Video of the Week: 25/11/2013

Just a standard striker's tackle according to Roberto Martinez...

Luis Suarez nibbles away at Liverpool's patience

Photograph from Wikipedia Commons

George Best, Eric Cantona, Paul Gascoigne, Rudi Voller. There have been plenty of wonderful players to have graced the game whose misdemeanours will live as long in the memory as their talent.

From glorious free-kicks and delicate chips to soaring saliva and plastic breasts, football has never been predictable.

And now there is someone else sinking their teeth into the sport's controversial side. For the last three years there has been no keeping Uruguayan enigma Luis Suarez out of the lime-light. 

Why Sunderland's gamble could pay off

Photograph from Wikipedia Commons

The circus that is the Premier League continues to take twists and turns as more and more managers take part in the merry-go-round that is the industry.

The latest jester to join in the royal mess is Italian nut-job Paolo Di Canio. After initially refusing to reveal his political views he has now said that he is not a fascist. Former member of the Labour Party David Miliband left the Sunderland FC board after expressing his disagreement with the decision to appoint the man who once did a Nazi salute while playing for Lazio. 

Premier League season reaching the business end

Photograph from Flickr

As the calendar flicks over towards March, everyone involved in football starts to get that tingling feeling as the Premier League season starts to unfold. As managers start to feel the pressure, every game starts to take on greater significance.

Over the last twenty years the Premier League has seen many thrilling finishes, from West Brom's great escape when the last day saw four teams fight it out for one survival spot, to last year's stunning title victory for Manchester City over city rivals United on goal difference.

Is it the end of an era for Arsenal?

Photograph from Flickr

Seven-and-a-half years ago Arsenal defeated Manchester United in a penalty shoot-out to win their fifth trophy in five years. The year before they had gone a whole Premier League season unbeaten and boasted a host of top players such as Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg, Sol Campbell and Patrick Vieira.

Now their best player is undoubtedly a raw young talent in the form of Jack Wilshere, but with the side in disarray it is unlikely it will be long before he follows Henry, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri out of The Emirates. 

Although their last 16 Champions League tie with Bayern Munich is far from over, it is almost impossible to see Arsenal winning either 4-2 or by three goals in the Allianz Arena. Bayern are even stronger than when they reached the final last season and haven't lost since it was confirmed that Pep Guardiola would be taking over in the summer. 

It is not as though the Gunners have been a poor side since they won the FA Cup in 2005. In that time they have not finished outside the top four of the Premier League and have reached the League Cup final twice, losing 2-1 to Chelsea in 2007 and 2-1 to Birmingham City in 2011. 

Despite those efforts, their best achievement was reaching the Champions League final in 2006 when they went down 2-1 to Barcelona after having goalkeeper Jens Lehmann sent off. They could count themselves quite unlucky in that match and probably expected many more European finals to follow over the coming years, although those hopes have not materialized. It will be a shock to many that Arsenal have never won the Champions League under Arsene Wenger, in fact they have not been crowned champions of Europe in their history. 

Even though that sounds like a poor record for a club of their size, they are the only British team to have reached the last 16/second group stage every year this century. 

Arsenal in the Champions League under Arsene Wenger
Group stage	2
Last 16/Second group stage	6
Quarter-finals	4
Semi-finals	1
Final	1

Since the first two times that they played with Europe's elite under Wenger, when they were knocked out in the group stages both times, Arsenal have since sealed their place as one of the continent's best, although they are desperate to be crowned champions. 

At this rate even being in the Champions League next year will take a huge effort in itself. This season has been another disappointing one for the North London club so far. They sit in fifth place in the Premier League table, four points behind rivals Tottenham Hotspur who occupy the final Champions League spot. After this latest defeat, coupled with their shock FA Cup loss to Championship side Blackburn, and their season looks destined to be another fruitless one. 

For a couple of years now there have been sections of Arsenal's over-paying fans that believe Wenger's time has passed. Fail to seal Champions League qualification at the end of the season and the board might lose patience and agree with them.

However Wenger has been one of the club's greatest ever managers, in the last 17 seasons he has provided three Premier League titles and four FA Cups and countless near misses. What he has also managed is to transform Arsenal from an inconsistent side to a side that always challenges in the higher echelons of the table.

