Monday evening’s match at Anfield between Liverpool and Tottenham was a low-key affair. However, it did feature one standout moment: the return of Luis Suarez from his lengthy suspension for racially insulting Manchester United’s Patrice Evra. Entering the fray with 25 minutes to go, Suarez did not conjure the winning goal, but flashes of inspiration reminded everyone of his importance to a Liverpool side who have now drawn eight times at home in the league.

The relatively low key nature of Suarez’s return was the perfect opportunity for all involved to put the troublesome last few months in the past, and simply appreciate that he was back playing again. Liverpool’s manager Kenny Dalglish echoed the thoughts of the Anfield faithful saying, “It’s fantastic to have him back” — a truism which it would be very hard to refute.  Most unfortunately he followed this up by saying “He should never have been away in the first place.” Immediately it becomes patently clear that Kenny Dalglish is not about to let this one go away. This latter assertion, that Suarez was innocent of any wrong-doing is one which it is quite easy to refute.

It is important to remember the thoroughness with which the FA’s independent commission investigated the Suarez-Evra case. A 115-page document was produced which eventually found Suarez guilty of racial insults towards Evra. This diligence reflects the FA’s admirable opinion of a case of the utmost importance, and also suggests no stone was left unturned in reaching the verdict. It therefore seems sensible to assume that the investigation’s findings were correct.

Managers’ backing of their own players is nothing new. Much like a parent’s blindness to their child’s wrong-doing, most managers will back their players to the hilt no matter what the evidence suggests. However, it is rare that the consequences of such actions carry significance months after the offence. Dalglish’s comments not only hold significance so long after the offence, but his insistence of Suarez’s innocence seems unnecessary and, most importantly, irresponsible.

Despite this, Kenny Dalglish is still unable to accept the guilt of his player. Further to this, he is also seemingly unable to simply let the whole thing go. Since the day of the initial incident, now 115 days ago, through to Suarez’s return on Monday evening, there has been no acknowledgement of guilt, or any hint of an apology from either player or manager. Last night’s comments brought the whole thing to the fore again, and it could not have been timed worse with Saturday’s upcoming game between Liverpool and Manchester United. Kenny Dalglish has now reminded every Liverpool player and fan travelling to Old Trafford on Saturday that the club line on the Suarez case is that he is innocent. It would be a great surprise if they did not make this point very clear on Saturday. At the same time he also brands Patrice Evra a liar for accusing Suarez. It seems impossible that this will not be taken badly by Manchester United’s equally tribal fans.

It would surely have been easier, and substantially more diplomatic, for Kenny Dalglish not to have said anything on the matter. It was not necessary for anyone to say anything more, as it has all already been said. Suarez has served his ban, and it is good for the whole league, not just Liverpool, to have him back. He will be a huge boost to Liverpool on Saturday and for the rest of the season. He is a remarkably watchable player who made a mistake and has been punished.

Old Trafford on Saturday was always going to have a hostile atmosphere, the history between the clubs makes that inevitable every time they play. However, the scores should be settled on the pitch, with the ball. Dalglish’s loyalty, sometimes an admirable quality, in this case is irresponsible. A man in his position should understand when not to fuel the fire. It must be hoped that all the talk after Saturday’s game will be about football. After all, that’s what everyone’s there for.

The club currently sit in third place in Group E on four points and are five behind Fiorentina in second place with only two games remaining.

Liverpool travel to Hungary for the game with Debrecen on November 24th and then could face a crunch final match against the Italians at Anfield on December 9th.

They need to win both games to upset the Champions League football odds and qualify from the group, and hope Lyon do them a favour and beat Fiorentina next week, and should be boosted by the return of inspirational midfielder Gerrard, who has been struggling with a groin injury for the last month.

Gerrard is looking to return to the first team for this weekend’s Premier League game with Manchester City and is aiming to inspire his side, as they have lost five league matches already this season.

The England midfielder has said: “I’ve had a problem in my groin that has taken a while to get over but I’m just relieved the second injection seems to have done the trick.

“I’m feeling good now, a lot stronger than before and it’s just a question of getting my match sharpness back now. That is the most important thing.”

The return of Gerrard will be invaluable to boss Rafa Benitez as he could have faced a midfield dilemma as both Yossi Benayoun and Albert Riera are expected to be missing for at least the next three weeks.

Liverpool fans will also be buoyed by the news that Fernando Torres is expected to begin training in the next few days as he continues his recovery from treatment on a groin injury.

The Scots are currently bottom of Group G with only one point and enter a tie away in Romania against Unirea Urziceni knowing that another defeat will put an end to their distant hopes of qualifying for the next round, or even booking a place in the Europa League.

In the first game between the two sides at Ibrox, the Romanians triumphed 4-1 and striker Kenny Miller has said he hopes the club can wipe that game from their memory.

He added the team’s performances in the Scottish Premier League have improved since that game but last weekend’s match against Dundee United was abandoned at half-time due to torrential rain with Rangers winning 1-0.

Miller highlighted that his side need to keep tight in defence and hope to nick a goal in Romania to appease the memories of that disappointing night at Ibrox last month.

“It puts it right in our own hands again if we can win this game,” said Miller. “It obviously depends on the other score. We’ve got a home game against Stuttgart next and if we can win that as well then you never know.”

Rangers will need to attempt to upset the Champions League football odds without a number of first-team players. Madjid Bougherra, Pedro Mendes, Kirk Broadfoot and Maurice Edu are all missing for the game against Unirea Urziceni.

Walter Smith’s men have been dealt some good news as Lee McCulloch has been passed fit for the tie.

The top three places are still filled by the three relegated Premier League sides but the gap between second placed West Brom and eleventh placed Coventry is now just five points.

West Brom had enjoyed a fine start to the season and found themselves in top spot after a 5-0 win over Middlesbrough but successive defeats to Crystal Palace and Barnsley and a draw on Saturday with Preston, have put the skids on their campaign. Baggies boss Roberto Di Matteo thinks that supporters may have to be a little more realistic about their expectations.

“We had a bad week, which is a long time in football, but we are still OK.” said Di Matteo after the Preston match.

“Maybe the good start we had at the beginning of the season gave the public a different level of expectation.

“We know how hard it is to win.”

Three points clear at the top of the Championship league table are Newcastle United but like West Brom, they are currently experiencing a blip; two points the sum total of home matches with QPR and Bristol City. Off pitch instability will do nothing to aid the Magpies promotion challenge and fans will be hoping that reports about an impending takeover are proved to be correct.

At the other end of the table there was welcome relief for Plymouth boss Paul Sturrock, who had appeared to be on the verge of the sack, before two wins in a week provided a much needed shot in the arm for the Argyle faithful.

Momentum is crucial in any division and Sturrock believes that it played a part during his side’s see-saw 2-1 win against Scunthorpe.

