Premier League Preview

The most controversial scribings since the Satanic Verses sees the return of my Premier League predictions for the season. Heavily criticised this time last year for predicting Manchester United would win the title with a little help from Javier Hernandez, my crystal ball still seems to be in fine working order...

The bottom half of the table is certainly much tougher to predict than the top half with 8 or 9 clubs what I would describe as relegation candidates.

20th Swansea

A swift return from whence they came for the Swans but not without some entertainment en route. Brendan Rogers will win many friends but not enough points.

19th Queens Park Rangers

A lack of summer investment and continued uncertainty surrounding Neil Warnock will mean it is going to be a long, and tough, season ahead for last season's Championship winners.


18th Blackburn Rovers

Rondaldinho and Kaka have yet to appear at Ewood Park, and even if they do show up they won't be able to prevent Rovers' exit from the Premier League as the Venky's will end up looking like turkeys for employing Steve Kean, who might well be the first managerial casualty of the new season. Come back Big Sam, all is forgiven?

17th Norwich City


Tempting to add the Canaries to a triumvirite of promoted teams returning to the Championship but I believe in the star quality of the manager. He has resisted the temptation to bring in players with Premier League experience and gone with the policy that has seen him gain promotion in two consecutive seasons - acquiring young, hungry players.


16th Newcastle United


A club that continues to be undermined by off the field troubles will just avoid the drop, mainly due to the astute acquisition of Demba Ba from West Ham United. He should be able to provide the goals to stave of the threat of relegation but whether he will keep his manager in a job is another question, though the strange decision to award a five year contract may mean Alan Pardew remains.


15th Wigan Athletic


Two reasons for thinking Wigan will avoid the troubles of last season: Hugo Rodallega and Roberto Martinez. The Spanish manager and his side really seemed to turn a corner towards the end of last season and I anticipate that form continuing into this season, though an opening day defeat to relegation rivals Norwich could alter things somewhat. Mind you, they lost 4-0 at home to Blackpool on the opening day last season and still survived.



14th Wolverhampton Wanderers


Roger Johnson's arrival should help cure their main problem last season of conceding soft goals. If they could add better form against the teams around them to their fine displays against the top six, they might just end up in the top half. It is more likely they will be embroiled in a relegation fight once more, but this time they might just secure their top flight status with a week or two to spare.


13th Bolton Wanderers

A couple of weeks ago they would have been top half certainties but an injury to the South Korean Lee Chung-Yong ruling him out for the season, aligned with Stuart Holden's prolonged absence, means Owen Coyle's side might just find it tough going this season. Keeping Gary Cahill should mean they'll be fine, though.


12th Fulham


May find their Europa League exploits prove to be a hinderance but Martin Jol will still continue the tradition of Fulham being a mid-table Premier League side. No signings but no sales either is not such a bad a summer for the Cottagers.


11th West Bromwich Albion


Since taking over at the beginning of the year, the job Roy Hodgson's done has been nothing short of miraculous. Ben Foster will be an improvement on Scott Carson between the sticks and with Shane Long and Peter Odemwingie up front goals will not be hard to come by.



10th Stoke City


The Potters continue to impress with their activity in the transfer market, with mooted moves for Peter Crouch and Wilson Palacios a sign of their intentions. If they can keep Jonathan Woodgate fit, and their wingers Jermaine Pennant and Matthew Etherington, they might just pick up a trophy.


9th Aston Villa


Severely under-performed last season with Gerard Houllier at the helm when they were relegation contenders for long periods, the Villains should be pushing for a European spot this season with the talent at their disposal. Ashley Young, Stewart Downing and Brad Friedel will be missed but Charles N'Zogbia and Shay Given aren't bad replacements. New boss Alex McLeish desperately needs to get off to a good start, though, to dispell the doubters who will no doubt be on his back at the first available opportunity.


8th Sunderland


No less than ten arrivals this summer should mean an improvement on last season's tenths place, despite the loss of Jordan Henderson. Lee Dixon has tipped them as his dark horses for the season. Will also be on the hunt for a trophy to rub salt into the wounds of their bitter rivals Newcastle.


7th Everton


Coleman, Cahill, Jagielka, Fellaini, Arteta, Rodwell, Distin, Phil Neville, Baines. These are players that would get into most Premier League teams. Sadly it all goes wrong once you get to the top end of the pitch - Beckford, Yakubu, Anichebe would struggle to get into Championship teams. Louis Saha is the exception but he is rarely fit. Last year's top score was midfielder Tim Cahill with nine goals. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out where they need to improve.


