Nigeria Content Online

It
has just got to be a win for Kano Pillars tomorrow when they take on
northern rivals Gombe United tomorrow in the week 26 match-up of the
Nigeria Premier League. A win because that is the only way they can
keep the pressure on Enyimba, who are ahead by just two points, and
they can pull away from Kwara United who are tied on points with them.

A win will take them to the top, at least till Enyimba play Sharks on Sunday in Aba.

While it could look
easy for Pillars on paper, considering that they have defeated every
team that has come to Kano this season, except for the draw with the
League’s defending champions, Bayelsa United, last December. However,
how they will cope without their main firepower remains to be seen.
Ahmad Musa, the League’s top scorer with 14 goals, has joined the Super
Eagles Team B for the African Nations Championships (CHAN) qualifier
against Niger in Kano on Sunday, while they will also be without
Solomon Okpako, the versatile midfielder who is also with the national
team. If they slip up in Kano on Saturday they might regret letting
former star, Bello Korfamata, join Heartland of Owerri.

But all considered,
it doesn’t look like there are going to be any upsets on Saturday.
Gombe’s away record have been anything but impressive. They have lost
10 out of 12 away matches, with such an abysmal record against Pillars,
they stand no chance. But in the first meeting this season, Pillars
crashed at Gombe by two-nil. Both sides have clashed thrice in Kano,
but the only time Gombe got any result was the 1-1 they got November
2005 at the Sani Abacha Stadium.

Gateway looking at the exit

In other matches
for Saturday, all eyes will be on Gateway of Abeokuta, or is it Ilaro?
Toyin Ayinla will get his baptism of fire, after the Loveday
Omoruyi-led Gateway technical crew was given the boot last week for
poor performance.

Ayinla, “a son of
the soil” of defunct Abiola Babes fame, has a lot on his hand with
getting a team rooted at the bottom, with trap door to division 1
already opened to them, out of relegation trouble. This is not the
first time Toyin Ayinla is handling a team at the top flight. He once
did so when the Swede’s coach of Kwara United went AWOL. As the
assistant, he handled the team until he was sacked at the end of the
season, despite the good job he did. Then he handled a team that has a
tradition of wanting to win, as opposed to the Gateway team that all
their years in the top flight has been about fighting relegation.

But it does look as
if his first day at work might be “football made easy by weak
opposition”, going by the fact that the Ranchers Bees they will be
sizing up on Saturday has not won on the road this season, and it
doesn’t look like that might change at Ilaro tomorrow. All their ten
matches on the road were lost, so it is almost a certainty Ayinla will
open his stint with a win. But the big question his: will he steer the
Abeokuta side out of relegation with 12 matches to go?

In the other match
of the day, the defending champion, though not worthy of the name at
the moment, take on title chasing Rangers of Enugu at the Samson Siasia
Stadium. If anything, it is Rangers that needs the result most. Last
Sunday, their title hope was dealt a severe blow when they played to a
goalless draw with Lobi Stars in front of their home fans. With 39
points, nine more than Bayelsa, they are in the fourth position tied
with Niger Tornadoes on points. So anything short of a win, the Enugu
side is out of the top four.

New
Super Eagles coach, Lars Lagerback will return to the country today
from South Africa to watch the Home Eagles file out against the Mena of
Niger in Sunday’s African Nations Championship qualifier. The match
will be held at the Sani Abacha Stadium on Sunday.

The team, led by
Daniel Amokachi, will be hoping to overturn a 2-0 defeat they had in
the first leg in Niamey by scoring at least three goals to eliminate
their West African opponents.

Lagerback left for
South Africa on Tuesday to inspect the Eagles camp at the Hampshire
Hotel in Durban, ahead of the commencement of the Mundial and he is
expected in Abuja today. The Swede tactician will use the opportunity
to assess some of the domestic league players who would be capable of
earning a call up to the national camp for the build-up to South Africa.