“The thing about football is that winning becomes as much of a habit as losing.” he said.

“The win in the week has buoyed the boys. Before if they had got pegged back they would have let it affect them.

“Today they have gone straight up the other end and got a goal back, which turned out to be the winner.”

Plymouth now sit in 22^nd spot, two points behind Reading and three ahead of bottom of the table Ipswich, who are still awaiting their first victory of the season after a last gasp 2-1 defeat to Barnsley.

Wolfsburg have hit a good patch of form after a slow start to the domestic season and will go into the match full of confidence following a a 4-2 win over Hannover 96 at the weekend.

In Edin Dzeko and Grafite, Wolfsburg have one of the most potent attacking partnerships in the competition. Last season they scored 54 goals between them in a hugely successful league campaign and this season Grafite has already shown his quality in the Champions League competition, with a hat-trick against CSKA Moscow.

Wolfsburg may be the team in form but the biggest club in Germany is still Bayern Munich and they will have a chance to show their class when they play Juventus at the Allianz Arena. Juve will be no pushovers though and have a point to prove after only managing a draw in their opener with Bordeaux.

Group C contains two giants of the European game, experiencing vastly contrasting starts to the season. The two clubs have won the tournament 14 times between them but while Madrid are second favourites to add to their tally, an ageing Milan side are now classed as outsiders after an awful start to their domestic campaign.

The Rossoneri currently sit 11^th in Serie A and will be taking nothing for granted at home to FC Zurich, while Madrid will be expected to maintain their 100% start in all competitions, with victory over Marseille.

Finally, Group D plays host to two intriguing fixtures as Cypriot minnows Apoel play host to Chelsea and struggling Athletico Madrid travel to Porto. Apoel picked up an unexpected point at Athletico in their first fixture and will be hoping to take advantage of a Chelsea side still reeling from a weekend defeat against Wigan.

The La Liga outfit meanwhile, will be desperate for any positives, after an awful start to the season that has resulted in fan protests outside the Vicente Calderon stadium.

Wednesday 30^th September

(KO 19:45 unless stated otherwise)

A: Bayern Munich v Juventus

A: Bordeaux v Maccabi Haifa

B: CSKA Moscow v Besiktas (17:30)

B: Manchester United v Wolfsburg

C: Real Madrid v Marseille

C: AC Milan v FC Zurich

D: Apoel Nicosia v Chelsea

D: FC Porto v Atletico Madrid

Also getting off to impressive starts were two of the Bundesliga entrants – Bayern Munich returning from Maccabi Haifa with all three points, while champions Wolfsburg comfortably dispatched CSKA Moscow by three goals to one.

The pick of tonight’s fixtures sees 2005 winners Liverpool travel to Serie A side Fiorentina. The Viola were once a major force in European football, boasting the likes of Gabriel Batistuta and Edmundo, before financial problems saw them demoted to Serie C2 (the lowest professional league in Italy) in 2002. They have since recovered however, and will be looking to make a splash on the biggest stage once more.

The Italian side will be hoping to bounce back from an away defeat at Lyon, while Liverpool will be without Yossi Benayoun and Javier Mascherano, as they look to stretch their winning run to seven games in all competitions.

In Group F, the holders face current leaders Dynamo Kiev at the Nou Camp and manger Pep Guardiola is taking nothing for granted.

He said: “If there is one team that isn’t favourite to win the title, then it’s us because no one has ever been Champions League winner two years in a row. We have confidence after winning the competition last year, but we know we have to work hard for it again like we did last season.

“By being humble we were able to win, but you have to prove that every day, that’s what football is about.

They [Dynamo] are top of their domestic league and have very good players such as Shevchenko and Gusev. They are tactically astute under Gazzaev.”

Elsewhere, Scottish champions Rangers face a tough test at home to Sevilla in an open looking Group G. Rangers picked up an impressive point in their first match away to Stuttgart and will be desperate to build on their good start against the group favourites.

The pick of the games in Group H sees the top two play each other as 2006 runners up Arsenal play host to Olympiakos. Arsenal bounced back from two goals down to triumph in their opener with Standard Liege 3-2, while Greek side Olympiakos will be confident of making an impression on the Champions League this year, with new man Zico at the helm.

Tuesday 29^th September

(KO 19:45 unless stated otherwise)

E: Debrecen v Lyon

E: Fiorentina v Liverpool

F: Barcelona v Dynamo Kiev

F: Rubin Kazan v Inter Milan, (17:30)

G: Rangers v Sevilla

G: Unirea Urziceni v VfB Stuttgart

H: Arsenal v Olympiakos

H: AZ Alkmaar v Standard Liege

The Baggies have enjoyed a fine week, picking up six points and scoring eight goals in their two matches. In mid-week they battled back from a goal down to beat Doncaster Rovers 3-1, courtesy of a brace from Jonas Olsson and a stunning long range effort from Chris Woods. Then in a much anticipated top of the table clash with Middlesbrough, West Brom leaped into top gear, thrashing the hosts 5-0.

With Boro sitting in second, the game had been expected to be a tight affair but a first half brace from Chris Brunt triggered a Middlesbrough collapse, as the Baggies ran riot. Goals from Youssouf Mulumbu, Roman Bednar and Jerome Thomas compounded Boro’s misery and left manager Gareth Southgate with the unenviable task of picking up his players in time for next weekends trip to Coventry.

Former Championship leaders Newcastle United had a mixed week, losing top spot with a 2-1 defeat at Blackpool, before bouncing back on Saturday with a 3-1 victory over struggling Plymouth. The Magpies now sit second, a point behind West Brom but three points clear of Middlesbrough.

At the other end of the table Ipswich enjoyed a better week but are still without a first win of the season after picking up a point in each of their matches. In midweek they were held to a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest after Rob Earnshaw came off the bench to cancel out Grant Leadbitter’s opener. Then on Saturday there was more frustration for the Tractor Boys as Doncaster Rovers grabbed a late equaliser in a 3-3 thriller at the Keepmoat Stadium.

Ipswich now sit 23^rd in the table and are joined in the drop zone by Barnsley and Plymouth Argyle. Barnsley have a new man in charge and enjoyed a good week as well as increasing their Championship betting odds by picking up four points, while Plymouth may soon have a new boss themselves – Paul Sturrock coming under increasing pressure after another pointless week.

Eduardo’s two match ban for diving has been quashed after UEFA accepted an appeal from Arsenal.

The striker was given the punishment after appearing to deceive the referee during a Champions League qualifying match with Celtic.

The incident generated a huge amount of media attention and many believed that it would open the door to a significant crackdown on diving in football. However there were also a number of concerns about Uefa’s decision to use retrospective punishment and Arsenal described the resultant ban as “deeply flawed”.