He has also not been backed tremendously by the board in recent years. The signings of Santi Cazorla, Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski were big buys, but not bank-breakers by any stretch of the imagination and were never going to win Arsenal the Premier League or Champions League. So who can blame him for trusting in youth? It is all he can really do.

The defence is clearly shaky, but that is as much down to the players' concentration as it is the manager's organisational skills. Despite his unbelievable record though, it would not be surprising in the modern day football cut and thrust culture, if Wenger was shown the door if the Gunners finish outside the top four. 

Whatever happens, Arsenal supporters appear to be witnessing their club fall in a similar, although not as dramatic, way to how Liverpool, Champions League regulars not so long ago, fell from Premier League favourites in 2009 to eighth place last year. 

Although Wenger's men seem to only be suffering a slight slide at the moment, it appears that the slide will become a full-on crash in the near future.

Ferguson v Mourinho: A Rivalry Renewed

Nine years ago Sir Alex and the 'Special One' met for the first time in a last sixteen clash in a spanking new Estádio do Dragão with the home side Porto coming out on top 2-1 thanks to two goals from the South African Benni McCarthy. 1-0 Mourinho. 

The victory was complete in the second leg as a second half equaliser and a dubious offside decision saw the Portistas win the tie 3-2 and spark memorable celebrations from their motivational coach. 

The next season saw Mourinho join the Abramovich revolution at Chelsea and he swept to successive titles, enjoying three wins, including a magnificent 3-1 victory at Old Trafford to set a Premier League record of 95 points in 2005. 

In the 2005/06 season Ferguson did notch up his first win over Mourinho, but still finished second best in the title race and had to wait until 2009 for his second triumph. That was the last time the two managers met as the Red devils won 2-0 over Inter Milan in the San Siro to cruise into the quarter-finals of the Champions League.  

Mourinho	Draw	Ferguson
6	5	2

Tonight they meet again in a clash of two of the three most valuable clubs in the world, not only in football, but in sport as a whole. 

Mourinho's Real Madrid got the better of the much-heralded Barcelona to win the La Liga title last campaign, but now sit 16 points off top and behind city rivals Atletico in third and in poor form.

Ferguson's United have dominated the Premier League this season and now sit 12 points clear of rivals Manchester City and on course to match their historic treble of 1998/99. The front two of Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie are likely to be Real's biggest threat, especially with the home side's centre back Pepe just returning from injury and full-back Marcelo dropped for being overweight. 

Mourinho will place his trust in former United star Cristiano Ronaldo, a man who swapped Manchester for Madrid in an £80 million move four years ago. Even Sir Alex himself has admitted that he did not expect him to score the amount of goals that he has in Spain and that he is now reaching his peak. 

There have been problems aplenty at the Bernabeu this season, with Mourinho slated for dropping legendary goalkeeper Iker Casillas and rumours of unrest in the boardroom surrounding the club. It seems likely that the great Portuguese will be on his way out sometime soon, probably at the end of the season and he has stated that he wants to return to England. 

But before these two great men can continue their rivalry on a more permanent basis, this pallet-wetting tie will decide which of these two huge clubs are still in with a chance of regaining the European title. 

Real hold the record of being champions of Europe nine times, while United have won just three. Ferguson himself has won two of those, but accepts that for a club of their size, they should have won more. At least the English team have been in the final three times in the last five years, the Galacticos haven't been there since 2002. 

The last time these two sides met was in an epic 2003 encounter when the defending champions saw off United 6-5 on aggregate, despite a 4-3 defeat in the second leg when future Galactico David Beckham scored twice off the bench. 

If tonight's match, and indeed the tie, even comes close to matching that night a decade ago then we will be in for a treat as two huge clubs and great managers go head to head. 

First leg prediction: Real Madrid 2-2 Manchester United

Contact us at: asportinginsight@hotmail.co.uk or on Twitter: @jedgore 

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QPR 1-2 West Brom

Albion dug deep to make it a couple of victories in a row at lowly Queens Park Rangers, who slipped back to the base of the table in the process.

Controversy surrounded Albion's ultimate winner, with Rob Green claiming Marc-Antoine Fortune had backed into him as he reached for the ball. Djibril Cisse had pulled one back after Chris Brunt opened the scoring in the first half.

Green continued in goal for Rangers, after Julio Cesar was not deemed fit enough to return. A well publicised disagreement between Harry Redknapp and Jose Bosingwa during the week prompted the manager to fill the right back role with youngster Fabio da Silva.

