The Fun and Thrills of Major League Soccer

'Soccer' is growing fast in the States. We all saw that with their sterling performances in the World Cup, progressing through a group they were given no chance in and giving Belgium a hard time in the knockout rounds. The USMNT (United States Mens National Team) progressed further than England in the competition, and while that is not difficult, they won over a lot of American fans who had previously thought the game had no passion or excitement, now all we need to do is get them to stop calling it the S word. 

But how does the MLS work? The country is not like England, it is roughly 37.5 times bigger and the UK as a whole could fit in to the state of Oregon. The rules can be complicated for it is not a simple 20 teams play each other home and away, but it is fun. 

Conferences 

Due to the fact the country is absolutely massive, it does not make geographical sense to have every team in the top flight play each other. Imagine if the space between Chelsea and Newcastle was 37 times further, would players and fans really be expected to make that distance on several different occasions for various teams in those areas? No. 

Therefore in America, the MLS is split in to an Eastern and a Western conference. 

You may notice that there are 10 teams in the Eastern Conference and 9 teams in the Western Conference. Each team will play 34 games in the season. For the Western teams this is simple, play each other three times, once at home, once away and then the opposite to what they did the previous season so home to 5 and away to 4 or vice versa. For the ten Eastern teams, they simply play a couple of the sides only twice rather than three times, to ensure they are not playing more games. 

You may be thinking, these numbers don't add up. Well, each Eastern team also plays each Western team home or away depending on the same fixture in the previous season. After all of these games have been played, every one of the 19 teams will have played 34 games. 

The point system is very much the same as in England, 3 points for a win, one point for a draw and nothing for a defeat. 

The table is ordered by points won but if teams are level on points by the end this is the sorting order: 

Game Rosters 

On match day, the sides must submit an 18 team 'roster' therefore allowing them to have 7 substitutes as well as the 11 on the pitch. Similarly to English football, teams are allowed to make three substitutions per game. 

Yellow Cards

One interesting thing about the MLS is their 'good behaviour' clause. In the MLS and the BPL, 5 yellow cards means a one match ban. In the MLS every subsequent three yellows means another ban. However, if a player receives a yellow card and then plays three consecutive matches without picking up another booking, the yellow they received is expunged. However they can only use this clause once per player per season. 

The Playoffs 

Who are they between? 

Once the two Conferences have finished, the top 5 teams from each table qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs. Here is how they work: 

Round 1:  West 4th V West 5th 

                 East 4th V East 5th

Round 2: West 1st V West 4/5th - West 1

                West 2nd V West 3rd - West 2

                East 1st V East 4/5th  - East 1

                East 2nd V East 3rd - East 2

* These semi final rounds are decided over two legs with away goals rule applied and extra time/penalties if necessary 

Round 3: Winner of West 1 V Winner of West 2  - W1

                Winner of East 1 V Winner of East 2 -E1

*These games are 2 legs the same as round 2

MLS CUP FINAL : Winner of W1 v Winner of E1 - the host is decided by whichever team won the most points during the season. 

The current holders of the MLS Cup are Sporting Kansas City who beat Real Salt Lake 7-6 on penalties to take the title in 2013. 

The league has not been sorted for next season yet, however with no relegation, teams have to apply to join and the number of teams can be changed. Next season, Frank Lampard's new club New York City are joining as well as Orlando City SC. 

Qatar: 8 years to go and no one knows what is happening

The latest twist of the already extremely controversial 2022 World Cup in Qatar developed today, as FIFA Executive committee member Zwanziger has revealed that he does not believe the World Cup will be held in the country. Zwanziger's comments are the first time a current member of FIFA has said that they do not believe it will happen, although the FIFA executive committee have been quick to point out he was not speaking for all of them.

Did they not realise it would be hot? 

The biggest problem with Qatar is that it is extremely hot in the summer, even today for example, the temperature there is nearly 40degrees Celsius, a quite frankly ludicrous heat to be playing football in. 

"The Qatar technical report indicated clearly that it is too hot in summer, but the executive committee with quite a big majority decided all the same that the tournament would be in Qatar," - Sepp Blatter

To get around the temperature, it has been proposed that the tournament instead be played in the winter. However, as you can imagine this had not gone down very well with domestic leagues, which would be severely disrupted. The premier league for example, would have to be halted for a whole month, right in the thick of the action, let alone time before this for the players to join their national sides and get ready. Is that really viable? Although Qatar was voted, the vote was for a summer World Cup, surely now that the facts are out and if it would need to be winter, there should be another vote.

Another suggestion is one that I can barely even contemplate. It has been suggested that games may be played in 3 thirds rather than 2 halves. This is one of the worst ideas I have ever heard, even worse than having a 'B' league placed below league 2. I will never, ever watch a game of football in three thirds I can promise that much.

 You do have to question the brains of FIFA however, as Qatar has not suddenly become a hot country…


Corruption 

The whole decision stinks of corruption. There has been a 200,000 page report in to corruption handed in to FIFA to investigate, however it is unclear as to who these reports refer to and how many people may have been involved, if any, in any corruption in the decision making process.

There is no doubt that Qatar is a very wealthy country. The allegation is that they have been 'buying votes' from members of FIFA and it would not surprise me in the slightest if this was true. Otherwise, how an earth would Qatar, slaved with racism, homophobic violence, slavery and terrorist threats be considered the best location to hold a World Cup?

FIFA is hardly full of angels. Many of the voters in 2010 when the decision was made, have since resigned while under investigation of financial wrongdoing. Much like a suspected robber, fleeing from the Police, it is fairly likely that this would indicate their guilt.

The problem though, is that the report is to be investigated by FIFA… Something needs to be done about this organisation running football, how can everyone be sure that this investigation won't also be corrupt? It is insulting to everyone who loves the game for this organisation to continue to run football the way it does.

USA 

The United Sates of America are waiting in the wings for the chance to host the World Cup, and I say, why not? USA is a nation where 'Soccer' is growing at an extraordinary rate. The last time they hosted the World Cup was the year I was born and so I did not get to catch any of the action but am told that it was a fantastic tournament.

USA's side won the hearts of their nation and others across the world with their display in the 2014
World Cup in Brazil. They progressed further than England and put in an awesome performance against a much fancied Belgium side, nearly getting past them. Tim Howard became an American hero with his record number of saves in a World Cup game (16).

When Manchester United recently played a friendly in LA, a crowd of over 100,000 attended. America has an atmosphere like no other, they would make the world cup fun. Everyone would be welcomed in the typical American fashion. There is far less racism, homophobia, slavery, bribery etc.

The USA deserves another World Cup, and I am all in favour of giving them this one.

"I believe that they will win"

Lewes 1-0 Bognor

Ollie Rowe scored a late winner to knock Bognor out of the FA Cup in the first round of qualifying. A corner from Jack Dixon was met with a bullet header from Rowe as he out jumped the Bognor defence.  Both keepers had kept their sides in the game with each making one superb stop for their respective sides. Bognor pushed on in the last five minutes but Lewes held on to win the tightly contested replay. 

-  Lewes reach the 2nd qualifying round for the second year running 

- Lewes are now unbeaten in five games having kept a clean sheet in the last 4

With Saturdays game at Bognor finishing 0-0, Lewes welcomed the Rocks to the Dripping Pan for the replay of the fixture, a similar result would result in extra time and ultimately penalties. Last season Lewes made it to the 3rd qualifying round before being knocked out by Conference South side Sutton United. 

Bognor started the first half on top, dominating the possession without creating any real chances or causing the Lewes defence much of a problem. The Bognor full backs provided them with some width however despite his best efforts, James Crane struggled to put in a decent cross after doing the hard work and getting in to the right position. 