The most significant questions related to the seemingly inconsistent nature of the punishment. Very few players have been retrospectively banned for diving and so no real precedent had been set, therefore it was only natural that Arsenal felt Eduardo was being made an example of.

There were also concerns over the legality of any such ban, as Eduardo would only have received a yellow card during the match if the referee had deemed him to have dived.

Unfortunately, the incident and Uefa’s subsequent handling of it, has done nothing to answer any of these questions. Indeed the ban has eventually been overturned due to all parties agreeing that the Arsenal player did not dive in the first place.

A statement from Uefa said: “Following examination of all the evidence, notably the declarations of both the referee and the referees’ assessor, as well as the various video footage, it was not established to our satisfaction that the referee had been deceived in taking his decision on the penalty.”

Arsenal can now include Eduardo in their squad for Wednesday’s match with Standard Liege. A club statement said: “We were able to show there was contact between the keeper and Eduardo and that the decision should be annulled,”

“We are glad to put this incident behind us and concentrate on the games ahead.”

After a quiet first period, the Baggies twice took the lead but twice found themselves pegged back by a persistent United side, who eventually managed to secure a draw courtesy of a late David Cotterill penalty. The point proved useful for both teams, as fellow pace setters Cardiff and Middlesbrough slumped to defeat.

For Cardiff it was a case of a bad day at the office, as they were caught off guard by an impressive Doncaster performance. Bluebird’s boss Dave Jones was left to reflect on a slow start.

“Do I feel happy? No I don’t.” Jones told the BBC.

“I don’t think we turned up in the first 20 minutes and you can’t afford to do that to any team at this level as we gave them a two-goal start.”

While Cardiff’s defeat may have been down to a slow start, Middlesbrough’s problems are altogether more concerning.

Gareth Southgate’s team had won three games in a row but having lost two of their best players in mid-week (Tuncay Sanli and Robert Huth), it was a significantly weaker side that took to the field against Bristol City. The Robins took full advantage of the situation and claimed a 2-1 victory, courtesy of two goals from the sort of long ball that big defender Robert Huth was so good at dealing with. With another couple of days till the close of the transfer window, Southgate will be desperate to ensure there are no more departures.

It was also a miserable weekend for Simon Davey, who left Barnsley by mutual consent following a 3-1 home defeat to Reading. It was a decision that many felt inevitable, following a largely difficult two and a half years in charge.

Davey had been asked by the club’s owner to make a “persuasive case” for him to stay, after avoiding relegation on the final day of last season. The 39 year old remained in charge over the summer but his stay of execution has proved predictably short lived.

With the league table still taking shape, leaders Coventry will be hoping to cement their place at the top when they travel to Doncaster Rovers. Coventry started the season as one of the favourites to go down but will be hopeful of a third consecutive victory, against a Doncaster side yet to win. Sky Blues striker Freddie Eastwood is unavailable due to illness but Martin Cranie, Clinton Morrison and Leon Best should all shake off knocks in time to play.

Also flying high are Sheffield United and Leicester City who have both picked up four points from their two matches and now face each other at Bramall Lane. United have yet to concede a league goal and with Leicester striker Matty Fryatt a doubt, after picking up an ankle injury on Saturday, Kevin Blackwell’s men will be hopeful of another clean sheet.

Sheffield United and Leicester have both played in the Premiership in recent years and now another former Premier League side, Middlesbrough, are getting a taste of the Championship. Boro have started promisingly with a win and a draw but will find out what life in the football league is all about tonight, when they travel to League One play-off winners, Scunthorpe. Gareth Southgate’s men will be favourites to win the match but wont have things all their own way against a Scunthorpe side that picked up an impressive three points against Derby County last time out.

Finally, if you’re on the lookout for fireworks then Portman Road is the only place to be as Roy Keane’s Ipswich take on Neil Warnock’s Crystal Palace. The two managers are amongst the most volatile in English football and neither will be in a good mood at present. Roy Keane has seen his promotion chasers pick up just one point from their first two games and is sure to have his men fired up but that could be no match for the disgruntled Londoners. Palace were the subject of an abysmal refereeing decision at the weekend when the man in black failed to spot the ball had gone into the net (before hitting a stanchion and bouncing out). Warnock’s team went on to lose the game to a last minute goal, leaving an already seething manager apoplectic with rage.

By Josh Allen

In years gone by, qualifying often presented viewers with a procession of predictable matches, as Europe’s big boys casually swatted aside an assortment of minnows from across the continent. However times are changing and the inaugural play-off stage has thrown up a ‘battle of Britain’ contest. The first leg sees Arsenal travel to Hampden Park, where they will face a Celtic side full of confidence after an impressive victory over Dinamo Moscow.

The Scottish giants fought back from a 1-0 home defeat to take the tie 2-1, courtesy of a first away victory in Europe since 2003. Arsenal meanwhile, got their domestic campaign off to a flying start with a 6-1win away to Everton and their manager, Arsene Wenger, is hoping to silence another home crowd.

“The atmosphere is always heated in Scotland,” said Wenger.

“If we play well we can keep the atmosphere low-key and that is all down to our performance.”

Elsewhere, there are more tough ties to call in Portugal and Greece as Sporting Lisbon take on Fiorentina and Panathinaikos play host to Athletico Madrid. All four teams have high expectations for the coming season and will be desperate not to miss out on the lucrative group stage.

As far as potential shocks go, this years edition of the Champions League has every chance of featuring some new names. FC Sheriff are bidding to become the first ever Moldovan side to reach the group stage, following a historic victory over Slavia Prague. They had never progressed beyond the second round of qualifying before but will fancy their chances of another famous win tonight as they host Olympiacos.

Cypriot champions APOEL also have an excellent chance of making a name for themselves after being pitted against FC Copenhagen. Domestic rival’s Anorthosis Famagusta impressed many people last season, after becoming the first ever Cypriot side to reach the Champions League proper and it’s a safe bet APOEL will be keen to follow in their footsteps.

By Josh Allen

Celtic travel to Russia desperate to overturn a 1-0 deficit, but with opponents Dinamo Moscow on a fine run of form, defender Gary Caldwell knows it will take something special to emerge victorious. In addition, the Scottish giants have never won a European tie after losing at home and Caldwell said: “We understand that it’s a big game. You have that feeling in your stomach.

“It would be big for us to get through but I don’t think it’s about making history, it’s about getting through this stage of the competition and trying to qualify for the Champions League.”

Also in danger of early elimination are Sporting Lisbon who travel to Dutch club FC Twente with the scores level at 0-0. The first leg became a one sided affair after FC Twente were reduced to 10 men when their goalkeeper, Sander Boschker, was dismissed after just 27 minutes. However, on loan Liverpool goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov saved the resultant penalty and proceeded to secure a clean sheet for the visitors.

After the game Mihaylov said: “It was very hard for me as I came on without having any preparation. I just put my gloves on and went in goal. Of course the penalty save gave me some confidence.