Youssouf Mulumbu came straight back in after his suspension in the place of Graham Dorrans, while Marc-Antoine Fortune replaced Peter Odemwingie on the wing, both players dropping to the bench. Romelu Lukaku started ahead of Shane Long once again.

Stephane M'Bia went close with a long rage shot early on, but Albion started the match the brighter, Mulumbu seeing a lot of the ball in the middle. Boxing day sales in the area and lengthy traffic forced officials to delay the kick off by 15 minutes.

The much talked about Adel Taarabt, who had found out before the game he wouldn't be representing Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations, tested Foster from distance and the goalkeeper did well to get down and concede the corner.

The Baggies weren't able to create too much in the way of a chance, but they looked tidy as the Hoops' defence held firm. Mulumbu did well to lay the ball off to Zoltan Gera, who rushed his shot and fired his first time effort well wide.

Up the other end, Shaun Wright-Phillips caused havoc down the left, sneaking past Billy Jones and crossing for Jamie Mackie, who should maybe have done better with his header.

Albion made their early dominance count by taking the lead in the 29th minute. Fortune cut inside from the right and laid the ball off to Chris Brunt. The captain unleashed a fierce, low drive from 25 yards beyond Green, his first of the season.

QPR replied immediately with another M'Bia strike, which Foster dealt with again. Mackie then robbed Popov on the far side, but McAuley's header behind spared the Macedonian's blushes. Popov had been claiming a foul and had to be substituted for Liam Ridgewell.

Taarabt whistled a free kick just wide of the post with Foster rooted, while Clint Hill headed a corner just wide after Mackie's persistence had earned the set piece initially.

Albion ended the half slightly more on top, as Morrison (with help from Lukaku) shrugged off a number of challenges but his shot just beat Green's post.

H-T: 0-1  

Whatever Redknapp had said at half time had taken effect, as pressure ensued on the visitors' box, Taarabt's free kick headed wide of goal by the dangerous M'Bia.

This pressure faded, and Albion took advantage, but questions will be asked about the legality of the goal. Continuous pressure involving Mulumbu and Jones resulted in a corner, and Brunt's kick was headed towards goal by Olsson. Green then proceeded to carry the ball into the net under pressure from Fortune. Comparisons were immediately made between this incident and that involving Victor Anichebe and Jussi Jaaskelainen when Everton met West Ham on Saturday, which resulted in a free kick to the goalkeeper.

This dented the Hoops' rhythm, and Albion threatened to score further goals. Fantastic football was played in the middle between midfielders Mulumbu and Morrison before Green thwarted Lukaku. Morrison's cross across the box a few seconds later was dangerous, but Lukaku couldn't reach it.

Green was on hand to prevent Belgian loanee Lukaku on the break following a splendid ball from Brunt, but Rangers were allowed back in on 68. A quick free kick allowed sub Samba Diakite to run at the defence, before the midfielder slipped the ball through to Cisse, who chipped over the onrushing Foster.

Rather than constant pressure from the hosts, the game opened up and the play was instantly more exciting. Green claimed the ball before the hard working Lukaku could get a shot in, while Fortune finished brilliantly only to see the offside flag go up.

The home side had a big shout against Liam Ridgewell for handball in the penalty area, which was waved away by Chris Foy, although on second glance there was substance to the appeal. 

Foster produced a wonder save to deny Hill's header late on, and Albion rode out the consummate pressure and series of corners to claim back to back victories.

Match ratings: QPR- Green 6, Fabio 6 (Hoilett 5), Hill 7, Ferdinand 6, Traore 6, Faurlin 6 (Diakite 5), M'Bia 6, Wright-Phillips 6, Mackie 6, Taarabt 7, Cisse 6

WBA- Foster 7, Jones 7, McAuley 7, Olsson 7, Popov 5 (Ridgewell 5), Mulumbu 7, Morrison (Tamas 85) 8, Brunt 6, Gera 6, Fortune 7, Lukaku 6 (Long 5)

Changing masculinities in sport

Masculinity has, and always will be, one of the most important features of men’s sport. Since sport started to become regulated in the nineteenth century it has mainly been fought out by men trying to secure dominance over others.  

Hegemonic traits are often “homophobic, misogynistic, and aggressive” (M.McCormack 2011) and these characteristics have always been present in sport. The most popular sports have always featured men going head to head, whether including contact or not. However, there are signs that this way of thinking is changing as media coverage and the public’s perception of sport develops.

