Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster. On 6th February 1958, a plane crashed most of the passengers, including 8 of the Busby Babes. Various ceremonies were held to commemmorate the disaster, including the main one at Old Trafford.

All the international friendlies were preceded by a minutes silence to a honour the victims of the crash.

To people like me who were born long after the disaster took place, it may seem unimportant but I can feel it means so much to the Old Generation. The 8 Busby Babes who died were all incredibly gifted, well on their way to becoming the best team in Europe. But no one was more talented than the great Duncan Edwards, who people say would have become one of the best players of all time, if not the best had he not died so young.

'Duncan Edwards was and is still admired by all those who knew him. Bobby Charlton, England's all time top scoring player, claimed that he wasn't fit to lace Duncan's boots, and that he "was the only player that made me feel inferior". The former England manager Terry Venables watched him play against his beloved Tottenham Hotspur as a youngster and said he was the greatest player he had ever seen. Edward's Manchester United team mate Wilf McGuinness holds him in similar regard, and commenting on the Munich air crash stated: "We definitely did lose one of the all-time greats". Sir Matt Busby described him as "the best player in the world".'
Source:Wikipedia

Let's hope the victims of the disaster get the respect they deserve during the Manchester Derby

When Kevin Keegan took over at Newcastle United about 3 weeks ago, he was labelled a Messiah by the Geordie fans, thinking that he will bring instant success to the club. But since then events suggest that Keegan's time at St. James Park may already be ticking down.

The first blow to Kevin Keegan's second reign came when Alan Shearer, the Geordie hero, refused a accept a role at Newcastle. Most fans wanted Shearer to become Keegan's assisstant, or take any role in the back-room staff or the board. But Keegan was unable to do so. Many fans suspect this happened because of some animosity between Shearer and Keegan. to compound the fans' misery, Shearer said that Newcastle is not the only club he would like to manage.

The second blow was Jonathan Woodgate's refusal to come to Newcastle. Keegan needed sound central defender badly, and Woodgate was the likely signing. And Newcastle even had their bid accepted by Middlesborough. But Woodgate snubbed Newcastle, signing instead for rivals Tottenham. Moreover, Keegan failed to make any notable signings too.

The single-most incident that undermined Keegan was the board's appointment of Dennis Wise as director of football, without Keegan's approval. Signals coming from Newcastle suggested they wanted to appoint a director of football, and chairman Mike Ashley and Chief Executive Chris Mort duly did so when they appointed Wise to take up the post. The board said that Wise's job is to look after the transfers, not to interfere in the first team affairs. This move led Keegan declaring he is still incharge of the first-team too and insist Wise will appoint to him. But past evidence incidents Chelsea and Tottenham suggest that the appointment of director of football leads to friction between him and the manager as each one tries to interfere in each other's job. This unsettles the team and ultimately leads to the manager being sacked. This can happen to Keegan too.

To add to these events, Newcastle's on-the-field performance has remained woeful. Thay are winless under Keegan, drawing one and losing three of the four games they have played. Owen's goal in the last Newcastle match was the first the Magpies have scored in about 700 minutes. The defence remains as poor as always with the strikers seeming totally incapable of regaining their scoring touch. If their form does not pick up quickly, they could find themselves fighting relegation.

These incidents suggest that Keegan's second tenure as magpies manger may well be short-lived. I can see him not being in-charge come next season. Although in my opinion, Mike Ashley should stick with Keegan, allowing him to start the next season as manager. Until then Keegan will be able to assemble a squad that he likes and prepare them thoroughly. If Keegan till well into next season, only then he will be able to know the correct answer of the question; 'Has Keegan still got what it takes to lead Newcastle to glory?'

January transfer window is a time when nearly all of the teams try to bring in aa few players to achieve their goals, be it fighting off relegation , qualifying for Europe or winning a trophy. This year 's January Transfer window saw a record 150 million pounds (more than double of the previous record) splashed by the clubs, and some wierd transfers taking place.

There was relatively little transfer activity at the top. SAF and Arsene Wenger are not big fans of bringing in players in January, and therefore, they made one signings each this time around. Manchester United signed Manucho , a 24-year old Angolan striker, with Arsenal signing a Gillingham prospect Luke Freeman. At Liverpool, Rafael Benitez got his wishes as they signed Skrtel, which will give him cover for centre-back that he craved. Moreover, the 17 million pounds transfer of Mascherano is expected to go through in the next few days.

