FourFourTwo

By Shaun Orange

There has never been a Champions League final between two English clubs, or a European Cup final for that matter (the trophy’s predecessor).

So, with the two most expensively assembly sides in the land in the continental showdown next week, it makes sense that almost everyone has been caught up in the hype surrounding the clash between Chelsea and Manchester United in Moscow.

This fixture promises to be one of the most fiery contests yet between the two. If it peters out to a drab draw, all too cagey and with not much to shout about then so be it, we’ll take that in our stride.

But what the Champions League final has done is to completely over-shadow the FA Cup final. There is a Cup final at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday - the oldest and most cherished of club soccer’s trophies.

The sad thing about all of this is that Cardiff, a team that finished a modest 12^th the Championship Division, and Portsmouth, who managed eighth place in the Premiership, have not got any of the glory and glitzy fanfare that usually goes with reaching the final of this tournament.

Instead, almost every inch in the Champions League final has lapped up the papers and nearly every minute of airtime.

Nonetheless, these two unfashionable clubs in the FA Cup will get their day on Saturday, no matter how brief it might seem (let’s hope the sun is out in London on the day).

Both teams are deserving finalists and Portsmouth will start as overwhelming favourites, even if they did not finish off the season as strongly as Harry Redknapp might have wanted.

Pompey have more than a few things going for them and maybe none more so than the fact that they are a decent mid-table Premier League side who have quite a lot of experience in their line-up.

But if Pompey are to avoid the banana skin they should heed the call of their French defender Sylvain Distin who has rallied his teammates not to under-estimate the opposition and treat Cardiff with a bit of respect.

This Cup final has thrown up too many upsets over the years for a side like Portsmouth to walk into Wembley thinking that they have already won the trophy. If they do, they could well be left with egg on their faces and not a soul will feel sorry for them.

However, Cardiff themselves should approach the final with undeterred by the prospect of failure. After all they did well enough just to the English football’s showpiece. Running out onto that turf is in itself a huge success for Dave Jones’ squad.

For me, an upset would be great stuff, and I wouldn’t mind in the least if one youngster, who goes by the name of Aaron Ramsey, gets the winning goal. Am I dreaming? Of course, I am. And that’s what the FA Cup final is all about, unlike a Champions League final featuring Chelsea and Man United.

By Shaun Orange

English football is awash with speculation about all sorts of issues, ranging from possible transfers to likely takeovers to permutations for next season, and everything in between.

But it is not so surprising; not if you think that we are into the off-season, even if Manchester United and Chelsea have one last crunch fixture to play out: the European Champions League final in Moscow next week Wednesday.

This is how the mechanics of British soccer in general evolve. Even before the last ball kicked and the last whistle blown to signal the end of the season, there is always a flurry of action – on the pitch and in the corridors of power.

Once the curtain come down the intensity in which these developments take place are merely magnified, sometimes a one hundred-fold.

The first all-English Champions League final has really caught the imagination of the public and media alike, but there are other issues that have also generated enough interest to warrant a mention beyond the looming confrontation between the English champions and the side whose owner – Roman Abramovich, calls Moscow home.

One that really intrigues me is the talk of a possible move to Japan by England striker Michael Owen.

Now, before anyone gets carried away I have to emphasize the fact that no deal (at the time of writing) has been concluded and even if it will be, it shouldn’t be for some time to come.

Anyway, the fact that JEF United Chiba have boldly claimed that they intend to lure the Newcastle forward to the J League makes for good reading.

For the skeptics, it is well understood that Japan’s premier soccer competition is no match for the Premiership, in terms of dollars or publicity, or in general stature.

Further still, it is unlikely that Kevin Keegan, the Magpies boss, will release Owen without strenuously opposing the move; more so as the St. James’ Park manager see his team captain as the pivotal player in their renaissance.

But should not be forgotten is that the J League is not the same it used to a couple of decades or so ago. This championship has some serious financial backing and boasts the enough quality to bring in players, albeit in the twilight of their careers, such Brazil’s World Cup winning captain Dunga.

And if one considers that one Arsene Wenger, now a guru of the English game and also Arsenal’s most successful manager, plied his trade in Japan then I see no reason why Owen might not agree to a stint in the J League.

Of course, the chance of playing for England could used as a deterrent fro him moving so far abroad, but David Beckham has proved that if you are good enough to do the job, then you will get picked for the team.

Perhaps, the only real stumbling block in this is the matter of just how serious JEF United Chiba are. If they come up with a package that could get Owen to have second thoughts, they might just make inroads into securing a global figure for their squad.

If Owen for some cannot make it, then they might yet collar another player of substance in international soccer.

I wish them well; and the two teams in the Champions League final.

By Shaun Orange

Well, Manchester United did it. They retained the Premier League title on the last day of the season. Thanks in part to the 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic, but essentially to a more consistent and determined performance throughout the campaign.