‘Soft’ masculinities are becoming more prominent in the world of modern day sport. Metro-sexuality is a word that not many people would even have heard of in the 1980s, but now there are many top-level sportsmen that would be described as ‘metro-sexual’.

(Mark Simpson 1994) wrote that the “metro-sexual man, the single young man with a high disposable income, living or working in the city (because that’s where all the best shops are), is perhaps the most promising consumer market of the decade. In the Eighties he was only to be found inside fashion magazines such as GQ, in television advertisements for Levi's jeans or in gay bars. In the Nineties, he’s everywhere and he’s going shopping.” Examples of this type of masculinity are commonly found across the world of sport. England footballer David Beckham became the poster-boy of football in the early twenty-first century and since then others have followed his example, for example Welsh rugby union player Gavin Henson.

The twentieth century was an age when strength, power and dominance were promoted as important qualities of a man. The 1980s was a decade when homosexuality was frowned upon, as many people blamed gay men for the out-break of AIDs. These feelings were prominent in the world of sport, especially in association football, and the problem of hooliganism grew in the UK as a result of men trying to prove their masculinity and hetero-sexuality. 

The 1985 Heysel disaster that resulted in the banning of British football clubs from European competition was a prime example of this growing predicament, as Liverpool supporters caused trouble at the European Cup final. Although hooliganism was clearly a big problem, the press often jumped to blame events, and sometimes tragedies, on football fans. The Sun produced one of the most controversial front pages in 1989 when they published an article blaming Liverpool supporters for the Hillsborough disaster under the headline ‘The truth’. 

It was not until this year that The Sun apologised for the article when editor Dominic Mohan said: ''It's a version of events that 23 years ago The Sun went along with and for that we're deeply ashamed and profoundly sorry.” This was a prime example of society and the media accusing masculinity in sport for causing unruly behaviour, even though this type of conduct was often indirectly endorsed at the time.

Despite the media often condemning hooliganism, manliness has been encouraged by the press for many years. Sports journalism has been mainly based on men’s sport since the 19^th century and people do not only see male contest when they watch sport, but they also view media coverage that is dominated by men. These “gendered institutions” (Creedon 1998) exist on television, radio and print every time sport is covered, for example on Sky Sports and the BBC almost every presenter and commentator is a man, and even though there are more women in the roles during female sport matches/competitions, coverage is still usually controlled by men.

However there are signs that the media’s perception and promotion of masculinity is changing. In an age when physical prowess is becoming less important, more non-aggressive people are finding it unproblematic to fit into the world of sport. “Male advantages erode when society is pacified” (Elias + Dunning 1986) and the modern Western world has definitely pacified in the past twenty years. 

An example of this was the public’s views towards homosexuality in sport. In 1990 professional footballer Justin Fashanu agreed in an exclusive interview with The Sun to come out as gay and was widely ridiculed, both by the public and his peers. In stark contrast, in 2009 Welshman Gareth Thomas came out to the press to become the first openly gay professional rugby union player and mainly received only praise. This made a big impact as Thomas was seen to be very masculine; after all he won 100 international caps for Wales. The press were much more supportive and as a result other sportsmen followed his suit within the next year, one of them England international cricketer Steven Davies. This shows how many people have come to accept that not all men are ‘manly’ and that feminine men are not necessarily “sissies” or masculine girls “tomboys” (Connell 1983).

The promotion of sports such as tennis, cycling, swimming and running has seen a decrease in the need for masculinity. More people feel able to get involved in non-contact, individual sports that do not focus on physicality or fighting skills. Even though the media’s and the public’s perception of sport is still male dominated, there are signs that this is changing and the recognised boundaries of ‘masculinity’ have broadened.

For example (Donaldson 1993) makes the point that, despite common beliefs, homosexuality and physical sporting masculinity fit in with one another: “It is not ‘gayness’ that is attractive to homosexual men, but ‘maleness’. A man is lusted after not because he is homosexual but because he's a man.”

Social life is still organised in a certain way; men are usually the ones seen to be more physical and women more restrained. On the whole people still have some sort of gender ideology ingrained in their brains, mainly because of society and the way that the social order dictates thinking. “Most people take it [gender ideology] as a given, it is deeply rooted in their psyches and the way they live their lives” (Coakley 2009). 

