Fantasy Football Manager - Off Season Edition

It is looking set to be the most intriguing off-season summer for a long time in football. The top 3 clubs in the Premier League will have new managers at the start of the new season in August 2013 but only David Moyes is certain to be in charge, i.e. at Manchester United, although Manchester City and Chelsea are close to confirming their new managers, if you believe the speculation.

Not too far down the table, Everton and Stoke are looking for new managers - Stoke's Tony Pulis having been pulled after 7 years in the Potteries. And if Michael Laudrup ends up going being headhunted by one of the big clubs in England or in Europe, Swansea could be looking for their third manager in as many seasons through no fault of their own.

Shame we won't see a repeat of these under Manchester club guises

Speaking of Europe, Real Madrid and PSG will be looking for new managers as will Malaga who could possibly end up being the destination of a former Premier League manager. Even broke Inter may be on the lookout for a new coach following their worst season in recent times - under Andrea Stramaccioni, the 2010 European and world champions finished 9th well off the European places in a season where they lost 15 games, and with Roberto Mancini now available, what chance will the former Inter manager return to his old stomping ground where he won the Scudetto 3 years in a row?

So looking at my crystal ball, here's what I see..

PREMIER LEAGUE 
Manchester City - Manuel Pellegrini
Chelsea - Jose Mourinho
Everton - Martin O'Neill
Swansea - Michael Laudrup
Stoke City - Roberto di Matteo

EUROPE
Real Madrid - Carlo Ancelotti
Malaga - Roberto Martinez
Internazionale/Napoli - Roberto Mancini
PSG - Rafael Benitez

Wallabies Squad To Face British & Irish Lions

The 25 Wallabies to face the British & Irish Lions next month have been named - Quade Cooper and Jesse Mogg have missed out while league & Aussie rules convert, Israel Folau has been included after an impressive debut with the Waratahs.

Backs: Israel Folau*, Digby Ioane, Joe Tomane, Nick Cummins, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Rob Horne, Pat McCabe, Christian Leali’ifano*, Berrick Barnes, James O’Connor, Will Genia.

Forwards: Wycliff Palu, Michael Hooper, Liam Gill, Scott Higginbotham, Ben Mowen*, Rob Simmons, James Horwill, Sitaleki Timani, James Slipper, Ben Alexander, Benn Robinson, Sekope Kepu, Stephen Moore, Saia Faingaa.

2012-13 Premier League End of Season Review

The 2012-13 Premier League season concludes on Sunday at around quarter to 6. While it hasn't quite lived up to the tremendous season before where the league title came right down to the last minute of injury time, it has still been an exciting season to follow.

Manchester United roared back from the disappointment at the Stadium of Light last season to romp home with what turned out to be Sir Alex Ferguson's last ever honour, while last season's champions ended up sacking their manager, Roberto Mancini, a year to the date they sealed their first ever league title in years. Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham were in the running for Champions League football while David Moyes continued to impress at Everton on a shoestring budget, pushing them close to European football eventually earning the honour of replacing Fergie at Manchester United. They finished ahead of their big rivals across the city who showed some improvement under Brendan Rodgers in his first season.

Elsewhere, the race to survive in the Premier League was fiercer than ever. While Swansea, West Brom, West Ham and Fulham all maintained their Premier League status comfortably, the likes of Norwich, Newcastle, Sunderland, Stoke, Aston Villa, Southampton, Wigan, Reading and QPR all got tangled in a scrap to stay up. Ultimately, newly-promoted Reading and last season's survivors, QPR failed the litmus test early on, while brave, little Wigan finally ran out of luck after 8 years, with their relegation confirmed only 3 days after their most glorious day - a shock FA Cup victory over giants Manchester City.

And with the managerial roulette in full motion, things will probably get worse for Wigan with their manager, Roberto Martinez set for pastures anew at Everton, Manchester City or Malaga, depending on who you believe.

So here's my review of the season that has just gone by!

TEAM OF THE YEAR -
GK - David de Gea, Manchester United - after a tough debut season, de Gea took the criticism and competition with Andreas Lindegaard in his stride and emerged as the best goalkeeper in the Premier League this season. The gap left by the retirement of Edwin van der Saar appears to have been finally filled.

