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Eddie Leie strode in like a man high on life. There was a cheery hello to a largely empty room. There were a few seconds of hyperactive mic testing. And then there was an engaging conversation, not a press conference. One during which he admitted, “All I know is that I’ll pay money to play in the IPL.”The statement was clearly meant as a joke, but the enthusiasm the 28-year old legspinner had for playing as much cricket as possible could not be hidden.”I watch a lot of IPL,” he said. “I recently played in the Caribbean Premier League in West Indies and I think I did okay there. But I’m not thinking that far ahead. If it happens, I’ll be happy. But for me, my focus at the moment is honestly on the game against India A tomorrow, if I get selected, and doing well. Honestly, if you take care of your performance, everything takes care of itself. So the IPL is not on my mind.”

Manish Pandey bowled despite illegal action

Manish Pandey, who is presently on the BCCI’s list of players with an illegal action, ended up bowling in the match against Australia A on Friday.
The on-field umpires Anil Dandekar and Nand Kishore caught on to the mistake soon after he completed his first over and asked India A captain Unmukt Chand to take him off.
Pandey, a part-time medium-pacer, was called when he had bowled for Karnataka in a Ranji Trophy game against Madhya Pradesh in January. His primary role is that of a batsman, though, but if he wants to add to the 193.3 overs he has bowled in eight years of domestic cricket, he will need a clean chit from the BCCI suspect action committee first.

Leie holds the record for the best figures – 3 for 16 – for a South African on T20 debut. So it should be no surprise that he has been persisted with for their next T20 assignment against New Zealand. Perhaps if he does well in the A-team tri-series currently underway in Chennai, he might come back to India for the World T20 in March.But, according to Leie, he is quite a way down the pecking order. “I’m not even the best spinner in the country, to be honest. We’ve got Imran Tahir, great spinner. Aaron Phangiso, great spinner. We’ve got Robin Peterson. So I don’t even think I’m first line for selection. For me, I just need to do well tomorrow so as to get one up in the series and go to the final. Not what the senior team does. That’s out of my control.”All he plans to do is work on his game, with a little help from YouTube.”I relied mostly on the videos of legspinners around the world – Danish Kaneria, Shane Warne, Anil Kumble, my favourite, Mushtaq Ahmed, from back in the day,” he said. “So I try to learn as much as I can from them. My action might be a bit similar to most of them, with the arm coming from the top.”That isn’t the extent of his unconventional upbringing in cricket. Even the decision to become a legspinner was a fine story. An eight-year-old Leie was playing mini-cricket, a venture designed to bring more kids into the game in South Africa, when he was asked to go run an errand. Along the way, he figured out he had a nifty little talent.”With mini-cricket, everyone gets a chance to bowl, everyone gets a chance to keep, everyone gets a chance to bat. You rotate. So I was running in and just bowling and one day I got sent to the shops by my mother. But I was reluctant on going. So [on the way] I started playing with stones, just flicking like this [mimics the release of a legspinner]. Obviously, it was a gravel road and it kept on doing that [mimics the stone’s deviation] and when I went practice after that, I started getting a few wickets at training. So I just stuck to that.”

AC Milan’s decision to release Mathieu Flamini back into the footballing wilderness yesterday may spark up some interest from fans of his former club Arsenal. Many will be using him to illustrate the point that leaving the red of half of North London for pastures greener does not always work out (Mr Van Persie take note). Others may well see it as an opportunity for the 28 year old to put a red and white shirt on again.

But is it worth Arsenal’s trouble? He became a highly regarded defensive midfielder during his original spell, but after turning his back on the Gunners for higher wages at the San Siro, his commitment to the North London club can be brought into question.

It is no secret to many that holding midfield is an area Arsenal could do well to strengthen. The inconsistency of Alex Song last season was originally met with speculation regarding the signing of Rennes’ Yann M’Villa as a replacement, and now Mathieu Flamini could be in the picture as a free transfer to M’Villa’s £17 million price tag.

