The Last Word - Sports Blog (Sean Simara)

Premier League 1. Manchester United  2. Manchester City  3. Chelsea  4. Arsenal  Relegation  Southampton  West Brom  Swansea  Championship  1.Birmingham City 2.Bolton Leeds United - Play Off Winners  Relegation Barnsley  C. Palace  Derby  League One  1.Sheffield United  2.Swindon Preston Play-Off Winners Relegation Portsmouth Bury Oldham  Stevenage  League Two  1. Fleetwood Town 2. Chesterfield  3. Southend Rotherham Play-Off Winners  Relagation  Barnet Morecambe 

Arsenal Have made some good business this summer but selling Van Persie to Man Utd shows they no long see themselves as title challengers. They seem to have become comfortable just finishing in the top four. This could be the straw that breaks the camels back for Gooners. The older generation fans will remember their battles with United in the 90’s & selling them their best player will be hard for them to swallow. I don’t think they will struggle as Podolski & Cazorla should be enough to cover the gap RVP leaves, but if they go another season trophy less Wenger’s days could finally be numbered.   Key Man Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain the youngster done very well at the Euros a lot of pressure will be on his young shoulders, I think he will handle it. Aston Villa New boss new hope? I don’t think so. Lambert doesn’t know what he has let himself in for. Villa are a team who use to be good but will never ever reach them heights again. Last year they faded badly that...

 England showed fight, spirit and team morale as they came out of a true battle against Sweden Friday night in a 3-2 win. They now know only a point is needed against co-hosts Ukraine will see them into the quarter finals. How should England play it?   I would bring in Theo Walcott for James Milner, Walcott changed the game when he came on, where as Milner is just a work horse. Ukraine are the weakest team in the group and England should go out to attack. I would also bring Rooney back in for Carroll who did an excellent job, however Rooney is England’s best player and will be chomping at the bit to play. We know he can link up well with Young & Welbeck as they play at club level and apparently Rooney has been on fire in training.  So the team I would start would be: Hart, Jones, Terry, Lescott, Cole, Walcott, Parker, Gerrard, Young, Rooney & Welbeck.  Group A pulled off a massive shock as Czech Rep & Greece progressed. Czech Rep...

GROUP A  Poland & Russia to qualify  GROUP B Germany & Holland to qualify  GROUP C  Spain & Ireland  to qualify  GROUP D  France & England  to qualify  Outright Winners : Germany or France  Top Goalscorer : Gomez, Benzema, Torres, Lewandoswki, Ronaldo are good each way bets 

Manchester United look set to land their 20th league title with possible one of Sir Alex weakest teams, but how has he done it? Luck? or Experience? Or did Man City just mess it up so badly that United had to win it? Of course its not over yet but I don't see a United side losing a lead like this especially when they start to sniff a title there very hard to stop. In a crazy season for rivals City I think the major moment for the reds was when Man City came to Old Trafford and simple murdered United 6-1. United had beaten Chelsea and Arsenal already at this point but this blow sent shock waves around the Premier League and around the world. United's European form and cup form has been poor by their standards and that is down to a weak squad and some weak performances at home. Plus with back to back defeats to Blackburn and Newcastle saw Sir Alex call upon a old great. Paul Scholes returned in January and I think bringing him back could have saved United. Of course they have gre...

It will be three from Wigan, Bolton, Blackburn, Wolves and QPR who go down. I think that the three to go will be, Wigan- have had their time with the big boys and their half filled stadium won’t be missed. Wolves - letting big Mick go was a mistake he knows what it takes to get out of a relegation mess. Wolves thought they would get in a big name after him in fact they got his assistant. Bolton – have been awful all season how Coyle has got away with it is beyond me. Blackburn will survive by the skins of their teeth and QPR because they have more talent in their side than the rest but they have underachieved massively.

United are looking more and more like the side that go on a amazing winning run at the end of a season and will clinch them their 20 th title. With players coming back from injury I feel they will take City all the way. The game at the end of April will be massive and probably the most important derby ever. United will want full revenge for their 6-1 lose & City will want to erase the FA Cup loss and do the double over the reds. It could well be winners are champions.

Then nail finally came down on the AVB coffin yesterday , his three year plan only lasted eight months. His problem was that he tried to change to much too soon & in the wrong manor. AVB’s biggest problem was trying to deal with the senior players at Chelsea. It was clear that they didn’t rate him at all. Lampard looks like he was the biggest issue. AVB didn’t see him as a first 11 player, even though he has been a goal machine through-out his career at The Bridge, for some reason AVB didn’t fancy him. He also upset Ashley Cole who said he came to Chelsea to win trophies but with his tactics they won’t win anything. Drogba was another who he upset, he should have been a starter been AVB persisted in playing Torres. Drogba was that upset he even started giving his own team talks in the tunnel. Terry seemed to be the only player on his side however with all his team mates unhappy I’m sure they went to him as captain and wanted him to have a word with the gaffer. Chelsea on the pitch ...

GK - T Krul RB - R Taylor CB - F Coloccini CB - L Koscielny LB -J Enrique RM - S Sinclair CM - S Sessegnon CM - A Pilkington LM - C Dempsey F - R Van Persie F - D Ba My Premier League 11 outside of the current top four. Based on the season each player is having, you do you think I’ve missed out? @Sean_FootyMad

As John Terry’s trail will be after the Euro’s should he still captain England at the tournament? Should he stand down? Or do you think he should be striped of it? Tough decisions have to be made, but being put back until after the tournament moves the problem to Fabio Capello and will he drop him again. Remember he has dropped him before but then reinstated him. That was for disrupting the dressing room, this case it a lot deeper and could have more repercussions. What will happen is Rio is picked? What if nations refuse to shake his hands at the tournament? What image will that set? Does keeping John Terry in the side say that he was innocent and did nothing wrong. Will he have the full backing of the squad? Yes not many QPR players will be in the squad if any but will the other 22 men be behind him? It’s going to be very interesting to see how the F.A and Capello deal with it. At the minute Chelsea and the police won’t have to.

After the shock sacking, (well shock to some) of Neil Warnock on Sunday evening this leaves QPR in a very sticky situation. I said in my last blog on 22/12/11 that Warnock was in trouble. Now having got rid of the man who got them promoted to the Premier League after a good 15 years in the wilderness, the next appointment could be the most important in their history. First I think every QPR fan would want to thank Warnock for what he did with the club in very difficult circumstances. The fans will have some very happy memories of him. He will go down in Rangers history and the fans will always have a special place for him. However they will want to remember him for the good things he did, and things were going bad. In the Premier League Warnock has been found out before. At Sheffield United he took them down and blamed everyone else. It was West Ham’s fault, Tevez fault, Liverpool’s fault for fielding a weaken team Fulham, the excuses came thick and fast but he never blamed himself. Th...