Nigerian soccer
fans are anxious for the first list to be released by the former Sweden
national team handler, who has been monitoring the performance of his
players across Europe following his appointment last month. He was in
the stands when the Eagles team B, largely dominated by players from
the Nigeria Premier League, defeated Congo DR in an international
friendly.

Lagerback’s focus

One of the players
Lagerback is hoping to give a second chance of assessment is Bayelsa
United’s defender, Chibuzor Okonkwo who represented Nigeria in the U-23
team that won the silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Football Tournament
in Beijing. He can play both as a defender and a midfielder and his
versatility and high work rate could earn him a call up for the
pre-World Cup programme under the new boss.

Lagerback is also
looking at defensive options after identifying the backline as the
major challenge in the national team and the likes of Ike ThankGod and
Mutiu Adegoke would be hoping to get a chance while Ahmed Musa, the
league’s top scorer with 14 goals as well as 12-goal star, Osas Idehen
will hope to defeat Niger to impress Lagerback. Musa, who plays for the
Northern outfit, Kano Pillars is hoping to make his debut in the
national colours after getting the call-up from Amokachi following the
first leg defeat.

Also in the list of the new players invited after the first leg is
John Owoeri, who is remembered for his role in the Flying Eagles squad
that won the silver medal at the 2005 World Youth Championship in
Holland.

European Ryder Cup
captain Colin Montgomerie, who faced his share of hecklers in the
United States, believes Tiger Woods will be able to cope with any abuse
that comes his way on his return to golf.

Woods, who has not
competed since his marital infidelities became public in November, has
admitted to being nervous about the reception that awaits him on his
return at the U.S. Masters next month.

“I heard when he
said he would be nervous to come back and that’s the first time I’ve
ever heard Tiger say those words, it’s going to be interesting,” Briton
Montgomerie told a news conference on Wednesday ahead of the Arnold
Palmer Invitational.

“I hear he has been
up for a practice round (at Augusta) already. He’ll get over those
nerves and he will be as determined as anyone has ever been on a golf
course to prove that he is still the number one player in the world
and, in my opinion, the best player ever to play the game,” he said.

Montgomerie, who
was jeered by U.S. fans in the past — notably at the 1999 Ryder Cup in
Brookline — and threatened to stop playing Stateside, said if anyone
could cope with distractions on the course it was Woods.

“He has a spotlight
and it has been on him for the last 10 years. It’s amazing how
sometimes you see him swing a club and it comes down and just stops,
incredible how he has that control to stop the club at that speed.

“So he has been
used to this most of his professional career. I don’t envisage any
problems arising from that at all. He is the most focused sportsman I
have ever known and I think he will adapt accordingly,” said
Montgomerie, the European Ryder Cup captain.

“Being such a
controlled environment, I think he is being very wise selecting the
Masters for his return and believe me, he wouldn’t be playing in the
Masters if he didn’t think he could win.”

The Arnold Palmer
is an event Woods has won six-times, including the last two editions at
the Bay Hill course, just down the road from his home in Windermere,
but the host is without the world number one this year.

“I will say we are
disappointed that Tiger isn’t here to play…on any of the other
issues..I have an opinion, I will keep it till a later date to give
it,” said Palmer.

A four-times
Masters winner, Palmer faced only cheers and applause from the
galleries in his time on the tour and he said he would find it hard to
handle any heckling of the kind Woods might have to deal with this year.

“It would probably
bother me. I’m a sensitive person by nature and it would effect me to a
degree. It is certainly not something I would look forward to,” he said.

Palmer sounded skeptical about how sharp Woods would be.

“You can’t get very
sharp not playing. Even just practicing won’t do it. I think to be
sharp, you have to compete, you have to be in the mood to compete.

“Now you can say, (take off) a couple of weeks, that would be one thing; but five months, you know..,” he said.

At the same time though, Palmer is expecting Woods to be in among the contenders at Augusta.