A problem for Arsenal could be Flamini’s wage demands. One of the reasons why he left the Emirates in the first place, talks with Milan in renewing a contract broke down as they wanted him to take a wage cut. Something Arsenal are also keen for their players to do, their reduction of the Emirates wage bill may not be in keeping with offering the 28 year old a salary big enough to entice him. Another issues lies in the Frenchman’s fitness levels. Having missed the whole of last season suffering from a knee injury, Arsenal will be taking a huge risk if they were to invest big wages on a player who could just find himself making up the numbers in the treatment room.

There is however, reason to suggest it would be a sensible move for both parties. Flamini’s form in his final season for the Gunners was impressive, putting him on the Rossoneri’s radar. For many, he was the gritty defensive midfielder Arsenal so badly craved and arguably, never replaced. His knowledge of the English game as well as his well suited physicality have already been proven, and he would not need the time to adjust the Premier League that a player such as M’Villa may find himself requiring.

There is no denying Flamini’s talent. Having already proved himself in the Premier League, he was then at times, a first team regular in AC Milan’s Serie A team. Should injuries not take their toll, the recapturing of the 28 year old may prove to be a controversial but shrewd piece of business for the Gunners.

Whether or not Arsenal fans would be happy too see Mathieu Flamini back in their side would all depend on whether or not the gamble would pay off. After leaving North London in 2008, Flamini claimed Arsenal had ‘missed their chance’; well they just might get another chance with the Frenchman.

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Former Manchester United captain, Gary Neville, will begin his new career at the start of next season, replacing Andy Gray as Sky Sports’ chief pundit. One half of England’s infamous sibling duo, Gary has proclaimed that, “now I have retired this feels like the perfect way for me to stay involved in football and I am looking forward to bringing my 19 years of match experience into television.”

Neville has appeared sporadically as a pundit for Sky during lengthy injury spells and, based on his playing style, will probably look to cause controversy and provoke debate as an analyst. Before he starts his new job, Neville should take a look at some famous former players who have made the move from dressing-room bench to studio sofa with varying results. Here is a list of the ten most inept pundits who made the same career shift as Neville and failed to utilise their playing experience for imparting knowledge of the game…

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Click on Lawro below to see the Top TEN

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List compiled by Josh Sheridan

This weekend in the Premier League there are plenty of matches to warm you up and beat the snow. The Premiership title contenders will all be confident of wins against their opponents, with Manchester United looking to build on the seven goals they scored against Blackburn last weekend and put plenty past Blackpool at Bloomfield Road. Some of the in form players for fantasy football players to look out for are Arsenal’s Samir Nasri who will be the man to watch against Fulham at The Emirates, while Mario Balotelli will be looking to add to his midweek double and fire Manchester City to victory at home to Bolton. You can see this week’s Premiership predictions in full here.

[divider]

Martin Lipton:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=B6HZ0vo1m_4%3Ffs%3D1%26hl%3Den_GB

Do you agree with the Premier League predictions made this week?

Holy Crap – its live fantasy football! Become part of the Sunderland v West Ham match on Sunday and play Picklive for FREE Watch and bet live – spices up any game!

Football Writers’ Association Predictions – Week 17

Overall standings

1. Steve Bates – 73

2. Martin Lipton – 73

3. Andy Dunn – 72

4. Shaun Custis – 71

5. Des Kelly – 71

6. Danny Fullbrook – 66

7. Glenn Moore – 66

8. Patrick Barclay – 60

–

Final November standings:

1. Andy Dunn 18 (3)

2. Shaun Custis 17 (4)

3. Martin Lipton 17 (5)

4. Steve Bates 16 (4)

5. Glenn Moore 14 (5)

6. Patrick Barclay 13 (3)

7. Des Kelly 13 (4)

8. Danny Fullbrook 12 (2)

–

Patrick Barclay (The Times)

