By Shaun Orange

Everton suffered a huge setback in their quest to qualify for the European Champions League on Sunday when they were undone by a typical Fernando Torres goal – his 28^th of the campaign.

The Toffees had the stuffing knocked out of them in the seventh minute of the derby at Anfield and never had a chance of recovering from it; not the way Liverpool played. This was a polished performance and one in total contrast to the week before when the Reds were rolled over by a determined and much more efficient Manchester United side at Old Trafford.

Yet despite trailing their bitter city rival by five points now, with a half-a-dozen games to go, Everton manager David Moyes maintains that they are still in the reckoning for fourth place, which earns automatic entry into the Champions League.

The tenacious Scot must be applauded for even getting his team this far; what with a merge budget compared to the dollars splashed out by the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United, never mind Chelsea, and Arsenal. Moyes, one has to conclude has reached the limit to where he can take this squad. They were woefully stricken against a Liverpool outfit who displayed enough zeal to suggest that they do indeed have the quality to compete with the best at home and in Europe.

The only snag one can think of is that Benitez’s rotational policy early in the season works against them at the end of the campaign – the damage is done by then; they are too far off the pace right now.

Still, the Reds were streets ahead of Everton at Anfield, and even if Moyes did have Tim Cahill and Andy Johnson fit for the clash, I cannot see how they would have left the old enemy with anything to show for their visit.

But Moyes will preserve, in vain one must add. And Benitez, we have to believe, will not allow his charges to throw away such a good position they put themselves in after what can best be described as a turbulent league campaign.

They are still in the quarterfinals of the Champions League – two legs against Arsenal to come next week, so there might yet be even greater things to celebrate before the season is out.

Everton, I would suggest, should now turn their attention to fending off the bid of Portsmouth to take fifth place, which is also the last spot for an English club to qualify for Europe (Uefa Cup) next season. This is so because all of the big four are out of the FA Cup and Tottenham won the League Cup.

Perhaps Everton might yet get some consolation; if Portsmouth finish above them and also win the FA Cup, then the Toffees could be thrown into the draw for the Uefa Cup. But they should not bank on it. Moyes should just swallow his pride, admit to the obvious and focus on Pompey’s threat rather than waste his time speaking about unseating Liverpool for fourth place.

That is the truth of the matter. It is plain and simple, just as it was when Torres underscored his rating as the best centre-forward in the English game – if not in all of Europe.

By Shaun Orange

Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson has written off the chances of Arsenal winning this season’s Premiership title, much to the disgust of those who run the Emirates Stadium.

The Red Devils opened up a six-point lead at the top of the table over the Gunners – Chelsea were scheduled to play on Sunday – when they tore apart Martin O’Neill’s Aston Villa in a 4-0 thrashing at Old Trafford.

Elsewhere, Arsenal put on quite a show when they clawed their way back from 2-0 down against Bolton Wanderers to win 3-2. Not surprisingly, this left the London side buoyed and talking up their chances of the championship crown, which they looked such a good bet to win not so long ago.

But Man United are in the pound seat right now, and they too have the bit between their teeth; thus Ferguson’s bold declaration that Arsenal are no longer in it, and that only Chelsea stand any chance of spoiling their romp to a 10^th league title under his reign.

Given Man United’s result over what was perceived to be a resilient Villa side, the defending champions have got one hand on the trophy, and the only way Chelsea – or Arsenal for that matter – could lay claim to it, is if the Red Devils throw it away. And that is despite the fact that they still have to play both the Gunners (at Old Trafford on April 13) and the Blues (at Stamford Bridge on April 26).

Arsenal’s fight to stay in the championship looked dead and buried when Matt Taylor struck twice in the first half to give the home team a sizeable lead. To make matters worse, with almost an hour still to play, Abou Diaby was sent off, which left the Londoners to solider on with 10 men.

