It’s February, but we aren’t finished yet.
After a horrendous summer for our nation in which we witnessed one of England’s worst World Cup showings in recent history, the Premier League and all of its following trophies couldn’t come fast enough for most fans, who were desperate to get back to cheering on their teams for fear of breaking down amidst the horror show which was Fabio Capello’s wounded army. Were we too old? Did we lack a structured formation? Were we just not inspired? All of these questions were thrown various answers but from the middle of August to late February, not many people have spoken about them, because the Premier League, FA Cup, Carling Cup and UEFA Champions League have been creating their own enthralling questions and answers. The best league is back and boy its been something special to date. Managerial failures and sackings, magnificent goals, awe – inspiring performances and controversial actions have all produced a most memorable season thus far.
Martin O’Neill, who in the past three years had taken Villa from a mediocre team to a side challenging for a Champions League spot, was getting overly frustrated in pre – season over the James Milner saga but also with his chairman’s goals regarding transfers which weren’t meeting his own. He was informed that Aston Villa didn’t have sufficient funds, and were in the mean time a selling club who couldn’t go and swoop for some of the ambitious targets Martin knew were a necessity in order to reach higher levels; instead, he was losing a battle to keep his star players like Milner, a year after Gareth Barry had run off to Manchester and the odd million or two. In a surprisingly rash decision, O’Neill resigned and Villa’s reserve boss Kevin McDonald was left to take charge for the first few matches before Frenchman Gerrard Houllier was appointed, who by the way, is still in his position of manager but also his position of unpopularity, thanks to Villa sitting worryingly in 15th place after 26 games played. 
Roy Hodgson’s love affair with Liverpool didn’t last long. After mixed emotions were emitted from the Red’s fans, it wasn’t surprising that when Hodgson’s Liverpool found themselves in the bottom three and then the bottom half for the first few weeks of the season, the fans started to believe that maybe this wasn’t the man they needed, or wanted for that matter. Chants of ‘Dalglish!’ could be heard from the Kop every other weekend, apart from when Liverpool, the former top four regulars, lost to Northampton and Wolves at home, which replaced ‘Dalglish’ with drawn out boos. The final straw for Hodgson was away at Blackburn on the 5th of January, his side losing 3-1 in a wretched performance, and in came the one and only King Kenny. Dalglish’s return has sparked the whole of Red Nation, in particularly Argentinian Raul Meireles, who has scored five goals under Kenny. He sold Fernando Torres to rivals Chelsea for a hefty sum of £50million when El Nino handed in a transfer request, replacing him with star strikers Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez.
This leads us to one of the craziest times for transfers, and the ridiculous fees that are being paid to players. In a shock transfer which cost Chelsea a record £50 million, Spanish striker Torres went to Chelsea, along with English strikers Darren Bent and Andy Carroll moving to Aston Villa and Liverpool, respectively. Carroll cost £35million, the highest transfer fee ever for an Englishman, an Englishman who is relatively unproven at the top level, despite scoring 11 goals for Newcastle this term. A lot of talk has been whether he can play with the pressure of his price tag, but he isn’t the only one; Darren Bent moved from Sunderland to Aston Villa for £24million, Edin Dzeko from Wolfsburg to Manchester City for £27million and Luiz Suarez from Ajax to Liverpool for £22.8million. Chelsea captured star defender David Luiz from Benfica for £23million – their combined spending totalling £73 million for two players in the January window.
Tottenham Hotspur arguably bought the most affective player this season, Rafael Van Der Vaart who cost them just £8million. It is a sensational bargain, especially considering all the other transfers, and he has become a fan favourite at White Hart Lane, scoring goals and playing for the team where he assists for his team mates and runs until the finish. He is a huge figure in what has been a truly wonderful year for Spurs so far, and with Harry Redknapp in charge there seems to be no stopping them. They are currently in fourth position and with a game in hand can climb above City into 3rd position with a win; they are so desperate to prove they are regular Champions League competitors. They won in the San Siro and with a second leg performance the same as the first, their Italian Job will land them in the quarter finals, only two wins from a short trip to Wembley for the Final. Who would have predicted that when Harry came in and Spurs were bottom of the league? The manager has revitalised the team, bringing in players like Crouch, Steven Pieenar, Van der Vaart and Luka Modric, all of whom have spear headed their recent blossoming for success. Lets not forget Gareth Bale, who Redknapp has turned into a world class player, his highlights including an unforgettable night at the San Siro where he scored a hatrick in Tottenham’s 4-3 loss.
