Weekend Outlook (19 May 2007)

Chelsea vs Manchester United
FA Cup Final

"..Despite the disadvantage of not having the first 11 for the cup final, i dont think Chelsea will allow Man United to win the tie in normal time."

-Gary, 19/05/07

Last match was a match that will 'do-or-die' for West Ham as they need a result to stay up. Not only did they get a result to their favour and unexpectedly send Sheffield United down to the Championship divison. Technically, West Ham will be playing in the Premier League next season till FIFA intervened. So West Ham's fate is not safe yet. Speaking of which, if Sheffield United is reinstated to the Premiership, Neil Warnock wants the job back.

Prior to this match, Fergie did not send out his First 11 which infuriated Neil Warnock. But if you watch the match, Man United did try their best to win the game but West Ham are playing as if their lives are depending on it.

So now we have the FA Cup Final against Chelsea in the new Wembley. But the hype seem to be "Nothing but Chelsea" only. Jose Mourinho do not have a team of 16 fit players to be featured in the showpiece final. No Ballack, no Shevchenko, no Mikel, no Ricardo Carvalho, no Robben. Look like now is Chelsea's turn to be a walking wounded team.

Jose Mourinho pleads with Ronaldo not to dive in the Cup Final so that the match can be remembered for the right purposes. Huh? What about Drogba? He is the first name in my mind that also dived to win matches for Chelsea. Hopefully Mourinho's wish is able to come true.

FA Cup, no one has won more than Fergie. He won a total of 11 times compared to zero in Mourinho's case.

Man United team are slowly getting back to full squad with the exception of Gary Neville and Louis Saha.

Odds and Analysis: Despite the disadvantage of not having the first 11 for the cup final, i dont think Chelsea will allow Man United to win the tie in normal time. With level ball at 1.875, again no bet for me. Go for a Double!!

Disclaimer: This review is entirely on my own views and opinion. I didn’t point a gun at you to ask you to follow. If you want to bet on this game, do so at your own risk. Pls bet within limits. Good luck.

SPUG Prediction League - Summer 2007

Now that the SPUG EPL Prediction League season is over, the cold turkey begins.

However, there may be a glimmer of hope for some good news as I realised that we actually have the Copa America this year. ihawk98 also brought up the fact that at the same time, we also have Asian Cup.

So let's take a poll to see if we should do a summer tournament or not. If we can't get 10 respondents for this poll, I will scrap the whole idea.



Note #1: The closing date for this poll is 31 May 2007, 23:59pm. I will be pushing this entry up every Monday or so before it gets buried under the later entries.

Note #2: This is just the first round of voting. There will be a second round after this to be carried out on 01 Jun 2007. The first post is to pick what tournament(s) do we want to predict. The purpose of the second is to have a show of hands how many of us would take part, even if his/her original choice during Voting Round 1 was not selected. I will only set up the tournament if we can get 10 or more participants.

The closing date for the second round of voting shall be 17 Jun 2007.

SPUG EPL Prediction League - Match Weekend 13 May 2007

Lucky thing I managed to make a last minute switch to a Wigan victory just 2 minutes before kick-off or I would have to have a tie-breaker with ianrush, from which the title could go either way.

5 points for me from the Wigan game and 1 point from ManUtd-WestHam was enough to let me win the league outright regardless of anybody's result.

It was most unfortunate for Cha Dum Yen to drop points at the very last game to relinquish the runner-up spot.

Anyway, thanks to all for playing and I hope to see everybody next season. Tell your friends about it.

Also, email me if you like to be on the reminder email list when the new season starts.

See you in August 2007!

Past Winners WeiMeng 2004 Copa America Friday13 2004/2005 English Premier League IanRush 2005/2006 English Premier League EdwinSng 2006 World Cup Voxeros 2006/2007 English Premier League

SPUG EPL Prediction League "Perfect Score" Hall Of Fame
Perfect Score = 2 correct-score predictions in a single weekend and hence the award of the full 10 points.

