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How far can South Africa challenge England’s Number One test ranking?

by Mary Meyer

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England have had a charmed summer to date but the real test starts next week at The Oval against South Africa. The prize at stake for the winner of the three match-series could be no greater; the victor will be awarded the Number One test ranking.

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The incumbent world leaders England will be desperate to retain their crown, and anticipation is particularly great ahead of the series because of the sheer one-sidedness of their matches thus far this summer.

The England West Indies test series was, as expected, one-way-traffic and the subsequent one-day games have been hampered by a combination of inclement conditions and the continued absence of any sense of competition.

The three test-series against South Africa, which also takes in Headingley and Lords, could also suffer because of the weather but it will not be undermined by imparity between the sides.

The only drawback is the paucity of matches.

Here are the key questions both teams face:

How will England’s solve the Number Six conundrum?

The Jonny Bairstow experiment may be curtailed; he averaged just 12.66 in his maiden series against the West Indies at Number 6 with a highest score of 18 and could make way for the mercurial Ravi Bopara (av. 34.56 in 12 tests).

The Essex man’s test career can be summed up by his double feat of three consecutive tons (at home against West Indies in 2009) and three consecutive ducks (in Sri Lanka in 2007). Bopara has excelled against Australia in the ODI series and deserves another chance.

The other alternative is to play five bowlers and promote Matt Prior (av. 42.31 from 55 tests) to Number Six. Given England’s wealth of seam-talent and the all-round abilities of Tim Bresnan (av. 40.22 from 14 tests) and Stuart Broad (av. 27.92 in 47 tests), this is an exciting alternative but Messrs Flower and Strauss are unlikely to change their winning formula.

Should Steven Finn be recalled to the pace attack?

Despite Bresnan’s 100% record at test-level and superlative performance in the second test against the Windies at Trent Bridge in which he was named man of the match, the third seam bowling spot is still undecided.

Steven Finn has been in stunning form in the ODI side and could add an extra dimension to team as his height offers something different to the attack. The attritional Bresnan has worked very well alongside opening bowlers Jimmy Anderson and Broad and the Yorkshireman is the favourite to get the nod but Finn’s chances cannot be discounted.

England have not won a home test series against their opponents for twelve years, and the management team may go for the extra aggression engendered by Finn’s height and bounce to silence that record.

Can Graeme Smith shine in England again?

The South African skipper has a phenomenal record on these shores, averaging 72 (test average 49.64 from 99 tests), and led his country to a famous triumph in their last tour of England in the summer of 2008 which saw Michael Vaughan resign as captain. It remains the last time the home side lost a home test series, and it was South Africa’s first series win in England since 1965.

Smith was also instrumental in the fall of Nasser Hussain mid-series in 2003; the Proteas opener hit two double centuries, including the highest test innings by a tourist at Lord’s. It is unlikely that the series will see the fall of his opposite number this time around but the South African left-hander will hope to lead from the front again after recovering from an ankle injury. Smith remains his side’s key wicket.

How far will Mark Boucher’s absence undermine South Africa’s chances?

The enforced retirement of the veteran wicketkeeper is sad news for world cricket. Boucher played 144 test matches and achieved the most test dismissals by a glove-man in history (555). The thirty-five year-old has also finished with an impressive batting average of 30.20, including 5 centuries and 35 fifties, and will be sorely missed.

AB de Villiers could provide cover but South Africa will be anxious not to over-burden their star batsman (av. 49.16 in 74 tests). They may summon specialist keeper Thami Tsolekile to join the tour. Such upheaval just ten days before a crucial tour is an inauspicious start but South Africa have not lost an away series for six years. This will be tight.

We want to know your views, so let us know what you think and leave a comment below!

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The numbers game facing Team GB ahead of London 2012

by Mary Mayer

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UK sport has outlined its medal targets for this summer’s Olympics and 48 is the magic number. The funding body has challenged Team GB to go one better than the haul achieved in Beijing across a wider variety of sports and equal the top-four finish of 2008. The toughest task will be to emulate 19 gold medals. This figure was instrumental in elevating Team GB from a ranking of 10th in 2004 in Athens. The aggregate target of 48 however, is a conservative one.

