Kieran Davies looks back on seven days of autobiographical controversy.
So Alex Ferguson has released an autobiography entitled ‘My Autobiography’, maybe the title should have given us some idea to the mental state currently of the whiskey swilling Scot. Firstly an autobiography is a written account of the life of a person written by that person so grammatically no need for the word ‘my’. But what is more interesting in this book (or comic depending which way you look at it) is how it seems since writing his first book (A Will to Win) prior to putting the finishing touches to his current one, he seems to have his memory wiped by the Men in Black! I say this as in this first book he talks about an incident between Peter Schmeichel and Ian Wright where a complaint was made that Schmeichel racially abused the Arsenal striker to which Ferguson wrote ‘it doesn’t help when people manufacture so-called racial incidents out of an everyday clash between two strong minded players in the heat of the match. I hope no one at the FA is going to pander to this complaint, which is simply someone trying to make a mountain out of a molehill’. Is this the same man who waged a one man war to try and get Luis Suarez tried for war crimes in the Hague for the Patrice Evra incident? We shouldn’t be surprised really Ferguson seems more and more like a contradiction in terms. After all in 2004 he said about Gerrard ‘he has become the most influential player in England, bar none. He’s got an unbelievable engine, desire, determination. Anyone would love to have Gerrard in their team’. Where as now he seems to think ‘he’s not a top, top player’. If this was your grandparent the depressing reality that it might be time to check them in to that home would be your sobering thought.
Enough of Ferguson, he’s best left alone to deconstruct the legacy he left at United and I am sure his comments will only spur those mentioned to prove him wrong so the money should be on a big Liverpool win today and a man of the match performance from messer’s Gerrard and Henderson. West Brom are the visitors today and I’m sure Brendan Rodgers will be looking to set the record straight after the baggies did the double over his men last season scoring 5 goals in the process and conceding none. I think the solidity will be seen again in Liverpool’s midfield with the return of Lucas Leiva, the unsung hero of the Anfield outfit’s start to the season. The early kick off sees Palace host Mesut Ozil, I mean Arsenal. Joking of course Arsenal have plenty to shout about at the moment with form of Ozil, Giroud, Wilshire and Ramsey and will surely have too much in their locker to be troubled by the eagles. This season is going to be an uphill struggle for whoever takes over at Selhurst Park as their squad has distinct Championship look about it. Then again the Premier League is renound for throwing a spanner in the works of the form guide nowadays so if the footballing gods are to shine upon them at best I can see that being an against the run of pay win with maybe Chamakh rocking up with one his rare goals, not an inspiring trait for a striker. Paul Lambert’s Villa host Everton and this fixture is a tough one to call. Everton registered a rare win against Villa last season in this fixture where Villa have had the best in this battle of late. One thing is for sure there should be goals in this one, Martinez’s men being somewhat the draw specialist this term maybe a high scoring draw is on the cards.
Man Utd host Stoke at Old Trafford and as the bookies will tell you, nothing but a home win will be the outcome here. Mark Hughes’ men have started to resemble the Territorial Army or late and seem to be firing all too many blanks. They will fancy an upset after the performances of West Brom and Southampton at the champion’s home ground this season and let’s be honest to anyone but a Utd fan, as Brendan Rodgers kindly pointed out, if Liverpool need 8 players to win the title, Utd probably need 10. This was a tongue in cheek comment but this side looks a far cry from the ones who would dismantle teams week in week out without fail. A lot of Man Utd fans will probably disagree with me but to them I’d suggest setting off for the game now as it’s a long from ‘de-nile’ in Egypt!! Fulham travel to Southampton hoping to add to their collection of goal of the month contenders this afternoon. Pochetino’s team have been impressive this season and don’t seem to feel the pressure of having to live up to their manager’s comments on them achieving Champions League qualification. I wonder whether he must have the same dealer as Alex Ferguson to be honest but only time will tell. Chris Hughton will be hoping his canaries can answer their own scoring problems with a home win against Malky Mackay’s Cardiff. On the other hand Cardiff will see this as a more than winnable game and I for one will be hoping they do just that to make my dad’s trip to East Anglia seem a worthwhile one. That’s a long sombre journey back for the old man otherwise!
Sunday throws up an usual wealth of fixtures with a Tyne Wear derby starting the day off. Newcastle will be buoyed of their form of late managing a draw against in form Liverpool despite being reduced to ten men in the first half with Poyet still looking for a first win as Sunderland manager. Swansea host West Ham which should be a tough test for both teams with the swan’s squad being stretched with European ventures this season. Elsewhere Tottenham host Hull and who would bet against that rare gem of a Huddlestone goal against his former employers giving the green light for his barber to crank up the hedge trimmers in preparation for his long awaited return. Spurs will fancy a comfortable win in this fixture as they seem to have hit the ground running with their new look squad and had another solid win in the Europa League this week too, All eyes no doubt tomorrow will be at Stamford Bridge where Chelsea meet Man City in what will surely be one of pick of this week’s fixtures we hope. Chelsea are a tough one to predict this season and Man City will be looking to add a bit more consistency to their game also, one thing is for sure fans won’t be expecting a 0-0 draw in this one. Talk this week was how Mourinho has managed to reignite the goal scoring feats of Fernando Torres but it’s a bold claim off the back of one game. It would suggest that Torres may see Mourinho put some faith in his striker and give him a starting berth but I’m sure Samuel Eto’o will probably be thinking the same thing. So while Roy Keane plots his old manager’s demise, we’ll be hoping for lots of thrills, spills and goals and who knows based on his last two books maybe Fergusons potential dementia may have him proclaiming the Irishman was the most complete midfielder he has worked with by Monday morning.
