Gongatore - Who or what team was the biggest surprise for you in La Liga this season?
Who do you think will win in the Gold Cup semis? Can Capello survive to coach another season at Real? Will FR be shown the door at Barca?

Bobby – I predicted Racing Santander would be relegated and they finished mid-table so they have to be in contention my biggest surprise. Recreativo Huelva and Getafe would also be worthy of consideration. If you need me to pick one then I will opt for Recreativo given that they had just been promoted.

I will go for a USA - Mexico final but I would not underestimate this Canadian side. Hutchinson and De Guzman in midfield are excellent players. If I was Bob Bradley I would try to make sure that are not allowed to settle and in particular I would play a quick player - Landon Donovan? - a bit deeper against the Canadian holding midfielder Martin Nash.

Nash is a fine passer but he lacks pace and when he doesn't have time he normally struggles. In Canada's case I would be trying to get a skilful player up against Onyewu rather than trying to match him with brute strength. Canada tends to stick De Rosario out wide on the left and he can drift out of the game for long stretches. If he came inside he might cause enough problems to create a couple of clear cut chances or get a set piece opportunity.

Capello will leave and I believe Rijkaard will go also.

Henry14 - Q1 Do you know what Milan are up to, the other week Berlusconi claims he want Sheva, and has $140m for Ronaldinho , and then Ancelotti was Henry, then Galliano wants Eto'o , who do you see them signing. 
Q2 What do you think will happen to Capello as coach, because Marca claimed 56% of the fans wanted Capello back
Q3 Do you remain adamant Henry is staying, even after dubious statements he has made which are so far from the one he said last summer and I quote "this is my last contract, the fans in England appreciate me even if they are not Arsenal fans something l can never get anywhere, l will never play in Spain"
Q4 - Who do you think will own Arsenal summer next year?

Bobby – A1 – Circumstances have overtaken the answer seeing that Milan signed David Suazo from Cagliari. A2 – I would have thought that an approval rating of 56% after winning La Liga for the first time in four seasons is hardly  a ringing endorsement or vote of confidence. I still believe that Capello will saddle up and ride out of Dodge. A3 – It’s silly season in England and I am taking transfer speculation with a kilo of salt. I think Henry will start the new season with Arsenal. Q4 - The same people that own the club now.

Quest5227 - My question deals with Manchester United (as always). I think we both agree that they could use another striker for the upcoming season. Who do YOU believe would be the most useful striker that they can get- realistically?

Bobby – Probably a fully fit Louis Saha – unfortunately he doesn’t come with a 100% health guarantee. I would be surprised if United make a move for a striker before moving some players out. Given the three new signings United will need to shave a chunk of money off their wage bill as well. Once they have decided who they have shifted and how much they get for them then we will have a better idea. The money being quoted for the likes of Darren Bent is silly. When you consider Andy Johnson moved for around 7M pounds last summer, 17M is crazy. 

  
Wyofc – I was reading the some of the articles today and the one about demands of Club and National teams caught my eye. Do you think they will impose a game limit? If so what would be the number and who gets to decided if they are all for club, all for national team or what breakdown? If you look – say the number is 52 games is the max – that is one a week – and it looks like the standard number of league games are 38, that leaves 14 for FA Cup, Champions/UEFA, National team duty, other tournaments. To me putting a limit on number of games makes sense for the human body/mind is concerned, but posses many many more problems between clubs and nations. Just kind of wondered your thoughts.

Bobby – It is an interesting thought but one that would also raise considerable problems beyond the club and country debate. How would account for playing conditions, or travel ala David Beckham, or the age of a player? Another factor might be how spread out are the matches.

Digity - Care to comment on Lalas' statements regarding the 'inferior' EPL product?

Bobby – Lalas works for a very large and successful organization – I’m meaning the company that owns the LA Galaxy. I would find it amazing if he just said what he did on the spur of the moment as opposed to a well thought out strategy. However, I would agree that the average English pundit is generally pig-ignorant about anything that happens in the football world outside of England.  But beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I have never understood the debate about what league is the best. Frankly, I don’t even see how you can compare leagues or why anyone would want to.

Maoze Reading - With Guadeloupe reaching the semifinals of the Gold Cup I was wondering what would happen with the CONCACAF spot at the Confederations Cup if they were to somehow win it all? Would the spot go to the second place team since Guadeloupe is not a recognized member of FIFA?

Bobby – My understanding is that in such a case the runner-up would get the CONCACAF place at the Confederations Cup.

CIAO - Do you think Capello will be fired? If so, with the instability, would any respectable/skilled player still consider moving to Real Madrid? I could see if they keep Capello last season would be considered a transitional and a successful period. So players may want to join Capello’s team. I could even see Kaka making the move to Madrid. Suazo was snatched from under Moratti's nose by rival AC Milan. Inter is perplexed. Regardless, I think it may be good for Inter as they should try to bring in players that will challenge for a starting position... Who do you think Inter should bring in to replace Recoba? And Adriano if he leaves? I personally would like to see Miccoli replace Recoba. And Cassano, Klose, Guti, F Torres or David Villa replaces Adriano. Cassano might be interesting. He will probably step it up a bit this season to regain his spot on the national team - at least I hope... Regardless, I think Inter should definitely keep Ibra and Cruz, they cannot replace them.

