The Great North London Marathon - Who Will get the last automatic Champions League spot?

This season for Arsenal fans has undoubtedly been one to forget. Currently languishing in the obscurity, yet strange security, which is 4^th spot at the moment seems as though it’s a regular season for Arsenal in recent years yet it is not what the fans expect or want. That doesn’t tell the whole story though, Arsenal’s season has been on the brink of disastrous and their early season form was encapsulated in the 8 – 2 capitulation at Old Trafford. No desire, no passion, no quality.

However, for the white side of North London, the grass had looked as green as ever. Despite a 3^rd round loss to Stoke City in the Carling Cup and a lacklustre showing in the Europa League, which was self-induced because of Harry Redknapp’s desire to do well in the league (this is shown as he completely left Rafael Van Der Vaart out of the Europa League squad). Spurs form in the league had been consistently good and their quality was able to lift them to third in the league above their local rivals and within an outside shout of a title challenge and this was backed up by a currently on-going run in the F.A cup.

Fast-forward the year to February 26^th to the North London derby, a fixture which Arsenal hadn’t won in the league in four meetings. Arsenal fans watched the first 35 minutes from behind the sofa or through the bottom of a pint glass as Arsenal gifted Spurs a two-goal lead and the bottlers tag started to creep up on the Arsenal squad again. But within three minutes, Spurs had relinquished their two goal buffer and Arsenal were back on level terms, the half-time whistle went and when the teams came back out for the second half, never had the cliché “It’s a game of two halves” been more apt. Arsenal scored three goals in the second half and demolished Tottenham, at one point in the afternoon Arsenal were 13 points behind Tottenham and quickly that gap had been shortened to seven points.

Around then was Spurs worst form of the season, losing away to Man City; if only narrowly and drawing to Liverpool saw Spurs outstanding form come to a sudden struggle. Spurs haven’t won in the league since beating Wigan on January 31^st and since the Arsenal game they’ve lost both league encounters; with Man United and Everton respectively. Arsenal’s form has a stark contrast, they are unbeaten in the league in six games, winning five and drawing one and they have come from behind to win in their last four. Because the two teams contrasting form has coincided with each other, the gap is now just a solitary point that separates third place Tottenham from their local rivals a place below them, leaving Spurs feeling the collective Arsenal breath on their necks.

The reason that many have mooted as the major point of Spurs downfall is the England managerial talk surrounding current gaffer Harry Redknapp. The talk seemed justified the week it came to surface as Spurs smashed Newcastle 5 – 0 and fans were pleading with ‘Arry to hang around. Since then however, a tough run of fixtures and disappointing results and the unsettling talk seems to have slowed the Spurs juggernaut.

The upturn in form of Arsenal coincided with their rivals dip, it seemed as though Arsenal turned a corner in their season when they came from two-goals down to thrash Spurs at the Emirates, in terms of success it came too little, too late, but in terms of salvaging some pride and a basis to build on next season, it came at the perfect time. 

Since the Spurs game, Arsenal have beaten off two of their 4^th place rivals in Liverpool and Newcastle and they also came agonizingly close to overturning a first-leg four goal deficit against AC Milan. These results have come from a correlation of good team spirit and personal form of individual players.

However, one man who can’t be blamed of having bad form is captain fantastic Robin Van Persie. With 33 goals in all competitions this season, Van Persie really has been a talisman for Arsenal this season and fans will be pleading with the club to tie him down to a new contract as he has been in exquisite form. Van Persie had been carrying Arsenal for much of the season but the improvement in form of Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny, the return of important players and the emergence of players such as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Wojciech Szczesny all formulated into a solution of the early season troublesome Arsenal equations.

With tough games left and stiff competition coming from West London in the form of Chelsea, the race for the last automatic Champions League spot is well and truly in the balance. Arsenal’s pedigree for the Champions League is a real danger for Spurs but Spurs have turned into a team that can’t be doubted due to their quality. Will Spurs finish above Arsenal for the first time since 1995 and make this season memorable, or will Arsenal’s experience in dealing with the Champions League spots shine through? 

Who do you think is Premiership signing of the season?