1) Cha_Dum_Yen (24 Sep 2006), (25 Nov 2006)
2) Bedokian (24 Sep 2006)
3) TheSaint888 (24 Sep 2006)
4) Voxeros (24 Sep 2006)
5) David.hvp (25 Nov 2006)

Scoring System
3-Points for a correct outcome (Win, Lose or Draw)
1-point each for correct score on each side.

Double Entry
Later submission shall override earlier submission.

Penalty
No points for submission after kick-off. (Disqualification)

SPUG Blackout
Also, this is a mirror for the SPUG Server where the actual prediction game is being carried out at http://www.spug.net/showthread.php?t=85183. In the event SPUG server goes down, we will automatically carry on the prediction game at this blog site.

As usual:
1) If you have spotted a mistake, please let me know where and what so that I can amend them accordingly.
2) Please check your scores for accuracy as soon as possible before I update the table during the next round of scores. Once the table has been updated, the old table will be overwritten.
3) In case you are still seeing the old table even if I have announced a new update, please refresh your browser to reload the table.

Weekend Outlook (13 May 2007)

Manchester United vs West Ham United

"...Dong FangZhuo should still need a couple of years in Antwerp before letting him back at Old Trafford...."

- JayWalk, 12 May 2007

It was a kick-about game in mid-week as what originally was touted to be the title decider, fizzled out like a damp firecracker. With ManUtd fielding a second string team, Chelsea also really no heart to play.

For those who stayed up to watch the game, I am sorry to hear you loss of sleep over a pointless game. You should have switched off the TV and go to bed as soon as the "Guard of Honour" is over.

Really nothing to talk about here except perhaps Dong FangZhuo should still need a couple of years in Antwerp before letting him back at Old Trafford. The young Ch1nese lad is simple not ready for the big time yet.

Anyway, this final weekend is all about the UEFA Cup spots as well as the 3-way relegation battle featuring Sheffield United, Wigan Athletic and West Ham United, of which the latter faces us at Old Trafford on Sunday.

There was been a few conspiracy theories going around and we start off with the rumour that Sheffield United may be colluding with Wigan to send West Ham down, by allowing Wigan to beat Sheffield United this Sunday.

What rubbish!

Let me dispel this rumour right now. Neil Warnock will not be stupid enough to allow this as it may backfire on them. At the present moment, Sheffield United's goal difference is superior to that of West Ham by a mere 2 goals. If Sheffield United, plays according to the alleged kelong, loses to Wigan, they risk relegation themselves if West Ham wins at ManUtd. With both games kicking off at the same time, they will have no idea what the outcome of the ManUtd-West Ham game. Expect the fans from these 3 teams to be watching their own game and plugging their ears to the radio broadcasting the other game.

Wigan will be fighting tooth and nail for their lives and hence is expected to be the hungrier of the two. While Sheffield United may not necessarily win the last game of the season, I reckon , with home advantage, a draw would not be too difficult to achieve. A solitary point would be enough for Sheffield United to ensure EPL survival.

The other conspiracy theory is that given the chum chum relationship between Fergie and Curbishley, Sir Alex may offer a helping hand by offering a draw or a win to West Ham and guide the Hammers safely ashore.

I will debunk this theory slightly later in the JayWalk The Walk section.

JayWalk The Talk: West Ham will be missing Ashton, Upson and Gabbidon while ManUtd continues to miss Park, Neville and Silvestre. Saha and Evra are doubtful and the young fledglings trio of Lee, Dong and Eagles, after a dismal showing against Chelsea, shall find themselves booted off the bench. In their place perhaps Rooney (100th game if selected) will take up the bench to make way from Alan Smith to wrap up the season.

Player to watch on the West Ham side would definitely be Tevez as the Argentinian has been instrumental in guiding the Hammers on The Great Escape, etching out 6 wins from their last 8 games.