Bognor's Stuart Green was trying to pull the strings up front for the Rocks, cutting inside from the left on a couple of occasions, his best moment coming when he found some space and fired the ball at goal forcing Rikki Banks to palm the ball away out for a corner. 

Lewes fought their way back in ten minutes in and the game evened out, both teams getting forward although neither seeming to have the cutting edge needed to get on front. The Rooks had their first effort on goal when a free kick was floated in and met by a Gary Elphick header. However there was no power in the effort and Chris Winterton had a simple task to stop the ball. 

Lewes fans thought they were going to take the lead when a ball in to the box from Nick Wheeler found Nathan Crabb, however he somehow missed the goal from inside the 6 yard box. Although he was spared his blushes as the linesman raised his flag for offside. 

Lewes had decided to start with Luke Blewden up front in place of Elliot Romain who had caused Bognor problems on Saturday. It was Blewden who flicked a long ball forward with his head, looping the ball over the Bognor defence and in to Crabb who burst through on goal. However, Chris Winterton spread his body out well denying Crabb a second goal in successive home games. 

Lewes were beginning to get on top of the game and Phillip Appiah broke forward before a poor challenge over the ball from Doug Tuck stopped him in his tracks. The referee failed to take any action to the frustration of the home fans. Jack Dixon blazed the resulting free kick over the bar, the score remaining goalless. 

Bognor came flying out of the traps for the second half, almost immediately forcing Steve Brinkhurst in to a goal line clearance. 

Again, both sides were creating decent chances but neither were able to get the ball over the line. A headed effort from Jack Dixon went wide before Rikki Banks was forced in to a brilliant low diving save at the other end. 

Elliot Romain and former Bognor striker Terry Dodd were brought on for Lewes with thirty minutes to go. Bognor had fought their way back on top and could have taken the lead when Harvey Whyte found himself in plenty of space after some sloppy play lead to Jack Dixon giving the ball away. Whyte lined up the shot as he cut in from the right hand side of the box but sliced his effort sending it crashing in to the advertising boards behind the Lewes goal. 

After a spell of being on the back foot, in a game of swings and roundabouts, Lewes took control again for the final ten minutes. It was mid way through this spell in which Elliot Romain won a corner after he chased down a Jack Dixon shot and forced another fine save from Chris Winterton. Despite both keepers being in fine form, neither of them would have kept out Ollie Rowe's blasting header from the resulting corner, placed perfectly by Jack Dixon. Ollie Rowe flew in from the back of the area, planting the ball firmly in to the back of the net. 

Bognor threw everyone forward for the final five minutes but ultimately, the game was already decided, Lewes progressed after two very close encounters with their local rivals and will now travel to Whitham Town on the 27th September for the next round of the FA Cup. 

Dulwich keep up with leaders as they win 2-0 at home to Lewes

Dulwich continued their unbeaten start to the season, beating Lewes 2-0 in the Ryman Premier League. 

Nyren Clunis, a graduate from Dulwich Hamlet's youth side, gave them the lead after 59 minutes, scoring from a tight angle after a throw in on the right hand side of the Lewes penalty area.

Another youth team product Xavier Vidal, doubled Hamlet's lead with virtually the last kick of the game, with Lewes throwing everyone they had forward for a corner, Dulwich broke allowing Vidal to score a tap in at the other end after a great pass by Abdul Mansaray.

Lewes were proving hard to break down, a performance completely different to their 2-0 defeat to Tonbridge mid week. The Rooks could have taken the lead in the first half when Terry Dodd found himself through on goal after a defensive mistake, however, the man who scored over 30 goals for Bognor last season some how put the ball wide of the goal. Anyone at Tonbridge on Tuesday may have expected Dulwich to destroy Lewes, however Jack Dixon coming back in to the side seemed to make all the difference for the team playing in orange.

Dulwich were limited in the first half to a couple of chances on the left wing, Steve Brinkhurst at first unable to keep up with Vidal who put in a great ball early on, however no one was there to meet it. Another chance, again created by Vidal was blasted over the goal. Lewes had their own chances on the break, George Branford marly opened the scoring when his cross went a lot closer to the top corner of the net than Phil Wilson was expecting in the Dulwich goal.

Terry Dodd took a shot from range that only just went over the cross bar causing Dulwich fans to silence for a moment. Dulwich continued to have a lot of the possession, however a well drilled Lewes back four kept them from creating any real chances.

Lewes started the second half well, Nick Wheeler creating space before firing a shot well off target and out for a throw in. Luke Blewden also had a chance on the right hand side but blasted the ball wide of the goal.

Despite Lewes pressing, the break through goal eventually came in the 59th minute when a throw in was won on the tight hand side of the Lewes penalty area. A short throw in to Ashley Carew was drilled in low, Clunis got to the ball first and was able to flick it past Rikki Banks giving Dulwich the lead.

Lewes brought Elliot Romain on to replace Terry Dodd and the former Three Bridges striker showed some impressive touches running forward on the right hand side. Lewes would not have been fortunate to get a goal as they pushed forward time and time again in search of an equaliser. First a ball in from Romain nearly found Luke Blewden who just couldn't get to the ball ahead of the goal keeper. George Branford struck the post from range through a crowded area, a shot that had the keeper well beaten. Elliot Romain again caused trouble as Dulwich failed to clear a Lewes corner, Romain's blasted shot was well held by Wilson.

The final chance for Lewes came in the 94th minute, youngster James Fergany making his return had done well to win a corner. Everyone went forward for the corner, including goalkeeper Rikki Banks. However, the ball was cleared out of the defence, Nathan Crabb was able to do just enough to delay the ball for Rikki Banks to get back in goal,however a second clearance saw Abdul Mansaray through on goal. Mansaray was one on one with Banks and produced moans from the crowd as it looked like he had wasted the chance and dragged it wide however actually he had seen Vidal to his right and placed the ball past the keeper for Vidal to run on to and blast in to the empty net, doubling the Dulwich lead and sealing the victory.

Dulwich remain in third place having won four games and drawn one. They will travel to Leatherhead on Monday whereas Lewes who are still to pick up the first win are down in 19th place and will face league leaders Margate at the Dripping Pan on monday. Margate will surely be a tough test as they have a 100% record in the league so far having won all five games.

Fans Corner

@Gingeraction "Despite the defeat, loads better from @Lewes_CFC today, probably best display so far."

'LinesmanIan' "Tough game against Lewes who always look a well drilled side, neither keeper making a save of note."

'Pink Panther' "With better finishing Lewes may well have recorded their first win of the season."

Lewes 0-2 Billericay

Lewes's poor start to the Ryman Premier League continued as they had no response to Billericay's two first half goals.

Lewes were never in the game, once again going behind within the first ten minutes in what was a frustrating day for Garry Wilson against a well organised, strong Billericay side.

Neither side had any real chances before the 8th minute when Garry Elphick was judged to have jumped unfairly with Ricky Sappleton on the edge of the Lewes area. Sappleton took the free kick himself placing the ball in to the left hand corner of the goal beyond Rikki Banks' reach. It was only ten minutes later that Lewes found themselves two goals down as their former midfielder Callum Dunne slotted the ball past Banks again.

Lewes can have no complaints after being defeated by Billericay. The Sussex side were poor all over the park, being outmuscled and outfought for the majority of the game. Every chance Lewes did create, the Billericay back four did a good job of mopping up right up to the final whistle.

Lewes failed to show the spirit that was with them on Wednesday night when the came back from two goals down to draw with AFC Hornchurch, and despite a better last twenty minutes and a potential penalty shout, Lewes failed to hit back at all.

Not a very good game.

The Dripping Pan 

It was the first Saturday home game of the season, for many the first time they had been at the Pan in the sunshine for a long while.