Last summer saw Premiership teams once again splashing the cash to try and sign players who could help them achieve their goals, this post I will give you my candidates for signing of the season and I will also give you who I think is the signing of the season. Seeing as we're only in March I won't be including anyone bought in January 2012 because some either haven't been able to get going yet or others (ahem, Pogrebnyak) have started off fantastically but time hasn't told whether they will be consistent yet.

I will start off with probably the biggest transfer of last year (for both the club and money-wise) which is Man City's eventual signing of Sergio Aguero from Atletico Madrid. The 23-year-old Argentine striker had been shining in La Liga for years and had been Atletico's main man since Fernando Torres departed for the Premiership in 2007. He moved for bluer pastures last summer for a reported £38 million and despite the hefty transfer fee, Aguero seems to be well on his way to repaying the transfer fee and Mancini's faith in paying that much for the clinical Argentine. With the addition of Aguero to the forward line which boasted names such as Mario Balotelli, Edin Dzeko and Carlos Tevez, people were wondering whether would Aguero not only get playing time, but whether he would be happy and if he would start banging in the goals but he has answered all those questions by being one of City's most consistent starters and scoring 21 goals in 37 appearances so far this season. His style of play has suited and complimented the powerhouse partners he has played with upfront and his understanding with David Silva and Samir Nasri has blossomed so far and they are a trio which all Premiership teams fear when they come up against them. Due to his diminutive yet stocky build he has drawn comparisons to international and club team-mate Carlos Tevez but City fans will be hoping there won't be such off-the-field problems with their new striking hero. But at the moment for Aguero and City so far is so good.

Next I will move on to the second most expensive player on my list and that is Chelsea play-maker Juan Mata who swapped Valencia for Chelsea in the summer transfer window for a fee believed to be in the region of £23 million. The 23-year-old winger/attacking midfielder has given the Chelsea front-line a bit of flair and consistency which it has been somewhat lacking this year as their forwards have dipped in and out of form. Mata has been a mainstay in the Chelsea team and he has often been their go to man for creativity, assists and goals this season. Mata's impact in the Chelsea team has been undoubted after grabbing 10 goals and 13 assists in 35 games, he has been a consistently good performer in the Chelsea team and he's needed to be after the dips in form of Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba. He has been an instant hit at Stamford Bridge with the Chelsea fans and so far has been the only positive of Andre Villas-Boas' reign for some. The unrest in the Chelsea dressing room has been for all to see with John Terry's racism row and Frank Lampard's dropping from the first team onto the bench and subsequent poor form on the pitch, but Mata has maintained his professionalism and good form despite all the goings on at Chelsea and no doubt he will be a recognizable star in the Chelsea team for many years to come.

The Tottenham goalkeeping spot has been criticised heavily since Heurelho Gomes' howlers in between the sticks and Spurs fans were crying out for a replacement despite a few good performances from the Brazilian. Harry Redknapp turned to the veteran Brad Friedel and many Spurs fans were wondering what on earth 'Arry was doing but his signing of the American has been vindicated after a string of top performances and point-saving stops. He has carried on his Blackburn consistency for the Lilywhites of North London and has been a regular in the Tottenham team and seems to have strengthened the Tottenham back four single-handedly with his commanding box presence and excellent reflex stops. After signing for Spurs on a free transfer after his Blackburn contract ran out, Friedel carried on his run of most consecutive appearances in the Premiership and this has made him a key player in Tottenham's push for Champions League football. He has kept 8 clean sheets so far this season (the second highest in the Premiership) and has only conceded 20 goals in 28 games, he also has a save percentage of 78% which is the third highest of first-team goalkeepers behind Joe Hart and Mark Schwarzer.

Michel Vorm is the second and final goalkeeper on the list, Swansea signed him for £1.5 million from FC Utrecht in Holland and in his first appearance, which was a 4 - 0 loss to Man City, despite conceding four goals he made 11 saves which was higher than any goalkeeper had made in the Premiership in 2010-2011. He has kept 11 clean sheets and is second behind Joe Hart in the race for the golden glove, he has conceded 23 goals so far this season and his form is one of the reasons behind Swansea's excellent maiden season in the Premiership. He has made the second most saves in the Premiership, behind Wolves 'keeper Wayne Hennessey and has a save percentage of 76%. Due to his inexperience in the Premiership and it being Swansea's first season ever in the Premier League and the amount of clean sheets he has kept I think Vorm has been a better signing than that of Brad Friedel for Spurs.