As for the home side, I will be watching Scholes and Ronaldo (150th game if selected) to get themselves onto the score sheet. Scholes is a goal short of being ManUtd's outright top scorer of EPL goals while Ronaldo is currently 2 goals behind Drogba in the chase for the Barclays Golden Boot award. Given that Drogba has just recovered from injury, I expect Mourihno to rest him for this game ahead of the FA Cup final i.e. Drogba's tally shall remained stagnant at 19. That puts Ronaldo in the driving seat as 2 goals will tie while a hat-trick would seal the Golden Boot for him.

Giggs is a brace short of 100 league goals and I think reaching that milestone would be a thing for next season.

JayWalk The Walk: What d'ya know? We got around the Curse Of The Final 4 safely. We may have dropped points in the last game against Chelsea but it was inconsequential already. Bookies are giving ManUtd to let up a 0.75-ball handicap with a 1.975 decimal odds to beat it.

Coming back to debunking the conspiracy theory that Fergie would pan chance Curbishley.

1. It is a home game i.e. the EPL trophy presentation would take place at the end of the game. Surely, ManUtd would like to lift the trophy on the back of a victory in front of 75,000 fans. No?
2. Ronaldo has the chance to pip Drogba to the Golden Boot, I expect him to score a couple of goals. Unless West Ham can score 2 goals against ManUtd, I don't see how the Hammers can even hope for a draw.
   
3. The first team was rested during midweek ahead of this coming game. The big guns will take to the field cause after the game got prize presentation mah. You don't expect all the kuching kurak players to step up to the podium to lift the trophy right?
4. Their head-to-head EPL record at Old Trafford is ManUtd 10 wins, West Ham 1 win, 0 draw.

I don't see how West Ham can even steal a point here. Still, as bleak as it may sound, all is not lost. I think West Ham, despite the impending defeat, has already gathered enough points to stay in the EPL for another season. I simply cannot see Wigan win Sheffield United over at Bramall Lane.

Verdict: Go for a ManUtd win.

Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.

SPUG EPL Prediction League - Match Weekend - 13 May 2007

Well, we are going into the final week of the EPL but it may not necessarily be the final weekend for the Prediction League. If in the event, we have a tie for first place after this weekend, we shall have a tie-breaker using the FA Cup final.

The rules will be the same except for an extra tie-breaking tie-breaker section which I would explain further if we ever get there.

If suay suay (or heng heng depending on how you see this), the results still remained tied, we will continue to use the European Champions League final as the back up tie-breaker.

And now a message from our housekeeping department. For those who are still keen on playing in the next season's SPUG EPL Prediction League and needs to be reminded when the kick-off date nears, drop me an email to put you on the reminder mailing list.

Email is jay.walk[at]yahoo[dot]com

Tell your friends about it! Hope to see more people next season.

Also thanks to Cha_Dum_Yen aka Excel God, for the new and improved calculation spreadsheet which would allow me to get the results out more quickly and accurately as well as to handle a bigger volume.

EPL61: SUN 13/05 Manchester United vs West Ham United on ESPN at 09:55pm SIN/HKT

EPL62: SUN 13/05 Sheffield United vs Wigan Athletic on STARSports at 09:55pm SIN/HKT

NOTE: Both games are on Sunday.

Good luck and good game!!

Midweek Review (9 May 2007)

Chelsea vs Manchester United

I don’t think I will preview the upcoming match as it is inconsequential.

- Gary, 09/05/07

The reason for posting up early was, this is the most easiest review I have to come up with! Last match was a pure torture to watch. Referee was not helpful in the 2nd minute when Michael Ball stamped on Ronaldo. It was a straight red, but don’t know why all 4 referees never see. When City have the chance to equalize through a penalty towards the end of the game, I was fearing for the worst though heart was on City to win money for me. Luckily, Edwin van der Sar’s legs was long enough to save the penalty kick and won the championship for Man United. To win over our neighbor is bad enough for them, to win championship at their stadium to them is nightmare.