Home Team

Away Team

Arsenal

V

Fulham

H

Birmingham

V

Tottenham

D

Blackburn

V

Wolves

D

Blackpool

V

Man United

A

Chelsea

V

Everton

H

Man City

V

Bolton

D

Sunderland

V

West Ham

H

West Brom

V

Newcastle

H

Wigan

V

Stoke

A

Liverpool

V

Aston Villa

H

Blackburn v Wolves: Rovers to throw everything at the Wolves

Des Kelly (Daily Mail)

Home Team

Away Team

Arsenal

V

Fulham

H

Birmingham

V

Tottenham

A

Blackburn

V

Wolves

D

Blackpool

V

Man United

A

Chelsea

V

Everton

D

Man City

V

Bolton

A

Sunderland

V

West Ham

H

West Brom

V

Newcastle

D

Wigan

V

Stoke

A

Liverpool

V

Aston Villa

A

Arsenal v Fulham: After a couple of hiccups against Spurs Braga, Arsenal seem back on track. The Gunners’ vulnerability at home (W4, L3) gives Fulham a glimmer of hope but Arsene Wenger’s side should have enough firepower.

Shaun Custis (The Sun)

Home Team

Away Team

Arsenal

V

Fulham

H

Birmingham

V

Tottenham

A

Blackburn

V

Wolves

A

Blackpool

V

Man United

A

Chelsea

V

Everton

H

Man City

V

Bolton

H

Sunderland

V

West Ham

D

West Brom

V

Newcastle

D

Wigan

V

Stoke

H

Liverpool

V

Aston Villa

H

Liverpool v Aston Villa: Emotional return for Gerard Houllier and Gary McAllister but it is a trip destined to end in disappointment.

Head to the next page for more football predictions…

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Andy Dunn (News of the World)

Home Team

Away Team

Arsenal

V

Fulham

H

Birmingham

V

Tottenham

H

Blackburn

V

Wolves

A

Blackpool

V

Man United

A

Chelsea

V

Everton

D

Man City

V

Bolton

H

Sunderland

V

West Ham

H

West Brom

V

Newcastle

H

Wigan

V

Stoke

A

Liverpool

V

Aston Villa

H

Man City v Bolton – Owen Coyle’s team may be the surprise package of the season but Man City are beginning to find some consistency and should be too strong.

Martin Lipton (The Mirror)

Home Team

Away Team

Arsenal

V

Fulham

H

Birmingham

V

Tottenham

D

Blackburn

V

Wolves

A

Blackpool

V

Man United

A

Chelsea

V

Everton

H

Man City

V

Bolton

H

Sunderland

V

West Ham

A

West Brom

V

Newcastle

H

Wigan

V

Stoke

D

Liverpool

V

Aston Villa

D

Birmingham v Tottenham: Spurs have had a great run recently but St Andrews is a hard place to win and Birmingham will work themselves silly to take at least a point

Steve Bates (The People)

Home Team

Away Team

Arsenal

V

Fulham

H

Birmingham

V

Tottenham

A

Blackburn

V

Wolves

H

Blackpool

V

Man United

A

Chelsea

V

Everton

H

Man City

V

Bolton

H

Sunderland

V

West Ham

H

West Brom

V

Newcastle

D

Wigan

V

Stoke

D

Liverpool

V

Aston Villa

D

Blackpool v Man United: Sir Alex Ferguson’s stars rarely suffer back to back defeats and after the hammer horror at Upton Park I expect a back-lash against Blackpool – weather permitting!