6th Tottenham Hotspur


If Luka Modric stays Spurs might just be pushing for a Champions League spot come next May but you suspect a striker will need to be added to the ranks for that to happen. However, given Harry's penchant for whealing and dealing you wouldn't rule out a deadline day capture in this area.


5th Liverpool


Many are predicting a return to the top four for Liverpool but it might just take a time for the new guys to settle in. In addition, the continued absence of Steven Gerrard and the decline of Jamie Carragher look set to undermine the brilliance of Luis Suarez.


4th Arsenal


Despite the doom mongers saying this is the end for Arsene Wenger and his team I still expect a top four finish, as well as a good run in the Champions League this season. A midfielder and a centre half are still required but there are still three weeks left of the transfer window. They need to keep Gibbs, Vermaalen and Van Persie fit but if they do things might be even better than I'm predicting and that elusive wait for a trophy just might come to an end.


3rd Chelsea


Really difficult one to call. They could be as high as first, or as low as fifth. So I went for in the middle. They might just pip Man City for second if they can secure Luka Modric's signature. A Champions League Final appearance cannot be ruled out either but they need an answer to the Fernando Torres conundrum and they need it fast.



2nd Manchester City


Despite an underwhelming performance in last weekend's Community Shield they should finish in the top two and make the last eight of the Champions League. Aguero will turn out to be one of the League's star performers but it might take him a few weeks to find his feet. By which time Manchester United might just be beyond reach.


1st Manchester United

Phil Jones and Ashley Young will no doubt improve an already impressive squad but doubts remain around the new goalkeeper, David De Gea, and a failure to replace Paul Scholes. A 20th title still looks likely, though, as their rivals have shown few signs they are capable of bridging the gap. Further disappointment in the Champions League is likely where they can expect a semi-final appearance at best.

"The best day of my life" Djokovic proclaims upon winning Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic won Wimbledon for the first time in a four set thriller against Rafael Nadal.

After a few wobbles the Serbian closed the match out 6-4 6-1 1-6 6-3 to be the first man to beat Nadal at SW19 since 2007.

He didn't have it all is own way, though, in a match that had more swings than the local park. But he never expected it to be against one of the best players of all time. Few can doubt, however, that his victory was well deserved and Nadal acknowledged as much afterwards.

All the talk beforehand was whether Djokovic was a rightful world number one, particularly if, as was likely, he would lose to Nadal, whom the Serb was usurping at the top of the rankings.
The first nine games went with serve as both players demonstrated their awesome power and the set was heading inexorably towards a tie-break. But then Djokovic broke in the blink of an eye.

What followed was some of the best tennis of the Serbian's career as his forehand winners left the Spaniard dumfounded. He broke his opponent twice en route to winning the second set 6-1 and there seemed no way back for the outgoing world number one. Djokovic won an impressive eight games out of nine and there was something irrepressible about the way he was playing.

On top of that, Nadal didn't seem to be at his best. At one stage he had won just 20% of his second serves and was committing the kind of unforced errors we normally associate with his opponents.

However, Nadal didn't get to where he is today by giving in easily and he fought back in only the way he can. He was ably assisted by mistakes from Djokovic as the number two seed seemed to tense up with the finishing line in sight.

Nadal started to give out the kind of treatment he was receiving in the previous set as he crushed his opponent 6-1 to take the match into a fourth set. Djokovic chose the worst time to make his first double fault of the match as he faced break point and seemed to be relieved the when the set came to an end.

The crowd were now really getting behind the man from Mallorca as they were desperate for a deciding set. Nadal could see history beckoning as no man in the modern era has recovered from two sets down in a Wimbledon final.

Djokovic, though, had other ideas and broke his opponent early in the fourth set. He seemed set for his third grand slam victory.

However, once again he let it slip as Nadal responded immediately with a break of his own, albeit ably assisted by a net cord when a backhand return had the temerity to hit the net before trickling over to Djokovic's disbelief. The fortune and form were now firmly in the double Wimbledon champion's court.

Just as a fifth set seemed likely, back came Djokovic. Nadal opened with a double fault in the eighth game and was down 0-40 before he knew it. Nadal won the next point but not even he could get out of jail this time.