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Officials at UK Sport are said to have floated greater expectations in private with the in-house bar starting at 55 and rising as great as 70.

Over £500 million has been pumped into the Olympic disciplines since 2005 and it is hoped that the injection of taxpayer and Lottery funding will guarantee a more diverse medal spread after 11 sports medalled in Beijing.

The scope of the London 2012 British team is impressive; it will be the biggest in history as well as the highest-funded and best-trained to date.

There will be 542 athletes representing Great Britain later this month from all 26 sports on the Olympic programme.

The youngest member of Team GB is 15-year-old artistic gymnast Rebecca Tunney who recently became British champion after winning the junior title last year.

China are favourites to top the medals table again ahead of America but the battle for the top four is very open.

Australia, France, Germany and Russia will all provide Team GB with stern competition but home advantage has been pivotal throughout Olympic history and many competitors will enter the Games in top form.

Great Britain’s athletes no longer have the benefit of shock value after over-performing at The Games four years ago but the competitors are expected to thrive in the spotlight in front of the home fans.

The ultimate medal tally of 47 in Beijing was six more than predicted and the fourth placed finish was the best since London’s debut Games of 1908.

104 years ago Team GB claimed 56 gold medals which would be an impossible feat this time around but the British are on course to exceed the published expectations.

There are five main sports that Team Great Britain are looking to dominate: athletics, cycling, rowing, sailing and swimming. Here are the top athletes to watch in each of these disciplines and the ball-park anticipated medal figure:

Athletics: 5-8 medals

Holly Bleasdale – pole vault
Mo Farah – 5,000m and 10,000m
Robbie Grabarz – high jump
Dai Greene – 400mh and 4x400m
Philips Idowu – triple jump
Jessica Ennis – heptathlon and 100mh
Greg Rutherford – long jump
Christine Ohuruogu – 400m

Cycling: 6-10 medals

Lizzie Armitstead – women’s road race
Mark Cavendish – men’s road race
Sir Chris Hoy – men’s keirin, men’s team sprint, men’s match sprint
Victoria Pendleton – Women’s match sprint, women’s team sprint, women’s keirin
Laura Trott – women’s omnium, women’s team pursuit
Bradley Wiggins – men’s road race, men’s time trial

Rowing: 6 medals

Katherine Grainger & Anna Watkins – women’s double scull
Helen Glover, Heather Stanning – women’s pair
Alex Gregory, Tom James, Pete Reed, Andrew Triggs Hodge – men’s four
Chris Bartley, Peter Chambers, Richard Chambers, Rob Williams – lightweight men’s four

Sailing: 3-5 medals

Ben Ainslie – finn
Paul Goodison – laser
Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark – 470 women
Iain Percey & Andrew Simpson – star
Nick Dempsey – RS:X men’s windsurfing

Swimming: 5-7 medals

Rebecca Adlington – 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, 4x200m freestyle relay
Keri-Anne Payne – 10km open water
Fran Halsall – 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly
Ellen Gandy – 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly
Hannah Miley – 200m individual medley, 400m individual medley
 

There are a number of other sports where Great Britain will hope to score some individual medals. The main players are:

Andy Murray – tennis (men’s singles and doubles)
Laura Bechtolsheimer, Carl Hester and Zara Phillips – equestrian (dressage; dressage; eventing)
Tim Brabants, Rachel Cawthorn and Ed McKeever – canoe sprint (K1 1000m; K1 500m; K1 200m)
Alistair Brownlee – triathlon
Tom Daley – diving (10m individual and 10m synchronised)
Sarah Stevenson, Jade Jones – taekwondo (under67kg; under 57kg)
Beth Tweddle, Louis Smith – gymnastics (Women’s artistic; Men’s artistic)
Anthony Ogogo, Luke Campbell and Nicola Adams – (middleweight; bantamweight; flyweight)
Mhairi Spence – modern pentathlon

Team GB also has a strong chance of medalling in Womens hockey and the mens and womens football tournaments. Let the games begin!