As a result sport is still mainly built around masculinity, despite the modern changes. For instance boxing is a sport where men use their fighting skills and physical prowess to earn honour in society, which is exactly what hegemony is. Many boxers also take these characteristics out of the ring into society, Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather’s prison sentences are prime examples of this. Even though women’s boxing is now a part of the Olympic Games (in 2012 Briton Nicola Adams became the first-ever woman to win Olympic boxing gold), sports like boxing and wrestling clearly still promote hegemony. 

Traditional masculine traits are “avoidance of femininity; restricted emotions; sex disconnected from intimacy; pursuit of achievement and status; self-reliance; strength and aggression; and homophobia"(Levant 1995). It could be seen that these characteristics are engrained in a male’s way of thinking early on in their lives and if they do not conform, then they can be cast aside. Many young men still grow up believing that strong men are heroes and weak men become omitted by society, and as a result they relate this to the way they live their lives.

Since the nineteenth century sport has been affected by the view that males should show physicality and controlled aggression. Despite these early ideas, there are signs that society’s view towards masculinity in sport is changing. 

Many sports retain focus on domination and power, although there are now people that go against the norm. Social beliefs and the boundaries surrounding masculinity have altered and the current sporting climate is witnessing a change to the definition of ‘masculinity’. The ‘softer masculinities’  have appeared through men like Beckham, Henson, Fashanu and Thomas as people have become gradually less influenced by gender ideology.

McCormack, M. (2011). Hierarchy without hegemony: Locating boys in an inclusive school setting. http://www.psychologytoday.com/files/attachments/92609/hierarchy-without-hegemony.pdf.

Simpson, M. (15/11/1994). The Independent newspaper.

Creedon, P J. (1998). Women, Sport, and Media Institutions. Chapter 6: Issues in Sports Journalism and Marketing.

Elias, N + Dunning, E. (1986). The Quest for Excitement: Sport and Leisure in the Civilising Process. Blackwell.

Connell, R W. (1983). Which Way is Up? Essays on Sex, Class and Culture. Sydney, Allen & Unwin.

Donaldson, M. (1993). What is Hegemonic Masculinity? Springer.

Coakley, J. (2009). Sports in Society: Issues and Controversies. McGraw-Hill.

Levant, Ronald F. Dr (1995). Masculinity Reconstructed: changing the rules of manhood: at work, in relationships and in family life. New York: Dutton.

Who should win the Ballon D'or?

The contenders for this year's Ballon D'or have been announced and Lionel Messi is red-hot favourite to win a fourth consecutive award after scoring 82 goals so far in 2012, just three short of Gerd Muller's record. 

However he has extremely tough competition in the form of Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta, who have also had wonderful years. This time last year Messi won with 47.88 % of the vote, more than 26% than his rival Ronaldo received. While it could be much closer this time around, the Argentine is still expected to win after breaking the La Liga scoring record with 50 goals last season.

2008 winner Ronaldo scored 46 goals in La Liga himself last campaign, and has 12 already this season. He has taken Spanish football by storm since his arrival from Manchester United, scoring 124 times in just 114 appearances in the top flight. 

Iniesta has replaced Barcelona team-mate Xavi Hernandez in the only change to the 2011 nominee line-up. The diminutive Spaniard prides himself on his passing game and for good reason; his pass completion rate in La Liga last season was 89.06%, compared to the league average of 82.51. He creates a monumental amount of goal-scoring chances for team-mates, as shown by his rate in the final third of 80.59% (league average is just 69.3). 

Ballon D'or nominees since August 2011:

	Games	Goals	Assists
Lionel Messi	89	111	33
Cristiano Ronaldo	88	84	15
Andres Iniesta	71	11	20

Even though the statistics above would suggest a resounding victory for Messi, there are other factors that should be taken into account. Iniesta has some more unbelievable statistics that go relatively unnoticed. In the 2011-12 league season he completed 2075 passes compared to a league average of just 658, as well as already creating 16 goal-scoring chances in this year's World Cup qualification campaign. 

A fact that is often forgotten is that international performances are taken into account for the award and Iniesta and Ronaldo both excelled in Euro 2012. Iniesta was named as player of the tournament as he led Spain to a third successive major title, while Portuguese forward Ronaldo finished as joint top-scorer in Eastern Europe. Messi on the other hand, has scored 12 goals in just 9 games for an Argentina team that many feel rely too heavily on him. This is his best return for the national side after enduring years of criticism for under-performing on the international scene. 