Chelsea’s draw with Arsenal means they cant catch up with Man United with 2 games to spare and 7 points gap. To complete on 4 fronts on a full season is not an easy task, coupled with national commitments, plus declaring 9 irreplaceables to the media doesn’t help either. Jose is practically asking them to play 3 matches per week, which is impossible.

I don’t think I will preview the upcoming match as it is inconsequential. Man United is most likely to field a team where half of the players are from reserve team. I not expecting Rooney, Ronaldo and Edwin to be played.

Chelsea on the other hand, have players in treatment bay are Ricardo, Drogba and Cole.

Odds and Analysis: Level ball at 1.95. No bet for me. Im saving up for next season.


Disclaimer: This review is entirely on my own views and opinion. I didn’t point a gun at you to ask you to follow. If you want to bet on this game, do so at your own risk. Pls bet within limits. Good luck.

We Are The Champions! Road To Glory

Finally, after 4 long years (way too long for us Man Utd fans who have been spoilt with success), the Premiership trophy returns to Old Trafford.

After seeing Arsenal's amazing unbeaten Premiership run that sealed them the title in 2003, then having to stand by as Chelsea's well-oiled Russian juggernaut crushed all in its path for the next two years, Manchester United can finally lift the trophy that, this season, they outplayed, outclassed, and outfought most of their opponents for.

Come on, even you Chelsea fans have to admit that this season United were in a class of their own right? Take a look at the table above (though it is by no means final):

We have won 4 more matches, drawn five less and only lost 4 matches all season than Chelsea (Chelsea, though, only lost 3). More amazingly, we have scored 20 more goals than both Chelsea and Arsenal. TWENTY. This makes our goals against column of 26 practically negligible.

Throughout the entire season, Sir Alex has demanded - and gotten - the brand of entertaining, attacking, free-flowing football that makes Man Utd both a threat and a joy to watch. Blistering wing-play, speedy counterattacks, runs from deep - all hallmarks of Manchester United, and this season, in full swing for almost every match. Could this be the start of another era of domestic success, with the fourth young team Sir Alex has built? We shall have to see. But for now, we shall recap our march to the title and how it was won.


Pre-season

What? Sir Alex Ferguson has sold Ruud van Nistelrooy? Our 150-goals-in-200-games striker? What IS that senile old man thinking? Does he expect Man Utd to rely on untried partnerships of Saha, Rooney, Smith and an ageing Solskjaer?

18... 18 MILLION POUNDS for Michael Carrick? A player that Tottenham bought for 3 million when West Ham went down? Why? What's so great about him? We got cheated!

And what is this? Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave because of what happened at the World Cup with Rooney? Manchester United's season seems to be in a shambles before it even begins...

August: Open Season

Turns out the sale of van Nistelrooy and the "spat" between Rooney and Ronaldo doesn't seem as bad as it originally looked. Man Utd comes out with all guns blazing and makes their intentions clear with an opening-day 5-1 drubbing of hapless Fulham. Ronaldo scores one and makes another for Rooney, and the two boys hug each other for all to see. Wins over Charlton (expected) and Watford (the new whipping boys) follow.

September: Ouch that hurts

After yet another win against Tottenham, Arsenal inflicts on us our first defeat of the season, at Old Trafford no less. Unfortunately we are unable to pick ourselves up quick enough, managing only a draw with Reading after that. Chelsea top the table this week, but unknown to them that would be the LAST time they were leading...

October: The hairdryer treatment works

Man Utd bursts into October with 2 goals from an evergreen Solskjaer against Newcastle. Another 3 wins follow in quick succession. October ends as sweetly as it began, with Rooney's hat-trick against Bolton seeming to jolt the striker out of some rather indifferent form in the previous few months.

November: Title decider?

