned to my sporting mast. This piece may sound like one long nostalgia-tinged soaked-in-a-rose-tinted-bath of footballing memories and, for the most part, it is. I love United but I love football more. If told to choose between the two I would continue watching the game as it is the intrigues and intricacies that make up the sports wider narrative. The devil is in the detail. We love it because of the subplots, the rivalries, the ex-player returning to his old stamping ground and the statistics that hang around the necks of once hotshot strikers suffering a barren patch in front of goal. Without United, all these factors would remain and though supporters and fandom is the lifeblood of the game, I would still watch Rotherham against Accrington Stanley quite happily in order to fill an afternoon.

I am in a favor of the 39th game (audible gasp). By that I don’t mean each team should play an extra round of fixtures tagged on somewhere in an already congested season that would ultimately imbalance the entire league structure and everything we hold dear about equality, fairness and the unbiased (cough) nature of the Premier League fixture list. The 39th game hoopla seems to have slipped away recently but I wouldn’t bank it not returning in some other guise in the not too distant future if the likes of Richard Scudamore and Ian ‘why can’t the big clubs get paid more?’ Ayre have their way.

If we are ever to reach a juncture when the Premier League must decide between further expansion or a self-imposed isolation, I have what I believe to be a pretty decent proposition for all concerned. Each summer Premier League sides head off into the far flung corners of the world, scrambling for American and, more importantly, Asian currency, hoping to sate the appetite of the overseas fans with a momentary glimpse of their idols. Manchester United spent last summer in the States competing against a host of Europe’s top names in Houston, Seattle and other such places in what were billed as showpiece events for the native audience but attracted little more than a passing glance from those of us in the UK. That was obviously the point. The United hierarchy want the diehard fan from Kentucky to continue buying the latest away strip every 12 months, believing a friendly or two will do the trick.

United are far from alone in this. Chelsea and Aston Villa competed for the Premier League Asia Trophy in Malaysia whilst Blackburn recently flew half way round the world to play an Indian select side. For these teams it is purely a simply a business decision designed to develop their markets in up to recently untapped territories. My proposal is that these pre-season games be developed further into something tangible, an exciting curtain raiser that would have real impact on the league table without compromising the integrity of said league.

The proposal would be this:

At the end of each Premier League season, the 20 teams would be split into 5 groups of 4. Which group each team would enter would be dependent on their final standing in the table. For example, going by the final places for the 2010-11 season the first group would contain; Manchester United (1st), Liverpool (6th), West Brom (11th) and Wigan (16th). Each of the 5 groups would have representatives 5 league positions apart to allow for an even spread. These teams would face off in a semi-final before going on to the final two or three days later. Each 4 team mini-tournament would take place in a different host city around the globe; Sydney, Tokyo etc and be played across the week/weekend of the terminal irrelevance that is the Community Shield. The 5 winners would each receive 3 points, the beaten finalist 1 point and the beaten semi-finalists no points. These points would be added to the league table for the upcoming season.

Here’s why it would work:

1) The obvious financial boon is the reason the 39th game was contemplated in the first place and why it will never truly go away. English clubs would be heavily compensated in terms of TV money, gate receipts and the chance to expand their markets into previously untapped territories. The winning bid from the host city would also be split evenly between the 4 competing sides.

2) The exposure for the smaller clubs. Naysayers pointed out that few in Bangkok might fork out good money to watch Stoke play West Brom in a glorified friendly match but if at least one of the big boys was guaranteed to be in the town each year and real points were at stake this wouldn’t be much of an issue.

3) The likes of Wigan or Swansea would have a real chance to turn over one of the bigger clubs and get a head start in the league that season. Yes, over 38 games the richest clubs usually win out but over a two game series anything is possible and 3 points before a ball is kicked in regular season for a team of lesser means could make a huge difference in terms of relegation etc.

4) Overseas fans outnumber the native fans for many of the bigger English clubs these days and I think it’s time they were truly rewarded for their loyalty and willingness to continue buying the overpriced merchandise. A South Korean Spurs supporter is just as valid in my book as an Arsenal fan from South Wales and would most likely jump at the chance of watching their idols up close in a match that actually meant something for a change.

5) The prospect of points would surely snare a British audience and would act as an intriguing curtain raiser, a chance to watch the new signings in a competitive environment.

6) Fixture congestion is certainly an issue but not a great one. Two extra games tagged on to a pre-season that already involves multiple games, countries and time zones would make little difference. Easing the load could come from abolishing FA Cup replays after the Third Round and using some of the new dates created by the relaxing of the international friendly timetable.

7) The 5 tournaments played over 7 nights in early to mid-August would create a real event to rival anything offered by the NFL or even that of the Champions League in some respects.

The Italians have already stolen something of a march on the Premier League by hosting the SuperCoppa Italia out in Beijing in recent years and there is a danger that if we don’t do something the satisfy the overseas demand for top quality football then someone else will and it may too late by then to join the party. I can’t say that I revel in the idea of a football league without borders that forgets its own culture and beginnings as I believe it is that culture that makes English football so attractive to fans, wherever they may hail from. However, we do not want to be left behind and if there has to be a 39th game, then I’d prefer that it was done right instead of simply plonking a United/Liverpool game in Dubai in the middle of February.

So, Scudamore, there we have it. I don’t really want just a 39th game but a 40th too if possible.