Danny Fulbrook (Daily Star)

Home Team

Away Team

Arsenal

V

Fulham

H

Birmingham

V

Tottenham

A

Blackburn

V

Wolves

D

Blackpool

V

Man United

A

Chelsea

V

Everton

H

Man City

V

Bolton

H

Sunderland

V

West Ham

H

West Brom

V

Newcastle

A

Wigan

V

Stoke

A

Liverpool

V

Aston Villa

D

Sunderland v West Ham: The Hammers might have won two in a row but they will lose this one

Glenn Moore (The Independent)

Home Team

Away Team

Arsenal

V

Fulham

H

Birmingham

V

Tottenham

D

Blackburn

V

Wolves

D

Blackpool

V

Man United

A

Chelsea

V

Everton

H

Man City

V

Bolton

D

Sunderland

V

West Ham

H

West Brom

V

Newcastle

H

Wigan

V

Stoke

H

Liverpool

V

Aston Villa

H

Chelsea v Everton: Two teams which have underachieved recently as injuries, then failing confidence, affected performances; Chelsea to recover their form first.

And so it came down to this, the final day of the Bundesliga, the fight for survival.

In the red corner, weighing in with 30 points from 33 games, the winners of the inaugural Bundesliga – the extremely unreliable FC Cologne.

In the blue corner, weighing in with 28 points from 33 games, the club from the capital – the equally unreliable Hertha Berlin.

Now all boxing analogies and hyperbole aside, Saturday held a lot of importance for these two clubs. Of course, such is the way the Bundesliga works, the most either could achieve on Saturday was the relative safety of the awkward Relegation Play-Off.

It was the importance of the occasion which helped to make Saturday afternoon’s events all the more dramatic. Both Cologne and Hertha had the advantage of playing at home. However, the Billy Goats faced Bayern Munich, a side looking to keep themselves in good shape ahead of the DFB-Pokal Final and the Champions League Final.

Hoffenheim weren’t going to be an easy proposition for Hertha Berlin but they certainly weren’t as tough opposition as Bayern were to Cologne. The final results showed this.

Understandably, the relegation threatened duo started tentatively on Saturday but it was Hertha who struck first as Anis Ben-Hatira’s free-kick from wide on the right went all the way in to the delight of the Olympiastadion. Otto Rehhagel’s side had the advantage. The dour face of General Manager Michael Preetz, even when they’d scored, illustrated Hertha were by no means secure.

The mood was further lifted in Berlin with news Thomas Müller had opened the scoring at the RheinEnergieStadion. Such was their inferior goal difference to Hertha, Cologne now had to come from behind and beat Bayern. The problem for Frank Schaefer’s team was that not once during the campaign had their opponents gone in front in the Bundesliga and lost.

The last time it happened was actually against Cologne last season but there was to be no repeat on Saturday. Instead, things kept on improving for Hertha Berlin. Ryan Babel was harshly sent off for Hoffenheim just before half time. It meant Hertha continued to gather momentum which they took into the second period.

Meanwhile at the RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne made an impressive start after half time. Fortune didn’t favour their brave approach though on this occasion. Playing in such an open manner against Bayern is always risky and it didn’t pay off as Geromel diverted Franck Ribery’s cross into his own goal. This was quickly followed by a third by Arjen Robben. Milivoje Novakovic grabbed a consolation before Thomas Müller completed the scoring making it 4-1 to the Bundesliga runners up.

The news from Berlin wasn’t positive for Cologne either with Ben-Hatira scoring his second and ending their chances of automatic relegation, or so it seemed. Someone forgot to inform Hoffenheim’s Marvin Commper who ensured a bizarre finale to the season by halving Hertha’s lead with minutes left.

The scoreline now 2-1 and another goal for Markus Babbel’s side would condemn Hertha. In the final minutes, Thomas Kraft was forced into a save giving Hoffenheim a late corner. Up came goalkeeper Tom Starke but Hertha cleared and with no one guarding the goal at the opposite end, Raffael was able to run the ball in, cue roars of relief around the Olympiastadion.

Simultaneously in Cologne, there were some rather unsavoury scenes as some discontented supporters lit flares behind Manuel Neuer’s goal. Referee Florian Meyer took the sensible step to blow for full time as a plume of black smoke engulfed one end of the stadium. Players and officials rushed down the tunnel but one man trudged off at a slower pace than the others.