It is clear that this year's World Player of the Year award will be tough to decide, although Messi's record-smashing efforts will surely see him break yet another record in taking a fourth successive award. It is likely that he will pass Muller's record before the year is up and that will just put the icing on the cake for the footballing magician.

Ronaldo has had yet another remarkable year and showed his talents in the 2-2 draw in El Clasico when both he and Messi picked up a brace. Iniesta meanwhile has shown wonderful consistency during a year in which he played a crucial role in his national team's success. 

    Prediction: 

1. Messi

    2. Ronaldo

 3. Iniesta

Sunderland 2-4 West Brom

Fans from the Black Country must be wondering when they’re going to wake up.

Albion moved up to third (and nosebleed territory) with their fourth consecutive victory after the enthralling encounter at the Stadium of Light in the lunchtime kick off, although their third, and ultimately the deciding, goal came from a controversial decision by Mike Dean to award a penalty.

Martin O’Neill chose an unchanged side after the Black Cats recorded their first away victory at Fulham last week, Phil Bardsley and Lee Cattermole shaking off knocks picked up in the Craven Cottage clash. Craig Gardner returned to the match-day squad.

Steve Clarke opted for regular Gareth McAuley over stand in Gabriel Tamas after the defender returned from a hamstring injury. Captain Chris Brunt started in place of injured Youssouf Mulumbu and Boaz Myhill continued in goal for the recovering Ben Foster.

It was a slow start to the game. One could sense that both teams were getting to grips with each other, Adam Johnson of Sunderland and Peter Odemwingie of West Brom tested their opposing keepers from distance without causing problems.

The 16th minute offered the first real chance on goal- although Claudio Yacob probably didn’t know too much about it. A corner came in which Jonas Olsson couldn’t connect with, and it fell to the Argentine who headed over from a matter of yards.

The first real move of quality came from the hosts. Danny Rose played Johnson in, the winger then flicked the ball onto Stephane Sessegnon, who chipped the ball over McAuley and fired in a shot that Myhill turned round the post.

On 20 Shane Long went down under a challenge from John O’Shea who had already been booked and referee Dean took his yellow card out again- but Long was penalised for simulation. O’Shea had initially made for the exit believing it was he who was about to earn his marching orders, and the replay showed that there was contact.

In the same way Myhill had an individual duel with Daniel Sturridge of Chelsea last week, the Welshman seemed to be stopping Sessegnon at all costs, this time pushing away a header from the Mackems’ midfielder as a result of a corner.

The Baggies took the lead on the half hour mark as a result of some sloppy play from the hosts. Johnson’s touch was too heavy and he saw the ball taken away from him by Odemwingie. The Nigerian went on to play Zoltan Gera in and the Hungarian hit a rasping left footed strike from 25 yards beyond the stretching Mignolet.

This served as a wake up call for the Black Cats, immediate pressure on the visitors’ area ensued and resulted in O’Shea curling an effort just wide of the far corner. Lee Cattermole was soon to be replace by Craig Gardner, the captain seemingly aggravating the injury sustained a fortnight ago.

 A wonderful individual effort was the home side’s final chance before half time. Sessegnon kept the ball in wide on the left before cutting inside and evading numerous challenges. The Benin international then unleashed a shot which deflected off a defender and Myhill collected.

A moment of madness followed on the stroke of half time. An inaccurate chip over the top from Brunt should have been routinely collected by Mignolet, but the Belgian spilt the ball to the probing Long who doubled his side’s lead.

H-T: 0-2

Martin O’Neill was forced into a change at the break as John O’Shea required a replacement. James McClean was introduced, showing the attacking intent from the Wearsiders.

The home side started with more urgency as expected. Gardner’s run was impressive, but his cross was poor and Myhill dealt with it easily. Up the other end, Albion showed they were capable of adding to their lead when Morrison played Long through, but the onrushing Mignolet prevented a third. It was shaping up to be an entertaining 45 minutes.

The end-to-end style of play continued further into the half. Adam Johnson’s dipping shot from distance caught Myhill out and the keeper resorted to parrying the ball away with his upper arms. Meanwhile, Billy Jones went on a mazy run into the Sunderland box before being thwarted by an excellent tackle from Danny Rose.