“Now we have the second leg at home and we have the chance to decide the tie in front of our own fans.”

Elsewhere, last season’s UEFA Cup winners Shakhtar Donetsk face a difficult trip to Romanian outfit FC Timi?oara, having only managed a 2-2 draw in the home leg. The Romanian runners up have little history in Europe but it seems a good Champions League bet that they will fancy their chances courtesy of two away goals from speedy striker Gheorghe Bucur.

The former England Under-21 international could be an ideal replacement for current Blades striker Billy Sharp, who has recently been placed on the transfer list. However, Sheffield United boss Kevin Blackwell has expressed some frustration at how the negotiations have progressed. He told BBC Radio Sheffield: “I’ve been in contact with his agent. It’s a classic example of too many people talking for him.

“I’d like to think the kid could play his football and let the rest take care of itself, sadly it’s never like that.”

Lita scored 6 goals in his 9 appearances for the under-21’s and has already attracted plenty of interest, with Leicester City also said to be keeping an eye on the situation. Their manager Nigel Pearson spoke to BBC Radio Leicester but was not giving too much away.

“We will see what happens” said Pearson.

“I know there’s a lot of speculation about him [Lita] but I wouldn’t like to make any comment at the moment.”

Lita made his name at Bristol City, where he scored 36 goals in just 47 starts, earning him a £1million move to Reading in 2005. However despite getting off to a solid start, scoring 15 goals in his first season, he soon fell out of favour and was loaned out to Charlton in 2007-08 and Norwich last season.

During the latter of the loan deals, Lita enjoyed a resurgence in form, netting 7 times in 16 appearances and eyebrows were raised when he was released by the Royals earlier in the summer.

While he shouldn’t have a problem finding a club of similar stature, the decision is sure to have knocked Lita’s pride and so whoever does sign him could have quite a player on their hands. A wounded striker, like a wounded animal, can be a dangerous beast.

With the Champions League 3^rd qualifying round drawing ever closer, a number of clubs are in with a chance of causing real upsets as they bid to qualify for the lucrative group stage.

Irish champions Bohemians have put themselves in a strong position after holding FC Salzburg to a 1-1 draw in Austria but far from basking in their achievement, Bohemians manager Patrick Fenlon has called on his team to finish the job. Speaking to uefa.com Fenlon said: “They have to finish it off. There’s no point in talking about getting a 1-1 draw in Austria if you end up going out in the home leg.

“I have been in this position before as a player and a coach: you get a big result away from home but you can’t finish the job at home”

“I don’t want a ‘well done’ story and a pat on the back so we can think about next season; I want us to finish it off. I know what it would mean to the club if we can finish it off.”

Another unfancied side in pole position are the Estonian champions FC Levadia Tallinn, who managed a 1-1 draw away to Wisla Krakow. Wisla’s under pressure coach Maciej Skorza could face the sack should his side fail to come through the tie. Speaking after the first leg Skorza said: “I admit I overcoached my team physically. The players were exhausted, but I still thought that it would be enough to win that game.

“The draw is a disaster, however there is the rematch Wednesday.”

Elsewhere, the former group stage participants found their tasks somewhat easier, with Levski Sofia and Partizan Belgrade both winning their first leg ties 4-0, while Maccabi Haifa take a near unassailable 6-0 lead to Israel, for the conclusion of their match with Northern Ireland’s Glentoran.

The 28 year old will be new manager Paulo Sousa’s first signing and joins on a free transfer, after former club Queens Park Rangers failed to meet his wage demands. Lopez was originally brought to QPR by Paulo Sousa and has also played for a number of La Liga clubs including Barcelona, Real Madrid and Sevilla.

Lopez is in Swansea today to complete a medical and should sign in time to take part in the club’s week long pre-season tour of Spain which gets underway on Tuesday. Not taking part in the tour is Jason Scotland, after the 30 year old striker received international clearance for his move to Wigan. Scotland finished as the Swans’ top scorer for the last two seasons but has followed former manager Roberto Martinez to the JJB Stadium, after the two sides agreed a £2million deal.

The Trinidad and Tobago international scored 53 goals in just 91 starts at Swansea and could prove difficult to replace, however Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins told the club website that the money from the transfer will be reinvested.

“Obviously we are disappointed to lose Scotland” said Jenkins.

“I can assure our fans that all the funds received from the sale of Jason will be reinvested into the club. We will endeavour to do that before the season starts.”

Swansea are said to be closing in on a new striker but Sousa says he is just as concerned about trimming his squad.

“Many new faces? No,” Sousa said last week. “Of course we are looking for some new players to come and help us, but not so many.

“We don’t need that many. Like I said, I want to reduce the squad. I don’t want a big squad, but I want to increase the intensity of my training.”

However, time has moved on and so has the balance of power, which is now so much in favour of the Premier League sides that the Champions League may have become a little predictable. English sides no longer fear anyone, expect Barcelona, and will normally go into any European clash as the favourites. The last five finals have been contested by at least one English side, much to the disgust of Michel Platini.

England has dominated the Champions League for the last five years but next year could be different. Without going too much off track the rise in value of the Euro and the increase in tax in the UK has meant English football is no longer so attractive. It seems like now is the time for Barcelona and Real Madrid to begin dominating the European scene once again.

New Real president Florentino Perez has certainly come in and shaken things up with his 300million Euros to spend and seems to have swung the balance of power away from England. Now you have players like David Villa and Franck Ribery no longer interested in playing in the Premier League. Instead everyone wants to be a part of the Spanish renaissance which is currently taking place.

The Premier League remains the richest league in the world but  is no longer flavour of the month. This will be good news for Platini who has all but said he is sick of seeing three English sides in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
So could next season be the birth of a new ruling party? Well quite possibly, although it will probably only be Real Madrid and Barcelona flying the Spanish flag with Sevilla and Atletico Madrid still too underfunded to compete and truly upset the football odds. English sides will still be very strong and I expect to see all four, if Arsenal qualify, make it through the group stages. However, how far they get beyond that will depend on how strong sides from other European nations become. If AC Milan use the money they made from Kaka wisely who knows where they could finish up while Inter Milan certainly weren’t pushovers last season.

The Champions League is all about beating the best sides from across Europe and while it is exciting to see Manchester United versus Arsenal semi-finals it just doesn’t hold the same appeal as one big side going head-to-head with another from across Europe. Let’s hope that Spain and Italy claim back some of the momentum from the Premier League sides as we hope for another terrific season of Champions League action.

Life for a newly relegated club will never be easy, no matter what division you are in, and clearly there will be a number of departures from Teeside before the Boro squad for next season is sorted. Southgate will have known this and will be frantically trying to keep some of the top, young English talent Boro are in the midst of producing.