“Absolutely, I think that is the nature of the beast – he’s a competitor.”

Reuters

LeBron James led
Cleveland to an eighth consecutive victory as he scored 38 points in
the Cavaliers’ 105-92 away win over the New Orleans Hornets.

James tallied five
of his nine assists in the third quarter, where the league-leading
Cavaliers (57-15) went on a 16-4 run to build a 16-point lead.

“They picked us apart defensively,” said Hornets forward David West.

“I think LeBron was
able to get himself going and getting other guys (involved). When
they’re doing that, it’s tough to beat them.” Second-year forward J. J
Hickson scored 20 for the Cavaliers, who welcomed back centre Zydrunas
Ilgauskas for the first time since he was traded to Washington last
month before being released and re-signing with Cleveland.

Marcus Thornton led the Hornets (34-39) with 20 points.

Chris Paul had five points in his second game back following a 25-game absence due to a knee injury.

New Orleans has
lost four of five games and are almost certain to miss out on the
playoffs while the Cavaliers move closer to posting the best record
throughout the regular season for the second successive year.

Cleveland controlled the game from the outset and shot 57 per cent from the floor.

James himself made 15-of-22 shots, Delonte West had 15 points off the bench and Antawn Jamison put up 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Jamison was
acquired in a deal that temporarily shipped out Ilgauskas, but the
7ft-3in center is back with the team he has spent his entire 11-year
career.

“I tried not to force anything,” Ilgauskas said after finishing 0-for-2 with his one point coming from a free throw.

“I felt like I was
in space, the floor was very huge for me today. I expect it to shrink
up with each game.” New Orleans stayed within striking distance until
midway through the third where the Cavaliers pulled away.

Paul had seven
assists and played 31 minutes, 10 more than he saw in his return on
Monday. Rookie point guard Darren Collison proved more effective,
however, adding 17 points and seven assists.

Reuters

It
has just got to be a win for Kano Pillars tomorrow when they take on
northern rivals Gombe United tomorrow in the week 26 match-up of the
Nigeria Premier League. A win because that is the only way they can
keep the pressure on Enyimba, who are ahead by just two points, and
they can pull away from Kwara United who are tied on points with them.

A win will take them to the top, at least till Enyimba play Sharks on Sunday in Aba.

While it could look
easy for Pillars on paper, considering that they have defeated every
team that has come to Kano this season, except for the draw with the
League’s defending champions, Bayelsa United, last December. However,
how they will cope without their main firepower remains to be seen.
Ahmad Musa, the League’s top scorer with 14 goals, has joined the Super
Eagles Team B for the African Nations Championships (CHAN) qualifier
against Niger in Kano on Sunday, while they will also be without
Solomon Okpako, the versatile midfielder who is also with the national
team. If they slip up in Kano on Saturday they might regret letting
former star, Bello Korfamata, join Heartland of Owerri.

But all considered,
it doesn’t look like there are going to be any upsets on Saturday.
Gombe’s away record have been anything but impressive. They have lost
10 out of 12 away matches, with such an abysmal record against Pillars,
they stand no chance. But in the first meeting this season, Pillars
crashed at Gombe by two-nil. Both sides have clashed thrice in Kano,
but the only time Gombe got any result was the 1-1 they got November
2005 at the Sani Abacha Stadium.

Gateway looking at the exit

In other matches
for Saturday, all eyes will be on Gateway of Abeokuta, or is it Ilaro?
Toyin Ayinla will get his baptism of fire, after the Loveday
Omoruyi-led Gateway technical crew was given the boot last week for
poor performance.

Ayinla, “a son of
the soil” of defunct Abiola Babes fame, has a lot on his hand with
getting a team rooted at the bottom, with trap door to division 1
already opened to them, out of relegation trouble. This is not the
first time Toyin Ayinla is handling a team at the top flight. He once
did so when the Swede’s coach of Kwara United went AWOL. As the
assistant, he handled the team until he was sacked at the end of the
season, despite the good job he did. Then he handled a team that has a
tradition of wanting to win, as opposed to the Gateway team that all
their years in the top flight has been about fighting relegation.