Fletcher headed over from a Larsson corner and Morrison and Odemwingie both had chances to take long range shots on the counter for the Baggies, but challenges were put in to stop them. The home side were enjoying plenty of possession, as many teams do against Albion, but the defence were soaking up the pressure and releasing their pacey forwards on the break. Brunt had a cross shot that evaded the stretching Long and Odemwingie tried to tee up Morrison within a couple of minutes, but to no avail.

Odemwingie very nearly scored a belter from almost 30 yards, cutting in from the right once again and fizzing a left footed strike just beyond the far post. Steve Clarke immediately introduced duo Lukaku and Fortune in place of the hard-working Long and Odemwingie, hoping fresh legs would carry his side over the line. O’Neill gambled and threw on Louis Saha for Jack Colback.

There was a slightly fortuitous lifeline for the Mackems on 73. Craig Gardner’s long range free kick ricocheted off Marc-Antoine Fortune in the wall and the deflection carried the ball over the diving Myhill. A roar greeted the goal and hope was rekindled for the hosts.

Straight away Sessegnon had a shot pushed away by the in-form Myhill. But Albion were to regain their 2 goal lead on 80 minutes, albeit in fortunate circumstances. Liam Ridgewell was supposedly brought down in the area by Johnson, but replays showed that the left back went down without being touched. Nevertheless, substitute Lukaku dispatched the penalty with aplomb, the loanee notching his fourth of the season.

Sunderland wouldn’t lie down and with three minutes to go Myhill parried a header from a corner straight to Sessegnon who blasted his second of the season into the roof of the net from a couple of yards.

As the four minutes of stoppage time were signalled, the hosts threw everything at their visitors and were ultimately caught out in the final minute when Fortune finished coolly to round off a fantastic breakaway involving Lukaku and the outstanding Yacob.

A truly entertaining match with an outcome that means the Wearsiders remain 15th while the Baggies move up one to third.

F-T: 2-4

Match ratings: SUN- Mignolet 5, Bardsley 6, O’Shea 5 (McClean 6), Cuellar 6, Rose 6, Larsson 7, Cattermole 5 (Gardner 6) Colback 5 (Saha 5), Sessegnon 7, Johnson 5, Fletcher 5

WBA- Myhill 6, Jones 6, McAuley 7, Olsson 7, Ridgewell 6, Yacob 8, Morrison 7 (Tamas 5), Brunt 6, Odemwingie 7 (Fortune 6), Gera 7, Long 7 (Lukaku 6)

FA drop Clattenburg investigation to complete tumultuous 48 hours for Chelsea

Yesterday West London outfit Chelsea were branded a joke because of the dismissal of double-winning manager Roberto Di Matteo, and then replacing him with Rafael Benitez, a man despised by many Blues fans.

Today they have been condemned by many after the FA dropped their investigation into allegations that referee Mark Clattenburg abused two Chelsea players during the 3-2 defeat to Manchester United last month.

Chelsea midfielder Ramires will come under scrutiny as a result of the statement released by the FA about the incident. It is clear that it was the Brazilian, not John Obi Mikel as many first thought, that made the accusation. It is the latest chapter of an ongoing racism saga that has blighted the Premier League over the last 12 months.

                                    Recent racism problems in Premier League football:

October 2011	Chelsea captain John Terry is first accused via Youtube by an anonymous spectator of abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.
December 2011	Liverpool forward Luis Suarez is handed eight match ban for calling Manchester United defender Patrice Evra ‘negro’ seven times in two minutes.
October 2012	John Terry handed four match ban for saying ‘f***ing black c**t’ to Ferdinand, having also been stripped of the England captaincy.
October 2012	Several black Premier League players refuse to endorse a ‘Kick It Out’ campaign by not wearing promotional T-shirts.
October 2012	Referee Mark Clattenburg accused of abusing two Chelsea players during match against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.
Novermber 2012	The FA clear Clattenburg of any wrongdoing and investigation is dropped.

The FA said in their statement: "Equally The FA is satisfied that the allegation against Mark Clattenburg by Ramires was made in good faith. It is entirely possible for a witness to be genuinely mistaken and convincing in his belief."

Although it appears that Ramires did make the allegation for the right reasons, there will be many people who feel that players and people within football are far too quick to point the finger at others. Ramires' first language is not English, and what he heard was clearly a mistake as no other player, not even Mikel, heard the apparent words 'shut up you monkey' uttered by Clattenburg. All the other match officials were wearing headpieces connected to the referee and they all vehemently denied the allegations. 