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Sachin’s century of centuries

World admires Little Master as unique milestone is reached

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Tendulkar finally reached his 100th hundred against Bangladesh this morning

It seemed to take an age. The cricketing world has held its collective breath, patiently waiting as inning after innings went by. Scores in single figures, double figures, in the 70’s and 90’s. But no centuries. Sachin Tendulkar was stranded on 99.

Until now. This morning the ‘Little Master’ finally made it to the milestone. It seemed that the mark had been weighing him down. Little wonder, with the entire Indian population on his shoulders.

Since he got his ninety-ninth century during last years World Cup, Tendulkar has had the world’s press on edge whenever he has taken guard. People were sure he would get there during India’s tour of England in the summer. He passed 50 twice, including an innings of 91 at the Oval, which when ended was almost mourned as much as it was celebrated by the home fans.

From there he went home to India where the West Indies waited. The first Test saw Sachin make scores of seven and 76 while in the second he made 38. The third Test, at his home ground in Mumbai, a place where he had scored only one previous Test century, seemed to be the perfect place to achieve the unthinkable.

Having watched the West Indies rack up nearly 600 in the first two days, when he got in, Sachin was determined not to get out. Ending day three on 67, the cricketing world was forced to hold its breath over night. They needn’t have as he was out quickly the next morning.

A tour to Australia couldn’t do the trick, despite some fine knocks.  Specualation mounted as to whether Tendulkar would ever get there. Had he psyched himself out?  Was the pursuit of the goal undermining him, and more importantly, the team?  After all, India’s form since the search for the century begun had been wretched.

But then, with doubts surfacing, along came the Asia Cup, the little reported but one-day competition that probably would have passed even the most observant cricket fan by were it not for Tendulkar’s presence.  Having failed in the first game, Sachin took to the crease against Bangladesh for the second with one thing on his mind.  100 runs later – the time elephant has left the room at last.  While it may not have been the grand occasion he might have wanted, there was a sense of fate as this was his first century against Bangladesh.

So finally, he has done the deed. But what does this achievement mean in terms of the history of cricket and for Tendulkar’s future?

Well, it is a unique achievement. By becoming the first and perhaps only man to reach such a landmark, Tendulkar has set himself apart. It is a testament to his longevity and brilliance over all forms of the game. No man has adapted so well between Test match and One Day cricket. 51 centuries in Tests and 49 in ODI’s is testament to his equal brilliance in both formats.

The worry for Indian’s everywhere will now be what Sachin does next. This was the target everyone was looking at. What else is there? He has become the record run scorer of all time. He became the first batsmen to score a ODI double century. What is the end game for Tendulkar?

Perhaps it is to see India gain revenge over England for the 4-0 whitewash this year. The return series takes place in early 2013, by which time Sachin would be a few months shy of his 40th birthday.

Scoring runs and leading his nation to glory at that stage of his career would be quite an achievement. Then it could be time to hang up the floppy white sun hat for good. They say life begins at 40. When will Sachin begin the second part of his?

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For once the FA have read the situation right

Delay in naming new manager an improvement on dithering idiot act

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The Football Association is such a favoured whipping boy of everyone, on almost every issue, that it seems absurd to defend it over the way it is handling the appointment of the next England manager. But defend it I must. This is not a whimsical reaction. The FA’s inaction, or shall we say slow progress to a decision, can be defended.

Now, if you believe the football public, surely the simple thing to have done the day after Fabio Capello packed his bags and left, was to pick up the telephone to Tottenham and appoint Harry Redknapp. The nation wanted it, Harry certainly wants the job, so what is the problem? Okay, Spurs would have created a fuss. Daniel Levy, the Spurs chairman, is a very shrewd negotiator, famous for taking every deal right to the last minute. But negotiate compensation with him, and it’s job done.

The problem is that the job is not that simply done. At the end of the day, this is a job vacancy to be filled. It may have been described as the worst job in the country, more difficult than that of the Prime Minister, but it is still a job vacancy.