But it does look as
if his first day at work might be “football made easy by weak
opposition”, going by the fact that the Ranchers Bees they will be
sizing up on Saturday has not won on the road this season, and it
doesn’t look like that might change at Ilaro tomorrow. All their ten
matches on the road were lost, so it is almost a certainty Ayinla will
open his stint with a win. But the big question his: will he steer the
Abeokuta side out of relegation with 12 matches to go?

In the other match
of the day, the defending champion, though not worthy of the name at
the moment, take on title chasing Rangers of Enugu at the Samson Siasia
Stadium. If anything, it is Rangers that needs the result most. Last
Sunday, their title hope was dealt a severe blow when they played to a
goalless draw with Lobi Stars in front of their home fans. With 39
points, nine more than Bayelsa, they are in the fourth position tied
with Niger Tornadoes on points. So anything short of a win, the Enugu
side is out of the top four.

Barca can’t get tired now

Messi did not score
against Osasuna so we may expect the little Argentine maestro to make
up for lost time against Mallorca. It was the often criticised Zlatan
Ibrahimovic that needed to rescue Barcelona from a poor position.

Pep Guardiola was
not impressed with his team and let that out to reporters after the
match. “We struggled to tighten up and support each other. We lacked
the fluency I had imagined. I have made a mistake; I imagined a game
that has not happened. In the sixth minute I decided to change it. When
Pedro plays with Dani Alves, both are good.” But the performances were
not good on the night. He commended Ibrahimovic for rescuing the
situation:

“When he scores we
do well, because he is a goal scorer. His quality depends on himself
and nobody else.” While Mallorca have surprised all Primera League
watchers with their displays this term, they have not faced an
opposition like the Blaugrana in some time. They currently sit in the
fourth position and have contributed goals from all around the park
with Aritz Aduriz accounting for nine goals. Since they will be playing
at ONO Estadi, they will have the support of their 12th man to bolster
them. Barca cannot afford any slip up with the fixture of games before
them. They play Arsenal, Bilbao and Real Madrid in the next two weeks.

Valencia are doing
well amidst their catalogue of financial woes and have a banker in
David Villa. Villa has scored 18 goals in 26 appearances and is
rumoured to be for sale, more goals will mean more money in the
transfer market. Zaragoza may have to go down again this season to
learn how to stay up.

They have always
had squads that pundits say are too good to go down but they have been
relegated in 2002 and 2008 although to their credit, they got promoted
back to the elite division immediately. They are just two points above
the relegation places. Their Nigerian striker, Ikechukwu Uche who might
have helped in scoring the goals is still out injured.

Season defining match on the cards in Serie A

Roma need to beat
Inter to get to within a point of the leaders and defending champions.
That is a tough task but if there is any side in Italy that has the
Indian sign over Inter, it is the Romans. Leaders Inter Milan ended
their recent dip in form with a 3-0 victory over last place, Livorno to
move four points clear at the top of the table while Roma were made to
work hard for their victory over Bologna.

Their last two
matches in the Serie A have been hard fought draws with Inter having to
come from behind to take a point. Francesco Totti is in a race against
time to be fit for the encounter.

The Giallorossi
will be right back in the Scudetto race if they can beat Jose
Mourinho’s men but Inter have developed more steel with the Portuguese
tactician pulling the strings. The Romans have David Pizarro, Philippe
Mexes and Daniele De Rossi back from bans to bolster the team.

Mario Balotelli
continues to be a bone of contention for Mourinho but as long as Jose
continues to get the results, Super Mario will continue to be on the
sidelines. The Italian of Ghanian parentage seems to have lost his
place to another out of favour player, Ricardo Querasma, who started
against Livorno in Inter’s 3-0 win. He had an assist in that match.

