In a move that was widely considered as jumping before he was pushed, Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder resigned this weekend following their last home game of the season, which ended in another defeat amidst all too familiar boos at the final whistle.

The pressure had been on Roeder for some time, with Newcastle again under-achieving this season after a bright finish to last season under Roeder (as caretaker manager), which saw them qualify for the UEFA Cup.

It has been another frustrating campaign for the Geordies, whose side has talent within it but seems incapable of mounting a serious challenge in the league and they are now left in the familiar position of having to find another new manager.

So, is it step forward Sam Allardyce? Of course he is now without a club following his decision to leave Bolton and his profile is high enough to have seen him linked already with a possible move to Manchester City.

Allardyce has of course turned Newcastle down before (prior to Graeme Sounness taking over) and there is a school of thought that this may preclude him from consideration, although betting on him taking the position has now been suspended.

It is clear Allardyce wants a big job and was desperate to land the England job that went to Steve McLaren. It is equally clear that the 'big four' jobs are off the radar at the moment, so the decision may come down to whether or not he believes he can take a under-achieving Newcastle side and lead them to the top-four.

It may be a challenge he will find difficult to turn down.

As expected, Cristiano Ronaldo scooped the PFA player of the year award yesterday - edging out Didier Drogba into second place with Paul Scholes coming in third. It was widely expected he would win the award after a season in which his stature and performances have grown tremendously.

Not content with the overall award, Ronaldo - reminding us just how young he is, went home with the Young player award as well, the first person since Andy Gray back in 1977 to do so.

As well as the individual awards, the 'team of the year'  was also announced and in somewhat of a surprise. eight Manchester United players were sent to the all-star side with only Steven Gerrard, Dmitar Berbatov and Didier Drogba breaking the monopoly.

The team in full:

Edwin van der Sar
Gary Neville
Patrice Evra
Rio Ferdinand
Nemanja Vidic
Steven Gerrard
Cristiano Ronaldo
Paul Scholes
Ryan Giggs
Dmitar Berbatov
Didier Drogba

Whilst United have been at the forefront of the table all season, the selected team probably shows the lack of thought given to this by footballers in that they can return some players who have barely been above average to the side.

Edwin van der Sar has surely been outplayed by Carson, Foster and James at the very least whilst Patrice Evra has barely been a permanent fixture in the United side. Equally, the selections of Neville, Ferdinand and Scholes smack as being 'safe' selections rather than actually thinking outside of the top four for possible players.

It clearly shows what a powerful tool the media is and how players can also be affected by the profiles of those players who are constantly in the limelight - often at the disposal of the more unsung and off the radar players who perhaps are better deserving of such an honour.

One of the fascinating battles within the Manchester United v Milan Champions League semi-final will undoubtedly be the tussle between Ronaldo and Kaka, surely the two hottest properties in football at the moment (although that will no doubt offend the Messi camp).

Both sides are strong in all areas - although there are undoubted weak links, Milan's age and United's injury problems, but will go as far as the pairing will carry them. Ronaldo, playing slightly wider and cutting in has more pace, is trickier and frightens defences whilst Kaka, coming from deep will play almost as an auxilliary striker, protected by a bank fo three midfielders behind him. Not as pacy as Ronaldo, he is nonetheless quick and strong, he is a creator and also capable of scoring important goals at important times.

Ronaldo is expected to walk away with PFA Player of the Year award in the EPL and his progress this season is remarkable, even managing to eclipse the no less than considerable talents of a certain Wayne Rooney. Without him in their line-up, it is doubtful that United would have the lead they enjoy in the EPL.

With the loss of Shevchenko and the points deduction, Milan have stalled at times this season and struggled to replace the goals of 'Sheva', but with Kaka in the line-up he is compensating in other areas and helped Milan come to party at a time of year they generally come alive.

There is a feeling in both camps and media alike that these are the two players the other side fears most and will set about stopping above all else, and whilst not the only contest in this tie, it is the one battle that you feel will ultimately play a large part in deciding the outcome of this contest.

The Annual PFA Player of the Year nominees were announced today, and this year it looks to be a close run race between the two outstanding players of the season - Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The pair - as neck and neck this season as their respective sides have been in the EPL, lead the way from Cesc Fabregas, Steven Gerrard, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.

In the young player category, Fabregas and Ronaldo again feature, alongside Kevin Doyle, Wayne Rooney, Aaron Lennon and Micah Richards.

The weekends FA Cup semi-finals saw both Chelsea and Manchester United progress to the Wembley final - but not without a scare along the way.

United saw EPL bottom club equalise at 1-1 before they eventually ran out 4-1 winners, with Rooney and Ronaldo again on the scoresheet. Meanwhile, Chelsea again left it late before progressing with an extra-time goal from Michael Ballack to run out 2-1 winners over Blackburn at Old Trafford.

So, as expected (and hoped by the FA I'm sure) Chelsea face off against United on May 19th which could be sandwiched in between their EPL showdown in the penultimate game of the season, and a possible Champions League final encounter if the two sides progress against Liverpool and Milan respectively.

It is now set for an intriguing final month of the season as the two sides - neck and neck throughout, head towards a thrilling climax.

United are chasing a repeat of their 1999 treble, whilst Chelsea are chasing an unprecedented quadruple - having already claimed this seasons Carling Cup. It would be quite a feat for either side to win every available trophy but the one thing both sides possess in abundance is the desire to win, and neither manager will let up an inch in their quest for dominance over the other.

In the EPL, United hold the advantage - as they have done most of the season, due to their three-point lead and slightly more favourable run-in, but if Chelsea can keep pace with them (or even claw a point or two back) then they will have to in their hands when it comes to their showdown at Stamford Bridge in the last week of the season.

In the FA Cup, United hold the pedigree in terms of FA Cup appearances and wins and this is a difficult one to call as so much could depend on who wins the EPL (the week before) and on who reaches the Champions League final.

Which leaves the Champions League. Both sides I believe are favourites to progress - United slightly more so, but will have to be wary of their opponents Liverpool and Milan - whose remaining hopes of silverware rests with the Champions League.

Chelsea, having been hit with injuries this season are now beginning to get players back and their fitness levels are unparallelled in the EPL, and they look to be beginning to peak at this crucial stage of the season. United, relatively untroubled by injury have succumbed of late to injuries to Vidic, Silvestre and Ferdinand, but shrugged these off in their recent defeats of Roma and Watford.

As we head into the final month of the season, what is usually a tense and crucial time of the season has been magnified tenfold by the set of circumstances which now could see them face off three teams in less than two weeks to decide the battle for supremacy in the 2006/07 season.

An intriguing fight lies ahead, and whatever the final outcome is, there are certain to be a number of twists and turns remaining between now and the middle of May.