This is the season that has seen attacking intent paying dividends - I'm sure it will continue

A topsy-turvy Premier League season has taken another turn today, and it's not even reached the 3 o'clock kick-off time on a Saturday as I write this. The fact that Spurs have just beaten Manchester City 4-1 means that Manchester United can (and probably will) go top of the league today with a win over a very poor Sunderland team. If Manchester United trip up at home then either West Ham or Leicester City could take over at the top of the table with a big enough win.

I know it's early days and you could look back at several past seasons to see an unexpected team near to the top or the bottom of the league, but this feels different. Aside from the shocking starts of Sunderland, Stoke City and Newcastle and probably Aston Villa, it seems that teams are capable of beating each other far more than ever before. Chelsea currently only have the four teams I've already mentioned below them and Manchester City have lost to West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur in successive games.

But it's the more attacking style of the lower and middle teams rather than any failings of the big teams that is making the difference this season. West Ham have gone to Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City and played without fear - coming away with three wins from three. Leicester City have found that the best way to get themselves out of a hole is to attack and try to score more goals than the opposition - coming back from 2 goals down against Villa to win and scoring four on the opening day against Sunderland are two such examples.

Swansea, Everton, Crystal Palace and Watford have all already shown much attacking intent and (so far) have shown no ideas about parking the bus, as so many average teams have done in the past.

So, this comes to my predictions of how the season will go, in terms of the top and the bottom-

Champions League places
Manchester City
Manchester United
Chelsea
Arsenal

The next group
Spurs
West Ham
Swansea
Leicester City

Not good enough
Liverpool
Crystal Palace
Everton
Stoke City

Survival
Watford
Bournemouth
Norwich City

Relegation
Newcastle United
Aston Villa
Sunderland

I think that this is the season that attacking play will win over defensive play and that the perceived gulf between Premier League clubs and Championship clubs disappears. It's when three big clubs, in Newcastle, Sunderland and Villa, drop out of the top flight. Years of clinging on by their fingertips, a lack of serious investment, a failure to make their academies work and chronic mismanagement will catch up in the end. I predict that this is the year it happens.

Are Sunderland sliding down that slope again?

Fail, sack, hire, survive, repeat.

Is this the cycle that Sunderland have got themselves into with managers? It seems that way.

Since Ellis Short disposed of Martin O'Neill, we've followed that exact pattern every season and survived. The problem is that every time we survive, we're giving more weight to the theory that it's a strategy that works. From O'Neill to Paolo Di Canio, then to Gus Poyet and now in to Dick Advocaat. The club must look mad from the outside.

I looked upon Chelsea as a similar madhouse when Roman Abramovich took over and seemed to sack a manager every 12 to 18 months but they've been right up there with the most successful clubs in the country for over ten years now.

I'd say that in the same way Chelsea as a club view a trophy every season as their measure of success, Sunderland as a club view survival in the Premier League as their absolute measure of success.

So, have Sunderland been successful over the last 5 years? In their own strange way - yes!

Looking back from here at the Di Canio and Poyet reigns there were massive highs and painful lows but we survived, we constantly beat Newcastle home and away and we had that cup run and the day out at Wembley (but I haven't forgotten the 8-0 at Southampton nor the transfer failures of Di Fanti.) And I hope that I can look back upon the reign of Dick Advocaat with the same fondness. With the highs (none so far this season) the lows (already Norwich and Bournemouth stand out) and that we survive.

It gets me thinking about what constitutes success for all but the top handful of clubs. We will never be a Champions League team, we will probably never get a better shot at cup success for a long time so surviving in the league and the annual home and away double over our nearest rivals is all we have to get excited about, collectively as a club. In separation, the fans want exciting football, thrilling matches and the club to show they care every now and again; the club (the owner) wants to make more money than last year, to stay in the league and continue the TV deal.

Mike Ashley, up the road, wants to keep the income rolling in - a Premier League club that passes the survival test and makes a profit every year - is that the level of success that we should aspire to?

What's the best food to go with football?

When you sit down to watch the big match, whether with friends or family, one question always comes up – what’s the best food to eat with football? Lager has long established itself as the drink to go with football - no matter how much Coca-Cola spend on trying to change that image! The debate on the perfect food to accompany the football has been more varied and has seen pretenders such as pizza and the burger chain that won’t be named trying to gain top spot. But there is a new contender who mixes heat with flavour to make the ideal football food for any football fan.