That was Lukas Podolski playing his final game for Cologne prior to his move to Arsenal. Seeing “Prinz Poldi” leaving the pitch with clouds of black smoke behind him was poignant. Indeed, he departs with his hometown club in disarray. That said Cologne’s exit from the Bundesliga epitomised the ridiculous nature of their season. Predicting whether they’ll make an immediate return is difficult at this time.

As for Hertha Berlin, they’ll have been delighted their former coach Markus Babbel didn’t end up coming back to haunt them. That relative honour might fall to Fortuna Dusseldorf, their opponents in the Relegation Play Off. Hertha fans know their team haven’t played that well under Otto Rehhagel but with the organiser supreme, they managed to win the fight for survival – for now.

For more on the Bundesliga, follow @archiert1 on Twitter

Matchday 34 Results:

Augsburg 1-0 Hamburg

Borussia Dortmund 4-0 Freiburg

Cologne 1-4 Bayern Munich

Hannover 2-1 Kaiserslautern

Hertha Berlin 3-1 Hoffenheim

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Mainz 0-3 Gladbach

Nuremberg 1-4 Bayer Leverkusen

Stuttgart 3-2 Wolfsburg

Werder Bremen 2-3 Schalke

The Final Table

Rank

Club

Matches

W*

D*

L*

G*

GD*

PTS*

1

Borussia Dortmund

34

25

6

3

80:25

+55

81

CL*

2

FC Bayern Munich

34

23

4

7

77:22

+55

73

CL*

3

FC Schalke 04

34

20

4

10

74:44

+30

64

CL*

4

Borussia Mönchengladbach

34

17

9

8

49:24

+25

60

CL* Qual.

5

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

34

15

9

10

52:44

+8

54

EL*

6

VfB Stuttgart

34

15

8

11

63:46

+17

53

EL* Qual.

7

Hannover 96

34

12

12

10

41:45

-4

48

EL* Qual.

8

VfL Wolfsburg

34

13

5

16

47:60

-13

44

9

SV Werder Bremen

34

11

9

14

49:58

-9

42

10

1. FC Nuremberg

34

12

6

16

38:49

-11

42

11

1899 Hoffenheim

34

10

11

13

41:47

-6

41

12

SC Freiburg

34

10

10

14

45:61

-16

40

13

1. FSV Mainz 05

34

9

12

13

47:51

-4

39

14

FC Augsburg

34

8

14

12

36:49

-13

38

15

Hamburger SV

34

8

12

14

35:57

-22

36

16

Hertha BSC Berlin

34

7

10

17

38:64

-26

31

Play-offs

17

1. FC Köln

34

8

6

20

39:75

-36

30

Relegation

18

1. FC Kaiserslautern

34

4

11

19

24:54

-30

23

Relegation

Table thanks to Bundesliga Official Website

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Tottenham playmaker Luka Modric has reiterated his desire to move across London to rivals Chelsea, and claims current club chairman Daniel Levy has broken a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ between the two men last summer.

The Blues had a £22 million bid rejected earlier in the transfer window, but the Tottenham supremo met the wantaway player last week, stating the issue was resolved and the ex-Dinamo Zabreb midfielder was not for sale. Modric tells a different version of events however.

“A lot has been published in the press about the meeting with Levy, who gave the public a twisted account of what happened. I must say that I am genuinely disappointed about what Levy said to me. He didn’t care about what I was telling him. It all only convinced me further that I was right to consider moving on to another club,” the 25-year-old told Croatian newspaper Sportske Novosti.

“I reminded the chairman of our gentleman’s agreement when we were in Dubrovnik last summer and I agreed a contract extension with Tottenham. Then I had an open chat with Levy – that if a bigger club came in with a concrete offer, we would consider it and agree the best solution for all concerned.