Bundesliga

Bayern will hope
to bounce back from a first defeat in 19 matches when they host VFB
Stuttgart at the Allianz Arena. As negotiations with Franck Ribery
continue, Louis Van Gaal will have an eye on Manchester United’s visit
on Tuesday in the quarter finals of the Champions League. Bayern are
coming off the back of a hard fought 1-0 victory over Schalke 04 in the
semi final of the DFB Pokal Cup on Wednesday with another wonder goal
from Arjen Robben winning the game.

Bayer Leverkusen
have faltered in the last weeks and are following the trend of between
1997 and 2002 when they choke in the run in for the title. Becoming
runners-up in 2000 and 2002 were heart-breaking for supporters as on
both occasions the team had the Bundesliga title within grasp as they
have had all this season before losing to Nurnberg two weeks ago –
their first loss of the season. Visitors, Schalke 04 will be a hard nut
to crack and sit second on the log.

Who can bet against
United? Defending champions Manchester United, without injured Wayne
Rooney, travel to the Reebok Stadium with a win in sight none the less.
There is no point risking Rooney with a trip to Munich to face Bayern
Munich in the UEFA Champions League. Normally, when United get into
first place in either February or March, it stays that way till the
last day of the season. There is a yawning gap in quality between these
two sides as, while Wayne Rooney is highest scorer for United with 26
goals, Ivan Klasnic is the leading goal scorer for Owen Coyle’s side
with 6 goals. United have no other injury worry apart from John O’Shea
who is out for the rest of the season. United should keep their
position after the weekend.

Chelsea need to consolidate

Chelsea got a
floundering season back on track with the 5-0 mauling of
almost-relegated Portsmouth on Wednesday, but doubts still linger.
Carlo Ancelotti said as much after the match: “We needed to win and I
hope the bad moment is finished,” the Italian added. “We have to wait
until Saturday because this is a very important test for us.

Well the Blues face
a side that is never an easy foe in Aston Villa. No Ashley Cole and
Branislav Ivanovic mean that Ashley Young can do havoc from both flanks
when he confronts either Yuri Zhirkov – who has not looked a 100% fit
or the fickle Paulo Ferreira.

Then there is the
hulking figure of John Carew and John Terry and Alex know that they
have to be up for the game. In the reverse fixture, the Villains
exploited Chelsea’s aerial weakness to come back from a Didier Drogba
early goal. The frailty is still there as the Blues have conceded 18
headed goals this term out of 28 conceded in the league. Aston Villa
have drawn their last two matches and need the points in the pursuit of
fourth place and a Champions League slot for next season. Villa may be
without Emile Heskey and Richard Dunne who suffered injuries and will
undergo scans ahead the game.

Chelsea travel to
Old Trafford on April 3 and they need to win their remaining seven
league games to claim a first championship since 2006. “If we win every
game between now and the end of the season, we will be champions,”
Ancelotti concluded.

Arsenal still have a chance

Third placed
Arsenal travel to face Birmingham and have to become the first side to
beat Alex McLeish’s team to stay in the race for the league diadem.
After two consecutive losses, the first time in four months, Birmingham
have to bounce back quickly.

Cameron Jerome is
in a rich vein of form scoring four goals in his last three matches but
the Gunners need the win to continue to hope for the trophy. Led by
captain and highest goal scorer with 15 goals, Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal
will be missing Thomas Vermaleen, whose red card against West Ham and
subsequent protest was thrown out by the FA. Expect a very tough match
with Barcelona in view for the Gunners next at the Emirates.

Other matches
Tottenham continue their Champions League pursuit with a match against
basement side, Portsmouth and it should be a banker for Harry
Redknapps’ side. Jermain Defoe is still out and Roman Pavlyuchenko
should continue. Two sides in good form; Everton and Wolves will tango
at the Moulineux with David Moyes seeking at least a Europa Cup slot
after a disastrous opening to the season.