Many were trying out the new food company, sampling a Rooks burger, or watching Manchester United lose to Swansea inside the Rook Inn. The two goal comeback in midweek and given fans a sense of optimism for the day. If Lewes could perform how they did in the final thirty minutes of that game then they would do well today.

The team sheet went up and there was a good reaction that Elliot Romain would be making his first start after signing in the Summer from Three Bridges. Romain had provided the necessary spark on Wednesday night and fully deserved his start. Romain came in to the side for Ebbsfleet loanee Jordan Sanderson.

Left back Sam Cole was still suspended for Lewes and so that meant a debut for young left back Jerome Jibodu while Steve Brinkhurst have his knee a rest. Key midfielders Jack Walder and Jack Dixon were also ruled out through injury/suspension meaning Byron Napper and Fraser Logan were once again in charge in the middle of the park.

Last season Lewes drew with Billericay at home, a result they were hoping to better to pick up their first three points of the season.

First Half 

Right from the off it was clear that Billericay's tactics had not changed. From the moment their back for got the ball there was only one target, and that was to launch the ball down field towards Ricky Sappleton, a big lad, who was superb in controlling and keeping hold of the ball.

However, this was not Billericays only threat, with a couple of tricky wingers and Callum Dunne performing excellently in midfield, Billericay appear to have put together a very well organised outfit that could well be challenging for promotion again this season.

The chances Lewes did manage to create were weak, a wayward shot from Nicky Wheeler and a soft header from Terry Dodd were about the best Lewes could muster.

It could not be said that the work rate was not there. Napper, Romain, Blewden and Dodd in particular worked tirelessly chasing balls down, but the service from the back and midfield was just not good enough for Lewes to get past the Billericay back line.

On the eight minute Billericay took the lead. Another long ball from the Billericay keeper met its target in Sappleton, however, Garry Elphick won the ball in the air but was penalised for having his arms laid on the Billericay strikers back. A free kick was awarded and taken by Sappleton, placing the ball beyond Rikki Banks in to the top corner.

Lewes tried to get a goal back quickly, winning a couple of free kicks in dangerous positions on the left hand side, however, Nicky Wheelers effort was far from goal bound.

Sure enough just ten minutes later Billericay had found the net again. This time a ball in from the left hand side should have been comfortably cleared by Jibodu, however he failed to clear the penalty area, allowing former Rook Callum Dunne to slot the ball underneath Rikki Banks before running off and celebrating with the noisy away support.

Neither side really threatened again in the first half with both teams becoming able to deal with long balls.

Second Half 

Many may have been expecting with another earful from Garry Wilson, Lewes might come out and show something else for the second half, however the game continued as though it had never stopped, both sides unsuccessfully launching long ball towards each others box.

Fraser Logan was quickly replaced after a performance he is likely to forget quickly. The former Crawley Down man did not look in the best of moods having been taken off, striding towards the dressing room rather than warming down. George Branford came on replacing him in a bid to give Lewes a more attacking edge.

Alex Malins was also brought off on the hour, being replaced by Steve Brinkhurst, and while Brinkhurst did get forward more than Malins, he could not make a huge difference to the game.

Billericay edged the majority of the half, however neither side created much in the way of chances, both defences seeming to be cleaning up everything that came their way. Man of the match Garry Elphick had gained control of Sappleton, meaning Billericay had become much less of a threat despite the wind being behind them.

For the final twenty minutes Lewes gained control of the game but were not able to carve open Billericay as they would have liked. The best chance came to Nathan Crabb in the Billericay area where he was just about to pull the trigger before appearing to be sliced down by a defender. The referee waved his hands indicating no foul, much the frustration of the Lewes fans in the Philcox stand.

The game was beginning to open up for the final ten minutes and Billericay nearly added a third when Sappleton broke free of his shackles, knocking Byron Napper to the ground before barging through the Lewes defence and in to the penalty area. A last ditch block/ challenge from Ollie Rowe saw the ball fall to another of Billericay's attackers but his shot cannoned back off the post.

Lewes continued to press for a goal in the last few minutes but apart from a couple of soft headers towards goal, they did not get a look in.

Disappointment is the word that would sum up the mood around the Dripping Pan after the game.

Lewes 2-2 AFC Hornchurch - A Point Each On Opening Game At The Dripping Pan

With neither side having won their opening game of the season, both teams came to The Dripping Pan hoping to gain their first three points. However a come back from Lewes meant that in the end, both teams had to share the spoils in a game decided by refereeing controversy.

Whisper the name 'David Spain' quietly in Lewes, for he is not very popular with supporters of the Rooks. Before the game started fans were taking a look at the back of the programme and browning as they saw the name of the man in the middle. Why such a disliking towards Mr Spain? Well, two years ago Lewes first encountered his 'unique' refereeing style when they played in an away fixture to Hastings Utd. Mr Spain awarded Hastings a penalty early on after a Lewes clearance struck another Lewes player in the chest outside of the penalty box and then failed to award the Rooks a stonewall penalty after Steve Brinkhurst was brought down through on goal.

Now, this first poor game could go down as just another poor performance from a referee, however it was not long later that Mr Spain was terrorising Lewes again. Lewes were in the depth of a relegation battle and high flying Kingstonian were paying a visit to the Pan. Kingstonian controversially went ahead when Mr Spain failed to give a blatant foul on the keeper, allowing the K's to score in to an empty net. Lewes fought back and equalised, however in the 93rd minute yet another foul on the keeper was not given, this time an elbow to the head and yet the referee allowed the K's to have 5 (five) shots on goal while the keeper was on the floor with a head injury, not only stupid but plain dangerous.

Added to his poor performances in front of a Lewes crowd, Mr Spain also has many other mentions if you search his name online for dodgy refereeing. He once sent off a player for escorting a streaker off the pitch when the stewards weren't able to. He has been criticised by several managers saying he is not up to refereeing.

Anyway, enough ranting about what Mr Spain has done in the past and back to the game at hand. Both sides seemed intent on playing a long ball game with the first seven minutes passing without anything in the way of an attacking threat. Therefore maybe David Spain awarded Hornchurch a free kick to the left of the Lewes area out of boredom? For there appeared to be very little other explanation. However, Lewes fans bemusement about this decision was quickly gone as the free kick was swung in and caught by Rikki Banks, David Spain blew his whistle again. What for? Everyone wondered, must have been a foul and a free kick to Lewes somewhere. Lewes and Hornchurch players alike started jogging back in to positions for a Lewes free kick, Rikki Banks layer the ball on the floor to take it, however, Hornchurch number 5 Omar Beckles must not have heard the whistle as he took the ball and put it in to an empty Lewes net. David Spain pointed towards the half way line, he had given a goal.

As you would expect pandaemonium erupted in the Lewes dugout, stand and on the pitch, no one could believe what was going on. Lewes players and management protested to the referee and his linesman, however Mr Spain was having none of it, claiming he had blown the whistle before the free kick was taken.

For the rest of the half the Lewes players looked shocked, they struggled to compete with Hornchurch dominating the game as it progressed. Eventually Hornchurch made Lewes pay and added a second goal on the half hour mark when Lewes static defending allowed a ball along the box to be firmly met by Martin Tuohy, doubling the Essex sides lead.

Lewes were offering little in the form of attacking threat, their main strategy to pump the ball forward towards their striking partnership of Terry Dodd and Luke Blewden, however the tall Hornchurch defenders were quickly mopping up everything that came their way.

The second half didn't start much better for Lewes, their tactics needed changing and despite a grilling from manager Garry Wilson, there did not appear to be many changes made. The game swung on the sixtieth minute when Lewes injected some pace in to the game, adding Nathan Crabb and Elliot Romain. Lewes grew in confidence and started running at the Hornchurch defence causing them all sorts of problems, however, it wasn't until Lewes scored that they created any real chances.

