The Pieman's Blog for Monday, 12 January

The Champions Manchester United will retain their Premier League title. The Pieman has been telling everyone who has been listening since the start of the season. And come on, fair play mate, the Pieman has never wavered. I never got on this Chelsea bandwagon like the London based media. I have had my doubts about Luiz Felipe Scolari. Not about his achievements as a World Cup winner, although I would fancy my chances of managing Brazil.

No, I worried about his lack of managing any European, let alone British CLUB. I worried about his lack of English and now I worry about all the noises coming along the grapevine about what is going on. The owner Roman Abramovich stays away and was missing from Chelsea's worst defeat since the mess in Monaco five years ago. Big players are chasing and looking like shadows and even their great goalie Petr Cech doesn’t look so invincible. Their away record to be fair has been good up to Old Trafford but their home record has been very disappointing. Chelsea will not win the title this season.

Liverpool have it all to do. Rafa Benitez had this prepared attack on Sir Alex Ferguson waiting to erupt. Fergie, he said, intimitated referees and got away with it unpunished etc. Rafa was I thought out of character with time and the timing was bad, Stoke held Liverpool to a nil-nil draw (same scoreline as at Anfield earlier this season!) and now if United win their two games in hand the Champions will be back on top. Fergie's reply off the pitch: Benitez is angry and letting it out! Listen to the Pieman, folks: Fergie is the master of the mind-games. He has been at it a long time and he has won so many trophies including lots of Premier League titles that he’s in a position of strength.

Meanwhile United definitely have the best squad. They will be surprised, though, at how many points their rivals squandered while United were absent in Japan winning the World Club Championship. United have so many wonderful players throught the team and on the bench and Sir Alex has been developing more classy youngsters than his opponents.

And a quick mention of Aston Villa who continue to win matches based on the counter tack with the fantastic speed of Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor. They have used less players in their first team than the other top teams but they do have a smaller squad in terms of quality among the leading clubs. Their shrewd manager Martin O'Neill has Randy Lerner's money to spend and he will want a top striker such as Emile Heskey. What has happened to John Carew, fined for overstaying a visit to a lap-dancing club and off with a back injury? The venue was the Rocket Club. The Pieman, like Carew, has only been in the bar area! Villa's problem this season would be to lose key players like the two mentioned and the classy Gareth Barry.

Arsenal can't score many at present but they are still fifth and within striking distance (well, one win) of Villa and that fourth European Champions League spot come the end of this season.
Certainly they are healthier than their great North London rival Spurs who despite “Harry Houdini” Harry Redknapp taking them off the bottom are still in the relegation zone because they keep conceding late goals from set-pieces. Everyone tells the Pieman they will finish in the top half. I don't think so.

A volley for Fulham and Portsmouth. Their home matches were called off on Saturday because of frozen pitches. Madness. These Premier League clubs receive millions and yet these two have not got under-soil heating. Disgraceful. At the very least they could have afforded a thousand hot pukka pies to melt the ice!

Great to see David Beckham make his debut for AC Milan against Roma. At 33, Golden Balls has still got it. He has played for three huge clubs now including the biggest Manchester United and Real Madrid. When he joined LA Galaxy everyone wrote him off for England because the MSL in USA is considered mickey mouse by the rest of the football world! Now he is loaned to AC Milan I hope the England manager Fabio sees Becks play well and puts him in the England squad. Fair play David mate, you are still a star!

Finally......the things they say:
"There hasn't been a lot of quality but it's been a high quality game." STEVE CLARIDGE
"It was as clear as night is day." Commentator ALAN GREEN
"I'll bet there are eight teams in the last sixteen who won't win the competition." ANDY GRAY
"It sounds, in many people's eyes, silly." GRAHAM TAYLOR
"You can't change a team overnight in a couple of days.” MARTIN O'NEILL

"Berbatov can see things with the outside of his foot." ALVIN MARTIN
"I'm getting beyond the future now." SIR ALEX FERGUSON
"Steven Gerrard makes runs into the box better than anyone, so does Frank Lampard." JAMIE REDKNAPP
"There will be more football later but first highlights of the Scottish League Cup final." GARY NEWBON

......There will be more next week folks. Listen to my new radio show - The Pieman and his mate Tom - on this website now. There is a barney or two! Never mind Sir Alex and Rafa, you wouldn't think the Pieman and Tom were really mates!