Bobby – I think Capello will leave. Some great players will still sign for Real Madrid because Real Madrid has been a mad-house for a while and it didn’t stop players moving there. The problem with your theory about players wanting to join Capello’s team is that it has never been for a longtime or unlikely to be in the foreseeable future Capello or any other coaches’ team. Real Madrid is always only two or three games away from a crisis and that means that whoever coaches Real Madrid will find themselves in a tenuous position. After all, if Capello’s termination clause had not been so costly he would have been gone earlier this year.

Do you think Inter is looking to replace Recoba? He has hardly been used under Mancini so I don’t see it as a great loss to Inter. Miccoli is a great little player and I never understood why Juventus never kept him around. Adriano needs to sort his head out and until that happens Inter is not likely to get market value for him. I’m not sure that there are too many clubs who would gamble on taking Adriano at this time. As for the possible replacements you mentioned – Cassano (it would a trouble for trouble swap at least), Klose (cannot see that move happening now), Guti (not the same type of player and Inter has signed too many floaters like him before), Fernando Torres (I don’t think he would fit with Ibrahimovic) and David Villa (more likely to say in Spain). 

The Fink Tank lists the best Premiership players based on statistical anlaysis.

The Times transfer talk. Everton linked with American Frankie Simek. Remember if 5% of these deals are done it will be a miracle. 

A look at the Premiership wage bill.

Bill Edgar with more statistics.

A post-season review of Bundesliga strikers.

Matt Scott says that a report suggests that “New riches may lift Premiership also-rans to the fore.” It seems to me that if this is true the one thing that the mid-table clubs then need is proven managerial talent.

A powerful profile of Sinisa Mihajlovic by Jonathan Wilson.

And now to the matches. The European qualifiers dominate although if the truth be told there are very few games that capture your attention.
 
Here are the best of them and you catch-up on the group standings by following the link. 

In Group A Belgium must beat Portugal to maintain any realistic chance of finishing second. Goal scoring is a problem for the Belgians and they are also missing Bayern Munich defender Daniel Van Buyten through injury. Portugal will be missing Simão while Cristiano Ronaldo is suspended. Portugal currently leads Belgium by four points.

Finland against Serbia in Helsinki is a real six pointer with both countries tied on 11 points after six games and with only a single loss each. What is more they have both slipped on banana skins in the not too distant past. Serbia lost to Kazakhstan 2-1 in March while Finland’ lost away to Azerbaijan 1-0. Giant Serb striker Nikola Žigic  is suspended for this one.

Ukraine and France are tied at the top of Group B (Scotland has the same number of points but a game more played) and are two ahead of fourth place Italy. Both countries will be missing important players for the match in Paris. Olexandr Kucher, Andriy Shevchenko, Artem Milevskiy and Sergi Rebrov are all absent for Ukraine while Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Willy Sagnol and Louis Saha are all crocked and unavailable to France. Scotland does not play until Wednesday while Italy travels to Lithuania looking to improve on the draw between the teams the first go round.

Bosnia-Herzegovina needs to find a way to stop a Turkey side that has only dropped two points in the first five games and leads Group C. Bosnia-Herzegovina is six points behind the Turks and five behind second place Greece and started poorly in the early qualification games. A 2-1 win in Oslo against Norway provided fresh hope but a loss will leave them hoping for a minor miracle in order to finish second. Two Premiership players are in Turkey’s squad – Emre (Newcastle) and Colin Kazim-Richards (Sheffield United). 
 
UEFA.com wins the prize for the headline of the week - “San Marino short in attack.” Here is a quick synopsis of San Marino’s campaign so far. They have an outstanding chance to break their own record for the worst European Championship qualifying campaign. All five matches to date have been lost with an average margin of defeat of a little under 6 goals. This is even worse than their 2000 qualification campaign that saw no points and an average loss by 5.4 goals. Attack would seem to be a secondary problem. Oh yes I forgot. They play Germany this weekend on FSC – the last time Germany won 13-0. If only the San Marino forwards had done better!!

Ryan Giggs plays his final game (#64 and this one against the Czech Republic) for Wales in an international career that has been largely about fighting lost causes. During his time a play-off loss to Russia in the Euro 2004 was about as near as Wales has come to qualifying for either the Euros or the World Cup. Freddy Eastwood (Southend) has been called up to the Welsh squad. He qualifies through the Grandpa rule.

In Group E both Croatia and Israel should pick up full points against Estonia and Macedonia respectively. The big match in this section will be on Wednesday and will be in Zagreb when Russia plays Croatia. While Beckham’s return hogs the headlines the Croatia - Russia game might have a bigger impact on England’s chances.

Denmark versus Sweden looks to be one of the few standout matches. Northern Ireland sits atop Group F but are idle this weekend and on Wednesday of next week. Denmark has a game in hand on Sweden and Spain and has played two games less than NI. A Danish win – and a Spain win against Latvia – could create a logjam at the top of this group. Denmark have called up Morten 'Duncan' Rasmussen who gets his nickname from a similar style to the former Everton striker. Something to look forward to!!