Mannys Sauces come in a great range of flavours from the genuine, original and unique Piri-Piri to the Chicken Marinade – available as Hot Chicken Marinade as well. In fact, the Piri Piri and the marinades are considered to be within the best sauces on the planet. The excitement of a football match needs food that excites the tastebuds and that’s where Manny’s Sauces comes in. There are 9 different sauces to choose from and each is packed with flavour, free from the top 14 allergens and suitable for vegetarians and vegans - ‘THE SAUCIEST ROAD TO DIVINE GOODNESS’ as Manny would say!

The variety of sauces and the recipe ideas contained on the leaflet and the website mean that you can have a different meal for every match of the season from the delicious Mannys Sauces range. Think about matching the spice of the Manchester derby with spice of the Hot Chicken Marinade, the refinement of the rich London clubs Chelsea and Arsenal and matching them with the Tomato Fusion or consider the classic Piri-Piri sauce with the classic Premier League encounter of Aston Villa v West Brom – both founder members of the Football League in 1888.

I’ve looked before in my blog about the balance between the traditional side of the game and how the new game fits in with those traditions. Going back to the games of my youth, I’d go to the match and have a pie and Bovril at half-time. The game has moved on beyond the point where Roy Keane complained about prawn sandwiches. Savvy football consumers are also savvy food consumers and they want something that is tasty, made with authentic ingredients and often with a bit of a kick. Mannys Sauces do all of these things and more. They have been making the best sauces since 1985, and that’s even longer than Arsene Wenger has been in charge of Arsenal!

Don’t have time to cook? Well, why not try Mannys Sauces range of continental meat lines that would go perfectly with the football as these are great for snacks, tapas and sandwiches etc. These are more great products and you can currently choose from Portuguese-Style Chorizo, Chicken Chorizo, Paio, Presunto or Pork Belly. These make a perfect plate if you don’t have as much time, or if you want something lighter.

The football betting industry has taken off in recent years, thanks to developments such as in-play betting and the use of mobile devices. I can see football food taking off in a similar way with Mannys Sauces at the top of the league! This journey to the top will be driven by Manny’s passion. Let’s take a look at his story – as told by Manny himself-

“As any other person in the world, I had a huge dream - to open the first Piri-Piri Chicken Restaurant in the world, and then spread this dream to every corner of the planet. It wouldn’t be easy to achieve, but neither was it impossible. I had the will, the courage, the faith and family support to make it come true. Early in 1985, I sold my home to open the first piri-piri chicken restaurant outside of Mozambique. CHICKENLAND was the chosen name and Johannesburg, South Africa was the birth place of my dream! After a short while, I was making, bottling and selling a range of 5 different Piri-Piri Sauces and Marinades. After a slow start, the business was a stunning success! The name quickly spread across the city and everyone was talking about this new food place that was taking the food industry by storm.

The business success was proven! The next step was expansion to other parts of the city, country and abroad, and many people tried to get financially involved. Expansion included a need for capital and people, and so in 1987, I sold some of my business shares to two young men: one of Portuguese origin and the other, a South African of Jewish origin. Shortly after they joined, the business name was changed to NANDOS. Chickenland was a nice name, but according to marketing experts at the time, it was felt that the business should be backed by a personal name before the expansion took place. BetweenMANNYS and NANDOS, I was out-voted two to one, and the latter name was chosen. Despite a few initial problems, the expansion started taking off and now more than ever, the success was tremendous!

A few years later, the rug was pulled out from under my feet and I was forced to leave my business. I lost my dream; one of the best things in my life after my family. After this happened, I opened a few other restaurants including Chickenland in Portugal, but these weren’t my dream. It was a way to make a living, but it wasn’t my passion. It took me a long time to recover from what happened, but I was determined and pushed through until another dream emerged; to make the best sauces and speciality food products in the world! MANNYS SAUCES is now my new dream! Once again I can see this new dream taking shape and growing strong all the way to the TOP! The passion is back and I again have the will, the faith, the support of my family, and the support of so many loyal customers that know and appreciate the high quality products that we make. I am forever grateful to my family and my customers for their support and the divine forces for showing me the way.

Manny x”

I don’t think that there is anyone out there that isn’t inspired by Manny’s story and now desperate to try one (or all) of these amazing sauces. So, I hear you ask, how can I get my hands on Mannys Sauces? Well, there are a few ways of going about this. It’s available directly from Mannys Sauces at http://mannyssauces.com 

Or from Amazon -



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Fantasy FC...Merse meets Gazza

I'm just watching the above programme on Sky Sports 3 and I must say it's an absolute pleasure to watch. I used to go to Spurs home games in my youth as the nearest top flight team to my home in Essex. It started with Glenn Hoddle, Chris Waddle, Gary Lineker and Gazza. I thoroughly enjoyed watching these iconic players and feel privileged to have seen Gazza play before his injuries and other problems.

