Monday, December 22, 2008

The Pieman's Blog for 22 December


Happy Christmas everyone. Get plenty of pie and football down you!

Big Sam Allardyce started celebrating early! He takes the Blackburn job after Paul Ince got the tin tack. Rovers had gone 11 games without a win. Wham, bam, thank you Sam as they smash Stoke City with three first half goals... Meanwhile oil rich, cash rich Manchester City are in a bit of bother. The new Arab owner, one of the world's most seriously wedged up men, will not be happy that City are in the bottom three and lost at the bottom club West Bromwich Albion who had not won since October.
City were awful and played like a crusty stale pie, urgh! I cannot think of anything worse... so let’s hope Mark Hughes can get some Pukka Pies type signings in and change the results. He will need to if he wants to keep the manager's job. I rate Hughes but the game is about results. The latest manager to lose his job by the way is Gary McAllister after Leeds lost their fifth successive match at the weekend. He had been in the job 11 months. McAllister will be 44 on Christmas Day. Leeds chairman Ken Bates looks like Father Christmas but the only card in his sack was Gary's P45! In fairness, Leeds are 15 points behind the League One leaders Leicester and five points outside the play-off positions............

One serious candidate for the Sunderland job is caretaker boss Rick Spragia . He has been in charge for three matches since Roy Keane quit. Sunderland had an honourable 1 nil defeat before enjoying successive four goal victories - the latest being 4-1 at Hull.... The Pieman says fair play mate! Give Ricky the job until the end of this season and then access it.
Joe Kinnear has lifted Newcastle to 12th spot. Joe has got the manager's job until the end of the season. Maybe longer if owner Mike Ashley does not find a seller. Joe has done an excellent job but I doubt if he holds onto Michael Owen for longer than the summer.......

Arsene Wenger went Christmas crackers after top referee Howard Webb sent off the Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor for two yellows in the 1-1 draw with leaders Liverpool. I thought, watching Sky Sports, that the first caution was correct; the second not so. The first called by the linesman Darren Cann (involved in the same player's red card in the 2007 Carling Cup final), the second by Webb who does not have slow-motion replay and gave what he saw. Arsenal played better after being down to 10 men. Liverpool were too cautious, and manager Rafa Benitez (issuing mobile phone orders to his staff from his homeside sofa as he recovers from a kidney stones operation) had goalscorer and biggest threat Robbie Keane substituted in the 82nd minute. Staggering against 10 men. From Arsenal's point of view a decent, battling point in the circumstances but the injury to their skipper and midfield star Cese Fabregas is a big blow for the next three weeks. Arsenal, without a trophy for three years, will not win the Premier League this season while Liverpool are drawing too many matches.

The dark horses are Aston Villa. The Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson tipped Martin O'Neill’s team as the only club likely to break into the top four other than the normal Big Four. They are now 3rd after winning at West Ham. They host Arsenal on Boxing Day and are a real threat to the Gunners for the 4th spot. Villa have some great young players, regularly praised in this blog, but what's happening in the striking department. O'Neill has the money backing from American billionaire owner Randy Lerner to spend next month and he will.

Meanwhile Manchester United, double champions in the Premier League and the European Champions League, have added the World Club championship. Now they are back in the UK to try and make up points with their two games in hand over the others. Most good judges are convinced that the Premier League title in May will go to either Chelsea or Manchester United. I believe that United's attacking strength will edge it for them. Didier Drogba is terrific and Nicholas Anelka is the League's top scorer. But after that and allowing for injuries….? Frank Lampard and Joe Cole are class. But United's Wayne Rooney, Christiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez, Dimitar Berbatov and Ryan Giggs plus the likes of Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher, Paul Scholes,Anderson, Nani and so on.....The Reds to pip the Blues........

Have a wonderful Christmas. I wish you everything you wish your team.
My next blog will be next Tuesday after the Xmas football.
Fair play mate is the name of the game!

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