Lewes pulled the first goal back on the 73rd minute. Rikki Banks played a long ball out wide to Elliot Romain who took the ball down well sprinted past the left back before stopping, turning a defender and blasting away again. Romain put a low ball in to the area finding its way all the way across the box and to Nick Wheeler who smashed the ball home in to the top corner from the edge of the area.

The goal gave Lewes the lift they needed and despite a scare when Hornchurch hit the cross bar, it was Lewes who were creating the better chances. They nearly equalised through an own goal when a free kick was out in to a dangerous area and a Hornchurch head forced the keeper in to a flying save to deny Lewes a point. However, this was not the end as in the 88th minute another free kick was sent in to the box, a tussle inside the box away from the ball saw a Lewes player felled down to the ground. The linesman spotted the infringement and Lewes were awarded a penalty. Luke Blewden calmly stepped up and smashed the ball in giving delight to the Lewes fans and management alike.

Lewes should not kid themselves, despite rescuing a point from an unlikely position and some very dodgy refereeing, they did not play to the standard that they should be at. They will need to improve if they ant to meet their ambitions and challenge for a play off place.

Premier League 2014/15 Predictions

With the 2014/15 season of the Premier League only a week away, now seems the right time to make some predictions for the campaign which will either make me appear to be a mystical genius or a complete idiot.

Let's start with the big one:

Winner: I have Manchester City down as my winner. I fully expect the Champions to hold on to their title. Two years ago it was predicted that City would be almost impossible to stop after winning their first title. However, Manchester United won the league the following season running away with the title. I do not expect City to make the same mistakes again this year, and despite the league being arguably tighter than ever at the top, I think City have the best squad and so will come out on top.



Remainder of the top 4: Following on from Manchester City I have Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea. Arsenal are notorious for finishing in fourth place, however this season I feel that a push for the title is on the cards. My reasons for this feeling are that for 8 years, Arsenal had the burden of not winning a trophy. Last season Arsenal put all that to bed by winning the FA Cup and it appears to have done their confidence and belief a world of good. Wenger has not been afraid of spending this summer and has said that he is not finished despite high priced moves for Alexis Sanchez, Debuchy and Chambers.

Manchester United did not have a great season last year. I think it is clear to see that David Moyes made some huge mistakes: getting rid of the back room team, buying Fellaini for such a high price tag etc. Van Gaal has come in after a fantastic world cup for Holland and he has filled United with confidence and almost given them back their fear factor which they lost so quickly last season. I do not expect United to be a real title contender, however I feel that a finish of third or fourth will allow them to push on for a title challenge again in 2015/16.

I have Chelsea down as the final team in the top four. While Chelsea are many bookies favourites for the champions, I do not share this thought. New signing Cesc Fabregas will surely add something to the team, however, getting rid of the old guard, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole could prove costly in my opinion. Yes they were getting older, however, they have gone back on their move and brought back Drogba, showing they made a mistake letting him go. To Mourinho's credit however, he clearly has a plan and has found replacements for all three departures of Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Romelu Lukaku as well as Demba Ba. I think there have been a few too many changes at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea to mount a title challenge straight away, and while I feel they will be up there for the majority of the season, I think they will slump towards the end and finish third or fourth.


I do not think that Liverpool will be able to hold on to their Champions League place. It will be a lot tougher for them this season, first of all without Suarez and secondly because they will be playing a lot more games, a huge advantage they held over the other teams at the top last season. Liverpool claimed they would not do a Tottenham, however they have been freely spending. Origi, Lambert, Lallana amongst many others have been brought in to try and make up for the loss of their top goalscorer, however I think too many changes have been made and they will struggle to gel for the first half of the season, ultimately meaning they will miss out on the champions league.

Relegation: Now on to the other key battle at the bottom. I have Burnley, Sunderland and QPR to all go down to the Championship. Burnley were promoted after coming second in the Championship. I feel that Burnley will put up the best fight out of the three teams I am predicting to go down, however, ultimately I feel they will not have enough defensively to beat the drop. Sunderland came very close last year to going down, becoming only the second team ever to stay up having been bottom of the Premier League at Christmas. Gus Poyet did a good job keeping them up, however he has admitted himself that he has had a frustrating summer. This time around I expect Sunderland to struggle and eventually head down to the Championship.

Many people will disagree with my QPR assessment considering their playing budget is greater than Champions League runners up Atletico Madrid's and they have 'Arry Redknapp in charge. A couple of seasons ago QPR really struggled in the Premier league setting the record for number of games without a win. I think the problem with QPR is they are not as good as they think they are. A number of them thought they had an automatic right of passage back to the Premier League, but the reality is they should have walked that league with their budget and spending. I think QPR could be in for a bit of a shock once they start playing, if they start badly I think all morale will go and they will get fed up and slump, this is why I have predicted them to finish bottom of the league.

Potential Upset: My team with potential for upset this season is Aston Villa. If you head back a fair few years, Villa were challenging for the Europa League, now under Lambert it appears they are fighting off relegation every year. I have a feeling that will not happen this time around. Villa actually have some very decent players in their squad, Christian Benteke and Ron Vlaar to name their best two. If these two can stay fit and the new Villa signings play well I think they could have a very good year.

Disappointment: Tottenham. Too many managerial changes at Spurs have caused them to have absolutely zero consistency. I do not believe that the ex Saints boss is a genius as everybody claims he is, Southampton had some brilliant players last season and I think they finished where a team of their class should have finished. I expect Spurs to have a difficult season having made no stand out signings and the majority of the players they spent the 'Bale fund' on turning out to be flops.

Predicted Final Table:

1. Manchester City
2. Chelsea
3. Arsenal
4. Manchester United
5. Liverpool
6. Everton
7. Newcastle
8. Tottenham
9. Southampton
10. Aston Villa
11. Swansea
12. Crystal Palace
13. West Ham
14. Leicester
15. Hull
16. West Brom
17. Stoke
18. Burnley
19. Sunderland
20. QPR


Top Goalscorer: Sergio Aguero. With Suarez out the way I expect Aguero to take the golden boot. Sturridge was the runner up of this award last season, however without Suarez's assists I cannot see him scoring as many as he did last year. Agero belongs to a team that is getting better and better and providing he stays fit, I can see him scoring a lot of goals. Other contenders could be Robin Van Persie, Daniel Sturridge and Diego Costa. 

Witham 1-1 Lewes

The Ryman Premier League has come around again for another season of excitement. This match was to be Witham Town's first ever game in the Ryman Premier after being promoted from the Ryman North last season. The sun came out to brighten up the occasion, although the Witham pitch could have done with a watering (and some levelling) as the teams played out a 1-1 draw on a bumpy surface.

Lewes could have been a goal up within the first twenty seconds, Nick Wheeler played a one two pass with Luke Blewden before smashing the ball towards the top of the goal from a tight angle, forcing a superb reflex stop from Martyn Guest in the Witham goal.

Lewes looked solid at the back for the majority of the game, Alex Malins in particular having a good game, his ability to head the ball, making the right decision, got Lewes out of a couple of potentially sticky situations. Gary Elphick was making his debut for Lewes and put in a good performance. Steve Brinkhurst had to fill in at left back for Lewes with Sam Cole suspended from the end of last season. Brinkhurst did not disgrace himself and showed he can be versatile when called upon.

As is often the case when Lewes have visited Essex sides, Witham through themselves in to every challenge, playing fiercely and often aggressively. Brad Stropher was cautioned first for a lunging challenge on Nick Wheeler in which he appeared to jump over the ball but fortunately not catching Wheeler full on, meaning the Lewes winger escaped what could have been a nasty injury.