Group leaders the Netherlands sit out this Saturday and Wednesday. Hristo Stoitchkov’s interim replacement Stanimir Stoilov has omitted Juventus striker Valeri Bozhinov from the Bulgarian squad for the away and home games against Belarus. Bulgaria dropped what could become tow crucial points when they drew at home to Albania in March 0-0. Belarus took only a single point from their first three games but have since beaten Slovenia and Luxembourg in the last two. Another win could add Belarus to what originally looked to be a three-way race.

In MLS Toronto faces Colorado Rapids without three Canadian players who have already reported to the national team for the Gold Cup. They are still without Carl Robinson (Wales vs. Czech Republic) although young centre-back Andrew Boyens is available after missing last weekend’s draw with the Columbus Crew. Boyen was on international duty with New Zealand against Robinson and Wales. 

Goalkeeper Greg Sutton appears to be the largest hole to fill with replacement Srdjan Djekanovic having only very limited experience. The Rapids are on a hot streak with two wins and two draws in the last four matches although they have only averaged a goal a game.

LA Galaxy plays DC United and is another team that will be missing Canadian players - Kevin Harmse and Ante Jazic. However they can still call on American Landon Donovan who doesn’t have to report to the USA camp until Monday. The Beckham headlines seem to be blurring the fact that this is a LA team that just isn’t getting results.

Six games have brought only one win, five points and four have come from two games against Chivas. Coach Frank Yallop will also be without defender Chris Albright may miss most of the rest of the season after suffering a severe hamstring injury. Midfielder Kyle Martino is suspended after a red card last week and LA may have trouble putting together a full bench! DC has won their last three games and has taken ten points from their last four games.

The game of the weekend in MLS is Kansas City Wizards hosting New York Red Bulls. Defensively the RED Bulls have been a solid unit – or a series of solid units. They have only conceded four goals in 8 games (5 shut outs), even though the back four has been a bit of a revolving door with multiple changes common. It is a marked improvement on last season that saw 15 goals against over the first eight games.  Kansas City is a point behind the Revolution and Red Bulls in the Eastern Standings and has played the same number of games as Red Bulls, and one less than New England.

Bufftvs – Now that Tevez looks like he can play in the EPL, where will he be next year? And who else from West Ham do you see moving on when they go down, as seems inevitable?

Bobby – I can’t see Tevez staying with West Ham or moving to another Premiership team. Spain or Italy would be likely destinations I suppose.

Henry14 - Do you see Wenger signing Eto'o if he is made available? As an Arsenal fan l feel we are probably an Eto'o like striker and a winger of Ribery's quality from challenging for the title and if Wenger does not have a trophy next season do you see him being told to go to the board of directors and stop coaching?
Q2 looking at the remaining fixtures who has the advantage to win the title Chelsea or United?

Bobby – I don’t see Arsenal having the kind of money it would take to sign Eto’o. Plus I cannot see Barcelona making him available. As I see it he would be the last player that they would want to let go. Ribery is a more likely transfer target.
As for Wenger being upstairs I don’t think that is going to happen either. A manager is moved for one primary reason – the board thinks that someone else could do a better job. Given that they have supported him in the youth movement I can’t see them giving up before it is complete.

United has the advantage in that they can afford at a minimum to lose to Chelsea and to one other team and still win the title because they have a much better goal difference – 16 goals is a lot to make up. In terms of the teams they each have to play it looks very even to me.  

bigdave disaster - Is there anything more to read into Henrik Larsson, king of kings, leaving Man U than just his loyalty toward Helsingborgs? Man U prime to win the league and very much in contention for FA and more importantly Champions League it would seem the only person happy is Saha.

Bobby – Larsson showed when he left Celtic and Barcelona that he very much knows his own mind. From a Manchester United perspective I don’t think chasing Larsson would be a good message to send to the other forwards. He is 35 and is not one for the future. It has been fun watching him the last few weeks though. It has also been fun listening to the number of commentators who have suddenly realized what a great player he is/was.

wja425 - What are the consequences of relegation for a player? I have heard that contracts are often written such that they become null if a team is relegated. For a player who stays with a club on a contract negotiated while the team was in the Premier League, do their wages remain at their original level, or are there automatic pay cuts written in if the club is relegated?

Bobby – It depends on the contract. The North American comparison would be one-way or two-way contracts in hockey. Some players enjoy enough clout to negotiate a salary level no matter what happens; while others might have to accept a significant reduction should relegation happen. Lucas Neil is rumoured to have a “get-out” clause should/when West Ham are relegated. I assume that it would allow him to become a free agent.

Flashman - Enjoy watching the weekly EPL review you do Bobby, but after your review of West Ham-Spurs, you said 'You have to feel sorry for West Ham.' Really.

Their season of sel####estruction includes a bizarre pre-season of takeover speculation, signing players illegally(allegedly), players' gambling addiction problems, boardroom turmoil, a dysfunctional, clique-filled roster full of self-centred 'Bentley Babes', sideline punchups, sacking a manager who comes back to thrash them and a player charged with assault in a nightclub rhubarb who then leaves the country against club rules.