LB - Leighton Baines, Everton - Everton's skilful left back has finally made the position sharing his initials his own, contributing crosses and goals in Everton's credible push for European football this season. One wonders if David Moyes will drag his lieutenant, in the form of his life, down the canal in the summer. Much as the Scouser is a life-long Everton fan, the lure of winning trophies with Manchester United might just be a bit too much to resist.

CB - Ashley Williams, Swansea City - There is a good reason why Arsenal are quite interested in the Welsh international who shares his name with a Hollywood actress (think Victoria the baker in How I Met Your Mother). But Ashley deserves all the credits he can get as he has been a rock in Swansea's backline as they've kept clean sheet after clean sheet en route to a likely top ten finish and first ever trophy. Arsenal will be forking out the big bucks if they want to get their man for sure. Shame his season will be remembered for this -

CB - Jan Vertonghen, Tottenham Hotspur - the best centre back in the Premier League right now. Period. Vertonghen has been a revelation at the back and up the field, being more prolific in the goal scoring than expected. One of the Premier League debutants of the season.

RB - Pablo Zabaleta, Manchester City - It has been a season to forget for the champions of last season but they still did finish 2nd even if most of the heroes from last season didn't quite live up to the standards of last. Zabaleta was one of the few players to maintain that standard and led his dysfunctional team at right back with aplomb. His red card in the FA Cup epitomised the effort and sacrifice he had put for the team while his team-mates just stood and watched.

WG - Gareth Bale, Tottenham Hotspur - Undisputedly the player of the season in the Premier League. It has been a while since one player has been so integral in deciding victory or defeat for a club. Without Bale's hot streak in 2013, Tottenham would have given up on Champions League football quite a while ago. The big question is - Champions League football or not, will Gareth Bale still be at White Hart Lane next season? 

AM - Juan Mata, Chelsea - Frank Lampard may have scored more goals, and Eden Hazard may have garnered more attention but Juan Mata has been the key reason why Chelsea have kept rolling despite yet another managerial change. One of the reasons why the Premier League is the most exciting league in the world and one wonders if we've yet to see the best from the Spanish international who scored the 4th goal in Spain's EURO 2012 Final win over Italy in the summer.

CM - Michael Carrick, Manchester United - Underrated and often maligned but now the most important player in Manchester United's midfield. Carrick is one of the best passers of the Premier League and probably would be a player who would do well at a team that loves to pass the ball, i.e. Barcelona or Bayern Munich under Pep Guardiola. Can even play centre-back when needed. The former West Ham and Tottenham midfielder will continue to be key for United next season.

WG - Santi Cazorla, Arsenal - Picked up on a bargain from cash-strapped Malaga, Cazorla has been a revelation for Arsene Wenger and one of their most consistent players in another inconsistent eason for the Gunners.

FW - Luis Suarez, Liverpool - Mercurial, controversial and ill-disciplined. Three words to sum up Liverpool's best player. His moment of madness, biting Branislav Ivanovic, definitely cost him the Golden Boot in his most prolific goal scoring season for the Reds yet. Don't believe the rumours - Suarez will be at Anfield next season and Liverpool will have to continue to figure out how to keep their star on a leash.

FW - Robin van Persie, Manchester United - One of the signings of the season, and quite possibly one of Fergie's greatest signings ever - and his last great signing. RVP brought his goalscoring form at Arsenal to Manchester and formed a wonderful attack with Wayne Rooney - or just went solo towards the end of the season.

Bench -
GK - Tim Howard, Everton - has been key in keeping the clean sheets coming at Goodison Park
CB - Rio Ferdinand, Man United - earned a contract extension and a place in Old Trafford folklore as the man who scored the winner in Fergie's last ever home game
CM - Frank Lampard, Chelsea - fighting for a contract, Super Frank had a record-breaking goal scoring season at Stamford Bridge
AM - Eden Hazard, Chelsea - a remarkable debut season marred by poor temperament, but will be a joy to watch for years to come.
FW - Michu, Swansea - bargain of the season - possibly decade. How long will he stay at Swansea?

GAME OF THE YEAR -
Manchester City 2-3 Manchester United - the most highly anticipated game of the season at the time with both Manchester sides racing clear at the top of the league. United went 2-0 up early on but City stormed back into contention only to be denied by a very late Robin van Persie free kick.

