Ray Wilkins- Worst... Commentator... Ever!

So how many of you watched the Real Madrid-Tottenham game on SkySports last night? Anyone else find the crazy statements made by Ray Wilkins as hilarious as I did?

Now Wilkins' stock has gone up this season after Chelsea fell to pieces after he was removed as Carlo Ancelotti's right hand man. Many believe the team fell of the rails because Wilkins was no longer in the dressing room, but personally I am of the opinion that the Chelsea team was not pulling in the same direction for other reasons.

Once Sky decided to terminate Andy Gray's contract (rightly or wrongly), it left quite a void to be filled. They have tried the boring and monosyllabic Alan Smith who talks about a 30 yard volley flying into the top corner in the same tone as a defender putting a long ball into touch.

Sam Allardyce and Glenn Hoddle have also been given a go, but the worst so far has been Ray Wilkins and his crazy ramblings during a game. Yesterday he had a few beatuies:

The constant referral to Tottenham as 'we'- not being funny with Wilkins here, but he is supposedly a Chelsea fan, a team that has an intense rivalry with Spurs. He claimed he was talking as an Englishman, but England weren't playing as far as I could tell (although the 4-0 drubbing may have had some confused into thinking it was England).

It began as an irritation, but really began to annoy me as the game went on.


'Stay on your feet'- Wilkins used this so much and so often that it was trending on Twitter last night!! I was really impressed with this advice, I could totally see what Chelsea have been missing all season(!)


'Not a handball for me'- According to the gospel that is Wilkins, Michael Dawson 'may' have raised his hands, but it wasn't a penalty... The pictures don't lie Ray.


His clear disappointment that Sergio Ramos was not booked and suspended for next week... 'the worst decision of the half'- what happened to the English fair play? I thought the English never asked for players to be booked? And to call it the worst decision of the half, take a look at the handball missed by the referee and tell me again with a straight face that this was the worst decision of the half.


'Tottenham had defended stoically in the second half'- yeah I agree Ray, they defended really well... So well in fact, that they conceded 3 more in the second half than they did in the first. And the absence of any marking on Adebayor for the 2nd goal was the perfect example of how to defend a corner.


'We can let them have corners all day'- not being funny here Ray, but Real scored their 2nd goal from a corner, so to come out with this at 4-0 down is perhaps a touch silly? Also see above.


'Tottenham deserve a goal for the way they have played all season'- now I will admit, I am a little 'old school' in thinking a performance deserves a goal when you have attacked and the keeper has made great saves or the woodwork has prevented a goal... I am less inclined to think a team deserves a goal because they have played half decent all season and performed terribly in the game in question.

Lucky for us Ray Wilkins is not the head of UEFA, else I imagine Barcelona would get a 5 goal headstart solely based on their previous performances and would win the Champions League every season!!


'Ronaldo is still playing at, what, 92 minutes... He couldn't have been that bad then'- Gareth Bale was still on at this time, yet was considered doubtful up until kick off... So why not say the same about him Ray, or are you just a touch bitter?


Usually the commentary on Sky is quite straight down the middle, with admiration for a solid team performance, whether by a European or English team... Not yesterday!!!

Ray Wilkins was ridiculously biased and by the end of the game I was worried he might be hyperventilating! The worst thing about his 'analysis' was the constant stream of bullshit coming out of his mouth.

Time for another change in the commentary booth Sky!!

Who will win the Premier League?

This is a follow up to the post last week trying to predict who will be relegated from the top flight in England this season. With a few days to go until the final furlong is run in the title race, I thought this would be the perfect time to finish the predictions and see if there is any value left in any markets.

Without further ado,

Manchester United, 63 points
West Ham United (A)- a tough fixture for United with injury worries, bad away form and playing against a team who are fighting for their lives. May have to settle for 1 point

Fulham (H)- I expect Mark Hughes to make life difficult for his former club, but United are too strong at Old Trafford, even with the Champions League games with Chelsea on either side of this game, 3 points

Newcastle (A)- again I worry about United's away form, but they do have a strong record at St James' Park and I expect a reaction from the FA Cup Semi Final with Manchester City regardless of the result, 3 points

Everton (H)- a really tough home fixture, but Everton are a little toothless up front so close home win, 3 points