To that you can add, as the media report that the Upton Park stadium announcer made a series of inappropriate comments and an FA investigation that Spurs fans were racially taunted throughout Sunday's game.What exactly is there to feel sorry for with a club like this? Oh, sure, they have a history; just not sure they have a future to match it. Also, since they are often Spurs' feeder club, do you see anyone shifting over? They have some good players but this season really puts a stain on some reputations.

Bobby – The comment was made in the context of the game not in relation to West Ham’s history or off field antics. In order to have cracking game like that you need two sides going at it and that was the case on Sunday. In that sort of situation it is tough to see one team walk/limp away with nothing to show for their efforts. However, having said that football is often a cruel game.

I read that Marlon Harewood might be a Spurs target – I found that surprising. The Spurs left side is still a problem but I don’t see Paul Konchesky providing a solution or Matthew Etherington who Spurs gave up on previously. Luis Boa Morte perhaps?

Danny Gabbidon is a fine player who WHU have badly missed this season and Dean Ashton – if he recovers from the broken ankle – could play for any side in England.

ulsterson - All the recent articles the youth and future of the English game as well as a low murmuring about so few English players on EPL teams made me wonder what ever came of the laws FIFA seemed to be trying to pass a while back. If I remember correctly it had to do with a certain number or percentage of players being required to have come up through the youth system or at least in the league. I don't know how great that would be for the EPL but I would think it would help individual nations nurture their young talent to a greater degree and perhaps forge more of a bond between club and country. Any news on this or did I miss it?

Bobby – The proposal is still on the table but the big clubs are fighting it.

Gunner44 - I read this on BBC is it true and if it is how good is this guy?
"Arsenal are weighing up a £6m summer swoop for Ajax winger Ryan Babel. (Daily Mirror)"

Bobby – The Daily Mirror is not all that reliable although Wenger has been linked with a bid for Babel before. I have not seen very much of him lately but he played for Holland in the FIFA Under 20s two seasons ago and looked very good. Being an Ajax product – there again so was Patrik Kluivert!! - £6m would seem to be a bargain but he has only scored three league goals this season so I am wondering if he has stalled out. Any Dutch league fans out there that can add anything?

verbal97 - Ahead of the build-up to the 2nd leg today, Liverpool's website asked who would you build your team around - Gerrard or Ronaldinho? Not surprisingly, Gerrard got 95.4% of the vote. But that got me thinking, if you were offered carte blanche to build a team right now, who would be your choice of player to build your team around and why?

I would choose Gerrard (as atleti rolls her eyes) because of leadership qualities and he's one of (if not the) best all-around players in the world. I would have to say my second choice would be John Terry for again, the leadership qualities, plus it's a nice luxury to have a central defender that can actually score a few goals.

Bobby – I would go for Peter Cech.

Thierry Henry - Where do you get CHAMPIONS LEAGUE in CANADA these days? TSN only shows CURLING... and we have no ESPN...

Bobby – I had the choice of Liverpool – Barcelona (RDS – the French language TSN) and Valencia – Inter on TLN. RDS was 15 minutes late in joining the game because of Canada Games curling. I switched back and forward during the first half then opted for Liverpool – Barcelona in the second half. My Dad called at half time (he has Shaw Cable) to say that he had found the Liverpool game with English commentary on channel 1 – no idea how that happened. Tomorrow I am hoping for a choice between Real Madrid/Bayern Munich and Milan/Celtic.

Gongatore - Now that Liverpool manhandled Barca out of the CL and rightfully advanced, who would you look FR (will he stay?) to buy for next season? Barca needs to regroup in order to compete next year. They will be very lucky to win La Liga at this juncture.

Bobby – FR may well move. There have been comments made about how he has strong man-management skills but tactically he is not top drawer. Before Barcelona decides who to buy they will first have to decide who to sell and no doubt the Ronaldinho to Milan stories will surface again. As I said earlier I can’t see Eto’o leaving and I would say the same about Messi. Ronaldinho might turn out to be more expendable than it might appear. I might come down to how quickly Giovanni dos Santos is maturing.

Henry14 -  Do you think Henry is finished, because he is not playing like he used to, what is your verdict on Henry, is he going down? Do Buffon and Henry receive anything, for being runners up to the Ballon D'Or - or they are just named, and what is your take on who deserves the award.

Bobby – Henry not playing like he used to still makes him a better player than 99.5% of the players in the Premiership. Finished – yes….. in around ten years time!
I have no idea what second and third place receive – maybe a years subscription to France Football? Cannavaro should have won the Golden Ball at the World Cup. However, I don’t think he has been Europe’s outstanding player over the last 11 months

Neophyte - Heskey is an amazing player with a rocket of a leg. I don't know how long his contract is but he may not be playing at the JJB for long or they will have to shell out some serious cash for his services. Bobby -- are you surprised by Wigan? Would you buy Heskey? (provided he comes back from his calf injury)

Bobby – Wigan will continue to have their ups and downs. I picked them to finish 15th come season’s end and I still think that they will finish close to that spot.
As for Emile Heskey – I will turn to Tommy Docherty for inspiration. Back when a million pounds was a million pounds he was asked about a player who was being hyped on a regular basis. The Doc’s quote went something like this “They tell me that 2 million wouldn’t buy him, and I am one of them”. Heskey was given all the physical tools but he has never known what to do with them. His managers have been relegated to talking up his strong defensive qualities – which is fine except he is supposed to be a striker. His career average has been a goal every four games and his record with Wigan is about the same.