Imagine there is such a job vacancy in your firm. Would it be acceptable that within hours of the vacancy having been created, a person is just placed there? Many in your firm would cry foul. Some would say it was a stitch up and all sorts of accusations would fly around.

Capello's departure created a vacancy that couldn't be filled instantly

The FA position is all the more delicate. As the body that is in overall charge of the English game, and to which all clubs belong, it also has a solemn duty to make sure it does nothing to disrupt its member clubs while the season is in progress. Tottenham are still trying to qualify for the automatic third position in the Champions League. When this process began, they had an outside chance of winning the league and could have cried foul. Tottenham’s recent decline on the field of play is said to be due to Harry thinking of England. Imagine the reaction if the FA had been in negotiations with the club before Tottenham’s recent fall.

The FA has to draw up a short list and go through the process. They have worked out that to approach a club now would both be disruptive and also might prove more costly.

Where this issue gets complicated is that, while the FA takes their time, others are not standing still, neither Harry nor Tottenham. What they want, and how they go about it, are things the FA cannot control.

There are people at White Hart Lane who do not think Harry really wants to take on the England job. Their belief is that he will miss the day-to-day involvement with players. I doubt if Harry would refuse the job. The honour, for a man who resents the way he has been treated, would be too much. I am not all that convinced that Harry minds the process going on till well into the summer. By then, Tottenham, keen to keep him, will have offered him a new, improved contract probably worth £3 million a year, and that can only strengthen his bargaining position when negotiating with the FA.

Levy, I suspect, will not mind. Provided he gets the right compensation, he will be able to finance the next manager. Who knows, it could possibly be Fabio Capello himself.

Where the FA can be faulted, is that they did not work out their long-term, post-Capello strategy before he left. His departure may have been sudden, but they had known for months he was not going to stay after the Euros were over. A contingency succession plan should have been prepared. That is what a proper business does. And failure to do that means they must now be portrayed as dithering idiots, when in reality they cannot do anything else.

Follow Mihir on Twitter @mihirbose

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Insider Leaderboard

Chelsea continue to lead the way on The Insider

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The Insider continues to provide some intriguing results and demonstrates how much the fans know about their club and how well they know their manager. There have been a few managerial changes of late, with Terry Connor taking over at Wolves and Andre Villas-Boas departing Chelsea.  Will these affect the Insider leaderboard however?

Well, it is Chelsea who stay top of the fans leaderboard this week. AVB’s last game at West Brom may have ended in defeat, but the Blues supporters clearly knew their stuff.  In fact, they increased their average score from 225 points to 230, consolidating their lead at the summit.  With Villas-Boas gone and Roberto Di Matteo in charge, will the make up of the Chelsea first eleven change?  It will be a test for the fans to see if they can second guess the new man.

Sunderland have moved up from fourth place to second in the table, increasing their points average by eight points to move to 221.  The Black Cats have two suspensions to cater for this weekend after Stephane Sessegnon and Lee Cattermole were dismissed on Sunday, so that will test the supporters knowledge of their squad.

How the top half of The Insider table looks

Fulham remain steadfast in third place, despite having made a two point gain. Martin Jol has quickly come across a winning combination including the likes of Pavel Pogrebnyak, and the fans have realised this and capitalised. The Cottagers held off Manchester United in fourth, who also gained a point but dropped two places.

Manchester City and Everton remain in fifth and sixth place respectively, although the Toffees have dropped a point.  Arsenal are the big movers in the top half, moving up four places to seventh with a ten point gain.  So often the form of the side on the pitch is reflected in The Insider and this is certainly the case with Arsenal.

At the lower end of the table, Bolton have gained a massive seven points, but failed to rise from the bottom.  Above them remain Blackburn Rovers, whose points haul also grew dramatically but was not reflected in a positional sense.

QPR are the team in absolute free fall in The Insider.  Having been ninth with 203 points, Rangers now find themselves way down in 18th, 35 points worse off than they were.  As with Arsenal, this form is reflective of their Premier League form.