Unsurprisingly, Chelsea were the biggest spenders, manging to sign Serbian defender Ivanovic and a young Argentine prospect. But Chelsea's biggest signing was Nicolas Anelka from Bolton for 15million pounds. As I have said before, he is a quality player and a natural goalscorer, and eventually, can go on to replace Drogba at Stamford Bridge.

There was a lot of activity in mid-table,with quite a few of the clubs spending big. Tottenham manager Juande Ramos shored up his defense by signing Woodgate and the brazilian Gilberto from Middlesborough and Hertha Berlin respectfully. They even managed to snap-up Scottish international right-back Alan Hutton on the last day, and many people are of the view that he could be a huge signing for them.

Harry Redknapp has an uncanny naec of attracting quality players to the south coast, and he managed to do it yet again. Milan Baros arrived from Lyon on loan, whereas Diarra came in from Arsenal to strengthen the midfield. On the last day, Pompey managed to wrap up the signing of the unpredictable Jermain Defoe from Tottenham. Surprisingly, Redknapp decided to sell Benjani to Manchester City. Due to Benjani's late arrival in Manchester, the move hit a snag but has now been completed. I don't understand this transfer at all, as Benjani was playing so well at Fratton Park. Redknapp may rue the day he decided to let him go.

Generally, Manchester City find it difficult to sign players in January as Thaksin did not live up to his promises of spending miilions on big players. Apart from Benjani, their only major transfer activity was the loan signing of Nery Castillo from Shakhtar Donetsk. The same happened to Kevin Keegan at Newcastle, as they failed to bring in fresh blood that was so desperately needed.The fact is, when your team is struggling so badly, you can't persuade players to sign for you.


A lot of teams fighting relegation managed to make good signings, and some of them will be clearly responsible for keeping their team in the Premiership come end of the season. Top of the list were Middlesborough, who broke their transfer-record to lure Afonso Alves to the Teeside. The capture of the "Ugly Duckling" could prove to be huge coup to Southgate's team as he was linked with many European Giants. Birmingham manger Alex Mcleish was able to convincw his compatriot James Mcfadden to come to St. Andrews and Wigan snatched Marlon King of Watford from right under Fulham's noses for 5 million pounds. Speaking of Fulham, they made a number of signings including Norwegian giant defender Hangeland and veteran Lietmanen, but there are doubts wether they will be able to save the West London club from dropping down the Championship. Roy Keane was also able to bring new players which included ex-teammates Phil Bardsley and Andy Reid. Finally, even Derby managed to conclude many deals. Savage, Stubbs, Caroll and Ghaly have all arrived at Pride Park but I fear its a cause of too little, too late for them.

Many of the clubs have spent loads of money, but making expensive signings is no guarantee for success. Only time will tell which players are able to pull it off at their new clubs, and which players are labelled "big-money flops".

Something is different about Arsenal this season. Just when you think they are going to stutter, they grind out another fantastic result. This time it was a 3-1 victory over Manchester City, ending the citizens unbeaten run at the eastlands. Adebayor (twice) and Eduardo came up with the goals for the Gunners with Gelson netting for City. Arsenal have added resilience to their already brilliant game this season, and have shown that they have got what it takes to push United all the way.

And just when you think that Manchester United are going to go on a long winning run, they slip up at an away game. Thay did it again, this time against Tottenham. Berbatov gave Spurs the lead, and they outplayed United for the best part of the match, only to be denied victory by a late late Tevaz goal from a corner.The thing to note is United played much better after substitutions, and therefore Sir Alex should look to start with Anderson much more.

Chelsea played out a highly entertaining draw at Fratton Park. Anelka got his first Premiership goal for the Blues, but Chelsea's advantage was cancelled out by Pompey debutant Jermain Defoe. He also had a lot of chances to score the winner, but missed each one of them. In the end, Chelsea should be happy with a point.

As expected, Liverpool got their first win since Boxing Day, as they defeated Roy Keane's Sunderland 3-0. Peter Crouch netted his first Premier League for months, justifying the fans, who think he should be included in the starting line-up.

At St. James Park, Newcastle fans were left disappointed , as Kevin Keegan's men failed to earn 3 points yet again. Owen found his way to the back of the net again, but Middlesborough were playing very well and they duly equalised through Rob Huth.