As for a rocket of a leg, is that why he constantly falls over? Maybe if he had a pair of leg rockets he could balance better.

davard - How much does qualifying for the UEFA cup get anyone? (if anything) Obviously the knockout rounds are the more lucrative ones, but is the reward anywhere near as lucrative as the champs. league?

Bobby – It is difficult to make apple-to-apple comparisons because Champions League pay outs are largely dictated by market pay outs that are largely based on how much television revenue is generated in a teams home market and which rounds the teams from that market reach.

For UEFA Cup qualifiers the payment system is - the clubs get gate money and the right to sell some of the TV rights. Celtic estimated that their run to the 2003 final earned them about $18M but you have to consider that a lot of that would be gate money that many other teams would not be able to generate. Another comparison is that Celtic and Rangers have used in the past is that if they don’t qualify for the Champions League group stage then they need to reach the semi final of the UEFA Cup in order to compensate.

Overall though, the UEFA Cup is small potatoes compared to the Champions League.

Realmadridcffan 1. With Canada hosting the FIFA World Under 20 soccer championships next year in Canada, what do you think will the CSA define as an acceptable performance for the Canadian Squad? 2. Who do you think will be Canada's next coach of the Men's National team? and what type of qualities should the next coach of the national team should have?3. Who do you think is the most overrated and underrated goalkeeper currently playing at a club level right now?

Bobby – 1. Canada has to qualify from the group stages (given that 16 of 24 make it that should not be  difficult), an exit in the last 16 would be spun as a success by the CSA but it would not be, last 8 would be about right, anything after that a massive over achievement.

2. I have no idea and I don’t think that the CSA has much choice given the mickey-mouse reputation that they enjoy internationally. Even after the changes at the top I can’t see the CSA offering a competitive wage and so the choice will be between foreign “damaged-goods” or a North American who is willing to put up with inadequate funding and resources. The new CSA President can talk all he wants about making the national men’s team a priority but until he walks the talk I remain skeptical.

3. Given that club level in Europe covers 50 plus countries and who knows how many teams and goalkeepers I can’t answer that question.  

Davard - I don't know if you saw that one but I'd love to know what you thought of your female countrymen getting booted out of the cup by a last gasp penalty.

Bobby – Didn’t watch it – don’t care.

Henry14 - l have seen linesmen come into the field to align proper positions of free kick and corners l have one thing that makes me wonder, why do they not stop the ball from going far from where the throw in is taken. Do you know why? What do you make of the Sun's claims about Sheva?

Bobby – Because their job requires them to be level with the last line of defense. When you see them come onto the field it is almost exclusively because the ball is in the corner. People read/look at the Sun for two reasons and they are both on page 3.

USAEnglandfan - The hot topic right now is Man Utd's depth up front. Personally I think it's pretty urgent in the midfield too. Fletcher/O'Shea are great cover guys but they don't have much else. Where do they need support more and can they possibly reinforce both areas in January? Also, I'm a huge fan of some of the crowd chants in the prem. BBC has a few great ones in their Quotes of the Week this week. Exactly how are they conceived? Are they made up on the spot? Do you recall any that you'd say are the funniest?

Bobby – I think in the aftermath of Sunday’s game for fans are looking at the relative depth of the two squads. As Alan Parry and David Pleat pointed out on Sunday, United didn’t have a player that they could bring on who could change the game. Solskjaer might have been that player if he had been fit. Alan Smith is never going to be a top drawer midfield player or cover for Saha. His best performances with Leeds tended to be in a support type role ala Wayne Rooney. I can’t see how United can battle on two fronts with their squad and how are they going to get the money to buy impact players?

There is usually a core of fans who take it on to conceive the chants and then others pick them up. Many are traditional and have been handed down while there is also a regular stream of new ones built around news or gossip. One of the primary differences I found between British and North American sport audiences was the humour or to be more accurate in terms of North America the lack of humour.

As for chants – “He’s short, he’s fat, he’s going to get the sack – Advocaat, Advocaat” by Celtic fans to Rangers boss #### Advocaat has stuck with me.

There are a number of legendary ones. After Leeds United keeper Gary Sprake literally threw the ball into his own net during a game at Anfield in the late 60’s the Kop sang “Careless Hands” which was a pop song of the time.

USAEnglandfan - There was recently a high-profile college football (American) game here (I think it involved Missouri), and in the dying minutes there was an iffy penalty call which allowed the trailing side to score a touchdown and win. The officials issued a statement recently saying, and I quote, "We blew it." Perhaps it is because video technology has all but eliminated incorrect calls in the sport, but American football refs seem to be respected more and much more in the periphery of the sport (where refs should be) than world football. Granted, the stop-and-go nature of American football lends itself much better to video technology, but when the mistakes are made, this type of statement issued by the officials at this college game is absolutely unheard of in world football. Do you think under-fire referees like Poll would do well to get off their high horse and own up to their mistakes or would it just damage their authority and future job prospects?