“The chairman said, ‘Okay, we’ll sit and talk [about any offers]’. Now Levy doesn’t want to talk to me and said there is no possibility that I can leave Spurs. He threatened me – he said if I didn’t accept the club’s stance, they would make me sit on the bench or in the stands,” he continued.

Modric maintained his intent to leave, and stated that he hopes a sale can be reached amicably.

“I hope that eventually he will understand the situation and that we will reach an agreement and go our separate ways in an appropriate manner.

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“There is no doubt that Chelsea want me – they sent a concrete offer to Tottenham. I know that the new Chelsea boss said he wants me in his team. Of course I am flattered by this interest in me, it’s a club that all players dream of joining, fighting for every competition available.

“It wasn’t a snap decision; I talked a long time with my family and people whose opinions I respect. I thought about it, weighed it all up, and finally decided this was the best option,” the eastern European concluded.

Arsenal are another side that really need to prove their credentials as long-term challengers for the Premier League title. A home defeat to Newcastle last weekend was a major setback, and Wolves’ enterprising display on Wednesday did little to suggest that the Gunners old weakness of failing to get points against the smaller sides has left them.

Everton are ticking along unnoticed amongst the promoted clubs punching above their weight and the old hands struggling to come to terms with this season’s challenges. Toffees fans will have been delighted with Jermaine Beckford’s late goal to deny Bolton on Wednesday night, not least because it was the former Leeds man’s first Premier League goal since arriving at Goodison Park.

Recent form might suggest Arsenal could struggle here but Arsene Wenger will know that a win here is crucial to dispel doubters about the strength, both mental and physical, of his Arsenal squad.

Prediction: 0-2

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[poll ]

This is arguably the most important week in Reading FC’s history. With the tough game at playoff-hopefuls Brighton and another away game at Southampton on Friday, the run-in is not allowing Reading fans to catch their breath at any moment.

It was a different story during the 05/06 season. Reading were promoted with a record breaking 106 points, scoring an unbelievable 99 goals and losing only twice in the process. Promotion was secured in March and, whilst no fan will admit it, the form we were playing in meant that the expectation of gaining Premier League status came a while before it was mathematically confirmed.

But this season is something quite alien to a Reading fan. Our late surge last season came too late to prove a real challenge to the top 2 and fans were happy with a playoff place. This year anything less than automatic promotion will be a disappointment. With a tougher string of final games than Saints and West Ham, Reading really need to grind results out and that is exactly what happened last night at Brighton.

Nearly doubling the amount of shots on target Reading had, the home side looked like  they were good for a win. However, Reading knew they had to get an early goal in order to relax on the ball, especially with an injury-stricken midfield, and Ian Harte’s deflected free kick went in on 14 minutes; his third goal in four games. Brighton did look dangerous, with Vicente striking the crossbar and Federici saving a Barnes penalty, Reading did well to hold on; as they say, a sign of a good team is one that can win ugly.

This momentum will be taken to St Mary’s on Friday evening and what a huge game it is going to be. Reading have proved they can get 3 points at tough away fixtures, having done so at the likes of West Ham and Middlesbrough since the start of the new year, and there is no better chance than Friday’s televised game to show that we have the quality to be a Premier League side.

Gus Poyet has admitted that Reading are the best team in the league and hopefully Nigel Adkins will have to concede the same thing in his post-match interview on Friday night. Ricky Lambert is clearly their man to watch but our defence is capable of holding him off. With 19 clean sheets this season, our back 5 will be a tough match for Lambert, the league’s leading goalscorer who has netted 10 more times than his nearest competitor.

Reading’s midfield is a bit of a concern with many injuries – Leigertwood and Tabb both doubts again, whilst Jem Karacan is out for the rest of the season with a broken ankle suffered in the win against Leeds. Our makeshift midfield will have to step up once more on Friday; local lad Hayden Mullins will likely start again with Jobi McAnuff continuing in the centre to replace Karacan’s composure on the ball – McAnuff has proved he can do this in previous games.