Although Ramires must have thought he heard something, he should have confided in other players and the match officials before making such outrageous accusations. 

Once again this is poor press for Chelsea as their troubled week continues. Rafael Benitez's job seems to be getting harder and harder with every couple of hours and a win on Sunday against Manchester City is now paramount. With this article being written just minutes before Benitez's first press conference it has become obvious that he is going to have even more tricky questions to face than he would have first expected, indeed, if he does not speak about milk again than it may be seen as a success.

On the other hand this is exactly what the FA needed and Clattenburg will most likely be returned to refereeing duties this weekend after four weeks on the sidelines.

Why Chelsea should not have sacked Di Matteo

The sacking of Roberto Di Matteo was one of the most shocking football dismissals of recent memory. A Chelsea legend, twice FA Cup winner as a player, won the club's first Champions League trophy against all the odds, just months after being appointed manager. 

To the amazement of many his reign has been terminated just six months after he was given the prestigious job on a permanent basis. Many Chelsea fans will be dismayed by the lack of faith shown in him by owner Roman Abramovich and the club's board, although this is nothing new to them as he was their eighth boss since the Russian billionaire took over in 2003. 

What is most surprising is that Abramovich has always fired previous managers on the basis that they did not do well enough in the Champions League, although Di Matteo delivered the trophy at the first time of asking. He also managed this impressive feat with a squad out of form and struggling in the Premier League, as well as facing a 3-1 deficit in the last 16 of Europe's elite competition against Napoli. 

Not only did they win the second leg against Napoli 4-1 after extra-time to go through, but he did oversee an up-turn in their league form and took them to Wembley, and ultimately, FA Cup victory.

It is the Champions League final in Munich that he will be most remembered for as the Blues overcame the home side on penalties thanks to a late Didier Drogba header and a Petr Cech penalty save in extra-time. 

Their road to Munich was not a cruise by any stretch of the imagination; beating Benfica before memorably seeing off Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate. 

Despite finishing sixth in the league last season, their league form did marginally improve as they had suffered a horrific start under former boss Andre Villas-Boas. 

Chelsea managers under Roman Abramovich

Year	Manager	Matches	Winning %
2000-2004	Claudio Ranieri	199	53.76
2004-2007	Jose Mourinho	131	70.81
2007-2008	Avram Grant	54	66.67
2008-2009	Luiz Felipe Scolari	36	55.56
2009	Guus Hiddink	21	71.43
2009-2011	Carlo Ancelotti	109	61.47
2011-2012	Andre Villas-Boas	40	47.50
2012	Roberto Di Matteo	42	57.14

While the table above shows that the Italian only had a better record than three of his predecessors, he took over in totally different circumstances than any of the others. Chelsea were at their lowest point since Abramovich pumped his money into the club when Di Matteo took over, and from that he produced their all-time high.

Abramovich should not take all the blame for these sackings. After all, without his money the West Londoners would still be delighted with a top five finish each season instead of sacking managers for not cruising to league titles.

The Chelsea board have a big impact on the decisions that the Russian owner makes and without their advice, he would probably not have got through so many managers in the last eight years. There are so many supporters at the club that are crying out for the stability that has brought success to the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, and more recently, Manchester City. 

Having said that, all football fans are fickle and athe majority of Chelsea supporters would welcome Pep Guardiola or Jose Mourinho with open arms. However the job, at least on a short-term basis, looks destined to go to Rafael Bentitez, a man who did anything but endear himself to Chelsea supporters during his time at Liverpool.

His record has been good at every club he has managed, although he has been out of a job for over two years now and replacing Di Matteo with Benitez is not a very forward-thinking decision. It is anything but promoting stability, especially considering the age of the two men (Di Matteo 42, Benitez 52).

While Guardiola did excellently at Barcelona, he has never been at a club like Chelsea before and the players may not take to his style of play. Mourinho would clearly be a great fit but that is more Chelsea fans dreaming than an actual possibility, for now at least. 

Roman Abramovich will be sitting in his pent-house suite right now feeling good about himself and expecting an immediate climb to the summit of the Premier League, but he might find that not forthcoming. 

Chelsea have looked good this season and could still qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League. They have a massive game on Sunday at home to Manchester City and they would have had a much better chance of inflicting the champions' first defeat of the campaign if they had not made such drastic changes.