This they did with a gutsy show of character and after they won, young Spaniard Cesc Fabregas – the midfield general - affirmed that their fixture at Old Trafford would “change things”.

He said that they believed in themselves and that they could beat Man United at the Theatre of Dreams. That is a big ask by any standards, but it is not one that cannot be achieved. It certainly can, but it will take an enormous effort to do the job.

Chelsea, for their part, are also looking forward to Man United visiting the Bridge next month, and will also be hoping that they can turn the tables on the champions, and exact a good measure of revenge for the defeat they suffered up in Manchester when Avram Grant faced Ferguson in his first match between the two elder statesmen of the game. If they do, then this Premier League season could well be determined by goal aggregate. Yes, that is how close it could get.

But a sane man’s thinking tells us that Man United, and in particular one Alex Ferguson, will not allow it to go that far. And that when they clash with the Gunners and the Blues next, and if there is still everything to play for, then a couple draws might just do the trick.

By Shaun Orange

Managers of the leadings clubs in England have for years complained bitterly about their players coming back injured from internationals.

Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, of Manchester United and Arsenal, respectively, have long been noted for their tirades against the authorities over their players returning from the midweek internationals tired or injured, or both.

This week Aston Villa’s Martin O’Neill lashed out at Stuart Pearce, whom he accused of not substituting Craig Gardner in the England Under-21 friendly against Poland when the defender sustained a first-half injury to the thigh.

Now Gardner is set to be sidelined for up to three weeks and O’Neill, normally an animated coach, but also a polite and amiable one, is furious with the former England fullback and Manchester City manager.

The Aston Villa boss certainly has a point to make in the case of Gardner. But it remains a two-sided issue that neither the clubs nor the managers of the national teams will win.

The players, most of them if not all, want to represent their country because that is the greatest honour you get in this game. Players like David Beckham thrive on it and his assertion that he would like to play on after making his 100^th appearance for the Three Lions in the midweek international in France is a classic example of how some rate playing in their national colours.

But the downside is the injuries the players sustain when on national duty. To say that none of them should or will be injured is irrational. There will always be some who come off worse from tackles and that is where the problems really start.

For the clubs who pay the players’ salaries, even if they come back injured, on face value, it appears grossly unfair. And some extent it is.

However, the case of Newcastle being compensated for the injury that ruled out Michael Owen for many months, must give the clubs some heart, although it should also be mentioned that the insurance cover received for Owen’s injury was minute compared to what the club paid him.

The issue that really perturbs the managers is when their players are not available because of these injuries when they have crucial games coming up. And with Villa pushing for a fifth spot finish that would ensure European action next season, one sympathises with how O’Neill must be feeling.

But the case of Blackburn’s Mark Hughes, is perhaps even worse. He had his star striker Roque Santa Cruz injured in Paraguay’s defeat to South Africa on Wednesday. And the ace forward was “taken out” by none other than his teammate at Ewood Park, South African captain Aaron Mokoena, and is a doubt for their trip to Reading on Saturday.

One wonders who Hughes will a point a finger at here – the South African bench (manager) or his own player, Mokoena. That is difficult one to fathom and so too it is for both the club managers in general and the Football Association.

My thinking is for the clubs should just to get on with it, without the moaning. In the case of O’Neill, what would he have done or said had he got the job as England boss last year?

By Shaun Orange

Liverpool crashed to a humiliating 3-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United in the Super Sunday fixture at Old Trafford. But they lost more than that, they lost a whole lot of sympathy from many who viewed Javier Mascherano’s behavior as deplorable and in some ways deserved the treatment it got from referee Steve Bennett, who sent the Argentine off for dissent.

One has to add that the second yellow card, which led to the red to follow, was a bit harsh, but the Liverpool midfielder brought it upon himself and has no-one to blame for his untoward behaviour, but himself.

