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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

Click on image below to see a gallery of Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest lady

Bolton manager Owen Coyle has stated that he is hopeful midfielder Fabrice Muamba will make a full recovery.

The former England under-21 international collapsed on the White Hart Lane pitch in his side’s FA Cup clash with Tottenham on Saturday, and was rushed to hospital in a saddening and shocking incident.

Despite the Premier League player’s life being threatened by the health problems, Coyle has stated that things are looking better for Muamba.

“Two things Fabrice has on his side are he is a fit young man and the life that he has had. He has had to fight every step of the way along his young journey. These are two things that I’m sure will stand him in good stead,” the Scottish coach told The Telegraph.

“I’ve managed to get to see him myself, as have close family members. I had a conversation. A few words exchanged [although] that will remain private as you will understand, which is a great sign.

“I must stress it’s still very early in the process – Fabrice has still a long way to go. But there’s encouraging signs. We think that’s really positive as we move forward from that point,” he confirmed.

Meanwhile, it looks likely that Bolton will play their Premier League fixture with Blackburn on Saturday, despite Muamba’s ongoing health problems.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Germany defeated fellow World Cup semi-finalists Uruguay 2-1 in an international friendly on Sunday, while Honduras drew with El Salvador.An inexperienced Germany team lost 2-1 to Australia in their last friendly outing on March 29, but coach Joachim Loew kept faith with his young side and was duly rewarded.

In a rematch of the third-place playoff at the 2010 World Cup, which Germany won 3-2, Bayern Munich centre-forward Mario Gomez put the hosts ahead after 26 minutes of the match at Hoffenheim’s Rhein-Neckar Arena.

Gomez dispossessed Diego Lugano just inside the Uruguay half before beating two men and shooting past Lazio goalkeeper Fernando Muslera for an accomplished solo opener.

Mainz forward Andre Schuerrle made it 2-0 on 36 minutes, receiving Mesut Oezil’s pass to smash an unstoppable strike beyond Muslera and into the Uruguay net.

It was Schuerrle’s first international goal in just his third appearance for Germany.

Napoli midfielder Walter Gargano pulled one back for Uruguay four minutes into the second half.

Germany’s attacking threat diminished with the withdrawal of Real Madrid playmaker Oezil, but Uruguay obliged the hosts by failing to create a genuine chance to equalise in the second half.

Livewire Borussia Dortmund teenager Mario Goetze missed Germany’s best opportunity to extend their lead late on, but the 19-year-old failed to beat Muslera with an attempted chip.

Also on Sunday, Honduras gave up a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 against fierce rivals El Salvador in Houston.

Carlos Costly put Honduras ahead on 45 minutes at Robertson Stadium and Jerry Bengtson doubled the lead from the penalty spot five minutes into the second half.

But two goals in the space of three minutes from Rodolfo Zelaya and Rudis Corrales helped El Salvador emerge with a draw.

Everton boss David Moyes has admitted his Merseyside derby record remains a source of frustration ahead of Sunday's showdown with Liverpool at Goodison Park.

The Toffees have lost eight of the last ten league derbies on home soil, much to the frustration of their Scottish coach.

On Sunday he will lock horns with friend Roy Hodgson for the first time since he took the Liverpool reins in the summer.

However, a rueful Moyes will not let sentiment stand in the way of a rare derby success for the blue half of the city.

"At Everton it's been difficult to win as many derbies as I'd hoped to have over the years," he explained.

"I could say that I've had a chance to bed down and Roy is just trying that now. He's at a new club.

"Liverpool's record against us is very good, but then you've got to mention that our debt is far, far less than Liverpool's so it's always been more difficult to get results."

Everton will be without five key players in Marouane Fellaini, Phil Jagielka, Louis Saha, Jack Rodwell and Victor Anichebe through injury and Moyes is only too aware of the threat posed by the Reds.

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He added:"I go into the game knowing we have a good team good players, although obviously we're missing a host of players.