Having had some controversy on his arrival in England, Demba Ba had reportedly signed for Stoke City then made a last minute u-turn to sign for now relegated West Ham. In the summer he then traded London for the North-West and moved to Newcastle on a free transfer. This season has proved very fruitful for Demba Ba as he has a record which boasts 16 goals in 26 games. The beginning of the season was Ba's most successful period so far in a Newcastle shirt, getting 8 goals and maintaining Newcastle's 11 game unbeaten run which saw them get to third in the league. As he departed for the African Cup of Nations with 15 goals, second in the race for the golden boot behind Robin Van Persie, he also was included in ESPN's best 11 for the first half of the season and he also won the Premier League's player of the month for December 2011. After the sale of Andy Carroll for £35 million to Liverpool in January 2011, Newcastle needed a replacement and some backup in their front-line which was looking quite bare. Ba was bought in the summer to bolster Newcastle's front-line and has seemingly made the starting spot his own and with the signing of Senegalese countryman Papiss Cisse it seems Ba has a capable striking partner which he can feed off.

My final shortlist candidate is Liverpool left-back Jose Enrique, the Spanish left-back moved from Newcastle to Merseyside in the summer for £5 million and has proved to be Kenny Dalglish's best summer signing so far after his consistent good displays in the Liverpool back four. Enrique has been voted best summer signing by Liverpool fans with 74.5% of votes ahead of Craig Bellamy and Charlie Adam and was also included in ESPN's best 11 in the first half of the season. During his time at Newcastle, Enrique was a somewhat under-rated figure in the Newcastle first-team and now it seems that a move to Liverpool was the springboard that Enrique's reputation needed for his career and international chances with Spain. He also played a part in Liverpool winning their first trophy since 2006 when the won the Carling Cup final against Cardiff on penalties. Enrique is known for not only his defensive sturdiness and reliability but his ability going forward. With his good dribbling, crossing and pace he has often ventured forward to claim assists and has been a surprise cog in the Liverpool machinery. Even though Liverpool have under-performed this season considering the money they've spent, Enrique has been a consistent and reliable outlet at full-back and his efforts have more than paid off his modest transfer fee.

After much deliberation (with myself) I believe that Newcastle have landed signing of the season with their free transfer capture of Demba Ba. Not only does it show value for money with his goals offering a substantial return but Ba's overall play has also contributed to Newcastle over-achieving so far this season and still being within reaching distance of a Europa League spot.

Who is your signing of the season so far?

Lionel Messi, the modern footballing phenomenon

For the past few years, the world has been split as to who the best player in the world is, Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, for me the decision is a dead cert. Lionel Messi is and has been for a while now, the best player in the world and at the tender age of just 24, people are mooting him as one of the best players ever. He has an 18 trophy haul already and has also broken many records and looks set to break many more. Earlier this year he won his third Ballon d'Or trophy which has equaled the record held by Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco Van Basten, all this and I will reiterate the fact he is still just 24. He's scored in all six competitions he has played in. Since making his first appearance in 2005 at the Nou Camp he has netted 228 goals and 93 assists, he has also netted 188 goals in his last 201 games since Pep Guardiola took over as Barcelona manager.

There's no doubt in anyone's mind that Messi is already a Barcelona club legend and is probably already on his way to being their best player ever (and maybe even the best player ever in general) but in order to become a legend he will need to achieve international success like so many other footballing legends have managed. The difference between Messi and the likes of Maradona and Pele are the fact that Maradona and Pele managed to win international trophies with their respective countries, Maradona even pretty much won the 1986 World Cup for Argentina single-handedly. Now if Messi can replicate his club form with his country like he has so often been criticised for not doing before and help them win the World Cup, there will be no doubting even off his sternest critics that he can be the best player ever. Despite his short comings in major international competitions, Messi is the Argentina captain and has still scored 22 goals in 67 internationals and is 12 short of Diego Maradona's total and he is well on his way to catching Argentina's record goalscorer Gabriel Batistuta, who has 56 goals.