Man Utd's winning streak continue as they comfortably see off Portsmouth, Blackburn, Sheffield United and Everton. The most excitement, however, was generated by an Old Trafford top-of-the-table clash against Chelsea. It ended up a 1-1 draw, with United still 3 points ahead, but Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho claims that Man Utd "missed a great chance" to open the gap and insists Chelsea will make them pay for it. We all know how that turns out...

December: West Ham spoils the party

Man Utd wins 5 out of 6 matches in a horribly congested month. Our only loss comes against West Ham, but on the bright side we crushed Man City 3-1 in the Manchester derby and Chelsea aren't catching up.

January: Mixed bag of goodies

High-scoring wins against Aston Villa and Watford are balanced against a draw with Newcastle and yet another loss to Arsenal. Lady Luck is on our side though as Chelsea continue to slip up, though they are breathing down our necks.

February: Purple patch continues

Man Utd wins all 3 matches this month, though the manner of the wins could not have come more differently - first match a blistering 4-0 trouncing of Tottenham, last match a gritty 2-1 win over Fulham. Sir Alex says. "This is the stuff champions are made of."

March: More entertainment please

Another tight win follows as John O' Shea is an unlikely hero for us against the Scousers, scoring a last-gasp goal and silencing the Kop. Despite Sir Alex's assertion that tight, gritty wins spell the stuff of champions, we as fans are spellbound by the free-flowing football that yields 4 goals against Bolton (again) and Blackburn (our "bogey" team) each.

April: The REAL title decider

April goes off to a bad start as our defense begins dropping like flies, with Ferdinand, Vidic, captain Gary Neville, Silvestre, Park Ji-Sung and for a while Evra all keeping the Man Utd physios busy. On the pitch, the makeshift backline of Brown, Heinze, Fletcher and Evra/O' Shea shows its shakiness as April begins with a loss to Portsmouth. Man Utd pick themselves up with a win over Sheffield United, but are derailed again by a draw against Middlesborough.

However, the turning point comes when they play Everton at Goodison Park, while Chelsea are entertaining Bolton at Stamford Bridge. We are 2-0 down at the hour mark, while Chelsea are leading 2-1. Man Utd fans all over the world have their heads in their hands, seeing our lead cut to just goal difference.

Abruptly, John O' Shea opens the floodgates with a 60th minute goal. Old boy Phil Neville scores an own goal in a goalmouth scramble (he later reveals Paul Scholes thanked him for the goal and he called Scholes "a jammy bastard" in return. Sir Alex goes on the pitch after the match and ruffles his hair). Wayne Rooney adds a fourth. One of the most stirring comebacks ever, and our joy is compounded when we discover brave Bolton has held Chelsea to a 2-2 draw. United celebrate like the title is won, Stamford Bridge is silenced, 5 points ahead with 3 games left, and then-Bolton manager Sam Allardyce gets "a hug and a kiss, maybe two kisses" from a jubilant Fergie.

May: Trophy's coming home

The Manchester derby has double significance as it could well be the match where the title is wrapped up. After a host of disgraceful stamps, trips and fouls, Man Utd retain their class and composure and finally win a penalty, which Ronaldo coolly dispatches. In the 83rd minute, as Man Utd fans are already singing and cheering, referee Rob Styles gives away a soft, soft penalty to City. Edwin van der Sar SAVES it, and justice is done.

The next day, all eyes are trained on the Emirates Stadium as Chelsea battle desperately for a chance to claw back the 8-point deficit. Unfortunately for them, Arsenal hold them to a 1-1 draw and the title is Man Utd's with 2 games to go.

Forever afterward, the 2006/2007 season will be remembered as the season we won the league at City. Take that, you damn stomping Blue bastards!