Bobby – Didn’t a referee issue an apology after incorrectly awarding a goal against Middlesbrough last season – against West Ham perhaps?

AlexMorph - Just how much longer do we have to suffer Sepp Blatter for? Can he run again for the presidency, and if so is there a realistic challenger to replace him (perhaps a donkey or Kermit the Frog?). Why is it that contenders for these big positions can never have a moderate stance on things. Platini, Johansson, and Blatter all make stupid comments.Plus, is there any chance that Beckenbauer might throw in his lot in the near future?

Bobby – Despite his promise to only run for two terms, old Sepp has decided that soccer cannot do without him and he will run again next year – without a credible challenger in sight. Beckenbauer is a notable absentee from the UEFA election and there is no way I could see him running against Blatter. My guess is that Beckenbauer is angling for 2011. His opponent in five years time might turn out to be Jack “get your tickets here” Warner.

Henry14 - l think we all know the sky sports ratings, do you know which player had the highest average in Premiership history for an entire season and by which value?

Bobby – Give up, who is it?

To bigdavedisaster – I hope your sister made the comment with her tongue firmly in her cheek. 

First of all my aplogies to anyone who logged on earlier expecting to share half time and full time thoughts. My Internet service provider became my internet no-service provider this morning. Normal service has just been resumed.

And to the game. I enjoyed the game and the time flew past. There was always the threat o####oal or a controversial incident to keep me glued to the set. A share of the points I thought was fair over the ninety minutes with United no doubt regretting their failure to put Chelsea away in the first half.

United were terrific in the first half. The back fire was water tight and the midfield was much brighter and quicker in thought and deed than their Chelsea counterparts. With Giggs being given the freedom to room the United game plan seemed to consist of getting the ball to Ronaldo and allowing him to run free or alternatively, to move the ball quickly through the midfield and isolate Makelele.

The United goal started with Giggs popping up deep on the right side and the ball was quickly relayed to Saha. Saha showed the deftness of a pickpocket as he almost passed the ball into the net.

Mourinho’s key move was taking off Geremi (a lovely passer but not the most mobile of players) and slotting Essien in as a right wing back. We saw Essien’s versatility a couple of weeks ago against Tottenham as Chelsea tried to salvage the game. This time Essien did turn the game. He did a fine defensive job but he also provided Chelsea with much needed width on the right side and an extra man in midfield. I am pretty certain it was Essien who was up in the United penalty box and who forced the corner from which Carvalho scored.

I don’t think SAF will be disappointed in any of the performances from his players although Jose Mourinho is unlikely to feel the same way. It looks to me as if Claude Makelele is beginning to show his age against teams that move the ball quickly. Ballack and Shevchenko both disappointed and not for the first time this season.

Up to this season Mourinho’s teams have exceeded the sum of their parts - that is not the case this season. Chelsea is far from firing on all-cylinders. 

Finally a word about the referee Howard Webb who did a fine job.

GunnersFan1   - Re: Jack Warner. I feel this is an absolute disgrace that a top FIFA official would do this. I think this hurts FIFA and CONCACAF so many ways. Jack Warner needs to go and I don't care if he's fired or resigns but FIFA needs to deal with him immediately. What do you think should happen? And your thoughts about this travesty? Will this hurt Blatter/CONCACAF?

Bobby – What should happen and what will happen are probably two different things. The Botswana official was taken care off during the World Cup within a matter of hours but look for Warner to escape again. He’s a Blatter ally – and is supported by the Canadian Soccer Association as well as the USSF I believe – so he probably knows where other bodies are buried so Sepp will find a way to get him off the hook.

Tremelo3 - I think Peter Crouch fits perfectly into England's system of play. Pretty much all of the goals he has scored for England have been created by someone else from the midfield or the wings. Crouch puts himself in the right position to get the goals. The whole name of the game is scoring goals, no matter how it is done and I think Crouch will continue to score goals for England as long as their midfield stays strong.My question is do you think that his performance for England lately is actually raising expectations of him? Some people just seem to think it is a fluke.

kirbym - First time I saw Crouch, I said something like "This guy's no Jan Koller." Then, "Don't dwell on his awkwardness, look at the results." So far my main complaint is the number of "soft" goals he has scored, against poor competition or poor marking. Yet lately he's had a couple in traffic that showed deft footwork, and that bicycle kick...a new record for "radius"? Too early to render judgment, but for now, the man is living a charmed life. Mothers, get your tall gangly sons off the basketball court and onto a football pitch!