All he needed to do, this fellow whom Benitez went out on a limb to sign on a permanent deal for some £17 million in January, was to keep a cool about him. Instead he provokes the referee, and coming as it did in the same week when Ashley Cole drew the attention of the world of soccer to the antics of players and their brash treatment of referees, Mascherano was always going to come off second best – and he did.

Benitez, as sad as it is a fact, has got to shoulder the blame for Liverpool’s demise. Not only are they now well and truly out of the championship race – something he disputed before the Old Trafford thrashing, the Spaniard’s team tainted what was developing into a real cracker of a match, even if they were trailing to a Wes Brown goal before the red card and at half-time.

For all their poise, Man United will not be bothered in the least about the Reds’ plight nor the consequences Mascherano must now face.

The champions are five points clear at the top of the standings and look every bit the best in England again this season. Of course, it goes without saying that the Argentinean from Merseyside helped their cause immensely with his sending off on Sunday.

Benitez, who bid to deflect the spotlight to Fernando Torres’ roughing up by Man United’s central defenders – Ferdinand and Vidic, by claiming that the superstar striker had to go for a scan after the game, again failed in his desperate attempt to get a decent result against one their rivals in the ‘Big Four’.

And on the evidence of what we saw on Sunday, he still has got some way to go before he will be able to pull it off.

The European Champions League is another kettle of fish, and in this tournament he seems to thrive better than the Premier League, so maybe they could bounce Arsenal out of the semifinals and restore some measure of their lost pride next week.

Chelsea lost twice to Benitez in the semi-finals of this competition in the last three years and the Londoners will be the first to admit that Liverpool are indeed hard to beat in the Champions League. And while Arsenal will know that they face a difficult tie in the semifinals, my guess is that Liverpool will come unstuck against the Gunners too.

Maybe, only this time they won’t get anyone sent off.

By Shaun Orange

It was heartening to see Newcastle United chalk up their first win under Kevin Keegan, in his second spell as manager at the club. The Magpies had not won since ‘King Kev’ replaced Sam Allardyce in the hot seat in January and the victory came after a 13-game wait for the former Liverpool and England star striker.

Understandably relieved, Keegan immediately acknowledged the contribution of Michael Owen’s goal and called for his return to the England set-up. Owen has been overlooked by the new England boss Fabio Capello, and in part due to Newcastle’s poor form, which has led them to a struggle in the relegation battle zone.

But more importantly for Newcastle and Keegan, the triumph eased their worries of relegation and lifted them to 13^th in the table; even then they remain a mere six points ahead of Bolton in 18^th spot – the last of the three places to get the chop at the end of the season.

Quite rightly, in his post-match brief, Keegan pointed out that they are still far from safety and that they still have a lot of work to do.

However, he will be more than happy to have secured the win, breaking his duck after arriving in a hail of glory, perceived as the saviour of the Tyneside club. That was clearly reflected in the joyous scenes around St James’ Park after the final whistle and will have given the team, and the hordes of Toon Army supporters, confidence that they can build on this victory and go on to turn things around.

Given Newcastle’s standing in the Premiership – they are widely viewed as among the six biggest clubs in English football, this team should really be challenging at the top for honours. Instead, they are often involved in scrambling to stay up and have not shown anything near their full potential since the days when Keegan took them to two runners-up spots in the Premier League in the mid-1990s.

Of course, those issues will be of secondary concern now as they knuckle down to fend off the threat of the dreaded chop in May.

They have a few interesting fixtures coming up, but none that should alarm the Magpies; not if they maintain a sensible approach to the task that lies ahead.

They are down to face Tottenham next, in a tricky tie at White Hart Lane next weekend, followed by a home game against Reading, a trip Portsmouth and then another home match, against Sunderland. From those four, they should garner at least seven points, anything better than that will be viewed as a bonus. It might also prove crucial as their last two games are against Chelsea and Everton, sides that would not ordinarily be beaten by Newcastle.

Nonetheless, the Magpies have a squad good enough to keep them up and their frontline of Owen, Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins with Shola Ameobi and Allan Smith in support is an exciting one.