One player who sticks out in that category is David Wheater, a central defender who has attracted a lot of admirers through his displays in a Middlesbrough shirt. The 22-year-old no-nonsense centre back has been linked with Aston Villa, but has yet to pledge his future to anyone. Wheater is the kind of player Southgate will need to keep hold of for the forthcoming struggle.

Matthew Bates is another player who Southgate will be glad stuck around and in signing a new contract has shown some of the commitment that Middlesbrough perhaps lacked last season. Too many of their players drifted through games without a care in the world. Those are the types of players who Boro don’t want in their side next season, despite that extra bit of quality they may possess.

Southgate needs to go back to home grown talent, be it from the Teeside area or from Great Britain in general. Looking at the sides that came up last season a lot of their star players were home grown boys. Michael Kightly and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake stared for Wolves while Chris Eagles and Clarke Carlisle were pivotal in Burnley’s success.

Southgate has already taken a risk on young talent in the Premier League, a gamble which never really worked out for the former England international. However, the gulf in class between the Premier League and the Championship is still huge. The likes of Andrew Taylor, Adam Johnson and Tony McMahon will look much better players in the second tier of English football.

What Southgate needs now is some experience to bring the youngsters together, and I feel sure he knows that. It is still only June and a lot will change before the big kick-off on August 8. Yet looking at the three sides who came down I feel if Southgate can get the balance right, despite having not managed in the Championship before, his Boro side may finally steal the headlines in the north-east.

Clearly this Real side will not be the same one we have seen for the past few seasons, flattering to decisive in both the Spanish League and Europe. However, I can see Los Blancos still having the same frailty when it comes to the defending side on their game. Anyone who saw Real Madrid last season will know they were shocking at the back, just take the 6-2 defeat to Barcelona as the prime example of that.

So far Florentino Perez and Manuel Pellegrini have only added Raul Albiol to try and bolster their leaky backline. That won’t be enough though because Real will need a whole new defence if they want to challenge for the Champions League next season. Fabio Cannavaro is now gone, and with good reason following some dreadful displays, while Sergio Ramos is still to show me and anyone outside of the Spanish capital why he is so highly thought of. Gabriel Heinze is another one who has struggled, along with Christoph Metzelder and the frankly crazy Pepe.

In my eyes none of the aforementioned players deserve a place in the new Galaticos leaving Perez with a big problem. There is no way the spending can go on forever, despite what some may think, and if Perez keeps collecting attackers like they are stickers he could well run out of funds to strengthen the defence.

What I feel Perez will try and do is emulate Barcelona in creating a side that can keep the ball so well and score at will that the opposition are afraid to attack. But you can’t always rely on your attacking players to provide that. That is were Yaya Toure comes in for Barcelona, the defensive midfielder who I feel doesn’t get enough credit for his contribution to the side. The Ivory Coast international is immense at breaking up play and just calming things down when the going gets tough.

Where is Real’s Toure though? For that matter where is Real’s Carlos Puyol? A man who many predicted would be ripped apart in the Champions League final but instead put in one of his greatest performances to date. As everyone has figured out Real are trying to match their biggest rivals by flecking their financial muscles.

But those ‘muscles’ will need to be stretched to breaking point if Real want European success because without a spine Pellegrini’s side will collapse like a house of cards and be forced to watch Barcelona take home the silverware again.

We already know that Charlton and Southampton are down, with the Saints’ future looking increasingly uncertain on and off the field. The Canaries’ defeat at home to Reading on Monday night means they now need a miracle to keep their place in the second tier of English football. The side that could replace Norwich in the drop zone is also another Premier League side, albeit just for a season: Barnsley.

It’s not the first time a former Premier League side has been relegated from the Championship with Bradford City, Swindon, Leeds, Manchester City, Sheffield Wednesday, Oldham, Notts Forest, QPR and Leicester City all having to endure the indignity of being relegated. However, out of all of those sides only one has managed to bounce back to the top flight and upset the football odds by becoming an established name in the Premier League.

That will be a worrying trend for three out of the four of these clubs who could be making those dark and lonely trips to Yeovil away on a cold Tuesday in February or watching Stockport come away with a point on their own patch (no offence to those sides). Norwich, Charlton and Southampton all spent big trying to regain their place in the top flight and it failed, leaving them with empty pockets and a reliance on youth and experience which clearly hasn’t worked for those three.

They say that the Championship is the most unpredictable league in England and probably rightly so as I don’t think many of us out there will have picked any of those four teams to face the drop, maybe with the exception of Barnsley. Being a supporter of a club still in the top flight I can remember at least one occasion when my side was beaten by Charlton, Norwich and Southampton and always thought they would one day return to the Premier League.

Perhaps that is the problem, maybe trading on your name and history in the Championship doesn’t work and instead of attracting the young, hungry types of player you want you get those who are just looking for a pay day. You have to question where all the money went that each club made from selling their big stars when they went down, especially Southampton with their sales of Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale and Kenwyne Jones.

It seems then that going on recent history we will be unlikely to see any of the four potential relegation candidates back in the top flight for some time and perhaps now it is the turn of a smaller club to enjoy its time in the limelight and develop themselves into an established top flight club.

For all those neutrals out there who may not have seen Barcelona play before this season I would encourage you not to write off the Catalan side based on just one performance. I have seen Barca break down some stubborn resistance at the Nou Camp this season both in La Liga and the Champions League but the game against Chelsea was a different kettle of fish. For the neutrals Tuesday night’s game was a huge disappointment but for Chelsea what a result.

They stopped the best attacking side in the world with relative ease, albeit playing a brand of football that certainly wasn’t easy on the eye. For those Blues fans who want Jose Mourinho back at Stamford Bridge your prayers have been answered because he seems to have taken the form of Guus Hiddink based on Tuesday night’s display. I can’t stand teams that play like this but understand why you would do it against a team like Barcelona. Manchester United did a similar thing last season when they went to the Nou Camp, albeit up against a Barcelona side who weren’t in the same form that the current one is.

As a defensive exercise Chelsea were brilliant, Michael Essien and Michael Ballack worked supremely hard in midfield, closing down Andreas Iniesta and Xavi constantly to halt the goal machine that is Barca. However the standout performer for the Blues was Petr Cech, the keeper whose form this season has been called into question on a number of occasions. Cech made a series of brilliant saves from the handful of chances Barcelona did create to keep the visitors in it.

Barcelona weren’t at their sparkling best and perhaps given a chance to get their rhythm going things could have been very different. As it is Chelsea will certainly take this result, becoming the first side to keep Barcelona from scoring at the Nou Camp this season. I think Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry might be having nightmares about yellow walls for the next few nights after coming up against one on Tuesday.