Bobby – I am not convinced that Peter Crouch is a world class striker and don’t believe the rubbish that he will go on to beat Bobby Charlton’s English record. His English statistics just don’t fit with his club statistics. I have seen plenty of players who have done well at club level only to dry up when they move into the national team. But I cannot recall of someone achieving the opposite like Crouch. His Premiership record of less than a goal every three matches does not come close to that of players commonly regarded as top level strikers.  I think he compares with the likes of Duncan Ferguson and John Hartson – big, awkward and a handful  for defenders but never likely to come close to an average o####oal every second game or so.  He is riding the crest at the moment for England but he will never come close to that kind of form in the Premiership. For those who are ready to point out that he disrupts defenses and creates chances for his teammates – well the statistics don’t show that either. His assist rate in the Premiership is around 1 every 4 games and none of the Premiership sides he has played for seem to have had a blip in scoring when he has been playing.

USAenglandfan - I have a question for you guys about Man U's game against Tottenham. I thought Man U stunk up the field for the most part, largely due to Louis Saha. What is with this guy?? I was convinced he was going to light the Prem on fire this season after the first 3 games, then against Spurs he reminds everyone why he should never be considered Ruud's replacement. He is twice the athlete that Ruud is and a trickier dribbler, but wow what a hot and cold player. 1 on 1 with Robinson, and he fluffs it like a down pillow. Beautiful chance to cross to Ronaldo, and he shoots it into planetary orbit... Does this team need a new striker to win anything this year? Also, is there any chance Jermaine Defoe will ever be able to couple his tremendous athletic ability and killer ball control with consistent finishing? I love this guy, but it absolutely kills me to see him proving Martin Jol right to leave him on the bench.

Bobby – Many strikers are hot and cold and Saha is a prime example. I guess SAF believes his movement makes up for his inconsistency. A player like Saha might struggle from time to time to score but he has excellent movement so others are still liable to get chances on account of his work off the ball. As for Jermaine Defoe it looks like he may have topped out at Spurs and he might need to find a new home.

LosAngelesChelseaFan - As I understand it, tomorrow, the FA/FPL will decide whether Chelsea have a case to answer against Bates claim that Chelsea illegally got their hands on some young Leeds players. Sounds like it’s pretty muddied, by Bates press meeting slurs, and the result will no doubt depend on internal FA politics etc. As many will know, Chelsea are sitting on a 3 point suspended penalty. If Chelsea are eventually found guilty (probably with additional point deductions), is there a precedent for when the penalty would be applied (i.e. this season or next)? Do you think that the FA will bury the whole thing?

Bobby – I think you are getting a bit ahead of yourself on this one.  First is there a case, then is Chelsea guilty and to what degree are they guilty? As for applying a 3 point penalty – that would be up to the FA to decide either way.

djmima - I was watching the Villa vs. West Ham match and I must say I was pleased with the performance put in by Stilian Petrov. He was totally robbed off what would have been a cheeky finish. How much success do you think Villa will have this season? In particular, how well do you think Petrov will do?

Bobby – The biggest problem for Martin O’Neill is trying to manage everyone's expectations given the start that Villa has made. They are simply unrecognizable from last season. I think Petrov will do very well in the Premiership – he is coming into his peak years and is very experienced. He will cause problems for Premiership defenses and the midfielders who are supposed to pick up his runs.

LosAngelesChelseaFan - I just heard you commenting on Lampard's poor play on FSWR. Here's what I've noticed and I'd be interested on your thoughts.Watching Frank Lampard this year something jumps out for me about his ball striking. Last season he hit through the ball fluently, with great confidence. This year he seems to be steering the ball most of the time. This works well for one-touch play and long ball delivery which looks as good as ever. It doesn't work for shooting, where the power of his shots seems reduced and telegraphed. I saw this twice on Saturday. Does this make any sense to you? Is this something deliberate in his coaching?

Bobby – Could it simply be that he is tired and that is having an impact on his play and technique? I am absolutely amazed at the number of games he has played over the last three or four seasons.

davard - I figured I'd throw you a slight curve here, expand the consciousness and scope of the discussion. A bit more philosophical, perhaps metaphysical, definitely mathematical aspect of futbol analysis. My question to you is this: What is the average score of a soccer game?If you went and totaled EVERY game EVER played, in home and away sides, and divided by the # of games, what would the overall average score be? Sure, International championships and Cup finals are neutral siters, so factor your own formula to include or exclude those games, as they do not constitute the majority of competition.
My guess is Home Team 1.9, Visiting Team 1.8. The sheer magnitude of games must eventually balance out both sides. Surely they are almost equal, but I would give advantage to All Time Home Team by .1 .I obviously don't expect exact figures, but an educated guess would intrigue me.

Bobby  - My initial reaction is that you have underestimated the net difference in goals between the home and away sides. My second thought was that I hope you enjoy adding all the goals up and I look forward to hearing the answer sometime next decade.

henry14 - As the week nearly comes up to the most important game in any Barclays English season, Man U vs. Arsenal , do you think who ever wins will take pride from this reguard s to arsenal's position and will it live to the hype given that the two teams are at different ends of the spectrum. One last thing bobby comment on Arsene Wenger's French policy in the midst of Ashley Cole accusing him of giving to much power to the French guys. Bobby the sun says Cesc is going to earn $85000 a week, and as much as l hate Ashley l think Wenger has a certain favoritism, they paid him $110000 a week when he was the best left back in the world, and can you imagine what Cesc will be earning in two let alone five years time, l think Wenger treats other players better than others. I think if you read the sun you will see that Cashely was saying some sensible things, also about team spirit. What your thoughts

Bobby – Is it still the most important game of the English season? It was when it was down to just these two but I am not so sure you can say the same thing now.
I think Ashley Cole's main interest is selling his book so I would not put too much credence on his remarks.  

buffytvs - my understanding is that the rules on penalty kicks require the kicker to take an uninterrupted run at the ball, yet we see stutter steps, stops and starts, etc. routinely (Figo used to be one of the worst). If I'm right, why don't you ever see a ref call it? They're making the goalies stay on the line now, why not make the kicker do it properly too?