But more often than not, Newcastle are let down by their defence. Thus, if the backline can keep a tab on things they stand a good chance of making their way to safety a lot earlier than they might otherwise do.

By Shaun Orange

These days managers, who are often paid much less than their star players, will do almost anything to stay on the good side of those who carry the torch for the club on the field of play.

Some will also say anything to appease their players, even if it hurts the game as a whole. And here, David Moyes is a good example.

Moyes’ outburst against the Football Association demanding “respect” and holistically pointing out that respect works two ways, for the FA and by the FA is nothing short of childish and a terrible example for his players – those of whom, of course, he wants to stay on the good side of.

I cannot understand why the Toffees boss would want to defend something like which Ashley Cole did by repeatedly showing complete disregard for the referee in the drawn game (4-4) between Chelsea and Tottenham in midweek.

Cole, we all know has some serious problems dealing with authority and exercising courtesy in general, but his downright disrespect for Mike Riley in that game, when he blatantly refused to face the match official by turning his back, cannot, and should not, be taken lightly.

He has since apologised for his uncivilised behaviour, yet should still be punished for it. The FA have ruled that out though, explaining that since Riley cautioned the Chelsea defender there was no other route they could take to pursue the matter; and so Cole gets off rather cheaply.

Equally out of turn, if not worse, is Moyes’ attack on the FA, for something that was a case of them merely doing their job, by calling for greater respect to be shown to referees by players.

I appreciate that the Everton boss has been under a lot of pressure recently, more so with Liverpool nosing in front to take a firm grip on fourth place, which guarantees a European Champion League berth, at the expense of their Merseyside rivals.

But for the Scot to come out the way he did and slam the FA for his perceived poor treatment of clubs and players by the governing body was really below the belt, something that might yet come back to haunt him.

Moyes, without taking anything away from him, has done a fairly good job with limitations on funding to get his side amongst the top six. But that does excuse him from shooting off his mouth, dictating to the FA what they should and should not do.

There has already been enough of that from Manchester United’s Alex Ferguson and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger. Now Moyes thinks he is in the same league as these bullies. Well, someone should politely tell him that he is not and he has no right to start making demands of the FA.

It must be mentioned that the FA have fallen on their sword more than once – Sven-Groan Eriksson’s appointment as England manager springs to mind, but they are the custodians of the English game and have done as best as they could under the circumstances. And that includes having to put up with loud mouths like Moyes.

The Everton manager will be well advised to keep his thoughts on the respect issue to himself and focus on trying to finish ahead of Liverpool instead. Who knows, if he commits himself to that task, with teh same vigour that he uses trashing the FA, he maybe could steer the Toffees to finish in front of the great city rivals.

By Shaun Orange

American politics gave us Super Tuesday, thanks to the compelling race for the White House between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. This weekend the Premiership will have its own – Super Sunday.

The pairing of Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford and Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge is a made-in-heaven double-header that could prove especially exciting if the giants of English soccer play the game the way it should be played and the referees officiate the way they should officiate.

At this stage there is no telling if either the teams or the referees will deliver on what promises to be absorbing action. But what we can count on, at least in the interim, is that the hype surrounding these fixtures will continue to swell until the last minute – the kickoff.

There is a lot stake in both encounters, with all the clubs involved in with a chance of taking the title – barring Liverpool of course. Thus, these matches could have a significant bearing on the outcome of the season’s most prized trophy.

And for this reason, we hope, and that is all we can do at this time, that the players, their management staff and the officials involved do their part by keeping it clean and focusing only on the manner in which this game has built its bulging reputation.

With the way things stand at the moment, Man United have the luxury of being in pole position, tied with Arsenal on (67) points, but with a game in hand. Chelsea are just three points adrift and have played the same number of matches as Man United.