GOAL OF THE YEAR - 
Matthew Lowton, Aston Villa - an outstanding strike which helped to inspire Aston Villa's strong charge and ultimately successful bid to stay in the Premier League.

DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR - 
QPR - Moral of story - money can't buy you success and one wonders what QPR will now do with the millions of pounds worth of talent that they have at the club following their relegation to the Championship where they will have far less TV money and revenue - surely the likes of Loic Remy, Yann M'Vila, Junior Hoilett, Jose Bosingwa, will move on to other clubs in the top flight so that might help QPR cut their losses and prepare for life in the Championship.

End of An Era: Beckham Retires

2013 certainly witnessed the close of a glorious era in English football. It appears that Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement was the first of a spate of retirements involving the great Manchester United team that dominated English football in the 1990s and early in the 21st century.

Phil Neville, now at Everton, was the first former Fergie charge to announce his retirement this season at the end of the season - his older brother, Gary and teammate, Nicky Butt retired several seasons ago now. After Fergie's shock announcement last Wednesday, Paul Scholes and now David Beckham have announced their retirements from the sport.

The news of the retirement of the most marketable footballer in the world comes as no real surprise. At 38, Beckham is definitely at the age where most footballers hang up their boots and after winning another league title in another country, this time with cash-rich PSG in France, David has decided to spend a bit more time with Posh and his 4 lovely kids in London.

Well, not quite, he has signed a deal with Chinese football to help them grow the game in China. That move sums up David Beckham - a brilliant and generous entrepreneur who has done plenty of good for the beautiful game on and off the field, and will continue to do so in the near future.

Since that wonder goal against Wimbledon in 1996, Beckham has worked hard to become the most marketable footballer in the world - and ended up prizing himself out of his beloved Manchester United in 2003. Marriage to Posh Spice definitely took Beckham - and football's - standing to heights never imagined before and even if Beckham's lustre has somewhat faded in his 30s, the Beckham brand is still one of the most recognisable and profitable in world sport.

But all that gain has not been for his own self. David Beckham is one of the great philanthropists in the world, having devoted plenty of his time to UNICEF - and of course, 6 month's of Qatari money for playing for PSG was donated to a children's charity in Paris.

David is also a great patriot for his country, playing a big role in getting the Olympics back to London for the first time since 1948.

His biggest contribution to world football though was taking the gamble of going to the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2006 to play in an "inferior" MLS with not many big names, surviving for so long and turning the MLS into one of the strongest leagues in world football and one that attracts stars - Robbie Keane, Thierry Henry, etc. have joined Beckham in the move to the US. Once a league for specialist cable TV, the MLS is now broadcast on national TV and its ratings have never been higher, while expansion continues abreast in new markets across the USA and Canada.  

So here's to a top bloke, and a top man. Enjoy the retirement!

Top 5 Targets From Relegated Premier League Sides

This year's final day is now set to be a bore compared to last year - although to be fair, that was the greatest final day of any league season in mankind's history and it was always going to be tough to replicate. The championship and relegation have now been decided with only the last Champions League spot to be decided.

Wigan's defeat to Arsenal confirmed their relegation to the Championship after 8 years in the top flight - longer than many had thought. They now join the likes of Reading and QPR, dreading the thought of a potential harvest by those still in the Premier League of their best players.

Here are 5 players that will probably still be in the Premier League next season -

1. Shaun Maloney, Wigan - a key conductor in Wigan's midfield, the Scottish international and former Celtic hero is set to move on to another Premier League club in the summer (a return to Aston Villa with former teammate, Paul Lambert, or Everton if Martinez goes there) or possibly even back to Celtic.

2. Loic Remy, QPR - until his recent arrest over rape charges, Remy was - and still is - one of the most sought after players in European football. The French international has talent and a good goalscoring boot but his bad temperament was detrimental in maintaining QPR's Premier League status.

3. Hal Robson-Kanu, Reading - The son of Bryan Robson and Nwankwo Kanu - well actually no that's not possible - has been very impressive on the wing in the Premier League and could find himself at one of the newly promoted clubs, i.e. Cardiff, Hull, Watford/Crystal Palace.

4. Arouna Kone, Wigan - Kone has been one of Wigan's most electric and dangerous players and could be a very good attacking option for any of the Premier League clubs.

5. Junior Hoilett, QPR - Hoillett's value may have dropped after two straight relegations but his talent is without doubt and any Premier League club would be lucky to have him.