Serving for the match the audience began to wonder if Djokovic could hold his serve, as well as his nerve, one more time and he didn't disappoint.

Upon winning, he said: "This is the best day of my life and the best game I have ever played on grass." And now he's the new world number one. "This has certainly been a good day at the office."

The game may not have had the consistent quality of the 2007 and 2008 finals between Roger Federer and Nadal but there is a feeling that we are beginning to see the start of a new rivalry at the top of men's tennis. At the moment the advantage is clearly with Djokovic in that tug-of war.

Federer v Nadal. Game, set, match?

The dust has long since settled and Switzerland's Roger Federer has achieved an unprecedented 16 Grand Slam titles, overtaking Pete Sampras' previous best of 14. The Swiss also holds the record for most consecutive weeks as the world's number one, 237. With all this in mind, surely he is the greatest of all time?

Ace: But Nadal has the Indian sign over Federer

Federer can also lay claim to the fact that he has won all four of the Grand Slams, something only six others have done in the history of the game.

While there are several reasons to suggest he is the greatest, there is one over-riding argument against it - Rafael Nadal is better. Until he overcomes Nadal, which now appears unlikely as Federer enters the autumn of his career, doubts will persist as to his true claim to be the best ever.

For a start, the Spaniard is one of the six who has won each of the slams on offer.

And Despite Federer’s record-breaking period as world number one, the rankings can frequently giving a false reading. Much depends on fitness as, when injured, a player accrues no points, whereas even the less talented players can gain points just by playing and winning the occasional match. This contributes towards the quirks regularly on offer in the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) rankings. Take note of the Williams sisters’ bizarre rankings of 17 and 29, respectively, in the women's latest list.

It is highly unlikely we would even be talking about Federer's feats had Nadal stayed fit throughout Federer’s period of domination. Mallorca-born Nadal would undoubtedly have won last year’s French Open, something he had done for the previous four years (beating Federer en route to victory on each occasion), but for a knee injury curtailing his progress early on in the tournament. Admittedly, Federer was there to pick up the pieces to win at Roland Garros for the first time, but he has never even come close to defeating Nadal on clay, with the exception of a fortuitous win in Hamburg two years ago.

When we look at the last three years at Wimbledon, a pattern becomes clear. Remember, grass is Federer's strongest surface and therefore the courts of SW19 are ideally suited to the man from Basel.

In 2007 he came through to win the title against Nadal in somewhat fortunate circumstances. Rafa was on top until a knee injury prevented him from performing at his best for the final dozen or so games and Federer managed to take full advantage of his opponent’s disability.

In 2008 Nadal not only outplayed his opponent by putting in the performance of his life, but displayed arguably the greatest tennis performance in the history of the game to beat Federer in that memorable final.

And then to 2009, Federer had been on the wane for the previous 12 months with his record against Nadal deteriorating further still. Their current head to head in Grand Slams stands at 9-6 in the Spaniard's favour, with Nadal winning five of the last six meetings. But those statistics are put into greater perspective when you look at their head to head in Grand Slams, where Nadal leads 5-2, winning the last three in a row.

So it is difficult to imagine Federer winning another grand slam with a fully fit Nadal in opposition.

Even though Federer won Wimbledon in 2009, Nadal’s absence was without doubt the biggest contributing factor.

The competition contained some exciting matches that enthralled the crowd as much any other Wimbledon in previous years but the overall quality was probably at its lowest since 2003. Can you really imagine Andy Roddick pushing Nadal to five sets and to 14 all in the final set? The American has never come close to winning Wimbledon before or since.

Can you really imagine a fully fit Nadal only breaking the American's serve once in nearly 40 games as Federer managed in that final two years ago?

This is not to say that Federer cannot do something about it. Should he dispel the myth that Nadal has the Indian sign over him by actually beating him in a fair contest in the future, and perhaps improve his record against him, then he could definitely be regarded, unequivocally, as the greatest.

It is just that it appears extremely unlikely that he will do that.

Nadal's career, when his knees have been strong enough, has been on an upward curve (at least until the beginning of this year when Djokovic came to the fore) whilst Federer's has been in decline for about three years. And unless he can rediscover that forehand that used to be so deadly, the 16 times grand slam winner will almost certainly never win another major again.