In other matches, Everton were denied a win at Blackburn by controversial offside decision, Roy Hodgson got his first win as Fulham manger as his side beat Aston Villa 2-1, thanks to returning Bullard. Birmingham were held at home by an improving Derby, Bolton got their first away win of the season at the Madejski stadium and Wigan saw off West Ham's challenge at the JJB, courtesy of a Kevin Kilbane header.

Here's the video and the video link(in case the video does not work) of Manchester United's newest striker Manucho scoring a fabulous goal against Egypt. He has been loaned out to Panathinaikos for the rest of the season so that United could apply fo a sucessful work permit for him in the summer. Judging by his perfomances in the cup of nations, he might just turn out to be the player United are looking for and proove to be a big hit at Old Trafford. http://youtube.com/watch?v=hhpvLAFD0fM

Persistent problems with my internet connection have kept me from posting for the last few days. I have some posts lined up and hopefully, I will be able to post more in the next week. Anyways, Premiership is back again this weekend and here are my predictions for all of the matches.

Tottenham v Manchester 1-2

Manchesteq City v Arsenal 1-1

Liverpool v Sunderland 3-0

Portsmouth v Chelsea 1-1

Birmingham v Derby 2-1

Blackburn v Everton 1-1

Reading v Bolton 2-1

Wigan v West Ham 2-2

Newcastle v Middlesborough 1-1

Fulham v Aston Villa 2-2

If you want to contact me, feel free to do so at faizanelahi@gmail.com .

Here are all the results from an action-packed weekend of the FA cup. Unfortunately for the minnows, there were no major upsets and all the favourites came through unscathed. The closest we got to witnessing a giant-killing was at Anfield where the tiny Havant & Waterlooville managed to score 2 goals against Liverpool but failed to hold on to thier lead and went down 5-2. Arsenal defeated Newcastle thanks in no small part to Adebayor's brace. Anelka's fine finish and a great assist set up Chelsea's win over Wigan. Despite not playing at their best, Manchester United were able to defeat Tottenham Hotspur at old Trafford,making it to the fifth round as well. Only six Premiership sides are left in the competition,which bodes well for the chances of a team from the lower leagues to reach Wembley this year.

Sheff Utd 2-1 Man City
Man Utd 3-1 Tottenham
Liverpool 5-2 Havant & W'looville
Derby 1-4 Preston
Arsenal 3-0 Newcastle
Portsmouth 2-1 Plymouth
Wigan 1-2 Chelsea
Mansfield 0-2 Middlesbrough
Watford 1-4 Wolves
Peterborough 0-3 West Brom
Southampton 2-0 Bury
Coventry 2-1 Millwall
Oldham 0-1 Huddersfield
Southend 0-1 Barnsley
Barnet 0-1 Bristol Rovers
Hereford 1-2 Cardiff


The draw for the fifth round is out,and undoubtedly,the tie of the round is Arsenal's trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United. generally,Cup clashes between the top sides proove to be really boring affairs but this match could be an exception. Certainly,it has all th ingredients for a classic. Arsene Wenger has already began the mind games,and Sir Alex is sure to respond. Let's see which master tactician comes out on top his time to keep Their FA cup dream alive. In other notable ties, Chelsea face Huddersfield town at Stamford bridge. It's a wonder how Chelsea get so easy ties against smaller teams. Moreover,they play at home most of the time. Liverpool also have a quite an easy fixture. They take on Championship side Barnsley. Finally, Bryan Robson faces his former club Middlesborough with his current side Sheffield United. Boro are no longer a side to be feared,and therefore,he should fancy his chances against them


Bristol Rovers v Southampton
Cardiff City v Wolves
Sheffield United v Middlesbrough
Liverpool v Barnsley
Manchester United v Arsenal
Preston v Portsmouth
Coventry City v West Brom
Chelsea v Huddersfield Town

The oldest and arguably the best cup competition , FA Cup, is back this weekend. Here are all my predictions for the fourth round matches being played this Sunday (I wanted to write about Saturday's matches as well, but due to a problem with my internet connection, I was unable to do so.)


MANCHESTER UNITED V TOTTENHAM

In terms of sides involved, this is the tie of the round. Many peolple are saying that United's trip to Saudi Arabia will harm thier chances against Spurs-but I don't think so. The friendly against Al-hilal was played on Monday and since then, United have had plenty of time to rest. If anything, the mini-tour should leave United in a better shape for the remainder of the season.