Arsenal (A)- this game could come between a potential Champions League Semi Final, which may make it harder. United do have a good record in this part of London, 1 point

Chelsea (H)- Chelsea seem to have an edge over United in recent games, and could become only the 2nd team to pick up something from Old Trafford, 1 point

Blackburn (A)- a local derby that was the beginning of the end of United's title challenge last season when the game ended 0-0 here. United learn from their mistakes against a potentially relegated rival, 3 points

Blackpool (H)- I would take it now if someone said United have to win this game to win the title for a record 19th time. Entertaining 3 points

Manchester United = 81 points


Arsenal, 58 points
Blackburn (H)- the potential loss of Robin Van Persie will effect the side in the long term, but not for this game, 3 points

Blackpool (A)- much like Arsenal are made for Barcelona's style of football, Blackpool are made for Arsenal's,  3 points

Liverpool (H)- could be a tougher assignment for Arsenal than it may look at first glance, especially with Andy Carroll, Luiz Suarez and Steven Gerrard in the away line up and a surprise drop of 2 points,  1 point

Tottenham (A)- Spurs may only be playing for a top 4 berth by now, and have enough matchwinners to hurt Arsenal as proven in their last 2 League games against one another, 0 points

Bolton (A)- Bolton play good football under Owen Coyle, but the players may be thinking about a FA Cup Final by now, 3 points

Manchester United (H)- 1 point, see United

Stoke (A)- Tony Pulis has no love lost for Arsene Wenger and fires up his side to end the Gunners' title challenge, 1 point

Aston Villa (H)- Arsenal are far too good for a Villa side who have players looking forward to holidays and perhaps moves away from Villa Park in the Summer, 3 points

Fulham (A)- Fulham can make life difficult for any sides at home, and Arsenal have had a tough season, 1 point

Arsenal = 74 points


Chelsea, 54 points
Stoke (A)- Chelsea make a few changes to their line up with the game against Manchester United in mind, but still have enough to match the physicality of Stoke and pick up 3 points

Wigan (H)- Chelsea still have work to do at Old Trafford in the 2nd leg of the Champions League QF, but are too strong for Wigan, 3 points

West Brom (A)- the home side make things difficult, but Chelsea have momentum behind them and pick up yet another 3 points

Birmingham (H)- the home side start believing they can retain the title and grab another 3 points

West Ham (H)- it has to be another 3 points

Tottenham (H)- this game could come between a Semi Final meeting with Inter/Schalke in the Champions League, and Spurs cause a surprise, 1 point

Manchester United (A)- 1 point, see United

Newcastle (H)- Chelsea are too strong again, 3 points

Everton (A)- the title is gone, but Chelsea can still finish above Arsenal with a win. They get 1 point and look to West London rivals Fulham to help out. Now on to Wembley for the Champions League Final with Barcelona

Chelsea = 75 points


Manchester City, 53 points
Sunderland (H)- the two weeks International break helps bring some bodies back and the away side is struggling, 3 points

Liverpool (A)- Liverpool have outside chances of making it to the Champions League place with a win. Roberto Mancini sets his side out to be difficult to beat and grab 1 point

Blackburn (A)- North West Derby a week after the FA Cup Semi Final with United... Tough spot for City, 1 point

West Ham (H)- Carlos Tevez haunts his former club, 3 points

Everton (A)- the home side give City a lot of problems and take the win, 0 points

Tottenham (H)- same scenario as last season as City play NOT TO LOSE rather than win and this comes back to bite them, 0 points

Stoke (H)- Stoke have nothing left to play for, and could have just enjoyed the FA Cup Final, 3 points

Bolton (A)- Bolton's season is over but the home fans demand the best against their North West Rivals, 1 point

Manchester City = 65 points


Tottenham, 49 points
Wigan (A)- Spurs are looking ahead to the Real Madrid game on Tuesday and take their eyes of the ball, 1 point

Stoke (H)- its a difficult game, especially with the 2nd leg with Real Madrid to come on Wednesday at White Hart Lane, but Spurs do enough for 3 points

Arsenal (H), 3 points, see Arsenal

West Brom (H)- the Baggies concede too many goals and are punished here, 3 points