Everton won away at Manchester City 2-0 and Wolves destroyed West Ham at Upton Park – something will have to give.

New
Super Eagles coach, Lars Lagerback will return to the country today
from South Africa to watch the Home Eagles file out against the Mena of
Niger in Sunday’s African Nations Championship qualifier. The match
will be held at the Sani Abacha Stadium on Sunday.

The team, led by
Daniel Amokachi, will be hoping to overturn a 2-0 defeat they had in
the first leg in Niamey by scoring at least three goals to eliminate
their West African opponents.

Lagerback left for
South Africa on Tuesday to inspect the Eagles camp at the Hampshire
Hotel in Durban, ahead of the commencement of the Mundial and he is
expected in Abuja today. The Swede tactician will use the opportunity
to assess some of the domestic league players who would be capable of
earning a call up to the national camp for the build-up to South Africa.

Nigerian soccer
fans are anxious for the first list to be released by the former Sweden
national team handler, who has been monitoring the performance of his
players across Europe following his appointment last month. He was in
the stands when the Eagles team B, largely dominated by players from
the Nigeria Premier League, defeated Congo DR in an international
friendly.

Lagerback’s focus

One of the players
Lagerback is hoping to give a second chance of assessment is Bayelsa
United’s defender, Chibuzor Okonkwo who represented Nigeria in the U-23
team that won the silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Football Tournament
in Beijing. He can play both as a defender and a midfielder and his
versatility and high work rate could earn him a call up for the
pre-World Cup programme under the new boss.

Lagerback is also
looking at defensive options after identifying the backline as the
major challenge in the national team and the likes of Ike ThankGod and
Mutiu Adegoke would be hoping to get a chance while Ahmed Musa, the
league’s top scorer with 14 goals as well as 12-goal star, Osas Idehen
will hope to defeat Niger to impress Lagerback. Musa, who plays for the
Northern outfit, Kano Pillars is hoping to make his debut in the
national colours after getting the call-up from Amokachi following the
first leg defeat.

Also in the list of the new players invited after the first leg is
John Owoeri, who is remembered for his role in the Flying Eagles squad
that won the silver medal at the 2005 World Youth Championship in
Holland.

My name is Cesc Fabregas and I play football. Last night I had a dream.

In my dream I saw red. It was everywhere I turned.

The match was between my team and another whose crest looked like a hungry bird.

They had this tall
chap – Steven Gerrard , I think he was called who seemed to be
everywhere at the same time. The way those guys were playing – I
thought it must surely be true that they never walk alone.

I dreamt that I
chased after the ball for a long time, but anytime I got to the goal
post of the opposition there seemed to be a set of giants there and all
I could see were numbers – 5, 17, 37, 22. I just could not see my way
through these figures blocking my view of the net. Or was it possible
that our opponents had buried something in the net that prevented me
from seeing clearly anytime I got to their goal post? I may need to
have a detailed discussion with my Ivorian team mate Emmanuel Eboue
about this… African players seem to have a better understanding of
this strategy.

As I was chasing
the ball, I heard a loud voice thunder in my ears, “you really should
tell your manager to buy more star players – even if he has to beg,
borrow or steal….. this way you won’t have to run yourself ragged and
can fully mind your own business in mid field and attack. And more
importantly, you won’t have to worry about the scores of the matches of
the Red Devils or the blues!”

Respite and other games

Just as I was
about to tell the voice to back off… it screamed, “the Red Devils and
The Blues have scored in their different games and at this rate you
will not have any silverware to show off this season again.” This last
comment was too much for me to bear and I dashed like a man pursued by
a hound of dogs towards the goal post of my opponent but my team mates
seem to have disappeared. I felt very lonely, I must confess. Enough is
enough, I thought, I must walk off this pitch and move to one where the
pitch seems greener and the team’s cupboard is full of silverware. I
would like to see a bit more of colour – navy blue and wine perhaps?
Whilst I stood contemplating my next move, I saw the ball whistle past
my head like a bullet. I glanced round in amazement and saw it was my
amiable mate Abou Diaby who had kicked the ball hard and scored too.
That was enough to get my feet moving again… I raised my hands high
to applaud the goal, way high above my head, I just felt the ball brush
my hands, honestly, I did not see or know the ball had been kicked by
the never walk alone team.