Witham continued to play rough through the half and only a couple of minutes after Stropher had his name taken, his partner at the back, Lee Townrow, also had his name written in the book. This time the challenge was certainly worthy of at least a yellow card as Ross Treleaven crossed the ball in from the right hand side an extremely late challenge by Townrow caused Treleaven's knee to swell up so much that he needed to be taken off. Nathan Crabb replaced Treleaven on twenty minutes, despite Crabb not playing a minute of pre-season, suffering from an injury himself.

There were very few real chances for either side during the first half, Lewes just edging the play but not being able to cut through the Witham defence. Every time Lewes looked like creating a chance a foul by Witham quickly put an end to any danger, with Fraser Logan wasting the majority of set pieces by looping the ball in to the area, making it easy for the Witham centre backs to head the ball away.

There was yet more controversy in the first half to come from Witham's tactics as Lee Townrow, having already been cautioned caught Terry Dodd late in a challenge that nine times out of ten would see a yellow card produced. However, in the words of sidelined captain Jack Walder, the referee "bottled" the decision and settled with giving Townrow a talking to for the offence.

Debutant Byron Napper was filling the hole left by Jack Walder who is still recovering from an injury suffered at Thamesmead towards the end of last season. Napper put in a brilliant performance, tackling all over the pitch and breaking up the Witham play, hassling his opponents. Fraser Logan showed his versatility, playing alongside Napper in midfield while Jack Dixon sits out his four match ban from a red card at the end of last season.

Witham should have taken the lead in the first half as Ryan Blackman found his way in to the penalty area down the right side of the pitch, his initial shot forced Rikki Banks in to a fantastic stop, however the rebound fell back to the man in white however he managed to smash the ball over the goal and out of the ground from the six yard box.

Despite the pitch not allowing Wheeler to play to his advantages, he was still causing the Witham defence mayhem as he danced his way down the left wing. Lewes fans were treated to some brilliant link up play between Wheeler and Blewden, one such occasion nearly seeing Wheeler score a chance similar to that in the first minute. Guest again providing another key save from a curling Wheeler effort from just outside the area.

Luke Blewden and Terry Dodd's partnership is still very much a work in progress, however, the two are starting to learn each others strengths. Terry Dodd worked as a target man, holding the ball up trying to feed Blewden or Nathan Crabb through on goal. Blewden worked tirelessly as usual running the channels.

Approaching half time it was looking more and more likely that a Lewes goal was only a matter of time and it nearly came when a long ball by Byron Napper found its way to Nathan Crabb who managed to control the ball expertly on the bobby pitch. Crabb's shot was stopped well by the keeper down low, denying Lewes a half time lead.

The second half started as the first one ended, with Lewes pushing for a goal. However, the game was cagey with many niggling fouls and long balls as neither side wanted to lose on the opening day of the season.

Despite their growing dominance, Lewes had to wait until the 68th minute to take a well deserved lead. A Witham corner was headed away by Ollie Rowe and met by Byron Napper. Napper, making his debut for the club after signing from Horsham, charged down the right wing before playing a ball across the box. The initial cross was too long, however Nick Wheeler was on the left to meet the ball before cutting inside and chipping the ball towards Terry Dodd in the six yard box. Dodd controlled the ball with his chest before firing at goal. The ever present Guest parried the first shot, however, Luke Blewden hit the ball home from close range, continuing his goal scoring form in to the new season.

Witham's chances in the second half were reduced to corners, however, they did earn a lot of them, with Lewes seeming more than willing to kick the ball out to give Witham a chance from the set pieces. Byron Naper gave away a corner in the 75th minute and the pressure told as Lewes lost striker Lewis Godbold, allowing him a free header which he planted past Rikki Banks, equalising for Witham.

For the final 15 minutes, Witham grew in confidence, their goal boosting their morale and it showed. They almost took the lead not long after equalising, Leon Antoine heading the ball just wide of the Lewes goal. However, despite late pushes from both sides, the match finished in a draw, the sides sharing the points on the opening day of the season.

Goals: Witham: Lewis Godbold (75)     ----------  Lewes: Luke Blewden (68) Assist: Terry Dodd

After the game Lewes manager Garry Wilson criticised the Witham pitch saying: "The pitch condition didn't help us, it was difficult"

When asked about positives Lewes can take from the game, GW replied: "I think the new lads coming in to the team did well. Byron Napper had a smashing game for us today and one or two others that have just come in. It's going to take a little bit of time and I think a point away from home is still a good point. The first games of the season are really difficult games."

"Ross Treleaven has quite a big swollen knee now so I think he might struggle for a week or two."

With two tough games coming up for Lewes against AFC Hornchurch and then Billericay, GW remained positive: "We are at home and I think we can play against anyone at home, they will both be hard but I think we will look to get our first three points on Wednesday night. Every game is a challenge in many different ways but they are there to be beaten and we would love to get the three points on Wednesday."

Garry Wilson also conformed that new Lewes signing Henry Muggeridge currently has his foot in a cast and needs to go to hospital to have a scan on his ankle to see the state it is in before an estimation can be given as to when he will be available to play.


Lewes Ratings:

Rikki Banks 7
Alex Malins 8
Gary Elphick 7
Ollie Rowe 7
Steve Brinkhurst 5.5
Byron Napper 8
Fraser Logan 6.5 (George Branford 6)
Ross Treleaven 5 (Nathan Crabb 6.5)
Nick Wheeler 7
Terry Dodd 6.5
Luke Blewden 8 (Elliot Romain 5.5)

Why Replacing Lampard with Cesc Makes Sense

While Frank Lampard has been the heart of Chelsea's midfield for a number of years, he is finally moving away from Stamford Bridge, probably to America to take up a new challenge, and I believe now is the perfect time for him to do so.

Why? Many Chelsea fans will strongly disagree with me on this point and were far from happy when the news came out that Frank was leaving Chelsea. However, I feel that this season, Lampard has struggled. Lampard made 26 appearances for Chelsea last season, a very decent amount for someone who is 36 years of age, however, when you compare this to his peak years when it was very rare for Lampard to miss a game, it is not many, especially when many of these appearances have been from the bench. Lampard also only managed six goals this year, again not bad considering fewer appearances and his change of role to a deeper position. However, in his peak Lampard was scoring 20 plus goals per season. With Manchester City having Yaya, Liverpool having Gerrard, Arsenal having Ozil and Ramsey, Chelsea need a midfielder who is going to score goals to keep up with the rest of the top four, unfortunately Lampard could not fill that role any more.

When Frank was only given a one year contract to remain at Chelsea last season, it was always likely that he would be leaving this summer. While he could continue this season, he would become a passenger to the team, other players would have to be doing two jobs to make up for his lack of pace, and his goal scoring threat in the Premier League is diminishing. Surely it is better for a Chelsea legend to leave before he gets to this stage so that there are no memories of Lampard being the slow lump in midfield, being carried by his Chelsea team mates to prolong his time with them? Look at Rio Ferdinand at Utd, he has stayed on a season too long and is now not seen to be as much of a legend as he would have been had he left before he became too slow and unable to play to the level Manchester United expect.

With Lampard going, it was essential that Chelsea did find a replacement this summer. There is no point in Frank leaving if no one is here to fill his boots. In Cesc Fabregas, I feel Chelsea have found the perfect replacement. Cesc has wonderful ball control as seen by some of his goals for Barcelona and Spain where he has been able to manoeuvre himself out of tight positions and away from defenders. One of Lampards best features was his ability to pick out players with his passing, and Fabregas has shown at Barcelona that his long and short passing is superb, and Barcelona is certainly not a bad place to learn and show his passing trade. Most importantly however, Cesc scores goals.