In the Champions League, Messi is the record scorer in Champions League knockout games with 24 goals, he is also on 49 goals in the Champions League, putting him joint-fourth highest ever scorer in the competition, level with Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano, behind only Thierry Henry, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and top scorer Raul, whose record currently stands at 71 goals. After his five goal haul against Bayer Leverkusen last week he became the first man ever to score five goals in a single Champions League game, it was his third hat-trick which equals the record held by Filippo Inzaghi. He also has potentially 5 games to set a new Champions League scoring record in a season, he drew level with Ruud Van Nistelrooy's 2002-2003 total of 12 goals with his five-goal performance against Bayer an has managed this feat in 10 games.

Messi's season-best total for Barcelona is the 53 goals he netted last season to tie with Ballon d'Or rival Cristiano Ronaldo in all competitions. He has 53 goals this season for club and country with a potential 19 more games to play. His 228 goals means he is just seven short of Cesar Rodriguez's all-time record for Barcelona which stands at 235. Of the diminutive Argentine's 93 assists, 70 of them have come in the past four seasons and he already has 20 this season.

These statistics show you that Messi is no doubt the best player in the world, not only does he have a trophy haul that already people would be jealous of but he can not only score goals and set them up with his unselfish play but he is a modern footballing genius. Barcelona's decision to sign the Argentinian forward by paying for his growth hormone treatment (because even back then he was tiny, bless him) and moving his father to Spain with him seems justified. It's staggering to know that to see what Messi has become today Barcelona didn't even pay a transfer fee for him, they just paid £900 a month for his medical bills. At the moment Barcelona are the envy of the footballing world with their slick play and dominant style in games and Lionel Messi is and will be the jewel in their crown for a long time to come, he doesn't look to be going anywhere after committing himself to Barcelona and saying he wants to stay there for the rest of his career. I'm not sure there is anyone who will be able to stop him from breaking any targets he sets himself and the world is still at his feet.

And now for something a little different...

This one isn't really a comment piece or something for you to discuss, but this is a link to a piece of work from my course which has been published on the local news website. Have a read :) Thanks x

http://staffslive.co.uk/2012/03/06/port-vale-midfielder-reveals-financial-impact-on-players/

Enjoy.

Who has the upper hand in the Premiership title race?

We all know, and have known for some time now, that the Premiership title race has become a two-horse race due to the two Manchester clubs running away from the chasing pack, Tottenham have been the closest to the runaway two but after the last couple of results it looks set to be between Man United and Man City who are separated by just two points and 2nd place Man United are 11 points ahead of 3rd place Tottenham who's last couple of results have seen them slip from outside contenders to just 4 points ahead of 4th place Arsenal.

So who is favourite to win the title? At the moment the upper hand goes to Man City due to them being two points ahead of their local rivals and boasting the best squad in the Premiership and the considerable backing of owner Sheikh Mansour (£800 million spent in three years). This backing from the owner has seen them attract some of the world's brightest players such as Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure and David Silva to name but a few, not only with the club's considerable bank balance and wage budget in mind but the club's ambition to succeed. Last season, Man City won their first trophy since the 1976 league cup by beating Stoke City 1 - 0 in the F.A. cup final and this signaled the start of a catapult in fortunes for Man City on the pitch. Fast forward to the current time and Man City have seen themselves indulge in Champions League football, which they are sure to replicate next year and they also went on an early rampage in the Premiership. Over the winter period their form slipped but there was hardly any doubting that with the quality in their squad that they would bounce back and try to resume control of the league. One of the two major blips on Man City's season was their 3rd round F.A cup loss to Man United which happened in very controversial circumstances (Vincent Kompany's sending off was not only a huge turning point in the game but a huge talking point in the English football) and also their semi-final knockout to Liverpool in the league cup. In the league Man City have performed very well and with a lot of their doubted players such as Gareth Barry, Joleon Lescott and Edin Dzeko stepping up this year, it has helped Man City become a squad of stars, not a squad with a few stars. Roberto Mancini is another reason for City's upturn in fortunes, the Italian manager has been given time to mould the squad and make it his own after taking over from Mark Hughes in December 2009 and has brought the best out of many of the current stars of the first-team, the team has had time to gel together and they have been able to play for a manager who's future has not been in doubt. Many of City's players have also performed outstandingly and consistently throughout the season, players who are sure-fire picks like Joe Hart, Vincent Kompany, Micah Richards, Yaya Toure, David Silva and Sergio Aguero have formed a sturdy base on which Mancini can build and while these players have been consistently brilliant, Mancini has had back-up players like Mario Balotelli, Pablo Zabaleta and Samir Nasri who have all had good spells of form. 