Bobby – The rule about an uninterrupted run was changed a few years ago.

realmadridcffan Two quick questions. - 1. Out of the 32 teams in the UEFA Champions League, which of the teams will be the most disappointing and not make it to the knockout stage? 2. What do you think of the rumour about the 2007 Copa America expanding to 16 teams. The rumor that I have read was that if it does come to pass, it could be the usual ten South American teams; Plus the top 4 teams from the CONCACAF world cup qualifying (U.S.A, Mexico, Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago) and possibly Portugal and Spain, thus making it 16 teams.

Bobby – Question number 1, I can’t see any of the big dogs missing out. Mourinho says any one of ten teams could win the competition and he’s spot-on. Question 2 – I wrote a piece in 2002 for “When Saturday Comes” advocating a true Copa America with full qualification rounds involving CONCACAF and CONMEBOL. However the “rumour” just seems to be a rehash of the present system of invited guest teams but with four more countries involved.

AlexMorph - About a week ago I was looking at some old stuff and Denilson's name came up. After a short search I couldn't find anywhere that he was playing--until today when the FS gossip column claims 'Arry could be in for him. I also remember back in 1998 all these magazines were including him in their 'world best 11' seemingly out of nowhere. Do you know what his shortcomings were, why his time in the spotlight was so brief, and in your opinion does he still have something to offer?

Bobby - I must admit I have not seen too much of him but what I have seen he plays with his head down and his first instinct is to dribble. However, he was once the most expensive player in the world so he might be worth a gamble by Portsmouth. I think he was on-loan at Bordeaux last season from Real Betis but I am not certain of that. 

Ruud van Nistelrooy looks set to start the new season at the Bernabeu and not Old Trafford. Manchester United and Real Madrid have agreed a fee and a medical seems to be the only thing between the Dutchman and a move to La Liga.

RVN becomes the latest in a long line of either clubs or players that Sir Alex Ferguson has fallen out with. And to think he once accused Dennis Wise as being able to cause a fight in an empty house.

His playing days in Scotland were marked by recurring friction - St. Johnstone, Dunfermline, Rangers and Falkirk.

His second managerial appointment - at St. Mirren - finished with him being fired and then suing for unfair dismissal through an Industrial Tribunal.

Players who have eventually fallen foul of Fergie include Gordon Strachan, Paul Ince, Paul McGrath, Jim Leighton, Jaap Stam, Roy Keane, David Beckham to name a few. RVN was added to that list in the spring.

For United the question is who replaces the Dutchman? Rooney, Solksjaer (fitness question), and Saha are not going to be enough. Fernando Torres looks set to stay with Athletico Madrid for the forseeable future. It seems unlikely that another Premiership side will sell United a striker even if one was considered good enough and there doesn't at the moment.

Klose at Werder Bremen is an option. Ronaldo's name crops up on the rumour mill but it is hard to understand why United would take such a risk and if they were it surely would have been part of a swop deal. The lack of top class goal scorers was reinforced at the recent World Cup Finals.

As for Real Madrid they have another forward which seems to be a clear indication that Fabio Capello is far from happy with the choice he inherated. So out of Raul, Robinho, Baptista, Ronaldo, and Cassano who will be forced out?

This is a much improved performance from France. With Ribery dropped to the bench and Malouda operating mostly on the right it has opened up more space for Henry to operate in. Although he set up Henry’s goal it is still a bit of a mystery why Wiltord is starting ahead of Trezeguet or Saha.

Zidane is operating further up the field and that has helped. It looks as if France is maybe playing a 4-3-1-2 system. They might need another goal as the Koreans will just keep coming at them. Lee Chun-soo is looking particularly dangerous at times.

Barthez gets a break as sub Gygax badly misplays a header and the French keeper keeps the ball out.

The French opt to throw on Saha for Ribery.

With 8 minutes left France finally hit on the break with some speed and it creates a half chance.

Wiltord has been invisible and has been replaced by Dhorasoo. A few minutes later he takes a great knock down from Saha and puts it inches wide. The Swiss finish with a flurry but the final whistle goes for a rather disappointing 0-0 draw.

I thought coming into this tournament that France had a couple of good games left in them. After that display they have yet to use one of them up. The torch should have been passed to the next generation four years ago. France will not worry any team at this World Cup playing like this.

South Korea will fancy their chances against either of these countries.

Man of the match - Ludovic Magnin. The Swiss full back tackled and harried for 90 minutes and was an inspiration for Switzerland.