Man Utd’s ability to sustain a challenge that took past Chelsea, who finished two points off the pace, and Arsenal, who had led the race for some time before dramatically buckling under intense pressure in the two months leading up to the end, brought Alex Ferguson his tenth league title in 22 years at the helm of Old Trafford.

That landmark alone will go down in history as the best of the lot, and is unlikely to be eclipsed ever.

The Red Devils’ success, as deserved as each shout of joy at the end of Sunday’s action, underscored their superiority in England and also gave notice that when they resume their rivalry with Chelsea in the European Champions League final in Moscow next week, they will start as favourites to pull of a unique Premier league and Champions League double.

Ferguson’s squad has the depth, talent and experience to do win them both, but Chelsea, wounded by finishing runners-up again, and playing with a side that will weakened by the absence of skipper John Terry, among others, should not be ruled out too easily.

They will almost certainly look to the fixture as their redemption from a season that has had its fair share of ups and downs, not least, the departure of Jose Mourinho and the ascendancy of Avram Grant to head coach.

But even if Chelsea were at full strength, Man Utd would fancy their chances. Of course, the odds will merely shorten now that it has been established that Terry indeed dislocated an elbow in the Bolton game. The England defender remains adamant that he will be fit for the May 21 showdown in Moscow, but it is quite likely that he will travel, but not play.

Credit is due to both Man Utd and Chelsea for their real close, tough battle they put on for the championship title, and the latter could draw inspiration from the fact that they came back from the dead to challenge for the crown at the end.

Arsenal appear to have some serious problems with players leaving or reportedly wanting to leave. And unless Arsene Wenger can get to grips with the issue well before the start of pre-season training they look like they will suffer badly next term.

Liverpool, the other team in England’s “Big Four” could face a similar situation if they do not sort out their boardroom squabbles. Rafael Benitez, who is keen on a few new signs after a clear-out in the off-season, has the nucleus of a potent squad and could do a lot better next season if they can find some stability within their hierarchy.

Nonetheles, Arsenal and Liverpool will struggle to keep pace with Man Utd and Chelsea from the start. The reasoning behind this is evident in the Champions League final, where the two best teams in England will fight to see who is king of Europe. Man Utd should take it, more so after their triumphant showing on Sunday.

By Shaun Orange

Sunday sees the curtain come down on an eventful season, one that will have the winner and the two remaining clubs for the drop to be declared at the final whistle. That the action has come down to the final round of fixtures merely confirms why the Premier League championship has developed into a billion dollar industry of its own.

But even before the heroics of those who will be honoured in triumph and those who will live with great regret for falling out of the world’s most popular championship, the wheeling and dealings for players, and coaches, has swung into full motion.

Officially, the trading of players can only start after the end of the season, and it closes on midnight of August 31. There is brief respite in the month of January, during which transfers are also allowed under the rules and regulations that govern English and European football.

Two instances of the behind-closed doors negotiations that have caught the imagination of the media and the soccer public at large are those which involve Arsenal and Aston Villa. The plight of Manchester City coach, Sven-Goran Eriksson, has also raised more than a few eyebrows.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger said on Friday that he was bewildered by the news that star midfielder Alex Hleb was about to quit the Premier League for Italian Serie A giants Inter Milan. He was quoted saying that there was “nothing” in the reports. But this was despite the fact the story was highlighted in the wake of comments made by the Belarus international’s agent.

Of course, Wenger maybe would say that even if he knew differently and more so after Mathieu Flamini, his gifted compatriot chose to leave the Emirates Stadium to play for AC Milan at the San Siro.

Martin O’Neill, the Villa manager who was expecting a seize of sorts even before the issue of Gareth Barry blew up in his face, called Liverpool’s offer for the England midfielder and suggestions by Anfield chief Rafael Benitez that they had actually discussed the move, “absolutely crazy”.

If you did not much about how this game works (behind closed doors) and what club managements would do to win favour in the wheeling and dealings that come with it, you might be left feeling that Arsenal and Aston Villa are being hard done by.

But these two cases, and that of Eriksson, who is being sized up for a return to Benfica, following reports that Man City are courting Brazil’s World Cup winning coach, Felipe Scolari, are just examples of how the system operates. Much of it is because of the big bucks involved and to some extent illustrates to what lengths the “bigger clubs” will go to lure players, and managers, to bolster their chances of success.

The age old adage that “money is the root of all evil” is not one that should be dismissed lightly when it comes to the Premiership, and Europe’s other leagues, or any league in the global game for that matter.

These days, there is just too much at stake (financially) not to succeed, and the players and managers, and their agents and the media (and the public) know it. So for Wenger and O’Neill, whom we maybe can feel some sort of sympathy for, it should really be a matter of just getting on with things – even if only on Sunday we will find who wins the league title and who going down.