Looking ahead to the second leg and Chelsea having to open up may give Barcelona the edge they are looking for. Stamford Bridge doesn’t quite create the intimidating atmosphere you get at the Nou Camp and with the quality they have Chelsea will still have to be very careful as they go in search of a goal. Had Didier Drogba taken the chance he worked for himself in the first half then it would be advantage Chelsea but there is still nothing to choose between the sides and my football prediction remains that this contest between beauty and the beast could go right to the wire.

With less than a week to go until the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals both Arsenal and Chelsea were in domestic action in the past two days, with varying degrees of excitement as both picked up a solitary point from their respective matches. Whilst the Gunners were involved in one of the matches of the season in their thrilling 4-4 with Liverpool the Blues played out a fairly dull 0-0 draw with Everton. Having seen both games though it seemed that both sets of players had other things on their minds as they failed to perform to their sparkling best, with the Champions League semi-finals perhaps an obvious distraction.

From the outside it seemed their respective ties against Manchester United and Barcelona had drawn their minds away from the matter at hand. This got me to thinking whether the Champions League has become more important that the domestic game. Many would argue that today the Champions League has overtaken every other club tournament around the world in importance and difficulty. Any side who gets to lift the European Cup is in my eyes the best side in the world, without having to win FIFA’s ridiculous World Club Challenge.

Since the Champions League has become pretty much dominated by the English sides in recent years clubs from the Premier League have begun to realise that there chances of winning the tournament have increased dramatically. The other big leagues around Europe have become weaker since the European Cup was re-branded the Champions League. Now English sides who have yet to achieve Champions League glory have set lifting the big eared trophy as their top priority.

Using the Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas as an example of this he looked to be saving himself for the trip to Old Trafford next Wednesday despite his involvement in a game which, if the Gunners had of won, would have pretty much secured fourth spot and Champions League football next season. The Spanish midfielder strolled around the Anfield pitch for much of Tuesday night’s thriller, looking as disinterested as possible at times. Arsenal’s defence certainly didn’t have their mind on the game as they produced an awful display, going against the grain for the Gunners in recent times who have been solid at the back.

For the ‘big four’ in the Premier League qualifying for the Champions League has become second nature meaning unless they are facing one another league matches have taken a back seat. The Champions League is a glorious competition and one that I enjoy a lot, but when sides start prioritising it over their domestic league fixtures then the league begins to look like a bit of a joke.

Whilst their Premier League title chances have gone I hope Arsenal and Chelsea put the effort in this weekend, although I feel I maybe be clutching at straws there as the Champions League continues to dominate the European game.

With the Black Cats Keane had very little cash to work with and a fan base crying out for Premier League football. That will stand him in good stead at Portman Road where money is tight and the supporters expect no less than the Sunderland ones did. However, why Keane chose Ipswich remains the big question to me when he reportedly had offers, no offence to Ipswich fans, to manage bigger clubs.

It’s clear the former Manchester United skipper enjoys a challenge but I also believe he likes to be away from the spotlight you are placed under when you are a manager in the Premier League. Despite Keane saying in his first press conference that he wants to get Ipswich back into the top flight of English football I believe he will probably enjoy his time in the Championship more.

The quieter nature of the Championship suits Keane more I feel, as we all know how much he likes to escape the limelight by walking his dogs, something which is a lot easier to do in the old Second Division where the pressure is less intense. However in the Premier League Keane seem to bottle the big challenges after comfortably keeping Sunderland in the Premier League first time around he walked away when things got difficult this season.

Keane will bring something different to Ipswich after taking over from Jim Magilton, who seems to have been done over in this situation, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the Blues did enjoy promotion next season. The pressure will be on Keane to repeat the feat he performed at Sunderland in getting Ipswich promotion and whilst Keane the player would never shy away from a challenge I just wonder when the going gets tough whether Keane the manager will stick around or put his tail between his legs again and head back to dog walking.

For me, Ebanks-Blake was the obvious choice because he has scored the most goals, but has he necessarily been the best player in the Championship? Well it is a tough decision and as always came down to a matter of opinion on the part of the guys at the Football League.

However, I think it may be worth having a look at some other contenders to see whether they may have perhaps been a better choice for this year’s award. My first pick would go to Ebanks-Blake’s team mate Michael Kightly who has had a superb season for Wolves. The England Under 21 international may have tailed off slightly in the last part of the season but before Christmas he was hot property at Molineux with a number of Premier League sides reportedly interested.

Kightly stayed with Wolves and now looks certain to get a taste of the big time when Mick McCarthy’s side are promoted. It will be interesting to see next season who does better in the top flight, Kightly or Ebanks-Blake. Another contender who was left out is Jordi Gomez who has played a huge part in Swansea’s remarkable first season in the Championship.

The Spaniard is on loan from Espanyol for the season and needed very little settling in time before becoming familiar with the English game. Clearly having Roberto Martinez in charge has helped in his development and considering he is described as a defensive midfielder a return of 13 goals in all competitions is not something to be sniffed at.

Two more contenders could have been either one of the Hunt twins at Reading. Noel Hunt arrived in the summer from Dundee United and has enjoyed a good first season in England with 12 goals in all competitions. The combination with his brother Stephen Hunt, who had been tipped to move on after Reading’s Premier League relegation, proved deadly in the opening months of the season. The brothers’ performances were good enough to earn them both a call-up to the Republic of Ireland national side and I would expect them to continue to flourish whichever division they play in.

Those are just four examples of players who could have been considered for the award and I am sure those of you who watch Championship and League 1 or 2 football week-in week-out would have your own choices as well. Hopefully next year the Football League will not overlook those players that do all the hard graft before the strikers steal all the glory.

Reports circulating the newspapers today have suggested that as many as ten clubs are in danger of going into administration in the near future. The cut off point for sides to go into administration and have ten points taken off this season is 5pm on Thursday. After that the deduction will either wait until next season if a side has been relegated or will be taken off at the end of the season if a club has remained in their current division. However, if that club is less than ten points outside the relegation zone come the end of the season then the loss of ten points will see them go down and spare one lucky side.

So the end of the season could be very interesting for sides in the Championship who are perilously hanging on to survival by their fingertips. For example, Southampton and Watford have had well documented problems with their finances and with the Saints currently in the Championship relegation zone can you imagine the potential heartache if they were to survive only to go into administration. The same goes for Watford who are currently less than ten points away from the trap door.

The March 26th deadline is too early as clubs are still figuring out whether they can continue to function without going into administration. Player contracts, sponsorship deals and even staff contracts are more than likely going to go up for review come the end of the season and clubs won’t know until they have sorted out all those situations how their bank balance will stand.

With the Championship coming to another exciting climax it could be these kind of financial rules that ruin the conclusion. Everyone has been hit hard by the credit crunch and with football likely to be affected next season perhaps the Football League should push back the deadline because survival on the pitch will more than likely mean survival off it and the last thing anyone wants is to see a side disappear for good from the football radar.