Suddenly, I had a loud roar, which startled me awake. It was the
crowd acknowledging the end of the game and our retention of 3rd
position on the league table! The Red devils Drew and the blues failed
to win. This was no dream after all! Go Gunners!

I will be championing the cause of the underdogs. Why? Well
simply because I can.

There were so many Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal jersey
wearers over this weekend but not a single Burnley, Bolton Wanderers or
Portsmouth (the last 3 teams on the English premiership league table) jersey
wearer in sight, at least for me!

So please forgive me if I don’t analyse the loss of Manchester
United to Everton (leaving the premiership title race wide open to many
possibilities) or Chelsea’s win against Wolverhampton wolves… I mean, these
guys get all the attention all the time… its time someone gave the bottom 3
some time of day.

Ask any football loving Nigerian fan to name one player in the
Burnley team and they would be hard pressed to but he/she can rattle off the
names of the 11 players and reserve team for Chelsea, Man U or any of the other
top four to six teams in the league. The only reason why some people may have
some interest in Portsmouth and perhaps Bolton is the fact that we had (and in
Portsmouth’s case still have) some Nigerian players in those teams.

In the 2009/10 season, Bolton has conceded 46 goals, Portsmouth
44 goals (and lost 18 games) whilst Burnley has conceded 50 goals. Being last
in any competitive situation is not pleasant as we all know… Well for those
of us who will be very honest and admit to having that status at some point in
our academic life – ‘Arupo’ as was the slang then for the last few. What makes
you an ‘Arupo’?

You were playing/sleeping when others were reading, you just did
not understand the teacher, you are dumb or all of the above! For a football
team, the equivalent of sleeping when others are reading is having players who
are not disciplined and who are just interested in collecting their money.

I doubt very much that this is the case for most of the players
in the last three teams as one hardly gets to hear of the shenanigans of the
players in these teams unlike those in the top four teams on the league table.

Understandably, the top guys face more media scrutiny but still
the players in the bottom three teams must have lives outside the pitch as
well. If anything, I believe these are the guys that work their hearts/legs out
to earn their ‘measly’ pay when compared with that paid to those in the top four.
Match in match out, they come on to the pitch knowing nobody really gives them
much of a chance – the football analysts, their fans and perhaps even their coaches/managers. It must be
pure torture! Poor Portsmouth is facing a double whammy – £60Million plus in
debt and on the brink of bankruptcy and relegation from the premiership league.
There is the livelihood of the players and staff to be considered. Kudos’ to
them for even showing up for matches, though how anyone is supposed to play and
win in their tough situation beats me.

Losing 2-1 over the
weekend to a 10-man Stoke City team is not completely unexpected. It really is
a chicken and egg situation for these teams- how will they ever hope to stay in
the top flight if they don’t have money to acquire experienced and quality
players who can take them to the top 10 of the league and in turn ensure that
they participate in some of the games where the club can earn some more money.
Will Wayne Rooney ever wish to play for Portsmouth? Or Lionel Messi transfer to
Burnley? Only if these teams can pay for their services and rightly so.

The statistics of these teams speak for them. Bolton has never
won the premiership but has won the Coca-cola Football league Championship
three times; Burnley in its 128 years of existence has actually won the
premiership title twice in 1921 and 1960 and Portsmouth has also won the
premiership title twice -1949 and 1950.

Perhaps it is time there is a re-think of what qualifies a team
to remain in the premiership because it is obvious that without any money,
these teams are being set up to fail.

Cash apparently is king in football.