So, among the permutations is one that will have Chelsea draw level with the Red Devils and the Gunners, should they see off Tottenham on Wednesday. And if Man United come unstuck against the Anfield side on Sunday and the Blues beat Arsenal, then Chelsea could in turn have their noses in front.

From a neutral’s standpoint that would probably be the best scenario, only because it would leave Man United with the opportunity to draw level if the beat Liverpool, as many suspect they will.

But that’s all conjecture and we know for a fact is that Alex Ferguson will want his Old Trafford charges to settle for nothing short of a victory, just as Arsene Wenger wants his young Gunners to triumph and Avram Grant willing his players on to victory.

Of the top-three, Arsenal appear the most vulnerable right now. They have strung together four consecutive draws that wiped out their lead at the head of the standings and allowed Man United to grandly assume the number one spot.

Chelsea are in good shape. They have quietly, one could say, clawed their way back into contention and are in fine fettle for the run-in to the end of the campaign. But the momentum is with Man United and they look the most dangerous.

They have several key issues going for them. Perhaps the most important is their know-how of dealing with the pressure situations leading up to winning a title and of course, their manager - the wily Scot.

There is so much riding on this weekend, it is terribly difficult to even start predicting what might happen, but we do hope that it’s nothing like American politics.

By Shaun Orange

Again Ronaldo came to Manchester United’s rescue, and again Arsenal drew, yielding even more ground to their fierce rivals in the race for the Premier League title.

Ronaldo has been the champions’ inspiration this season, just like he was when they clinched the championship crown last term, and capped it off by being named England’s Footballer of the Year.

Against bottom team Derby at Old Trafford, Man United were expected to romp to an easy victory, more so after Chelsea thrashed Paul Jewell’s side 6-1 in a midweek encounter. But it didn’t turn out that way and instead, Alex Ferguson’s squad had to rely on a late Ronaldo striker to pocket the maximum three points and move to the top of the standings.

Arsenal might have regained their perch atop the table had they beaten Middlesbrough, but the London club could only manage a 1-1 draw, and they too were grateful for a late goal to salvage some pride.

But that result has badly hurt the Gunners and maybe more significantly than they think right now. It left the two top teams level-pegged on 67 points. However, as Man United have played 29 matches, they have a game in hand over Arsene Wenger’s charges and could open up a three-point margin if they triumph in the outstanding fixture.

This all sets up Man United nicely for the run-in to the end of the season as they knuckle down to focus on retaining their silverware.

In contrast, Wenger will almost surely be a worried man when he has a look at the fixtures lined up for them over the next couple of weeks.

Their next game is against Chelsea of all people – a Premiership tie at Stamford Bridge next Sunday. The following Saturday they get what could be construed to be a breather, if you can call it that. But that would be dangerous in these circumstances - they face Bolton in the league at the Reebok Stadium on March 29.

Four days later and they come against Liverpool in the first leg of the European Champions League quarterfinals at their Emirates Stadium. They will play the Reds three times in the space of a week – a league match at the Emirates on April 5 follows, with the second leg of the European clash at Anfield on April 8.

But if Arsenal’s fans thought that with this behind they might get some reprieve, they had better think again.

Four days after the Anfield slog they meet Man United at Old Trafford in a game that could well determine whether or not they are still in the running for a first league title since their quite remarkable campaign of 2003/04 when they won the championship crown without defeat.

The Red Devils, of course, will also have been European battle, tangling with Italian giants Roma in their quarterfinal match-up. And while they too will have suffered from exhaustion by the time they clash on April 13, Man United will be tipped to see off the Gunners and consolidate their bid to retain the title.

Chelsea’s followers will be quick to remind everyone not to count them out just yet, but one gets the feeling that while the momentum is with Man United and the finish line so close – nine games to go – Ferguson’s squad is not only big enough to cope with the these demands but more importantly, good enough to do it.

And with Ronaldo in the sort of form that he is, popping up at crucial times to serve as their saviour, they must be favourites to win a 10^th Premiership title under Ferguson. And why not? They would be deserving champions again.