The dreaded bottom half of The Insider

However, just nine points separate QPR and 14th place Wigan, so the Latics and the teams directly below them – Wolves, West Brom and Aston Villa – will keep one eye on the Insider bottom three.

Another big round of fixtures comes up this weekend, so make sure you head on over to The Insider and get your picks in.  Remember, the earlier you pick, the more bonus points to stand to earn.  Also, if you follow a Championship team, or just want to play more of The Insider, the Championship version is now available.

Good luck,

The Insider team

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How did the battle for fourth place become more exciting than the title race?

Forget the Manchester clubs, it’s all about the best of the rest this season

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By Mary Meyer,

With just twelve matches remaining in the Premier League, we have reached “squeaky-bum time” and all eyes are on the battle for fourth place. Whilst the title race is not yet decided by any means and the battle for survival is still very much alive, the race for fourth has become the most thrilling in this strangest of Premier League seasons.

The 2011-12 season has seen the Big Four of last season – Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal – all come into question both at home and abroad. Whilst the Manchester duopoly at the top of the league is undeniable (notwithstanding their respective exits from the Champions League, some rogue results and Spurs’ efforts), Chelsea and Arsenal are no longer guaranteed Champions league football which has left both clubs in a precarious position and brought the futures of their respective mangers very much to the fore.

It is the threat of the axe, combined with the stature of the clubs involved, which makes the battle for fourth so enthralling. Ferguson and Mancini should be safe regardless of their respective positions in the Premier League and we all know where Redknapp is destined even if Spurs triumph but could Wenger, Villas-Boas and even Dalgish be comfortable if they finish outside the top four?

This weekend’s fixture between Liverpool and Arsenal is obviously crucial for both sides, perhaps even more so for the home side. Given Liverpool are currently seven points behind the Gunners, albeit with a game in hand after their Carling Cup exploits last weekend, defeat would make the Anfield club’s chances of finishing in the top four very tough, if not remote.

A draw could be most likely and, with both defences porous throughout the season, it may be a high scoring affair. If Robin van Persie is fit and combines with Theo Walcott as he did in the second half of the North London derby, Arsenal could triumph but their frailties at the back could equally give Andy Carroll a chance of redemption.

Andy Carroll wil be hoping to make an impact in the race for fourth

Chelsea will be hoping to secure a win at West Brom after watching both sides play out a draw on Saturday and will be praying that their own beleaguered striker Fernando Torres is not required to start the match. Drogba will have a late fitness test after missing the Ivory Coast’s friendly this week and should be fit to lead the line. Frank Lampard may be given a reluctant start by AVB after missing England’s friendly with Holland and The Blues will seek to improve their goal difference which is currently equal with Arsenal on 16.

Outsiders for fourth place Newcastle face Sunderland in the Tyne Wear derby at noon on Saturday and a win will keep up the pressure on the favourites. Newcastle last finished in the top four in 2003 but without the distraction of Europe or cup fixtures they cannot be ruled out, even after the 5-0 defeat by Tottenham last month and the draw with Wolves last weekend. The Toon have been strengthened by the return of their African contingent and could still threaten.

Regardless of results this weekend, it looks like the race for fourth will not be decided until the very end of the season, if not the final day itself. A Spurs defeat at United on Sunday could see an extended implosion from the White Hart Lane side touted as title contenders as recently as last weekend and Tottenham enter the battle for fourth. Scott Parker’s suspension after his sending off at the Emirates could prove very costly. No side is safe. Expect to see Wenger throwing more water-bottles, Villas-Boas racing down the touch-line, Dalglish missing a press conference or two and Harry twitching.

The battle for the final Champions League place has seen grand-stand finishes before, headed by Arsenal claiming fourth on the final day of the season after the Lasagne debacle put paid to Spurs in 2006 and Redknapp’s Tottenham securing Champions League football ahead of Manchester City in 2010 after a play-off of sorts at the Etihad.