Mourinho, "gracious" as always, announces he will put on a guard of honour for us when Man Utd visit Stamford Bridge next week for a now-worthless match that has been billed all season as a title decider. BUT at the same time, he insists injuries cost Chelsea (never mind the fact that Man Utd's entire first-choice back line was out for over a month), and that Chelsea were the better team - the team "with more points" are champions - never mind that Man Utd scored 20 goals more and, in the process, entertained football fans for a whole year. But all credit to Chelsea - they never, never gave up, right to the final whistle, and they kept on our coattails all season.

The season is not done yet - there is still the Double to play for. But for now, Man Utd fans can sleep sweetly knowing that our players played fantastically all season, dug in when it was most needed, and in so doing, brought back the Premiership trophy to Old Trafford for a record ninth time.

Ryan Giggs, United's most decorated player and the Premiership's third most decorated, had better start clearing some space in his cabinet.

SPUG EPL Prediction League - Match Weekend 05 - 06 May 2007

A fantastic weekend for me as my 9-point haul pulls me from 1 point ahead to a massive 6 points. League title looks very much in the bag as we have only 1 weekend to go.

Perhaps we should see Cha Dum Yen and ianrush duking it out for the runner-up spot?

Ok ok.. better don't yaya papaya so early. Wait next week buang.

We shall see.


SPUG EPL Prediction League "Perfect Score" Hall Of Fame
Perfect Score = 2 correct-score predictions in a single weekend and hence the award of the full 10 points.

1) Cha_Dum_Yen (24 Sep 2006), (25 Nov 2006)
2) Bedokian (24 Sep 2006)
3) TheSaint888 (24 Sep 2006)
4) Voxeros (24 Sep 2006)
5) David.hvp (25 Nov 2006)

Scoring System
3-Points for a correct outcome (Win, Lose or Draw)
1-point each for correct score on each side.

Double Entry
Later submission shall override earlier submission.

Penalty
No points for submission after kick-off. (Disqualification)

SPUG Blackout
Also, this is a mirror for the SPUG Server where the actual prediction game is being carried out at http://www.spug.net/showthread.php?t=85183. In the event SPUG server goes down, we will automatically carry on the prediction game at this blog site.

As usual:

1) If you have spotted a mistake, please let me know where and what so that I can amend them accordingly.
2) Please check your scores for accuracy as soon as possible before I update the table during the next round of scores. Once the table has been updated, the old table will be overwritten.
3) In case you are still seeing the old table even if I have announced a new update, please refresh your browser to reload the table.

8 Points Clear

We won 1-0 and are now 1 point away from winning the League Title mathematically. It may even be sooner is Chelsea buangs tomorrow (which I think they will).

Soccernet was quick to flash the news of our victory as we close in on the title.

But hor I think they maths fail one or their calculator spoil.

TMD.... simi 6 points clear!?? 8 ok!!?? Knn.....

Anyway, pressure is all on Chelsea now. I am eagerly anticipating what comedy show Mourihno going to put up this time.

Weekend Outlook (05 May 2007)

Manchester City vs Manchester United

"...We gave up the game as early as the 30th minute when we went down 0-2 (to AC Milan...."

- JayWalk, 05 May 2007

In my earlier entries, I have been bringing up analogies about the bullet in the Russian Roulette revolver as well as the turning of the key of the Jack-In-The-Box.

Time after time, we escaped despite a poor showing. Well, luck finally ran out on us. The revolver finally fired and the clown finally popped.

The problem with these lucky escapes is that the stakes get bigger and bigger with each turn.

The bad news is that we got eliminated from the ECL. The good news is that rather the ECL than the EPL title.

As I have said before, EPL is my priority as it would ensure a spot in next season's ECL. Even if there is any mishap along the way, there is the safety net of 2nd, 3rd and 4th place to still get you into the financially lucrative tournament. The ECL on the other hand is a tight-rope. A single misstep and you are out of it. If focusing too much on the ECL and sacrificing the performance in the EPL, you may end up without either and the financial consequences would be disastrous.