By Shaun Orange

The English Premier League is touted by many as being the best there is in the world. The television coverage of the Premiership is second to none and the action on the pitch is every-bit as exciting as it is made out to be – played at neck-break speed and loaded with rough and tumble in true English bulldog tradition.

Of course, there are some who might dispute that it is not the best, arguing that it is nowhere near as technical as the Spanish La Liga. That may be as it is, but the fact remains that the Premier League is tops in the eyes of everyone else, and that equates to almost all who follow the beautiful game.

Friday’s quarterfinal draw of the European Champions League will have gone some way to underlining that widely held notion, and why not? England’s four teams in the continent’s leading club competition all made it through to the last eight – effectively taking up half of the slots available. Not bad for a league that not too long ago was frowned upon as being the scourge of world soccer.

To put things in perspective we need look no further than the 2005 final when Liverpool beat AC Milan to clinch their fifth European Cup. A season later and the Gunners reached the final for the first time, even if they did lose to Barcelona. And then last May the Reds again made the final, this time going down to the Italians whom they had ambushed in Istanbul a couple of seasons earlier.

There probably aren’t many punters out there who would put a wager on an English team not negotiating their way to the final.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have got every reason to be proud of sitting at Europe’s top table. And we will get to see these giants of club football pit their skills against each when Arsenal clash with Liverpool, Chelsea engage in battle with Turkey’s Fenerbahce and Man United resuming their rivalry with Serie A’s Roma.

The pick of the round no doubt is the one that will have the first leg played at the Emirates Stadium in London before moving to Anfield on Merseyside, where some of English football’s greatest European Cup games have been played out.

The managers of these two teams have set the tone for the confrontation – on April 2 and 8, which will punctuated by a Premiership game on April 5.

Rafael Benitez, the Liverpool boss, said he was prepared for their encounter with the Gunners, while Arsene Wenger said he was confident that they could progress to the semifinals at the expense of their Premiership rivals.

Another thing that caused a stir at the draw was the revelation that an hour and a half before the teams were drawn out of the hat in Nyon, Switzerland, an internet posting suggested that it was rigged and forecast the entire draw correctly.

Not surprisingly UEFA, the European governing body quickly sought to “rubbish” the posting, which was left on a newspaper forum. It has certainly created a stir, prompting calls that UEFA are not as “clean” as they make themselves out to be.

There is no dispute however, in my eyes, that the Premiership, no matter what anybody says right now, is indeed the best in the world.

By Shaun Orange

It was pleasing to note that Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan spoke confidently and positively that they would stay up this season.

However, whether or not they do is another matter. The Magpies have been terribly poor this campaign, an even after “King Kev” took over when Sam Allardyce was sacked in January. There was supposed to quick and noticeable turn around in their fortunes after the former Liverpool and England international returned to St James’ Park for a second stint as boss.

But things have not quite gone the way neither Keegan nor the Toon Army had hoped. A 3-0 slaying by Liverpool over the weekend saw to it that Keegan has not won in the league since his return, a sequence of seven Premiership games and dreadful run of form by any standards.

Nonetheless, Keegan is more than sure that they will not get relegated despite tumbling into the danger zone after his former club thrashed them at the weekend. The Magpies have 28 points from 29 matches, and that equates to one game more than Bolton in 18^th place (third from the bottom) and just three points in front of the Trotters.

Defiant as ever, the St James’ Park boss conceded that they are finding it difficult but remained adamant that they would be in the Premiership next season. Perhaps Keegan had a look at the fixtures before he spoke so brazenly about staying up. They are at home to Birmingham City next week Monday, travel to Fulham five days and then come up against Tottenham at White Hart Lane at the end of the month.

The first two of these three fixtures look like what should be within Newcastle’s capacity to win and relieve their stressed out manager somewhat. Tottenham will probably be a tougher task, yet if Keegan can somehow get his side to win once, more success could follow – it often happens that way. Get one win under your belt and more will surely come.