Chelsea (A)- 1 point, see Chelsea

Blackpool (H)- Spurs dont miss the chances they did at Bloomfield Road, 3 points

Manchester City (A)- 3 points, see City

Liverpool (A)- Spurs put in so much effort at City, but cant repeat the trick here as the players are feeling a little tired, 0 points

Birmingham (H)- a week off to refresh, and one final push to try and grab a Champions League spot, 3 points

Tottenham = 69 points


Liverpool, 45 points
West Brom (A)- the surprise return of Steven Gerrard and the lively front two of Luiz Suarez and Andy Carroll  lead to 3 points

Manchester City (H)- 1 point, see City

Arsenal (A)- 1 point, see Arsenal

Birmingham (H)- the Reds have too much in front of the Kop, 3 points

Newcastle (H)- Andy Carroll sends his former club closer to the trapdoor, 3 points

Fulham (A)- Fulham are still fighting for their lives and have enough to take 1 point

Tottenham (H)- 3 points, see Tottenham

Aston Villa (A)- Villa are safe and not focused, Kenny Dalglish just wants his side to give the owners something to think about when they discuss money on his permanent contract, 3 points

Liverpool = 63 points


I would be over the moon if this was to happen as it would mean my beloved Manchester United would be Champions for a record 19th time, while the likes of City and Liverpool remained out of the Champions League.

Don't get me wrong, I genuinely picked the results independently without adding up to make sure City and Liverpool failed and United won the title. I dont have a crystal ball so could be way off, and I have not factored in injuries that could hurt teams (Rooney out for the season, Bale/Van der Vaart, Van Persie, etc).

However, the only pick I will make from this is 1 Unit on Tottenham to finish in the top 4.

Tottenham Hotspur to finish in top 4 @ 3.75 Bet365 (1 Unit)


Let us all hope for an exciting 7 weeks to end this topsy-turvy season!

European Champions League Recap March 8th-9th

Barcelona 3-1 Arsenal (4-3 aggregate)
It was an interesting game at the Nou Camp where Barcelona dominated possession and Arsenal failed to muster a shot on goal (even though they did manage to get on the scoresheet). The fallout from the game was all about the crazy sending off of Robin Van Persie for kicking the ball away 1 second after the referee had whistled the play dead from over 40 yards away.

Obviously Arsene Wenger, Van Persie himself, and many of the Arsenal team were upset at the referee's decison following the game, with Wenger and Samir Nasri being asked to contest a UEFA charge. The ending of the game was very similar to Didier Drogba's response to the Chelsea defeat in the Semi Final to the Catalan club 2 seasons ago, and I just wonder what kind of action will be taken on the Arsenal personnel involved.

In real terms, the sending off did change the game- I have heard people showing off the statistics and domination of Barcelona in the game, but the bottom line is the game was poised at 1-1 when the decision was made and Arsenal were leading on aggregate. Would Arsenal have definitely gone through as Arsene Wenger suggested after the game? I dont think I would go even close to that far, but who can definitely say now.

Most disappointing was the reaction of Graeme Souness in his role as pundit- now I believe he is one of the better pundit's in the game, but he has been slightly strange in reactions recently, most obviously with his disparaging remarks about Gennaro Gattuso in the Milan-Spurs game at the San Siro.

Souness went as far as to suggest the sending off did NOT change the game in any way, shape or form, and then almost accepted the decision because the better team went through!! Wow, that is some analysis.

I bet Souness was spewing with anger when Barcelona, a team he describes as the best he has ever seen, just failed to beat Inter Milan in last season's Semi Final. Souness must have been extremely happy with Sergei Busquets reaction in getting Thiago Motta sent off, feigning injury and peeping through his hands to make sure the referee was sending off the Brazilian, and must have hoped they could have got a couple more players in trouble with that kind of play.

Now I am not suggesting that the Van Persie incident was the same as the cheating to get Motta sent off last season, BUT at what stage do the ends justify the means? If Souness thinks the sending off didnt matter this time because the best team ultimately got through, he cant surely have any issues with Barcelona 'fooling' referees into giving them an advantage if it ultimately leads to the Catalans winning?

I just expected better from a man who has been involved in this game for a lot longer than I have!!


Ironic Moment of the Week: Now I love finding these little moments of irony in a week of football. I cant promise one every week, but I did find the comments Barcelona made about Arsenal particularly ironic as the quotes could have been picked up from any number of Arsenal games when they play lesser British clubs.