Does anyone know where Leeds United are going to be next season?

Money is important in the football world. It attracts talented players and from there, begets better performance. Look at Leeds during their financial ruin at the hands of David O'Leary. They over committed their resources in chasing the ECL and ended with a huge handful of debt. As a result, they have to sell players to raise the money as well as to reduce the wage expense. Problem is that only the better players would attract the buyer and command a decent price, as well as to significantly reduce wages. So players like Oliver Dacourt, Mike Viduka, Harry Kewell and Alan Smith were among those that were let go. What remained are the "useless" players that no other club wants and for a very good reason.

Next thing, we know Leeds started spiraling down towards the abyss. Relegation to League Championship (the old Nationwide Division 1 or the even older Division 2), activated a slew of relegation clauses in even more players' contracts resulting in an even bigger exodus of players.

Well, good luck to Dennis Wise who has been hired to clean up the mess and start rebuilding the team from League Division 1 (old Nationwide Division 2; older Division 3). Will we ever see them back in the Premier League? In my opinion. No. Not this decade at the very least.

Speaking of money. Yes, it is important but I have shared this with some friends that it is not the be all and end all of footballing success.

In a way, I was glad Chelsea got booted out of the ECL as well, despite me not happy to see fellow arch rivals, Liverpool, gloating over the misery of both Chelsea and us.

I believe it would be an even better lesson for all if we take the EPL as well as the FA Cup. Other than for obvious selfish reasons, I hope that it would send a message across the footballing world that money while important, isn't everything.

In England in particular, relying everything on money to buy results (not bribery of course!) would be bad for their football in the long run. After a while, there will be no English players left on the field as most would start taking the convenient route of buying foreign talent to solve the immediate short term problem. It would also be very damaging to those clubs that do not have access to this kind of money.

In fact, it is already happening but to a smaller extend. We haven't had a decent keeper since Ray Clemence, Peter Shilton and David Seaman. All the good keepers in England right now aren't English. David James? Hah! You wish!

Defence and midfield? We are ok but has there a decent strike force since Shearer and Sheringham? We can only look to the recently recovered Michael Owen, Andy Johnson and/or Wayne Rooney and see if they can save England?

JayWalk The Talk: Injury list has been a major concern for us for the past few weeks. Good news is that we are starting to get some of them back from the sick bay. Ferdinand and Vidic were both available during the midweek game but I think Ferdinand should be starting ahead of Vidic. Evra, who was suspended for the return leg against AC Milan would be sure to start his 50th ManUtd game, having a fresher pair of legs. Talking about 50th ManUtd game, it would also be Heinze 50th if selected. The elusive 350th start for Gary Neville will continue to elude. I think this milestone would only be reach next season, given that the Captain is nowhere near full recovery. Silvestre and Park stays on the casualty list while Saha is back and fighting for a place in the teamsheet together with Smith (250th Premiership start if selected). Solksjaer's 150th ManUtd game looks unlikely, given that we have 5 strikers available for only 2 slots.

On the City side, Beasley, Johnson and Richards are out but the most notable absentee would have to be Joey Barton, who was suspended for the rest of the season after a bust-up with fellow team mate, Dabo during the week. Ironic, Barton is City's top scorer and probably the only player in the entire team to give a damn about playing football. The only person left with a belly of fire and he is banned from playing.

Talk about pressing the self-destruct Barton!! (Ok ok... I've been dying for days to print this. :P )

JayWalk The Walk: ManCity has not scored since New Year's Day and now top scorer Barton is banned. All the more unlike to score today. If they can't score, we can't lose. Problem is, if we can't score, we can't win either. I will be rooting for Ronaldo to score his 50th ManUtd goal as well as for Scholes to be the outright top scorer of EPL goals for ManUtd.

A goal apiece? 2-0?