Man United are City's closest rivals, not just in terms of geographically but in terms of the title race too. Sir Alex has built a squad of international's that consistently play well and will work hard until the dying moment of any game (like the recent 3 - 3 draw away to Chelsea shows where they were 3 - 0 down). But therein lies two of Man United's biggest threats, the first being Sir Alex himself. Sir Alex has been in the top flight for over 20 years and in recent years his record is astounding, his man-management skills (as seen with the likes of Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney) led him to being not only being respected for his managing on the pitch, but management off the pitch too. He also has the upper hand on Mancini in knowing how to win a Premiership title, many times Sir Alex's side seem to have been down and out or second favourite in a title race and have clawed themselves back to win it, which is why they've seen non-stop success for many years. Man United's second biggest threat is their team spirit, they have a never say die attitude which resonates right from Sir Alex himself to every fringe player in the squad and every player is happy in his role. Sir Alex's transfer policy this year has also been nothing short of remarkable, with the retiring Edwin Van Der Sar needing to be replaced he shelled out £18 million on the much-maligned David De Gea, but recently the Spaniard has repaid his price-tag with a series of point-saving stops. With Ryan Giggs nearing retirement, Fergie knew it was time to replace him and get some back-up on the wings, so he signed Ashley Young who has consistently produced good performances since his move from Aston Villa last summer. With Man United's ageing back four, Sir Alex need to buy long-term replacements that he knew the club's future would be in good hands with, so he bought Chris Smalling and Phil Jones who have both had stellar first seasons in Man United's back line, probably better than even Sir Alex himself could have predicted. To bring back Paul Scholes after his retirement just last summer was a master-stroke too, Sir Alex probably couldn't have picked a better short-term midfield cover just until the end of the season to help keep Man United's title hopes alive. Man United's remaining fixtures see them have the upper-hand on Man City:

United's remaining fixtures:

• West Brom (H)
• Wolves (A)
• Fulham (H)
• Blackburn (A)
• QPR (H)
• Wigan Athletic (A)
• Aston Villa (H)
• Everton (H)
• Manchester City (A)
• Swansea City (H)
• Sunderland (A)

City's remaining fixtures:

• Swansea (A)
• Chelsea (H)
• Stoke (A)
• Sunderland (H)
• Arsenal (A)
• West Brom (H)
• Norwich (A)
• Wolves (A)
• Manchester United (H)
• Newcastle (A)
• QPR (H)

With the remaining fixtures you can see Man City have the trickier ties, having to face Chelsea, Arsenal and Man United but both clubs will be looking for victories in all their remaining games. It might all boil down to the Manchester derby on April 30th and if it does, what a game that will be to see who has the upper-hand by then going into the game and also, coming out of it.

Who do you think will win the Premiership?

Who will take the reigns of the sinking Chelsea ship?

In the wake of Andre Villas-Boas' sacking as Chelsea manager it is wondered what will become not just of him but of the Chelsea job itself. Former player Roberto Di Matteo is taking on the burden of lifting this Chelsea team and making them trudge on until the end of the season but after that will he be handed the job on a more permanent basis or will the Chelsea hierarchy give the job to someone else?

AVB was handed a squad of players who mostly were only a couple of years his junior with him being the youngest manager in the top flight. After an awful recent run of form of just three wins in their last twelve league games, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's patience had run out with the below-par results and performances given by the Chelsea team. Villas-Boas' failure to control a dressing room with egos such as John Terry, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard was also a major cause in his subsequent sacking from the Chelsea job.

Speculation is rife as to who will succeed the young Portuguese manager on a permanent basis with interim manager Roberto Di Matteo using the rest of the season as an audition but since his job at West Brom which he didn't do so well in, he became an understudy to AVB and the two couldn't control the dressing room of egotistical Chelsea stars. We will see how he uses the rest of the season to his advantage and whether it puts him in good stead with his bosses.