For Arsenal in the 2009/10 season, Fabregas scored twenty goals, remarkable for a midfielder, and something that Frank Lampard used to do. This was when Fabregas was only 22, now at 27 he is likely to be hitting his peak and I fully expect him to score at least ten goals this season followed by a season of at least 15 but possibly reaching the twenty mark. The brilliant thing about Fabregas is that playing for Arsenal, he has vast experience in the Premier League and so it should not take him too long to adapt back after playing in the La Liga for a few years.

Mourinho knows what he is doing and would not have taken the decision lightly to move on his great player and friend Frank Lampard. Mourinho will get the very best out of Fabregas who, when partnering Matic in the centre, could get Chelsea back to having the best midfield in the Premier League again. Oscar has long been seen as the ideal replacement for Lampard when he leaves, however, he really struggled in the second half of last season and has shown so far at this world cup that he plays at his best while out on the right wing, therefore it was essential for Chelsea to buy Fabregas to fill the void left by Lampard in the centre.

Chelsea fans need to remember Lampard for the player that he used to be, but also, not forget that he is no longer that great player, it is for the good of the team that Chelsea do now have a better option in midfield. Yes, it is true that Chelsea will miss Lampards presence in the dressing room, he surely had a big personality and great leadership qualities, his experience will help his next team to no end. However, in my opinion, while it may be difficult to hear, Fabregas's quality outweighs Franks experience at this point in time.

Miami Heat: England 2-2 Ecuador

The temperature in Miami didn't rise to the levels that Roy Hodgson and his team would have wanted it to in order to test his players, however the game did not disappoint and was about as entertaining as you could expect from a pre season friendly. A draw with Ecuador means that England have lost their 100% record over the South American club. Surprisingly, England have only ever played Ecuador once officially, a game which England won 1-0, Beckham's free kick his last ever goal for his country, and in fact, England's last win in a knockout stage of a major competition (hopefully not ever).

The England line up was experimental, it is a guarantee that the starting eleven tonight will never be used in a world cup game. Wayne Rooney was placed on the left of the attack, making way for Ross Barkley to gain his first international start along with Luke Shaw. It is clear that English "soccer" does not bring much excitement to American's as the stadium was only quarter full with empty seats a plenty.

England's first big test of the day came before the game had even kicked off. Lining up in red it was time for the England national anthem. Did Oxlade Chamberlain belt it out as loud as he could? Did James Milner open his mouth? Can Wayne Rooney even read? No, no and probably not. Hodgson had made it clear that he wants his players to sing the anthem loud and proud, however, today they were unsuccessful.

England started the game on the attack, a seemingly different mentality to the game against Peru in which they were not quick to get forward. Frank Lampard had a glorious opportunity to show Chelsea fans what they would be missing next season. Rikki Lambert slotted the ball in to the path of the onrushing Lampard after some good work by Chamberlain. However Lampard scuffed the shot sending the ball a long way wide.

It has been suggested these two would do a
better job than Jones and Smalling. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly for England fans, Ecuador took the lead after a string of England attacks. A Enner Valencia header, who bears no relation to Antonio was smashed in to the English net after he had got away from the centre back partnership of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, neither of whom could do anything other than stand there looking confused.

Despite going behind, England did not look like they had lost hope unlike many England fans had on twitter, although how some people are only just realising England won't win the world cup is beyond me…

Rooney was delighted with his tap in

It was not long before England were level. A lively Chamberlain, or as people like to call him 'The Ox', whipped a ball in to the area from the right hand side. New Liverpool signing chest (handled) the ball before attempting a back heel in to the goal. However the ball rebounded off the post and before Lambert could tap in the rebound, Rooney was on it like a kid in a playground who was desperate to score a goal and kicked it in before celebrating as though he had scored a goal actually at the World Cup and not a tap in against Ecuador. Still, there is nothing wrong with passion.

Despite being placed on the left wing, it was clear that Rooney was not playing in that position. The United striker was constantly coming inside and playing almost alongside Rikki Lambert up front which did not do too much good for the shape of the England side, however this is not Rooney's fault, the man is not a winger.

Half time came about and England would have mixed feelings about how they had played. Having been on top for pretty much the whole half it was surprising that it was England who had to come from behind. Although not that surprising, this is England.

The second half also started with a good tempo, however this time the attacking threat was coming from both sides. The Ox provided the danger for England, while Antonio Valencia was whipping in some good balls at the other end. One particular stand out was Phil Jones producing a Terry style salmon dive in order to head the ball away, good effort, but a bit of a copy.

Two individual moments of class put England ahead in the 52nd minute. Ross Barkley charged forward, nutmegging an Ecuadorian. Everyone was waiting for a finish similar to his goal against Newcastle and it looked as though he was shaping up to hit it that way, however he laid the ball off to Rikki Lambert who struck the ball first time with the outside of his boot fizzing the ball in to the bottom corner from a reasonably tight angle. £4million? Bargain.

Despite being in front, there was bad news for England as Roy Hodgson's nightmares were met. Alex Oxlaide Chamberlain went down injured after winning the ball back for England. It is thought that he may have ligament damage meaning he would miss the World Cup, now how will we win it!? To make matters even worse, the referee gave Ecuador a free kick for the challenge. The Ox will have a scan on Thursday to assess the full extent of the damage.

Things were getting worse and worse for England as what can only be described as tactical genius from the Ecuador manager, saw Arroyo score a terrific goal just moments after coming on. Despite Clive Tyldesley's claims that England gave the man far too much space, in truth James Milner didn't give him that much room for manoeuvre, however, the Ecuadorian did not need much room, nudging the ball an inch to the right before shushing the ball past the helpless Ben Foster to level the score once again. When Paul Scholes said England should play like Liverpool, I am not sure he quite meant defensively as well.

The goal seemed to give Ecuador a boost. Antonio Valencia was the constant target on the right to try and get balls in to the England box. On one of this occasions Raheem Sterling flew in with a challenge, going straight over the ball but not really catching Valencia. A challenge probably worth a yellow card. However, Valencia took huge offence to the challenge, getting straight up and grabbing Sterling by the back of his neck. The referee seemed to deliberate for a bit before very proudly lifting two red cards in to the air, sending the Liverpool and United rivals for an early shower. But don't worry you Ecuadorian fans, Valencia will not be suspended for the world cup. And unfortunately England fans, neither will Sterling.

Full time and the score was 2-2. The game will have taught England a few lessons. The main one being that James Milner is not a very good right back. He is only marginally better than Glen Johnson, without being too harsh on Milner. Wayne Rooney got his goal, Lambert, Barkley and Chamberlain played blinders. Let's just hope that The Ox is not as injured as Hodgson fears, as I don't think Ben Foster is a good enough back up keeper.

COME ON ENGLAND!

Mourinho: Losing his touch and his head?

Chelsea look set to end this season without any silverware barring a miracle in the Premier League after they crashed out of the Champions League to Atletico Madrid last night. 

"One minute in the second half decided everything," Mourinho claimed.

"A minute where the Atletico goalkeeper makes an impossible save to a John Terry header then the penalty that kills the game.
"After that there was only one team with morale high, knowing with half an hour left they had control.
"For about 60 minutes, we had the game, but semi-finals and important matches are made of details and this was a very important detail.
"Congratulations to them because they are a very good side and what they are doing in the Spanish league is fantastic."

Is this Mourinho admitting that his decision to loan Courtois to Madrid this season was the wrong choice? What he is essentially saying is that if Chelsea were the team that had the Belgium keeper then that save would not have been made and so Chelsea would go on to control the tie. 