Whatever happens this week, the match is set up to be the game of the season and the atmosphere will be electric. If Reading win we will have gained 43 points out of 48 which is not the form of a team looking for a second place finish; it is the form of champions.

Thoughts? Contact me on Twitter @JackPeedell

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Thanks go to Joe Deeks for his input on this article.

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Michel Platini’s plans for financial “fair play” in European football has garnered great debate over the past year or two, and I won’t say much more on that. But it has struck me that there might be an unwelcome consequence of these plans that wasn’t part of his remit.

Regarding ticket prices, Manchester City’s owners could have done something wonderful. They could have provided cheap tickets to all, filled the ground every week and brought back those that have been priced out of the modern game. I’m not saying they would have done, but they could have done, and having already put in place many positive changes to the match day experience, they may have done. And why? Well, they own the club not for profit, but to expand their “profile”. Ideally a club pays for itself, but I doubt City’s owners would have lost much sleep if City had continued to run at a loss.

Either way, we’ll never know. Because now, thanks to Platini, City, like every club will be looking at maximising income, in every possible way. Most clubs do anyway of course, but a wealthy owner, for all the criticism they receive, removed the need to generate every penny they spend. You might think this is how it should be morally, but in the end it will be the fans that pay the biggest price, as always. Because while City would always have looked to expand globally anyway, and sought out the biggest commercial deals they could possibly get, it is only natural that they now look to the fans as well for even more income. While income from tickets is but a small slice of how clubs generate money, it is an important slice nevertheless.

Not that all Premiership teams are definitely going to put up their prices. Last week, Everton announced a freeze on ticket prices for next season, a surprising move for a club in a perilous financial position. My season ticket has only gone up £40 over the past five years, following City’s own recent price freeze. The changes are creeping in at City though – the owners are pushing their marketing towards children and executives. So while the children still get in cheap and the whole of the north stand has been adapted to suit their needs, around the middle tier the fancy executive areas are beginning to spread outwards towards the corner flags, and as the seats get plumper and the facilities plusher, the prices have already started their march upwards. As we all know, corporate fans bring in far more money than your typical working class man who wants a pie and a pint and a seat anywhere. Thus we see the situation where City have sold out their limited allocation for the Chelsea away match this month, but you can still buy tickets if you want to spend quadruple the amount and go corporate.

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City’s decision makers know of course that there is a tipping point, that prices cannot rise too much as people will simply stop going to matches, hence why Cup tickets have remained cheap as chips (even cheaper if it’s the chips sold inside the ground), and then there’s the special offers for group purchases and the sale last summer of £250 lucky-dip season tickets. Even this hasn’t filled the ground up, but with the City of Manchester stadium hosting a minimum of 28 games this season, it is an expensive passion following a top-level team, however cheap the tickets are. In a survey sent out to City fans recently by the club, there was a rather ominous question that asked how much we were prepared to pay for a season ticket. This doesn’t sound like a club that plans to freeze season ticket prices. I know many City fans though that won’t pay over £500.

What’s more, it’s something of a false economy for a club to only look at how much they have made on ticket sales. It’s better for a club to sell 40,000 tickets for £10 pounds than 20,000 tickets at £25, as a large percentage of those 40,000 fans will eat burgers, drink beer and potter round the club-store.

I write with a premiership bias of course, as I usually do. Cheap tickets will still exist, further down the football pyramid. The question remains that if tickets continue to rise in the top leagues, will fans abandon their teams and stop watching football, or perhaps go and watch lower-league football instead? Plenty already do, but attendances in the top divisions don’t show any signs just yet of tailing off.

Many, many clubs have often spent beyond their means, because the general rule is you have to spend to be successful. And once you become successful at the highest levels, the financial rewards mean you tend to stay successful. This is why so called well-run clubs like Everton and Aston Villa are absolutely riddled with debt, Aston Villa’s announced at a cool £70m just this week.