Alternate Premier League Team of the Season

Michu is one of my players of the season

The Premier League concludes next season. Here is my Premier League team of the season - a bit alternative to what most people have picked.

Tim Howard (GK), Everton
Leighton Baines, Everton
Jan Vertonghen, Tottenham Hotspur
Ashley Williams, Swansea
Cesar Azpilicueta, Chelsea
Gareth Bale, Tottenham Hotspur
Juan Mata, Chelsea
Santi Cazorla, Arsenal
Robin van Persie, Manchester United
Luis Suarez, Liverpool
Michu, Swansea City

SUBSTITUTES -
Joe Hart (GK), Manchester City
Gareth McAuley, West Bromwich Albion
Rafael de Silva, Manchester United
Eden Hazard, Chelsea
Frank Lampard, Chelsea
Christian Benteke, Aston Villa

Manager of the Season - Steve Clarke, West Bromwich Albion

Premier League Home Stretch: Who Will Be Relegated?

The Premier League season is in its final stages and while the destination of the league trophy has been long decided, there is plenty to play for at this the business end of the season.

Sir Alex Ferguson's resignation yesterday has also added spice to the finish of Manchester United's season with the Red Devils probably desperate to ensure the tenure of the greatest manager in their history ends on a very high note.

Thankfully, Swansea and West Brom have long clinched their Premier League status for the season so Fergie's chances of finishing 2 from 2 are pretty good - especially when one of them is before the trophy ceremony at Old Trafford.

Elsewhere though, Premier League survival is the aim of the day. It appears that Aston Villa have found their form at the right time of the season and having reach 40 points are now likely to stay in the Premier League - and if results go their way might even sneak into the top ten on the final day - an unlikely thought a couple of weeks ago.

In fact, it appears that the impending relegation shootout at Villa Park on the last day of the season might fizzle into a bit like the last day of school especially if results on the weekend go against Wigan and they fail to beat Arsenal at the Emirates a couple of days after their FA Cup Final appearance.

Wigan's failure to beat Swansea at home days before they walk out onto Wembley Stadium might possibly be the first nail in the coffin for the brave Latics - on paper, it was the "easiest" game for the Latics on their home straight. However, their defence, as it has been all season, let them down and against a polished Michael Laudrup-managed Swansea with nothing to play for other than their highest ever league finish, they let a win slip through their hands.

They must now play in the FA Cup Final against Manchester City and witness their fellow contenders for survival play their games on Sunday before going to the Emirates to face Champions League chasing Arsenal before their last home game against Aston Villa.

A draw for Sunderland, Southampton, Newcastle and Norwich will extend the gap between Wigan and those clubs outside the drop zone to 4 points, meaning that Wigan would have go to the Emirates to get a draw just to stay in the race to stay up. Even then, they will be 3 points from safety and dependent on a win against Aston Villa in their last match of the season.

A lot of pressure on a very talented but small Wigan side who may have taken on a bit too much more this season than they can handle.

In previous seasons, Wigan have had the luxury of being out of cup competitions at this time of the year and being able to fully concentrate on maintaining their Premier League status. This season, their involvement in the FA Cup, while wonderful for the competition, has meant Wigan have had far more games to play in a short space of time at the end of the season and that appears to have taken a toll on Roberto Martinez's team for all their endeavour and courage.

Even if Wigan do eventually go down, Martinez's job prospects should be safe whether he stays at Wigan or ends up going to Everton or Swansea depending on who goes where. Wigan are a small club which have punched above their weight during their 7 years so far in the top flight yet they have never spent above their means and that is why even if they go down, I expect them to go back up very quickly with the squad they have - although their involvement in European competition next season as FA Cup finalists might hurt their push for promotion as we've seen with Ipswich, Millwall and Birmingham City in recent seasons.

So, Norwich, Newcastle, Sunderland and Southampton will all stay up by the dint of the fact that their form earlier in the season was better than those at the bottom rather than their form at the end of the season and can probably breath a sigh of relief knowing their Premier League status is safe for at least another season.

My tips -
QPR 0-0 Newcastle, Sunderland 1-1 Southampton, Aston Villa 1-1 Chelsea, Norwich 1-1 West Brom, Arsenal 1-0 Wigan

FA Cup Final result - Man City 2-1 Wigan