Mourinho may be right that the penalty changed the tie, it meant that Chelsea needed two goals, and after setting up defensively that was always going to be a very tough ask. What would be nice to see now is for Mourinho to admit that he got Chelsea's tactics in the second leg completely wrong. The first leg, despite coming away without an away goal is still a decent result for Chelsea, all they needed to do was to win at home, however playing defensively was not the way to do this. Mourinho has been praised enough this season, despite the fact that he is probably not going to win anything, it would now be nice if he could put his hands up and say "this time I got it wrong." 

 

Mourinho made a name for himself the first time he was at Chelsea for his playing of the media in order to give his team the best possible advantage in games, the league and particularly with referees. However, some of his comments in recent weeks have been branded as childish and even as a Chelsea fan it has got me questioning whether he is losing his head. 

"Mike Dean's performance was unbelievable and when referees have unbelievable performances it's fair to congratulate them," he added.
"He came here with one objective, the objective to make a fantastic performance and he did that.
"Congratulations to Mike Riley, because he's the referees' boss, and what they are doing during the whole season is fantastic, especially in the last couple of months, especially in matches involving the teams that were in the title race - it's absolutely fantastic."

His comments about the referee after the Sunderland game are ridiculous to say the least. Mourinho is being sarcastic about the performance of the referee, despite the fact that the penalty given to Sunderland at the end of the game was blatant, it was Chelsea who threw away their best chance at the title, not Mike Dean.

What is the point in these comments? They cannot help the team in any way. The only reason that could even be thought of for Mourinho coming up with this load of nonsense is to relieve the pressure on his players and deflect away from the fact that he has lost his first ever league match at Stamford Bridge.

However, I am not so sure that this time it has worked. People are not going to forget the fact that Chelsea have now lost to Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Sunderland, separated by wins over Arsenal and Liverpool.

In the big games this season, Mourinho has been called a tactical genius for masterminding wins over every team in the top four, however it is the lower half sides that have ruined Chelsea's title race and Mourinho does not seem to know what to do or say about it.

Play off hopes fade as Grays do the double

A pretty dire game between two teams with an extremely slim chance of making the Ryman Premier league play offs, ended with the away side taking home the three points and completing the double over Lewes, effectively ending their chances of making a late run for promotion.

The game was incredibly flat with both teams looking tired, something they better get used to with fixtures coming quick and fast. Lewes perhaps had the better chances of the early stages, despite losing the toss and being forced to face the sun for the first half. 

Luke Blewden had a chance after a witty run by Nick Wheeler saw Blewden through on goal before the Grays impressive number four salmon dived at the ball on the floor to put Blewden off his stride. 

It was Blewden again, guilty of wasting chances when, this time Brinkhurst fed him the ball on the right hand side, only for Blewden to nearly smash the ball out of the ground from a tight angle. Both teams were persistent in trying a long ball game, Lewes in particular having a tough time with it, Blewden having to feed off scraps, playing up front on his own. 

Grays took the lead through their first meaningful attack when they played down the right hand side, beating Sam Gore and dinking the ball across the box, where it was met with a glancing header in to the bottom left hand corner, beyond Banks, by Joao Carlos. 

The goal briefly sparked some life in to Grays who then quickly won a corner, forcing Banks in to a diving save. The corner fell well for them and a back heeled attempt also forced another save from Banks, this time a bit more comfortable. 

No one had a particularly good game first half, but Jay Lovett was having a torrid time, summed up when Grays launched the ball forward from the back. The ball was heading straight to Banks, however Lovett felt the need to chest the ball beyond the Lewes keeper and out for a corner. 

Fans of both sides were probably hoping their team would come out with a bit more fight in them for the second half, however it wasn’t to be and for the first twenty minutes or so the game was at its worst point with nothing of note happening. 

The introduction of Jack Maloney, replacing the worn out Steve Brinkhurst woke Lewes up a bit. The Portsmouth loanee made some decent runs on the ball, looking very strong and skillful, giving an edge to Lewes’s game. However, not long after coming on, Maloney was booked for taking a tumble in the Grays penalty area, despite the fact that he got straight back up and did not appeal for a penalty at all. 

The best effort of the game came in the second half when left back Sam Gore saw the ball cleared after a corner, fall directly to him on the edge of the box. Gore hit the ball on the full volley, at first it looked as though the ball would go miles over, similar to a couple of efforts by Sam Crabb and Luke Blewden. The ball dipped right at the last minute, forcing the keeper to tip the ball over the bar, in a chance that would easily have been goal of the season. 

Lewes kicked on in the last ten minutes, but it was not enough. They were perhaps lucky not to see Jay Lovett sent off, after the referee ruled he had brought down a Grays player on the edge of the box who appeared to be through on goal. 

Despite a little bit of pressure on the Grays goal near the end of the game, there were no clear cut chances and Grays held on to win 1-0 and pick up three valuable away points. 

Lewes V Grays 08/03/14

For Lewes, March looked like it could shape up to be an extremely tough month. However two games in to the month and Lewes have taken on first placed Dulwich and beaten them 2-0, before then just  few days later taking on second placed Maidtsone and again securing the win, this time it was 1-0.

While Lewes will be feeling good about these two wins, they know that the month is far from over. They welcome Grays today who beat Lewes 4-2 just a week ago. They then have fixtures against Hornchurch (H), Lowestoft (A), Carshalton (A), Kingstonian (H), Wealdstone (H), and finally Thamesmead (A). That is games against four of the top five in one month, as well as a trip to Lowestoft who have been consistently in the play offs for the past few years, although it doesn't look like they will have any luck this year. 

Garry Wilson has always stressed that this year is a building season for the club, Lewes will try to finish as high as they can, building up to get ready for next seasons promotion push. However, although the chances are very slim, the recent couple of wins have proved that Lewes can beat anybody in this league and if they can continue this form, who knows, we might see a late charge for a play off place. 

To really still be in with a chance of a play off space, I would say that Lewes would need 15 points from the rest of March which really does not leave them much room for error. In Garry Wilson and Danny Bloor's interviews this year you can tell that they are two men who know exactly the direction that they want to take Lewes, which is great to see. 

Hornchurch are the team that Lewes would most likely catch, they are 9 points ahead but Lewes have a game in hand and also are playing Hornchurch at home in a game that they must win if they are to push for that spot. 

Interestingly Grays would catch up with Lewes on points if they won all of their games in hand. Therefore if Grays win today, they could overtake Lewes and perhaps push for a place themselves, although it seems unlikely they will win all of their games in hand and their fixture pile up will surely take its toll on results. Their lowly position of 17th is deceiving as Lewes found out the other night when they travelled to Grays and lost the match 4-2. 

Hornchurch play at home to Thamesmead today, a game which really they should win so Lewes will most likely need to get a win over Grays in order to keep up the pressure. Grays have the chance to overtake Margate today if they can beat Lewes and Margate lose at home to Kingstonian. 

March really is going to be an exciting month! 

3G Pitches, are they the way forward?

Another saturday for Lewes football club without playing a game of football. There has been no snow so far this winter, however 6 games have had to be postponed already since the start of December 2013, all due to waterlogged pitches. 

This week the Conference arranged a emergency general meeting in order to have a vote as to whether 3G pitches should be allowed in the three Skril divisions. The vote took place due to Maidstone United's fine form in the Ryman Premier league where they are currently allowed to play on their 3G pitch. 

However, the vote was heavily in favour of a 'no' to the artificial pitch. However with yet another wet day and another match postponed, is it time to start looking towards 3G pitches as the way forward? It is worth noting that Maidstone have managed an additional 4 extra home games this year than Lewes and I would't bet against that increasing. This will be a huge advantage to Maidstone come the end of the season when teams around them will have to be playing three games a week just to get all their fixtures finished as it is very unlikely they league will be extended. 