Favourite for the permanent Chelsea role is reportedly Rafa Benitez, the former Liverpool boss has a good CV after winning major trophies (F.A cup and Champions league) with Liverpool and he is also only the third manager to have won the UEFA cup (now Europa League) and Champions League in successive seasons (behind Bob Paisley and Jose Mourinho) and he also led Liverpool to a 2nd place finish in the Premiership behind Man United and they also finished the calendar year of 2008 top of the Premier League for the first time since 1996. He is also noted as being the man who improved the form of Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard while at Anfield and bringing the likes of Jose Reina, Xabi Alonso and Glen Johnson to Anfield. He has been out of a job now since December 2010 after his departure from Inter Milan which was rather unceremonious after a rough start despite winning the Club World Championship he departed just six months after being given his role. Benitez is also the most realistic candidate for the job with others still in noteworthy positions at their clubs.

Next in the bookies odds are ex-England manager Fabio Capello and Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola. Capello is a good shout for Chelsea boss because he is a respected tactician in the football world and his man-management skills are good enough to be able to curb the Chelsea dressing room's egotistical enthusiasm and he publicly backed John Terry after he resigned as England manager when the F.A. took away John Terry's England captaincy. He also has a good CV boasting La Liga titles with Real Madrid and Serie A titles with Roma, Juventus and AC Milan (it's worth noting that both Serie A titles were revoked due to the Calciopoli scandal, but Capello resigned after the scandal was revealed).

Pep Guardiola is an outside shout to take the Chelsea manager job as he is currently in charge of the best footballing team in the world in Barcelona, he is a young manager with good tactical knowledge and the best squad in the world at his disposal, boasting talents such as Lionel Messi, Alexis Sanchez, Andres Iniesta and Dani Alves. If, however, Chelsea were to land Guardiola, it would be a coup which would ultimately pay off for the London side as Guardiola's CV is one of the best around, he is the only manager ever to win a sextuple (Don't laugh, that means six trophies in a season) and on top of that he has another Champions League and two more La Liga titles, he is also the youngest manager ever to win the Champions League (at the age of 37), he is now one of the most distinguished and respected managers in the world, having won all there is to win in Spain at such a tender age.

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is every Chelsea fans ideal replacement for his Porto understudy Villas-Boas. The Special One's penchant for winning trophies and doing it with such commanding style made him probably every Chelsea fans favourite manager and seeing as he departed in such unceremonious style back in 2007 after a series of disagreements with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich. After winning 6 trophies in 3 years and remaining unbeaten in all league home games (and having a 9 year home unbeaten run totaling 150 matches), Sporting Gijon broke this unbeaten run and after the match, Mourinho sportingly went into the away dressing room and congratulated the team. It is unlikely that Mourinho will want to leave Real Madrid at the moment with them being in such a commanding position in both the Champions League and La Liga, his team have this year become the fifth team ever to have won all six Champions League group stage games and it was the team's 15th consecutive win, equaling a club record set 50 years ago. Maybe Mourinho will feel he has unfinished business at Chelsea and he would certainly be the ideal candidate in many (if not all) Chelsea fan's eyes.

Who do you think will succeed Andre Villas-Boas as permanent Chelsea manager?

Who needs Batman, when we've got Robin.

Robin Van Persie's form doesn't come as a surprise to many people considering how clinical he's been in recent seasons for Arsenal, the only problem for the flying Dutchman was his injury troubles which plagued most of his Arsenal career. Since Van Persie joined Arsenal in 2004, he has made 265 Arsenal appearances scoring 124 goals and placing him 9th in their all-time leading goalscorers list.

In 2009-2010, Arsenal were in with a good shout of winning a league title for the first time since their unbeaten season of 2003-2004 and with Van Persie hitting the ground running in that season, both Arsenal and Van Persie's form correlated, if he played and played well, so did Arsenal. In November of 2009, Van Persie got an ankle injury on international duty with Holland (probably one of the many reasons why Wenger hates international friendlies so much) which kept him out for 5 months, this was devastating for Arsenal and it's fans as Van Persie had been struck by the injury curse which had so often kept him out of Arsenal's first-team. The first major injury which showed Van Persie an ugly glimpse into his future was when he scored a late equaliser against Man United at the Emirates Stadium in 2007, in scoring the equaliser Van Persie picked up a break in his foot which would keep him out for the rest of the season, this was an insight of what was the come for the classy Dutch master.