Anyone who has seen or heard the former French international since he came to power will know that Platini isn’t the biggest fan of the Premier League. He was reportedly unhappy about last season when all four English sides were still in the Champions League at this point last year. He has also made some less than beneficial proposals to seemingly try and turn the balance of European football back towards the continent.

His ‘6+5’ idea of having at least five home-grown players involved in any top flight match would greatly restrict the Premier League in its current state. Elsewhere, his plan to ban those clubs who are in debt from playing in the Champions League would mean that only three English sides would be able to compete in the tournament.

Whilst you can argue that those rules could restrict other European sides, Platini has expressed his disdain for the Premier League on a number of occasions. It’s a well-documented fact that he is unhappy with the amount of money the English top flight generates and their continuing domination of Europe’s top competition must grate with him.

You could never accuse Platini of showing outright favouritism (not without incurring the wrath of Uefa) but nobody would be surprised to see all four English sides drawn against one another to give Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Villarreal and Porto the best chance of winning the European Cup.

Looking at those four sides, it is apparent that apart from Barcelona, any of the English sides would be able to overcome the three others over two legs without much trouble. It seems that Mr Platini has decided to ignore the dominance that other European nations enjoyed over the competition in years gone by and his vendetta against English sides could continue tomorrow depending on how the draw will go.

Another weekend gone and if you are a Swansea fan another great result which sees you to continue to inch up the Championship towards a play-offs spot. The win for the side from Wales moves them to within two points of a play-0ff spot as we get into the business end of the season. However it was not so long ago that Swansea were close to going out of the football league and going out of business full stop. So can the club once sold for a £1 better Hull City by going from League Two relegation candidates in 2003 to a Premier League side six years later.

If you had been a Swansea fan you won’t have had too much to cheer about since the Swans glory days back in the early 1980’s when the side beat the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal and even played in the Uefa Cup Winners Cup. However since then it has been a slippery slide down the football league, culminating in the 2002-03 season when survival as a football league side was not guaranteed until the final day of the season. Ironically it was a 4-2 victory over Hull on the last day at Vetch Field which kept the side in the division and saved the club as a whole.

Since then though the only way has been up for the Swans and now as one of the form sides in the Championship are they about to return to the top flight of English? Well they certainly have one of the best young managers in British football, perhaps even in Europe, at the helm with Roberto Martinez currently in charge. Martinez took over in 2007 and in his first full season in charge managed to get his side promoted as champions from League One.

Swansea have gone from strength to strength since then and have flown up the Championship table to join rivals Cardiff in the football betting as both sides  hunt for promotion. Martinez has assembled a useful little side since arriving with Jason Scotland one of the stand out performers with his goals whilst on loan Jordi Gomez has become a firm favourite with the fans this season along with the likes of Leon Britton, Darren Pratley and Mark Gower.

The Welsh club have lost just one game at the Liberty Stadium all season and are beginning to hit a good run of form at about the right time, which has been coupled with a good run in the FA Cup. Swansea will receive a good test on Saturday when they face Fulham at home in the FA Cup and it could go along way to measuring whether they could cut it in the Premier League.

It was certainly an impressive showing when they beat the cup holders Portsmouth in the last round and they would certainly love to repeat Cardiff’s achievement last year, perhaps going one better, by reaching Wembley. However I imagine that they would rather be there in the play-off final later on in May.

Swansea’s football odds have been slashed greatly since they embarked on their recent run of good form and their would certainly be a few eyebrows raised if Martinez’s side were able to achieve promotion, especially given the short period of time since their near demise. Whilst it may not be as remarkable as Hull achieving promotion to the top flight for their first time in history it would be a fairy tale in itself to see Swansea back in the top flight.

With only three places left in the next round of this seasons Champions League and with only five teams capable of filling those spots it seems like a good time to look ahead to the draw for the knockout stages.

Once again all four English sides look set to qualify for the next round, with only Chelsea yet to confirm their place with the Blues needing a victory over Cluj in the last match to make sure. However that would seem to be a formality (famous last words!) and along with La Liga the Premier League will once again be the dominant force in the knock-out stages.

With the last four finals being contested by English sides the teams from the Premier League have become the ones to avoid and once again this season won’t be any different.

Whilst there have been a couple of impressive performances by the English sides, Arsenal’s 5-2 win in Fenerbache being the standout one, all four look like they will qualify at a canter. In truth only Chelsea have been really tested in qualifying for the next round, that mainly coming from their trip to Rome.

We have already seen Liverpool and Manchester United up against the other big force in the Champions League, the Spanish sides, and really in all four games the English sides should have taken all three points.

The only side capable of challenging the Premier Leagues dominance of Europe will be Barcelona. The Catalan giants have been in remarkable form this season, destroying all of those in front of them and if you are drawn against Pep Guardiola’s side in the knock-out stages then good luck!

Barcelona looked a shade of the side you might have expected when they took on Manchester United last season but with Lionel Messi leading the way the Premier League sides will be wary. Apart from Barca though there doesn’t look to be any series contenders to the English dominance.

Looking through Europe you still have the big names in the next round, such as Inter Milan, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Lyon but not even these sides look good enough to upset the football odds and claim Manchester United’s crown.

Despite all four sides leading their respective leagues, or being in second place, and having on paper the quality to challenge for the Champions League you just can’t see it happening. Inter and Juventus play in a league where the quality of football is dreadful amongst the sides outside of the top seven. Bayern Munich still have a good side on paper with Franck Ribery, Miroslav Klose and Bastien Schweinsteiger good enough to walk into any side. However they aren’t playing like a team, with disjointed performances being a hallmark of their season. As for Lyon they will probably walk the French league again but once again there resilience on Juninho means if he doesn’t play well they will crumble.

All four are good sides and there are more teams left in this seasons competition that you would group in that category but they aren’t great like United where last season. I don’t believe them to even be good enough to upset Chelsea (if they make it), Liverpool and Arsenal.

How the tide has turned from ten years ago when those English sides left in the competition would be wary of whoever they drew in the knock-out stages. Whoever the Premier League sides draw I would expect them to all go through to the quarter finals and I wouldn’t be surprised to see two or three sides make up the semi-finals as well with the winners once again coming from Premier League.

It has been 40 years since a side from outside the top flight of English football has won the League Cup, when Swindon beat Arsenal 3-1 way back in 1969. However the lose of Liverpool and Chelsea last night has opened the way for the clubs from the Championship to claim some major silverware.

Lower league clubs have been in the final in recent history with Birmingham the last one, pushing Liverpool all the way only to lose on penalties. The year before that Tranmere narrowly lost to Leicester. So this year could be the year that someone goes that step further and perhaps shows that despite being less prestigious than the FA Cup this competition can provide just as big an upset.

Looking through the sides left in the draw for the quarter finals the obvious favourites in the football betting will be Arsenal, Manchester United and current holders Tottenham. However if the draw throws two of those three together then we could easily see the likes of Burnley, Watford or Derby reach the semi-finals at least.