Advantages of 3G

1) 3G Pitches Survive the Weather

This has to be the biggest advantage of a 3G pitch. Heavy rain is not an issue, as the pitches can be made to drain perfectly and any lingering water can be brushed off easily as there is no worry about damaging the grass underneath. 

So many games have been postponed this year due to waterlogged pitches, whereas Maidstone have been able to carry on playing which can only be down to their 3G pitch. 

Maidtstone's 3G pitch 

HOWEVER, while it has been claimed that the pitches are weather proof, I have experienced frozen 3G pitches before while ordinary pitches would be fine to play on. The small rubber balls on the pitch can freeze up on a cold morning meaning when the frost is melting the water is staying on top of the pitch as draining is being restricted by the frozen rubber under the pitch. 

Also a wet pitch or recently frozen pitch, while it may be playable can get very slippery, when players are not able to wear metal stud, the game could be very difficult to play. 

2) The Money 

There are two huge money advantages to 3G pitches. Obviously money is a huge bonus for non league teams, most are cash strapped and any additional income would be an offer that can't be refused. 

The first money advantage is that when games are postponed, they will be played on a weekday where attendances tend to be at least a third less than a usual gate. For example at Lewes they usually get around 500-800 people through the gate on a saturday, whereas this season on weeknights they have been getting roughly 200-400. This means that when a game is postponed there is a significant loss of revenue, not to mention loss on things such as programme sales and printing costs that have gone wasted. 

The second money bonus of 3G pitches is the fact that the pitches don't suffer from any dame and so can be played on as many times in a week as required. This means that clubs would be able to rent out their pitch for others use to gain a lot of extra revenue without any worry that the pitch won't be playable on the weekend for the senior teams game. It also means that the club can train on the pitch rather than having to find somewhere else and potentially have to rent out somewhere for the team to train, which would be throwing more money away. 

Maidstone have received support from Gillingham boss Peter Taylor, who says that at the level Maidstone are at, making money has to be a priority for clubs. 

Disadvantages of 3G

1) Potential to Cause Injuries 

One man who is certainly against artificial pitches is Rangers manager Ally McCoist as in September 2012, his then new signing David Templeton, who suffered a severe injury to his ankle which medical staff claimed was caused by the artificial surface. 

This is not the only injury to happen on a 3G pitches and it is argued that the hardness of the surface causes a lot of stress when running or jumping, or even cuts the skin when going in for a slide tackle. Former Maidstone and Lewes striker Ade Olurunda who played on Maidstone's surface for a whole season claims that after playing on the surface your body aches far more than it would playing on grass. On the other hand current Lewes striker Luke Blewden has apparently said that the 3G pitch is great to play on. 

I have played full hockey matches and six a side games on 3G pitches and it has to be said it is not the same as playing on grass. I have never been injured or seen anyone noticeably injured because of the pitch although former Lewes player/manager did suffer a very serious ankle injury which effectively finished his playing career, although he had already suffered numerous other injuries prior to this, while playing at Maidstone in a pre season friendly which he felt was down to the pitch. 

When I have played football on a 3G pitch, especially after it has been raining the ball moves noticeably quicker and bounces up at you quicker than on a grass pitch making it far harder to control, giving an advantage to the team who plays on 3G regularly as they can train and play on it every week meaning they can get used to how the ball works on the pitch. 

AFC Bournemouth are just one league team of many who do not even allow their players to train on a 3G pitch through fear of injury. 

2) Cost 

While a huge advantage is the extra revenue that is gained from a 3G pitch, however they are not cheap. Teams are looking to pay in the region of at least 600k just to lay down the pitch. Then there is the maintaining costs and the fact that the club would have to pay for a new pitch every 10 years or so to keep it up to the required standards. n other words, while 3G pitches bring in heavy financial rewards, they are also too expensive for non league teams especially to afford. 

3) Changes the Dynamics of the Game

I have already said about how the ball runs and bounces far quicker on a wet 3G pitch. It is also argued for some that a 3G pitch suits smaller players far more than the bigger players, allowing creativity. This would be seen as a huge positive by many with some people arguing that many other countries such as Spain have far more creative players due to allowing them to be playing on 3G pitches. However, this would make a difference if it was Premier league teams training on 3G pitches, however what difference does it make in non league? 

I very much doubt it would encourage teams to be more creative. Football is traditionally played on grass. Non league football prides itself and attracts many fans due to its traditionally values: you can still stand up and watch a game, you can drink a beer on the terrace, players tend to come from the area around the team they are playing for often resulting in more passion, fans can mingle with opposition supporters without being segregated away from them. If they took away the fact that teams play on grass it could lead a change in times for non league football which would take away most of the enjoyment. 

Personally I am against first team games being played on 3G pitches. While I am all for them being used by clubs to train on and I believe the Premier league should fund non league clubs a 3G pitch so that they can train and rent it out to gain revenue ( the cost is nothing to most Premier league clubs and footballers, Wayne Rooney could build on with 2 weeks wages.) It just does not seem right for football to be played on anything other than grass. 

However I can understand the argument for Maidstone as this patch of no games is very frustrating, it makes it difficult for teams to pick up any kind of form, if they win one week and then don't play again for another 2 or 3 weeks then it can be difficult to get back in to the swing of things and so it completely changes the context of the season. For example Wealdstone were flying high at the top of the Ryman league and then the weather hit in and because of postponed games they are now chasing other teams as Wealdstone have four games in hand. 

Match of the Day Running Order

Every week people are always complaining about the match of the day game slots. If you are a fan of Norwich, of course you want to see Norwich play first, however how likely is this going to happen unless they have had a particularly exciting game?

It must be very difficult to chose the order of the games as do they make the show as if it were to be played to a complete neutral, or do they show 'bigger' teams such as the Manchester's, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool first as these teams, like it or not, have a much larger following. Do they show a boring 1-0 win that has a huge significance on the title or relegation or a 4-3 victory from one mid table team over another that has absolutely no significance on anything. The tricky part is, different people are going to have very different opinions.

Here is what I feel the most important choices should be:
1. Number of goals (entertainment value) - this is what football is all about, even if the game didn't have much significance, we watch the show as we love football and we love goals.
2. Title clash - Secondly, games that have a big impact on the title such as a clash between two highly placed teams or an upsetting of the big team.
3. Six pointers - similar to the above but here I am referring to relegation battles. They may not be between the 'big' teams but they are usually very exciting.

I would not take in to account whether the team were the champions last season or how many fans they have, although often the big teams are the ones involved in the title clashes which is probably why many people complain that Manchester Utd. are "always shown first." However, this season they have still often been shown first despite the fact that they are 14 points off the top, not a team you would say who were challenging for the title, so perhaps the BBC do look at how big the team is and how many of their viewers are Utd. fans.

Looking at purely the fixtures over the next two days and taking in to account my points 2 and 3 as point one would obviously have to wait until after the games, the order would be something like:

1. Tottenham V Manchester City
2. Liverpool V Everton
3. Southampton V Arsenal
4. Sunderland V Stoke
5. Swansea V Fulham
6. Palace V Hull
7. Manchester Utd. V Cardiff
8. Aston Villa V West Brom
9. Chelsea V West Ham
10. Norwich V Newcastle

The actual results could change a lot in my order however, such as if West Ham upset Chelsea, that game would go straight up much nearer the top or if the Norwich V Newcastle game finishes 4-4 that would be far higher up. Similarly if the potentially exciting clashes of Spurs V City and the local Merseyside derby actually end up being dull, they could slide much further down as well.

Many people would not agree with the order I have given now without even seeing the results such as Newcastle, Chelsea or Manchester Utd. fans, this shows just how difficult it must be to chose the order every week and why people will still be complaining about the running order for a long time to come.