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My fear is that rather than stop spending, clubs in the Premiership who are not duking it out with the elite of Europe will keep looking to spend to ward off the financial nightmare that is relegation. So they’ll look to make more money, and the only way they can do that is through the likes of you and me. Even Arsenal, the epitome of a well-run club (so everyone tells me), generate a large slice of their income through a huge match-day income. I think I am right in saying they generate more on a match-day than any other club on the planet, and recently introduced for their match against City the first ever non-corporate £100 match ticket.

There is one other scenario – one that some tabloid journalists have mentioned, so its veracity is unclear. And that is that clubs will take a gamble in dismissing the idea that UEFA would go as far as excluding clubs from European competition, and thus have no intention of meeting the criteria. It’s also worth noting that the sanctions UEFA can impose only apply to exclusion from European competitions. So if a team is not in Europe and it isn’t looking likely that they will be in the short-term, then they won’t be overly worried about meeting UEFA’s criteria.

But if a club running at a loss is to meet the criteria set out by UEFA, then they have three options. Spend less, or generate more money. Or both. I don’t agree with UEFA’s new rules, but it will be interesting to see how clubs react.

Everyone at Old Trafford will be sad to see Ole Gunnar Solskjaer leave. His 14 year association at the club has been nothing short of remarkable. He leaves Old Trafford with the blessings of Sir Alex Ferguson, the whole management team and most of all the fans. Manchester United owe a huge debt to one of the greatest finishers the club has ever had. During the treble season his goals were vitally important. His goal against Liverpool in the FA Cup – that kept the treble dream alive and of course the winner in the Champions League final. More on that tomorrow.

Many felt he would never leave Manchester United. Will his move into management see him return to Old Trafford after Sir Alex Ferguson retires. He will not be the next manager, but will this move allow him to prove he has the credentials to be a Manchester United manager in the future.

Solskjaer returns to manage the club he left in 1996. Speaking to the Sky Sports, Solskjaer couldn’t hide his passion and love for Old Trafford.

”I’m looking forward to this challenge but it’s massively hard to leave Manchester United. When I told the manager I almost had a tear in my eye.”

Solskjaer couldn’t have a better mentor in Sir Alex Ferguson. He has coached with Ferguson for three and a half years, and the knowledge and skills he will have learnt will stand him in good stead for future managerial challenges. Ferguson showed his faith in the Norwegian’s abilities by making him the reserve manager, a role that he has thrived in. Young players have commented how they love to play for Solskjaer, and alongside Ferguson, Neville, Giggs and Scholes, there can be no better inspiration for Manchester United youngsters.

Solskjaer has expressed a desire to manager Manchester United. Again speaking with Sky Sports, he expressed such an interest.

“Anyone who’s played for United would love to manage the club – but as the manager told me, you need experience and this is the first step for me. Maybe in 25 years, maybe that’s the time.”

There is nothing to say that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer couldn’t one day manage Manchester United. First he will have to learn what kind of manager he is. Look at how many of Ferguson’s ex players have made successful Premier League managers. This is testament to Ferguson. He will mentor and teach but he knows that experience is the best coach. Ferguson believes in Solskjaer and knows the move will make him a better manager.

The fans would love one day to see Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the helm. He is living proof that in a profession that is dominated by money and fame, sometimes the good guy comes out on top. He is a lovable character, always smiling – knowing full well how lucky we was to play under Sir Alex Ferguson and play for Manchester United. He has as much passion for Manchester United as Gary Neville, but shows it in a more considered and measured way.

Solskjaer’s contribution on the pitch and on the coaching staff will never be forgotten by Manchester United. If he is a successful manager in years to come and Manchester United need a manager, it would be amazing to see him back. This is without doubt the right step for him on his rise to the ultimate goal. He will have strong competition if the situation ever arose but something tells me, and I hope I am right, Manchester United haven’t seen the last of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Like what you read? Tomorrow I will be showcasing Solskjaer’s ten best moments at Old Trafford so have a read. Also, contact me on twitter

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