The Guardian’s tennis journalist, Kevin Mitchell, is in no doubt where the big two’s career’s are heading. He said: “At this point in their careers, Nadal (is ahead). He is five years younger, owns
three of the Slams and still getting to finals. Federer has not won a slam since Australia 2010, although he still goes deep into nearly every tournament. I think he will retire after the Olympics.”

Much in the future, of course, depends on Nadal's long-term fitness. When asked if Nadal could eventually overtake Federer’s Grand Slam record of 16, Mitchell said: “He can if his knees hold out.”

The problem for Federer now is that Djokovic has at last found some consistency, squeezing the former world number one down to third in the latest ATP rankings.

Whichever way you look at it, any claims that Federer's is the best of all time will always be overshadowed by Nadal because how can the world's greatest ever player be dominated to such a degree by his ultimate rival?

Could Schumacher be regarded as the best if he was consistently beaten by Mika Hakkinen or Jacques Villeneuve?

Would Mohammed Ali be so revered if George Foreman or Sonny Liston had frequently demonstrated they were better than him?

The answer to all of the above is of course not.

Don't cry for Serena Williams

Following today's fourth round defeat at the hands of Marion Bartoli, the blog says good riddance to the American. Here are three unsavoury moments in the career of Ms Williams.

Under exposed: Serena Williams felt she didn't get enough exposure at this year's Wimbledon

 1. At the 2009 US Open she was on the verge of defeat to returnee Kim Clijsters. She foot-faulted and then shouted towards the line judge: ""I swear to God I'm fucking going to take this fucking ball and shove it down your fucking throat, you hear that? I swear to God." Williams, who was already on a warning for an earlier indiscretion, lost the point and, as a result, the match. A farcical way for her opponent to announce her return to the sport after a two year lay off with a US Open final appearance.
See it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-VxYvfwVas&feature=related

2. Former Wimbledon champion Michael Stich accused her of feigning injury to help unsettle her opponent at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships. Her miraculous recovery prompted Stich to say: "You're either injured or you're not. I'm not sure what I saw last night." Little wonder the German made these comments following Williams' inability to walk due to injury followed by some incredible movement around the court from the apparently disabled Serena.


3. At this year's Wimbledon she complained about being stuck out on Court Number two. Williams said: "They like to put us on Court 2, me and Venus, for whatever reason," Williams said after beating Simona Halep of Romania, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. "I haven’t figured it out yet. Maybe one day we’ll figure it out." Many dream of playing at Wimbledon but for Serena and her ego it is not enough. She needs to be the centre of attention at all times. Ah, de dums!

Czech Republic U21s 2 England U21s 1

Distraught: England captain Phil Jones trudges off as the Czech Republic celebrate

England crashed out of these championships in agonising fashion following the concession of two late goals that ensured the Czech Republic progress to a semi-final date with Switzerland on Wednesday evening and the Three Lions head home.

England took the lead through a fine headed goal from Danny Welbeck in the 76th minute, scoring his second of these championships, and the Three Lions looked set to go through at the expense of their opponents.

However, England were undone when Jan Chramosta prodded home on the edge of the six-yard box to equalize for the Czechs in the 89th minute.

Tomáš Pekhart sealed England's fate with a simple tap in following a counter-attacking move after Stuart Pearce's men had piled forward, leaving them exposed at the back.

Pearce, who has been surprisingly awarded a two year extension to his contract, said: "We probably felt we played better in this game than we did in the previous two games. Once you get your noses in front you hope to see it out but we were not dogged enough. Credit to the Czechs, they've shown great quality."

Although Pearce had a point, they did play much better in this match than the two matches that preceded it, England did not do enough throughout this tournament to be worthy semi-finalists, scoring just two goals in three matches.

Some positives can be taken, not least the form of Jones and Smalling at the back who seem to have built up a decent understanding and could be the central defensive partnership for many years to come, both at club and international level.

But this tournament will be littered with disappointment. New Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson looked out of his depth. Living up to the billing that Harry Redknapp gave him with his thinly veiled comment last week of "some footballers are going for 20 million quid who are not fit to lace Luka Modric's boots".

And Pearce himself didn't look entirely comfortable as he sought to fix England's on field problems, even receiving some words of advice from Fabio Capello following last week's draw with Spain. Tactically he was caught out and relieving Michael Mancienne of first team duties for the last game was too little, too late.