"Liverpool have some fantastic individual players who can win games at any moment."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Manchester City are going to lodge a complaint with UEFA following the racial abuse Yaya Toure and Mario Balotelli received from sections of support at Porto’s Estádio do Dragão. The sound of monkey chants could be heard and City is hoping the UEFA delegate will report the incident so action can be taken. Toure revealed after the game that one of the reasons he moved to the Premier League is that Black players don’t receive such abuse in the football stadiums in England.

Elsewhere in the news, Andre Villas-Boas admits that he lost some of the support of his players at Chelsea; Harry Redknapp believes a part-time England role could work ahead of the Euros, while Arsene Wenger is set to dump some of his Euro flops this summer.

Andre Villas-Boas admits that he has lost some of the support of his players, but believes that Roman Abramovich is fully behind his Chelsea project – Guardian

Manchester City is set to lodge a complaint with UEFA after Yaya Toure and Mario Balotelli were racially abused by the Portuguese crowd – Guardian

Harry Redknapp believes that he could partake in a part-time role for England that will see him finish the season off at Tottenham, before taking the reins for the Euros this summer – Guardian

Arsene Wenger is reportedly ready to dump some of his Arsenal flops in the wake of the Gunners crushing defeat in Milan. The Frenchman was left furious at the performance and is prepared to make changes in the summer – Daily Telegraph

Manchester United were hit with an injury blow last night with Antonio Valencia out for 4-6 weeks after damaging his hamstring in the Red Devils’ 2-0 victory against Ajax – Daily Telegraph

Everton captain Phil Neville is on a revenge mission as he hopes to guide the Toffees a step closer to Wembley. Defeat in the 2009 final has left a bitter taste for Neville and he is determined to put things right this season – Independent

The American giant AEG are set to launch a £450m takeover of Tottenham Hotspur. AEG own the 02 Arena as well as LA Galaxy and if a deal to takeover Spurs is successful, Daniel Levy will be asked to remain on as Chairman of the football club – Daily Express

Both Manchester United and Manchester City are battling it out for Derby County starlet Will Hughes. The youngster has been in great form in England’s U17 tournament in the Algarve, where the Three Lions have cruised through their group stages – Daily Mail

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Tottenham are facing a transfer battle with Inter Milan to secure the services of Brazilian striker Leandro Damiao – TalkSport

Eden Hazard has talked up a potential move to Arsenal claiming that they are one of the options available to him at the end of the season. The Lille ace is attracted to the French contingent at the Emirates, as well as his compatriot Thomas Vermaelen – Sun

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When Manchester City are linked with yet another player I have never heard of for £26 million then it has to surely be another overpriced move for a player who is merely in good form. But then Manchester United entered the race for winger Alexis Sanchez, and I began to take note of this Chilean star who has been turning even Alex Ferguson’s head.

I’ve always wanted a cool nickname but the best my friends could come up with was ‘Dan’, hardly on the same level as Niño Maravilla, so called due to his stylish play, a nickname he earned when breaking the Copa Libertadores record for the youngest player to debut in the South American Club Championship, at the age of just 16. Obviously a cool nickname and an age-related record doesn’t earn you a $3 million move to Udinese, so I’m assuming it was the six goals in twelve games in the Chilean league in only his second season.

Sanchez was signed by the Italian outfit for the future, and was instantly loaned out to Chilean side Colo-Colo and then to Argentinian team River Plate; after successful season-long loans with both clubs, Sanchez finally made his break at Udinese in 2008 and after a few promising performances over the seasons, it was this year that the versatile attacker put himself on the footballing map. A regular fixture in the exciting Chilean side in the 2010 World Cup, Sanchez used the world’s biggest stage to showcase his talents and carried this on into the current Serie A campaign, forming a formidable partnership with Antonio Di Natalie, scoring 35 goals between them, just five shy of the Del Piero and Trezeguet record in the 2007-08 season, and with a few games still to play.