Newcastle will not be expecting a walk in the park – far from it. Birmingham are one place ahead of Bolton and Fulham are second off the foot of the table, making it that all three teams are in the same boat – battling to survive.

England striker Michael Owen also gave Keegan a boost when he said he was happy at St James Park and looking forward to signing an extension on a deal that runs out in the off-season. The newly appointed captain said he was settled at St James’ Park as a player, but was not pleased with the way results are going for them.

Whichever one looks at it, that is good stuff for Keegan (and the club) and maybe explains why the beleaguered coach remains optimistic about staving off the drop to the Championship Division.

By Shaun Orange

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is to be investigated for his unkind comments about referee Martin Atkinson, following their defeat in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup on Saturday.

And if it is concluded that the Old Trafford boss stepped over the mark, then he should not be spared and instead have the book thrown at him.

Man United crashed to a surprise loss at the hands of Portsmouth and it left Ferguson in a foul mood, bad enough for him to issue Atkinson one of his infamous tongue-lashings.

The reason for the concern is that managers are becoming too critical of the officials these days and they (the managers) need to be brought in line if there is any misdemeanor against them proven.

Now that the Football Association have said that they are aware of the comments and that they will be looking into the matter, they should not be lenient on the Man United chief. They have got to take a firm stand and deal with Ferguson, just as they would any other manager who goes too far in his attack on the match officials.

The sad part about this whole thing is that Ferguson has had many run-ins with the referees over the years and he must be made to stop in his tracks.

If found in breach of any of the game’s regulations, then Ferguson must take responsibility for his deeds and pay the penalty.

Such is the untoward behavior at Old Trafford that Ferguson’s assistant Carlos Queiroz was forced to make a public apology after he too put his foot in it. The Porguese coach made disparaging remarks about Mark Taylor, the Birmingham City defender who broke Arsenal strike Eduardo’s leg last month.

Queiroz, overtaken by emotion after Saturday’s exit from the FA Cup, termed Taylor “a hatchet man”. To his credit he has now apologized to Taylor and should be left alone to deal with the issues pertaining to the field of play.

Gordon Taylor, the Professional Footballer's Association chief executive, has also got involved and said that referees had an obligation to protect the game’s best players in the English League.

He also mentioned that there should be no favoritism.

The referees are coming in for too much critism and something needs to be done to keep the mater in check. Also, clubs are understandably worried abbot the growing numbers of harsh tackles and the injuries that they come with; but to pick on them in public is not the answer. The parties involved should sit down and thrash it out.

Ferguson, with all knowledge of the game, should know better than to lose his cool and have a go at the referees, if only because he and Queiroz are been seen as sore losers. They are probably not, but that is how they are being judged.

By Shaun Orange

The FA Cup has for long provided us with sensational competition and among those fixtures that have found their place in the history books are some remarkable upsets. Stories of giant-killing acts, which many say could only be dreamt of.

Saturday’s action in the quarterfinals tossed up a couple of such wonder results and left the purists licking their lips. In particular, Chelsea’s elimination by Barnsley, the Championship Division team, will be remembered fondly by the supporters of a club stationed in 19^th place on the 24-team log.

It was nothing short of riveting stuff, more so towards the end when Chelsea, the holders of the trophy, went in desperate search of an equaliser – only to come up empty-handed.  

It had all the ingredients that help make the FA Cup such a wonderful football spectacle. It was a case of the embarrassingly rich and famous club – Chelsea, flexing their might against a lowly, cash-strapped outfit battling to stave off relegation to Division Two.

But as history has taught us in this, the world’s oldest soccer cup competition, the underdogs every now and then deliberately threw the form-book out of the window and then leave their more illustrious opposition flattened – knocked out for the count.