As the years have gone on however, Van Persie has seemed to shake off his injury curse which left him as an undoubted class enigma in for Arsenal fans. He is already one game away from making his most appearances in the league in a single season for Arsenal, his previous best being 28 in 2008-2009. He is also just 8 games short of his most appearances in all competitions in a single season (44, also in 08-09), however he has already blitzed his record for the amount of goals in a season (with 31 in 36 in all competitions). Last season he was only out for a month and came back to join Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas in getting Arsenal into the Champions League, but as the two departed for pastures new (Man City and Barcelona respectively), it was left for Van Persie to become Arsenal's new captain (succeeding Cesc Fabregas) and shoulder the mantle left by the departing duo. This year. In 2011, Van Persie was Arsenal's main man when he scored 35 goals in a calendar year (one short of Alan Shearer's record) and in 2012 he started in similar fashion with 10 goals in 12 games.

His style of play has been compared to many, with the likes of Marco Van Basten and Dennis Bergkamp being obvious comparisons due to the astounding technical ability and Dutch flair all three have in common. Van Persie has always been an important cog in Arsenal's machinery since he properly broke into the first team in late 2005. Not only can he score with both feet and his head, but his left foot is probably the most feared in the Premiership. His danger from set-pieces has always been apparent too with many of his goals coming from thunderous free-kicks and penalties which even if you had two goalkeepers in the goal, they still both ain't saving it, his delivery from free-kicks and corners have been a dangerous weapon with him being credited with many assists, despite Arsenal's much highlighted frailty at attacking set-pieces (not to mention defending).

But what does the future hold for Arsenal's captain fantastic? With supposed contract talks to be held in the summer I think it is of insurmountable importance for Arsene Wenger and the Arsenal board to do whatever it takes to hold on to Robin Van Persie and build an Arsenal team around him as the spearhead of the attack. Arsenal's current team is a good basis of things to come but it will need to be improved greatly not just to win trophies and bring Arsenal back up to the stature it should be, but in order to keep hold of players like Van Persie, who if Arsenal don't show any ambition will no doubt look for a club he can star in with greater class and ambition. So now it is down to you Arsene, will you do whatever it takes to keep hold of this gem? Will you be able to convince him that Arsenal are a club heading in the right direction? We'll see , but with contract talks being held in the summer it is a positive sign for Arsenal fans that Van Persie is willing to even discuss new contract terms considering how disastrous Arsenal's season has been in regards of success.

Where do you think Van Persie's future lies?

Parker justifies England captaincy, but will it be long-term?

Last night Scott Parker gave an excellent display in England's unfortunate 3 - 2 defeat to Holland. Despite giving the ball away on a couple of occasions, his display was what we have come to expect from the 31-year-old Spurs midfielder, committed, passionate and full of desire. He took a clattering from Dirk Kuyt in the first half and despite that (and landing awkwardly on a boom mic) he got up and showed the kind of guts which all England players should be expected to have. Making block after block and many important interceptions and tackles, it was the kind of captain's performance which should stand Scott Parker in good stead with whoever will come in after interim boss Stuart Pearce has been replaced. He had already stamped his mark on the game in the first-half when a Robin Van Persie shot was sure to be on target but in flew Scott Parker to make a courageous block. His selection as captain had its many doubters but it seemed to be the right choice after the other choice for England captain (who many expected it to be), Steven Gerrard came off in the first-half with a tight hamstring (as a precaution, so don't fret Liverpool fans) after an ineffective display.

Now onto the game itself, England fans shouldn't worry because our future seems to be in good hands, if the F.A. get the right appointment as manager (please be 'Arry Redknapp), any manager who has good man management skills should be able to curb England's egotistical stars and form a cohesion with them which could make them a force to be reckoned with in the Euros. After all, narrowly losing to a strong Holland team who are still one of the top teams in the world boasting stars like Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Robin Van Persie is not such a negative after all. Coming back from two goals down is no mean feat itself, let alone a team which includes some of the stars and top players which Holland have. England's spirit and determination to fight back showed just how classy the team can be, the fact they only lost to a deflected Arjen Robben shot shows the sort of luck which can go against hard-working teams. A good first-half defensive display was somewhat overlooked because of the two quick-fire Dutch goals, after that England seemed a little shaken but they did well to drag themselves back into a game which going into the 83rd minute seemed as good as over.

What were your thoughts on the England performance and the game itself? How do you feel Scott Parker's performance was? Is he a good selection as captain?