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So that’s the story of this young Chilean’s rise to stardom, but what would he offer either of Manchester’s Premier League clubs? Would he slot in straight away or would he be another Stephane Guivarc’h? Manchester City have flair players in abundance and leaving out one of David Silva, Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko wouldn’t be easy, although with uncertainty surrounding Tevez’ future, perhaps accommodating the Chilean wouldn’t be so hard. With his ability to work as an out-and-out forward or an attacking winger, this would give Manchester City a lot of fluidity up front and I get the feeling Silva and Sanchez could be a match made in heaven. So what would happen instead if the winger decides to ply his trade at Old Trafford? It is hard to see him ousting either Wayne Rooney or new fan favourite Javier Hernandez, but you could see him perhaps playing as a winger ahead of Antonio Valencia; together with Nani on the wings, they would surely be a full back’s ultimate nightmare.

Sanchez’ proposed arrival to the Motherland, whoever it may be with, is no doubt be an exciting proposition for the Premier League.

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Listen to the latest episode of our award nominee podcast – The Football FanCast. – Featuring Razor Ruddock, Gary O’Reilly and King Jacks! Don’t forget to help Razor and O’Reilly become award winners in the 2011 EPL Awards

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has given his full support to Titus Bramble, who has been bailed over allegations of a rape at a Newcastle Hotel earlier this week.

Black Cats chairman Niall Quinn had already given his backing to 29-year-old defender Bramble, with Bruce following up with his own message of support.

He told reporters:"As far as Titus is concerned, the one thing he wants to do is play football. He was in training this morning. He is a resilient so-and-so.

"We want the matter cleared up as soon as we possibly can and I reiterate what the chairman has put out, how we are fully supportive of him and we will stand right behind him.

"It is obviously unfortunate what has happened and it gets bad publicity and bad press for the club, which nobody wants to see.

"But we are absolutely adamant that Titus has done nothing wrong.

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"If there is anything he has done wrong, then he has had a night out when he shouldn't have."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Arsene Wenger will be hoping to leave the Emirates tomorrow with a chorus of cheers, to make up for the rather raucous reception he received at the final whistle last weekend. The Gunners support took exception to the removal of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from the action in the second half, which was only made worse as his replacement Andrey Arshavin failed to deal with Valencia’s run that led to United’s late winner. The French boss refused to accept the criticism that came his way, claiming he has made thousands of substitutions over the years and have never been questioned before.

Tomorrow will be an important occasion for Arsene Wenger, as the FA Cup represents Arsenal’s best chance of silverware this season. Although the Gunners are on the run of three straight defeats, you do sense that they will have too much for Villa and will cruise through to the 5th Rd.

This week at Football FanCast we have had a mixed bag of blogs that include; what to expect from Stan Kroenke; greater protection for Oxlade-Chamberlain, while Thierry Henry was exactly what Arsenal needed. We have also included the best Gunners blogs on the net this week.

 

Best of FFC

What can fans expect from the Arsenal chief?

Is this really Arsene Wenger’s Greatest Arsenal XI?

The Arsene Wenger quandary

Top TEN – Arsenal should NEVER have let him go

Greater protection for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain?

Simply A Turning Point For Arsenal Fans?

Paska hints at new Rosicky deal

Is it the ‘not knowing’ that is really eating Arsenal fans?

Thierry Henry is exactly what they needed

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Best of WEB

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Alex Fynn talks David Dein, Arsene Wenger and the clubs future – Le Grove

There’s only two Arsène Wengers – Online Gooner

Down On His Luck, Brow-beaten But Arsène Is Not Broken. Jack Is… – A Cultured Left Foot

Trabzonspor star open to Arsenal move – Gunnersphere

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Could Hazard and Vertonghen really be on their way to Arsenal? – Highbury House

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Quote of the Week

“You have an 18-year-old kid making his first Premier League start and a player who’s captain of his country and they are querying the substitution? Let’s be serious.

“I’ve been a manager for 30 years and have made 50,000 subs. I do not have to justify every decision I make. I stand up for it.” Wenger talking to Sky Sports.

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Last time out

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