If the money-men could make it work, there would be a play-off for fourth place every year which would probably have more lustre than the FA Cup final. The Champions League has replaced the FA Cup as the premiere cup competition for domestic sides and the European competition arguably betters the World Cup in terms of quality.

With our focus on fourth place, has the Champions League usurped the Premier League itself in terms of importance? Manchester might say otherwise but the focus of the back-pages speak volumes. It is ironic that, in a season where English sides have toiled in the Champions League, we have embraced the European competition above our own.

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Premier League predictions and previews

North London derby illuminates weekend fixtures

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Chelsea vs Bolton

Andre Villas-Boas is a man under immense pressure. Defeat at Napoli in the week, coupled with the selection decisions made for that game, have made the likelihood of him remaining in his job until the end of the season lower than ever. No win in five and the pressure keeps on mounting.

Four of Bolton’s six wins this season have come away from home, and they will see this as a great chance to spring a surprise. Kevin Davies is still injured, but Mark Davies is expected to play despite carrying a slight knock.

Chelsea will start as favourites despite their poor form, and even though Bolton will be buoyed by the potential scalp, the Blues will have enough to get three points – 2-0

Newcastle vs Wolves

This game is all about the new man in charge of Wolves, Terry Connor. Before today, many non-Wolves fans wouldn’t have heard of him, let alone seen him as preferable candidate to Mick McCarthy for the managers job. But that is who Wolves have gone for, and supporters will be hoping that he can deliver the Midas touch like so many new managers do.

Newcastle are proving to be something of an enigma. Fabulous one week, indifferent the next, woeful the next. It is at St. James’ Park where they are at their best, however, and with Demba’s Ba and Cisse, it is hard t see them not taking the points here.

Newcastle too strong for Terry Connor’s men – 3-1

QPR vs Fulham

A west London derby with added spice, what with Bobby Zamora coming up against his former club for the first time. Mark Hughes needs a win to re-ignite his sides fortunes, having failed to spark a revival since he was appointed at Loftus Road. Djibril Cisse serves the second game of his suspension, and his side lack firepower with Heidar Helguson injured as well.

Fulham have Andy Johnson available to boost their forward line, which has been single handedly carried by Clint Dempsey this term. Martin Jol’s side have the worst away record in the Premier League, but will be confident of getting at least a point here.

Both sides lack firepower and a draw is likely -1-1

West Brom vs Sunderland

Baggies fans will still be glowing over their amazing Black Country derby victory over Wolves, and will be hugely confident of making it six points out of six against Martin O’Neill’s Sunderland. Keith Andrews could make his full debut for the club in place of injury doubt Paul Scharner

Nicklas Bendtner is in line for a return to the Sunderland team for the first time in a number of weeks. He missed the FA Cup win over Arsenal due to ineligibility, but has been recovering from a facial injury too. That win came a week after defeat to the same side in the Premier League, and the Black Cats will want to get back to winning ways at The Hawthorns.

Both sides will fancy themselves here, but O’Neill and his men will have too much Hodgson’s West Brom 1-2

Wigan vs Aston Villa

Wigan have a full squad to choose from for their meeting with Aston Villa, but have failed to win in ten Premier League home games. Having said that, a 2-1 win at Bolton kept them above water – they keep picking up wins when they are least expected.

Villa are on a hugely worrying slide, without a win in four games including three defeats, and confidence in Alex McLeish is lower than ever. Gabriel Agbonlahor returns for Villa, while Robbie Keane plays his last game for the club before returning to LA Galaxy.

This game is hard to call with both sides in poor form, but I think Wigan will get a win here

Manchester City vs Blackburn

City seem to have ridden a bit of a storm since Christmas when their form was up and down. The return of the likes of Yaya Toure may not be a coincidence there. Carlos Tevez will not be likely to feature, but his return may inspire others to up their game in case it is their place he takes.

Blackburn have already won in Manchester this season, beating United 3-2, but it is hard to see them achieving a similar result here. Two wins in the last five games in all competitions is decent form, and Steve Kean looks to be getting his team on the right track, but City will be unforgiving of any Rovers shortcomings.