Burnley will certainly fancy their chances against anyone after their victory at Chelsea and with the Clarets flying high in the league they are the ones to avoid for the Premier League sides if they don’t want to become their next cup victims.

Despite my head telling me that the winners will come from either Spurs, Arsenal or Man Utd my heart is praying for it to be one of the Championship sides left in the competition. Whilst my head is telling me that one of those three sides will be lifting the trophy at Wembley in February it is far from impossible that we won’t be seeing Paul Connolly or Jay DeMerit taking that long walk up the steps to collect the three handled trophy.

With the big clubs failing to take this competition seriously due to European or relegation concerns then this, as we head for the quarter finals, is a major opportunity to create a piece of history.

Derby and Watford both have recent Premier League experience, albeit unsuccessful, and so will know what to expect if they draw a Premier League side. As for Burnley they have already knocked out Fulham and now Chelsea so whatever the football odds say I believe there is a chance, even if it is a small, for a Championship side to win the tournament.

Chances are that one will reach the semi-finals, Wycombe being the last side to do it although it was a 100-1 shot that they would make all the way, whilst Watford narrowly missed out in 2005 to Liverpool.

So lets hope the upsets continue for the neutral, obviously if your side is still left in the competition and isn’t in the Championship you won’t be hoping for the same thing. Everyone else will be hoping for a repeat of this years FA Cup, albeit a better game to watch than that dull affair!

After finishing rock bottom of the Premier League in 2007 the club found themselves back in the Championship. However the normally cash-strapped club were no longer in a position where they were afraid to check their bank balance. As many people know the Premier League now gives relegated sides a £30million parachute payment to cope with the drop in income. Now whilst some of that will go to cover the drop in television revenues and gate receipts Boothroyd saw precious little of the cash.

He spent just under £5million the season after they were relegated and made it into the play-offs, albeit tasting defeat at the hands of Hull in the semi-final. This season however the club have imposed a number of financial cutbacks on Boothroyd which has meant he had to sell the likes of Darius Henderson and Danny Shittu whilst being unable to bring anyone in permanently apart from Jon Harley on a free transfer which clearly has hampered their Championship odds.

Now whilst the parachute payments do stop at the end of this season and Watford are right to take precautions my question is where all the money has gone? The stadium redevelopment have stopped, combined with the lack of transfers into the club, would point to the fact the club have failed to invest the money there were given and made from selling the likes of Ashley Young and Marlon King very wisely.

Whilst Boothroyd record of 12 win in the last 50 league games is not a good one I would also like to know who the club believe they can get in to do a better job with the board unlikely to invest in the squad anytime soon. Boothroyd is a very good young manager who took Watford into the Premier League when there football odds made them more likely to be relegated.

The Watford chairman Graham Simpson has given the excuse that Boothroyd needs a break from management but I imagine that he only needs a break because of the treatment he has received at Watford. The Hornets board will regret their decision because Boothroyd is a good manager and with the right backing will do very well at which club who take him on.

After seeing his team well and truly played off the park Celtic manager Gordon Strachan honoured United as being the best side his Scottish champions had ever faced in Europe. That is some accolade when you consider that the Bhoys have played AC Milan and Barcelona in recent years. However are United still the best team in Europe and can they be the first team since AC Milan in 1989 and 1990 to successfully defend their crown?

It has to be said that at the half way point in the group stages that Man Utd’s Champions League odds are starting to look very good. After a slow start to their domestic and European seasons United are starting to click into gear. Historically the Red Devils are slow starters and despite a bore draw with Villarreal to start things off no one ever expected anything but maximum points from their next two matches.

Firstly Aalborg were brushed aside before the ‘Battle of Britain’ was made to look like more of a slaughter of Scotland. United were good on Tuesday night but perhaps should have had more than the three they got, especially as Celtic were dreadful. Strachan said after the game that he can’t fault his players for the effort they put in and you can’t, but all the effort in the world isn’t going to bridge the gap of class which was very much like the Grand Canyon.

The former United hero went on to say that he would make sure his side gave United a better game at Celtic Park in a few weeks but frankly I can’t see it being any closer than the game at Old Trafford. However beating two average sides and drawing against a decent one doesn’t scream Champions League winners.

There record so far matches the other three English teams taking part in this seasons competition, two wins and a draw. It is not like Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea have been fortunate to record such results either, all have enjoyed at least one comfortable victory over supposed top European opposition.

Despite the fact that we are only halfway through the group stages I think it would be a safe bet to say that this seasons winner will come from an English club. The only sides that have a realistic chance of stopping them are Real Madrid or Barcelona. So Strachan seemingly backing United to win the Champions League  is a smart move as he has a one in four chance of being right.

Whilst Man Utd and Chelsea are the favourites the Champions League betting places Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Barcelona ahead of Liverpool and Arsenal. Despite what that is saying I would have said that there is a good chance that all four English teams could make it through to the semi-finals as long as they don’t draw each other in the quarters. The state of European football isn’t what it use to be and the new power house is based in England so don’t expect to see the trophy end up anywhere but either back at Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge, Anfield or the Emirates.

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After another action packed weekend the sides in the Championship look like they are sorting themselves into the areas we can expect to find them in for the remainder of the season. Reading and Birmingham looking like they are going to bounce straight back whilst Doncaster and Notts Forest look destine to be involved in a relegation battle for the next 8 months.

However there are those that prove the rule that the Championship is the most unpredictable league with Plymouth currently occupying fourth whilst Watford and Crystal Palace are currently struggling near the bottom. However I don’t expect that to be the case come the end of the season, although following the relegation of Leicester and the promotion of Hull you can never say never.

Everyone knows that the Championship is unpredictable but it seems unlikely that we will have a season like the last with Hull and Bristol contesting the play-off final and Stoke going up. This season looks like it is going to go by the book though with Birmingham and Reading, who have managed to keep hold of their best players and use their parachute payments to their benefit, certainly looking like two of the best sides in the league.

Even Derby are starting to take steps in the right direction and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if they were up there come the end of the season. It seems then that the £30m the Premier League give to relegated clubs is starting to effect the Championship whilst newly promoted clubs, with the exception of Swansea, are struggling to make the step up. It seems then that if the Football League wanted the Championship to be more like the Premier League then they are succeeding.

Whilst it may now be easier to bet on the Championship parachute payments are in danger of taking the unpredictability of the league away, one of the elements which makes this league so watch able.

As for the future well normally I would say who knows what it will hold but this season things look a little more predictable. The only thing that will change the way this season is going is the January transfer window. QPR have plenty to spend whilst others may stick their hands in their pockets if they believe there is a chance for promotion or to save themselves from relegation. At the minute though the odds for the Championship look like they aren’t going to change until we find ourselves at the play-off final again.