Tottenham will be very bouyant on thier way to Old Traffod after humiliating Arsenal in mid-week. What a story it will make if they manage to take anothe 'Big Four' scalp in space of a week. And Spurs have never had a better chance of doing so as Manager Juande Ramos's cup record is absolutely brilliant. He has not lost a cup game in years and he will be eager to keep it that way. The front four-Berbatov,Keane,Lennon and Malbranque are looking awesome and at the moment, are capable of scoring against anyone.

Having said that,United don't have the meanest defence in the Premier League for nothing. Ferdinand and Vidic should be able to keep Spurs' strikers quiet for most of the match. This match is going to be nice and entertaining one as both sides will go out for a win. But I feel that United will be too strong on the day, especially as they are at home.

Prediction: 2-0


SHEFFIELD UNITED V MANCHESTER CITY

Sheffield United were one of the start- of- the season promotion favourites. But now they are languishing in the mid-table of the Championship with demands for manager Bryan Robson's head growing everyday. Although they managed to beat Bolton in the previous round, their form in the Championship has remained indifferent.

Manchester City has fallen off the pace lately. their defence is very strong, but they seem to lack firepower upfront. Furthermore their away form is awful. Therefore, I think the Blades have a chance in this match and I see this match going to the replay.

Prediction: 1-1


HEREFORD V CARDIFF

Hereford are the other minnows left in this year's competition and they have not got the credit they deserved as all the media attention had been diverted towards Havant and Waterlooville. Hereford will do the best they can against Cardiff, but its not going to be enough, not even to earn themselves a replay.

Prediction: 1-3

In the first semi-final of the Carling Cup, Tottenham Hotspur were finally able to break their Arsenal hoodoo, beating the Gunners for the first time in 9 years as they thrashed them 5-1. After along time, Spurs are on their way to Wembley.

In the first leg at the Emirates, Tottenham were clearly the better side and Arsenal were lucky to salvage a draw through a fluke Walcott goal. White Hart Lane and the Spurs faithful thought that this might be their day.

And they turned out to be right. But even more surprisingly than the result was the manner of the Spurs victory. Within the hour mark, they were 4 goals up leaving Arsenal with no chance of a comeback. The Gunners defence was totally unable to deal with the Spurs high-tempo attacking game as Jenas, Keane and Lennon all scored. (The forth goal was an own goal by Bendtner). Adebayor's 20-yard strike proved to be a consolation as Malbranque rounded off a thumping victory near the end.

Arsenal fans are arguing that this defeat was due to their young, inexperienced side. But you can only beat what's in front of you, and Spurs, managed to do it brilliantly. Moreover Walcott and Traore were the only youngsters in the side. Players like Diaby and Bendtner in addition to Sagna, Gallas and Fabregas are very much part of the first team. Arsene Wenger must learn from this loss. You can't field your second string side in every match and expect to get a good result. Wenger said that this defeat is a part of youngsters' learning process but a team's morale can never be high after a humiliating defeat at the hands of their most bitter rivals.

On the other hand, its celebration time in the other half of North London.Tottenham had made it to a final, and with Juande Ramos's outstanding cup record, I think that they have a decent chance of winning the Carling Cup. Now the more important thing for Spurs is to try and change their cup form into league form and sneak into a European place come the end of the season.

In the other semi-final, Chelsea managed to beat Everton by a single goal at Goodison Park, securing their place in the Carling Cup final for the third time in four years. Chelsea had a 2-1 one advantage from the first-leg, which meant Everton had to score to remain in the tie. Petr Cech turned out to be the main difference between the two sides as he made countless saves to keep Everton at bay. Credit must also be given to Chelsea's defence, who were able to survive Everton's onslaught. Finally,Chelsea were able to kill the game in the 69th minute, when Joe Cole controlled a long ball with a sublime touch and struck it past the helpless Tim Howard.

Everton would have to wait for another chance to play in a final, something which they have not done since 1995. But they can now turn all of their attention to wrestling the fourth spot from Liverpool,which will enable them to qualify for the Champions' League.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have continued to win games under Avram Grant. He now has an identical record to Jose Mourinho for the first 28 games in charge. But Chelsea's fans should not rejoice too much as far greater challenges lie ahead. The matches against Manchester United. Arsenal and Liverpool and the European powerhouses in the Champions' League will be the real test of Grant's mettle. I have serious doubts on whether he will be able to pass them with flying colours.