Blackburn will be competitive, but City will overpower them – 3-0

Arsenal vs Tottenham

The game of the weekend in the Premier League, Arsenal are looking to rescue their season by qualifying for a Champions League place, a mark of how they have fallen in recent times. A 4-0 hammering in Milan, followed by an FA Cup defeat at Sunderland is hardly ideal preparation for a North London derby, and without Thierry Henry, the onus is really on Robin van Persie to perform.

Spurs have had two nil-nil draw in a row away from home, and will be hoping to put a stop to that run given the fire power available to them. Emmanuel Adebayor is a slight doubt for the game, but it is unlikely he will miss a return to his former club.

A cracker of a game in prospect. Arsenal have the ability in their team to win, but Spurs are some roll in the league and will get a priceless away win – 2-3

Norwich vs Man Utd

Nowich welcome the champions to Carrow Road with Zak Whitbread available again after two weeks out. Paul Lambert will however have to do without Daniel Ayala, Marc Tierney and Jonny Howson who are all injured. The Canaries crashed out of the cup last week against Leicester, but three wins out of four before that have taken them to near safety in the league.

United lost at home to Ajax in the Europa League on Thursday but still made it through, despite an unconvincing display. Wayne Rooney should be fit again after missing that match with a throat infection, and he will add some much needed experience after Sir Alex Ferguson admitted the side he picked was too young. A win over Liverpool last time out in the league showed glimpses of United returning to their best, but they still look frail at the back.

Norwich have performed admirably this season and have little reason to fear Man Utd, but this is the sort of game in which United so often squeak through – 1-2

Stoke vs Swansea

Stoke manager Tony Pulis came under fire from some supporters for fielding what they thought was a weakened side in the Europa League at Valencia. However if they pick up three points here they will surely be happy. Four of the Potters last five games have ended in defeat, and they will desperate to get back to picking up wins more consistently.

This really is a game with two hugely contrasting styles. Swansea have been credited for playing some of the best football in the Premier League whilst still picking up plenty of wins. Defeat last time out at home to Norwich was a surprise given their form at the Liberty Stadium, and they could find the Brittania a very tough test.

Stoke may have lost midweek, but their physicality will be too much for Swansea to handle – 1-0.

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Respect in the game needs a shake-up

Beckenbauer and co's insistence on pre-match ritual is admirable, but misplaced

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By Mihir Bose

Nobody can quarrel with Franz Beckenbauer when he says that, “Honour has to be more than just a word,” on the field of play. As chairman of the FIFA task force 2014 rules he is keen to launch a FIFA-backed global campaign to reinforce the Fair Play Code saying, “We want to harness the power of football in a campaign focusing on fair play and make an active contribution to school life by founding our actions on the values of discipline.”

But I am not sure the Kaiser is right when he thinks that the way to do this is for players to meet their opponents at the centre of the field of play and shake hands. The handshake in football has become a ceremonial show piece that means nothing. As for influencing schoolchildren I doubt if it can play any part. More so as they see on television the perfunctory way the players go about it. It is so evident they treat it as a ritual devoid of any value.

Much more important would be for FIFA to insist that players respect referees and their decisions. Given how players react to refereeing decisions, you may think I am asking for the moon. But there was a time when players accepted what the referees did. Listen to a player who won high honours in football and knows a thing or two about the game.

The handshake issue has overshadowed too many games already, but what does it achieve?

“Players respected referees’ decisions a lot more, because Bill Nicholson was someone like that and would say ‘Don’t you lot whinge to me about referees, because I’ll tell you something now, you lot don’t know the rules of the game.’ And he’s right. Footballers don’t know the rules of the game. Supporters don’t know the rules of the game. ‘And anyway,’ he said, ‘a referee is only human, they’ll make mistakes, but they’re not going to make as many mistakes as you lot out there.” You see the mistakes players make. My god.”

The player I was speaking to was Cliff Jones, the Welsh winger in the legendary Spurs team that did the double in 1961 going on to win two more FA Cups and the first British team to win a European trophy, the Cup Winners Cup.