Chelsea are facing a well-rested Arsenal at Emirates Stadium and I fancy the home side to win or at the very least draw this game. Having said that, a win today over ManCity would seal the title for us today should the game at Emirates Stadium play according to my script. What better timing now, than having to deal with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next week?

Bookies are letting ManUtd give away a 1-ball handicap with a 1.925 decimal odds to clear it. With this handicap, I am sure that the bookies would agree with me when I say that physical exhaustion from the AC Milan game is not a factor. We gave up the game as early as the 30th minute when we went down 0-2. There wasn't any fire left after that. Such is the difference between this team compared to the ManUtd of 1999. Frankly, we didn't fight very hard after that and as such, there is hardly any exertion to speak of.

Still, there is the Curse of the final 4 which we escaped (again!) last week. Would the jinx kick in today? Lest we forget, this is a Manchester derby and anything can happen. City has always been the weaker brother of the 2 Manchester teams but records has shown that we lost to them 3 times in the last 5 meetings on their soil.

However, it has to be noted that including this coming game, this current City teams is probably the weakest of the 6 games.

I say go for ManUtd and celebrate the Premiership title today.

Conspiracy Theory?: But then again, for the sake of TV ratings, the invisible hand behind the EPL may script it otherwise i.e. ManUtd to buang today and make the last 2 games like as if they were a cup finals. What do you think?

Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.

SPUG EPL Prediction League - Match Weekend 05 - 06 May 2007

With the top challengers predicting different outcome of the matches last week, and thus cutting the lead to 1 point, will there be a new leader coming next week or will it still be Jay sitting on the throne nervously?? we shall see..

EPL59: SAT 05/05 Everton vs Portsmouth on STARSports at 10:00pm SIN/HKT

EPL60: SUN 06/05 Arsenal vs Chelsea on ESPN at 11:00pm SIN/HKT

Good luck and good game!!

Note that Saturday's game is on STAR Sports.

Midweek Review (2 May 2007)

AC Milan vs Manchester United

Champions League Semi Final 2nd Leg

Man United have not lost an European tie after winning the first leg since 1985 and have never done so under Fergie.

- Gary, 1/5/07

Last match got all kind of element in it. Shock, despair, relieved and overjoyed at the final whistle. But somehow this match will only remembered two names, Phil Neville for scoring an own goal and Wayne Rooney to score and bring Man United back into the title race. Despite a makeshift defence, i cant blame Man United for the 2 conceded goals. One was a deflection, another was a wonder strike.

Chelsea match against Bolton not only give Man United with 5 points clear with 3 matches remaining, they literally hand Man United the title on a platter.

Despite taking a slim lead to Milan, I am optimistic after the first leg due to some facts.

•Man United have not lost an European tie after winning the first leg since 1985 and have never done so under Fergie.
•Man United are one win away for a century wins in the European Cup including qualifying.
•Milan have only won 3 out of 6 times when faced first leg deficit. The last time was in 1968.

For the game against Milan, latest news is that Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic have travelled along with their team mates to Italy. But three men may missed the final with one suspension away – Ronaldo, Heinze and Paul Scholes, who famously missed the final in 1999.

Like what Jay have say, Milan might have a problem towards the end of the match as Man United attackers are young and fast, compare to Milan’s defenders are old, lack of speed but are experienced in reading the game and sniffing out the dangers.

Milan’s danger man will be Kaka. Gabriel Heinze was able to make him quiet in the first leg. But two goals from Kaka was due to lack of communication between the 4 defenders. Evra knock onto Heinze when Kaka scored the second. With 2nd leg in Italy, Man United will not have Gary Neville, Park and Silvestre. Look like Man United will have to do with Darren Fletcher, Wes Brown, Gabriel Heinze and don’t be surprised to see this, Kieran Richardson.

Milan will be without Paolo Maldini. Gattuso is fit again to play in the second leg.

Odds and Analysis: With 0.25 handicap at 1.95, I foresee a high-scoring draw. Man United will go through to the final.

Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.