Leaving the glitz and glamour of the top four teams, the bottom half is closer than previous years in that one win could propel a team by five or six positions. As of Monday the 21st February, there are incredibly just ten points between bottom placed Wolves and ninth placed Newcastle. Add that to the fact that one win separates six teams and trying to predict the bottom three come the final day is a near impossible task. One of the strugglers are West Ham United, who despite their poor results this season have continued to instill faith in their manager Avram Grant. West Ham have bought some key players in the transfer window to help beat the drop, including Robbie Keane, Wayne Bridge and Demba Ba. Off the pitch they have been in a scrap for the right to take over the Olympic Stadium after London 2012 with rivals Tottenham. They recently won the bid, with their plans to keep the track and help to advance British athletics for years to come a key part in their victory. They hope more success follows in the relegation dog fight. 
Back at the top, Manchester United are leading the pack and are chasing their record 19th league title, which would leapfrog Liverpool’s 18th which they currently both sit at. Across town at Manchester City, the new money men are challenging for the top four and they hope to at least qualify for the Champions League this year, whilst also standing in the final 32 in the Europa League and fifth round of the FA Cup. Arsenal are Man United’s biggest title challengers this year, only four points adrift and still chasing an almighty quadruple. They are hoping to win their first trophy in six years on Sunday when they play Birmingham at Wembley in the Carling Cup Final; and go into the game as clear favourites. They are also still in the FA Cup with a fifth round replay coming up against Leyton Orient at the Emirates and they came from behind last week to triumph over Barcelona in their Champions League last 16 first leg to win 2-1. Goals from Van Persie and Andre Arshavin completed the comeback in a historic match between two of the best footballing sides ever. The emergence of their 19 year old star Jack Wilshere is a boost to not just their trophy run but the England squad too. It’s the complete opposite for champions Chelsea, who sit fifth after a dismal run since November which followed a blistering start to the season, and it is looking further worrying for Ancelotti who has been under pressure for most of the season. His side are out of the Carling and FA Cup, miles out of the title race and must overhaul Tottenham and Man City to ensure a top four finish. Their only final hope is the Champions League, where they face FC Copenhagen on the 22nd of this month in their first leg last 16 tie. 
The FA Cup has come under some scrutiny in the past few years, receiving fewer crowds every season. Managers are continuing to field weaker sides which is a worrying sign for the FA and the longest standing cup competition in football. But the magic has risen once again in this campaign; Leyton Orient and Brighton reached the fifth round and Notts County took Man City to a fourth round replay after City scored an equaliser in the final ten minutes in the first leg. The biggest fairytale story was non – league side Crawley Town, who despite having wealth not apparent in normal conference sides - and likely to be promoted to the Football League this year, were still huge underdogs when they went to Old Trafford to play Man United, but left after losing just 1-0 - they hit the bar in injury time and were unlucky not to force a replay. The magic is most certainly back and the FA shouldn’t tamper with the rules and regulations of a Cup which is fine as it is.
Off the pitch the Richard Keys & Andy Gray sexism scandal casted a shadow over Sky Sports and the footballing nation. Sian Massey, a new female lineswoman, was at the centre of controversy as Gray and Keys talked off air (with their microphones still on) about their biased feelings and thoughts towards Massey, which included wanting to ‘explain the offside rule to her’. Gray was sacked a few days after the incident and Keys resigned amidst new evidence he has been saying the wrong things during more than one occasion. The two currently have a morning talk show on radio’s TalkSport. 
Two of the most fascinating stories this year involve title chasing Manchester United. Wayne Rooney’s wonder goal against rivals City, where he sent a bicycle kick strike into Joe Hart’s net, sealed a 2-1 derby victory. It was one of the greatest goals in Premier League history and manager Sir Alex Ferguson commented by saying it was ‘the best goal he has ever seen at Old Trafford.’ Even more impressively is Ryan Giggs. The 37 year old Welshman is currently in talks over a new one year contract extension which would see him enter his 21st year as a Red Devil. He has played regularly this season since the injuries to Valencia and Ji Sung Park in midfield and his level of commitment, speed & precision has never faltered. It is some feat for a man of his age and his manager has run out of words to describe him. He is closing in on his 12th league title for Man United, which is an astonishing number for a single player. Giggs himself doesn’t care about the trophies in his cabinet; he doesn’t even have a cabinet. Instead, he just continually strives for success on an individual and team level; success is also something we associate with the English Premier League year after year.