Now, cynics will say that was nearly 60 years ago and everything has changed. So it has, as Jones knows only too well. Players, at least in the top division, get the sort of rewards pop stars might dream of and playing conditions have been revolutionised: the ball is lighter, the turf is billiard smooth.

But what is really different is the relationship managers have with referees. No modern manager would talk like Nicholson did to his double team. Instead of telling them to behave on the field of play and not treat the referee as a fool, the modern managers seem to almost egg their players on to challenge every referring decision.

Jones agrees that things are made more difficult for modern referees by the fact that replays instantly show up their mistakes. And this is where we come back to dear old Kaiser. His opposition to introducing technology to the game means the best of referees can be made to look like idiots on television. If the Kaiser really wants better discipline and fair play, he should rethink this opposition.

His mission should be to help referees with the use of technology to come to the right decision and demand that managers make sure their players respect decisions on the field of play. They must not be allowed, let alone encouraged, to act as spoiled brats who know more about the game than the officials. These changes might help bring some much needed discipline back to the game.

You can carry on with the handshaking. But do not be deluded into thinking that a mere handshake removes all of football’s problems. It does not.

Follow Mihir on Twitter @mihirbose

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The Insider – Injuries and Suspensions

Check who's in and who's out for this weekend

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Before you make your selections for The Insider, allow us at PlayUp to give you a few pieces of advice on injuries and suspensions. Who is in and who is out, read on to find out!

Carl Jenkinson is set to come back into the reckoning for Arsenal’s huge north London derby with Tottenham. Whether he will start or be on the bench for that encounter is unsure, however. Per Mertesacker is definitely out with his long term injury, while Thierry Henry has now gone back to New York Red Bullls.

Tottenham are sweating over the fitness of Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Emmanuel Adebayor for their trip to the Emirates. Assou-Ekotto is a major doubt, but Adebayor is hopeful of being fit for a return to his old club.

Ryan Taylor is rated as 50/50 to make Newcastle’s game at home to managerless Wolves. Wolves have three potential returnees to their side with Jody Craddock, Sebastien Bassong and Ronald Zubar pushing to recover from their respective injuries.

Manchester United travel to take on Norwich at Carrow Road with a slight doubt over Wayne Rooney, who is set to miss tomorrow’s Europa League game with a sore throat. Ryan Giggs should have shrugged off an ankle injury by the time Sunday rolls around, and Dimitar Berbatov could make at least the squad.

Zack Whitbread should be able to return for the Canaries after being taken off with a slight tightness of the hamstring during Norwich’s game with Bolton.

Chelsea seek to get their season back on track as Bolton visit Stamford Bridge. John Terry is out for at least a month with injury so won’t feature while Jose Bosingwa was forced off during Chelsea’s defeat in Napoli on Tuesday and is likely to be replaced with the returning Ashley Cole.

Owen Coyle has two injury decisions to make before they travel south. Marcos Alonso has returned to training but it is thought that he will play a couple of reserve team games before a comeback to competitive action. Kevin Davies missed the FA Cup tie at Millwall, but Coyle is hoping he will have his striker fit.

Sunderland travel to West Brom as they look to recover from defeat in their last Premier League outing. The Black Cats could possibly welcome back Craig Gordon following his long-term injury, but with Martin O’Neill’s side in such good form, it is unclear whether he would remove Mignolet from goalkeeping duties. Matthew Killgallon has returned to full training after picking up an injury in January but is still a doubt to make the starting line-up, but David Vaughan has been out for a couple of weeks, but having been called up to the Wales squad for their forthcoming international with Costa Rica, there is a good chance he could start.

Paul Scharner is rated at 50/50 for West Brom, but having not trained this week, those chances are reducing.

There is a rundown of just a few of the games being played in the Premier League this weekend. We hope that helps you in your quest to get as many correct selections correct as possible. Head over to The Insider now to make your picks. Don’t forget that we at PlayUp have created a Championship version of The Insider. So if you want to be tested even further, or if your favourite team plays in the second tier of English football, why not take part?

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