For the Blues, this will have been bitter disappointment, exacerbated by the fact that their city rivals Tottenham beat them in the final of the League Cup at Wembley Stadium a fortnight ago.

That loss triggered widespread criticism of Chelsea’s Israeli coach Avram Grant, and a good guess would be that his critics will return with more venom, following in the wake of their latest setback.

But Grant maybe should not be judged too harshly, at least not right now. He’s only been in the job since last September and, he might well find some solace in Barnsley’s defeat of their Premiership rivals, Liverpool.

The Tykes knocked out the Reds in the previous round and Rafael Benitez, who himself has endured a difficult season this term, was not axed. Far from it; the Spaniard still has the walk about of Anfield (although that scenario could be dramatically altered before the start of next season).

It was a kind gesture by Chelsea skipper John Terry to urge Barnsley to go on and “win the Cup”. It was also one that masked the pain of the England defender and expensively assembled squad will be experiencing.

Manchester United, also ejected from the Cup on Saturday, may not feel as aggrieved as Chelsea, given that Portsmouth are a Premiership side. But they will be hurting nonetheless for going out when there was some much talk of a repeat of the Treble season of 1999, when the Red Devils won the English league title, the FA Cup and the Champions League trophy.

The only damper on an otherwise absorbing FA Cup Saturday was the moaning about the referreing obyf Man United boss Alex Ferguson; something which could be interpreted as him being a sore loser.After all, he should by now that this is the FA Cup and these results are not uncommon – thrown up in the midst of the glory and passion in which this fabled competition is played.

By Shaun Orange

Just when we thought the issues that brewed such consternation at Liverpool were behind the Reds, up pops another that will almost surely not go away in a hurry.

And if a quick call were to be made on just who is to blame for this utter mess, then those two American tycoons who bought the club and then saddled it with a major debt would be the ones.

Liverpool have not known trying times as bad as these, and amidst all the chaos everyone in the football world expects Rafael Benitez to win the Premier League championship title, of course those who don’t are rolling over in laughter.

That, in short, is the fiasco, so eloquently created by Tom Hicks and George Gillett. And to make matters worse, or better (depending on your standpoint) it has now been established that Hicks and Gillet are in talks with Dubai International Capital (DIC), the emirate's investment arm.

It was interesting to note over the last couple of days that Rick Parry, the CEO, remained conspicuously silent on the matter.

I say this because if there is anybody at Anfield who should know better and who has the capacity to bring some semblance of sanity to the Merseyside mess, then it is without doubt Parry.

But then again, given the new regime at Anfield, Parry might not be as influential, or bothered for that matter, to really try and straighten things out.

Liverpool are a shambles right now - on and off the pitch.

When they were floored by lowly Barnsley in the FA Cup - crashing out so haplessly, I duly called for Benitez to walk. And I stand by that, only because at the time, the ructions between the coach and the owners were said to have been resolved, and the Spaniard himself endorsed that view.

But now it’s a case of going back to square one. And my thinking is that unless the DIC moves in swiftly and gets things back on track again without delay, this slumbering giant of English and European football stands to fall further into the abyss.

There is no doubting that Liverpool have the quality in their squad to challenge on all four fronts. But unless the boardroom hassles are resolved and Benitez takes stock of his controversial rotation policy then they will remain a mere threat to Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea. Certainly nothing more than that - just a threat.

Benitez for all his wiliness somehow seems to do better than everyone, maybe including himself, expects him to in the Champions League. And this season again, it appears as if he might pull off another wonderful run in the fabled European competition and exact a fair measure of relief from an otherwise difficult campaign.

They should get past Inter Milan, although they still have to go to Italy and finish off the job, following their handsome 2-0 win in the first leg of the first knockout round.

They got to the final twice in the last three years; won it once, in 2005 and then were runners-up last season.

For this club, it would be nice if they could go on and give their critics something to think about. But while the turbulent boardroom under-currents persist, that is, Hicks and Gillet, it is hard to see how.