Pep Guardiola implied there was a lot of bitterness in the Arsenal reaction to the loss claiming the Gunners could not string 3 passes together.

Xavi was disappointed with the tactics Arsenal employed, claiming they should play 'the beautiful game' and not defensive way they set up to play- I am sure Arsenal have used this many times when English teams defend well and prevent Arsenal playing.


It is always funny seeing a bully get their noses tweaked by the bigger kids in the yard, and this was one of those moments!! I wonder how many Arsenal fans enjoyed being patronised about their style of football, something they do many times when it comes to the likes of Stoke and Blackburn.


Are Barcelona the best of all time? Listening to the pundits reach levels of giddy-ness normally reserved for the best of Brazilian National teams, you could be forgiven for thinking this is a slam dunk answer- YES...

I dont agree- I truly feel the blueprint for beating this team has been set out in the last few seasons by the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Inter Milan, all teams that have had success in knocking Barcelona out in 2 legged ties in the Champions League since 2007. Even Chelsea in 2009 had Barcelona all but out, sufficing to a 90th minute goal from Andres Iniesta amongst controversial refereeing.

The teams I have mentioned all have 1 thing in common- they defend very well and with discipline. All make sure the middle of the park is clogged up enough to force Barcelona to use their full backs in wide positions. None of these teams fear Barcelona crossing balls into the box, all with size advantage over one of the smallest teams in Europe.

All teams can also attack on the counter with vigour to test a Barcelona team with some vulnerabilities at the back. The final thing all these teams have in common is the belief that they can survive without the ball for much of the game, and prove their effectiveness in the limited moments they do have it.

This leads me to my simple conclusion- I dont think this Barcelona team would have been able to match up with the dominating Milan team in the late 80s and early 90s... That Milan team was one of the best defensive teams of all time, yet they had the flair and creativity to score goals at will. Just take a video of what they did to the Barcelona 'Dream Team' of 1994 in the final of the Champions League, a game where Milan were the underdogs.

I truly believe those Milan teams would have beaten this Barcelona team in 7 out of 10 games, because they have the tactics that would cause the Catalans fits... Barcelona may play some of the prettiest football seen in a long time, but best team ever? Not until they prove on a consistent basis that the tactics employed by United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Inter are tactics they can find the solutions to.


Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0 AS Roma (6-2 aggregate)
I actually tipped Shakhtar to come through this tie as the underdogs because I dont believe the Italians are the same team they have been over the last few seasons, while Shakhtar have been improving.

Shakhtar have now won every home game this season, and I dont think anyone will want to draw them simply because of the travel time involved for the game in Ukraine. They have a great blend of steel and Brazilian flair and are a dangerous team, although that 5-1 loss at the Emirates Stadium to Arsenal will be a concern.

This could be a potentially tough tie for anyone.


Tottenham 0-0 AC Milan (1-0 aggregate)
Harry Redknapp becomes the first English Manager to reach the last 8 of the European Champions League in any of its forms since Terry Venables at his time with Barcelona. Spurs had to ride their luck a little in this game to come through with Milan playing with a different intensity and class from the first leg.

Tottenham are another side that are potentially dangerous on their day, although I think they will need a really nice draw if they are to reach the Final this season. Coupling this competition with the pressure of trying to reach the top 4 in England may also be too much, although they have returning Gareth Bale and Rafael Van der Vaart to boost their attacking potential.

However, their defence still concerns me, even with 2 clean sheets against Milan, and I just feel this will let them down at some point.


Schalke 3-1 Valencia (4-2 aggregate)
Schalke completed the sweep for the Group winners in this last 16 tie as they fought from a 0-1 deficit to go through with a bit to spare. The Germans are very inconsistent in their play, but have to be respected after topping a group containing Lyon, Benfica and Hapoel Tel-Aviv, and this win over Valencia boosts their credibility further.

They have a keen goalkeeper in Manuel Neuer, and with players like Raul and Jefferson Farfan, they are sure to be dangerous going the other way.

However, I do think they are one of the teams that the 'bigger', more established European names will be looking at as a potential Quarter Final draw and I would be surprised if they were to reach much further after an impressive campaign so far.