The programme has got me wondering about which players from the current Premier League I will look back at with similar fondness in 10 or 15 years time. Over the last few seasons at the Stadium of Light I've seen the following players-

• Sergio Aguero
• Vincent Kompany
• Yaya Toure
• Eden Hazard
• Cesc Fabregas
• Didier Drogba
• Fernando Torres
• Wayne Rooney
• Robin van Persie
• Gareth Bale

Of these, I think that Eden Hazard and Sergio Aguero are the two that I came away from the stadium and raved about. in both the games I saw them play they were electric. I think I watched the individual players more than I watched the match.

Eden Hazard took the game by the scruff of the neck as his teammates didn't step up to the plate. The final score was Sunderland 3 - Chelsea 4 and every time Sunderland threatened to get back into the match, he was there providing another assist by going on a solo run and destroying the entire Sunderland back line.

The match where I saw Aguero play was another occasion Sunderland concede four, but with only a single Connor Whickam goal in reply. Aguero looked absolutely bored with the game. He looked around the stands, eyed the bench, watched others play and run until he saw an opportunity to score. Then he came alive. He scored two great goals and inspired an insipid City to walk over Sunderland.

Who am I looking forward to seeing?

I can't think of too many players in the current Premier League season that I'm desperate to see, with the obvious exception of Aguero and Hazard again. I think that I'm excited about seeing Memphis Depay for the player he could eventually become. The one player that I've missed and really want to be able to see is Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal. I think he is a phenomenal player and works so hard at his game.

I think that the Premier League is missing the top, top stars of other leagues. For me, the biggest draws in world football are playing in Spain and for Bayern Munich or PSG. The lifestyle in Spain and the obvious attraction of playing for one of the El Clasico teams or the money from PSG make it difficult for the English clubs to compete, as their showing in the last couple of Champions League seasons shows.

The future for protected international fixture dates

This is a short blog post today, after the International break to look at what the break does for players of the top clubs as they return. The new Euro qualifiers have changed somewhat, and the games are now spread over several days - I suspect to make the most of the television opportunities. And it wasn't until I watched some of the Wales v Israel game that I thought about the impact it has on the players and their clubs. The commentator stated that Wales had the worst of it, because they played away on the first day of games, so had little time to prepare their players and then played again soon after - this time at home. Now. I'm not one of these people that thinks that players should just play and not complain. I've seen and heard people argue that when players are paid so much, they should just get on with it. I, however, think that when a club pays millions upon millions for a player, they want them to perform to their best. And this involves having them rested at certain points, and playing every 3 or 4 days at other points of the season. And there is always (in this modern world) the business side of things to consider. The players are seen as assets, appearing on the balance sheets and many players are discarded for a fee in the last year of their contract, rather than let it run down and they go for free.

So, where does that leave international teams, international fixtures and the fans of the national teams? I'd consider myself a mild England fan. I've not been to an England match for years, I don't watch England friendlies on TV. I don't hold out much hope for us as we enter the big tournaments. But I'd dearly miss the national team if they disappeared. The nuances of players having loyalties to clubs and countries is a major part of the modern game. Sir Alex Ferguson's "rotation" system where he would only let a certain proportion of his squad go on international duty at the same time epitomises the feeling a that clubs have towards national sides. The World Cup is still the pinnacle of the game and stands above the Champions League. But the gap between them is getting smaller every year (or every four years.)

As a club manager, having your players potentially returning from international duty in different days, and in different states of fitness must be a major headache. Players travelling back from the four corners of the earth having played only 24 or 48 hours before can disrupt the best laid plans. Add in the knocks and injuries that players pick up and you have to assess your whole squad in no time at all to establish your best eleven for the next match.

But football is relentless - as is the demand from the broadcasters. I've read somewhere that when the draw was made and the teams were sorted into groups, that the groups with seven teams in were protected so that they had to contain the big nations - Germany, Spain and England. And this was so they didn't end up in the smaller groups, playing less games, having less games on television.

I can't reconcile this in my mind. The big clubs pay huge transfer fees and cashes for the best players and then lose their services for many weeks of the year. The players will want to finish their career with as many World Cups under their belts as possible. The national teams want their best players representing them at the peak of their fitness.

Deadline day approaches - what does it say about the fans?

I blogged much earlier in the Summer and said that it was the start of the silly season. As the last season closed and teams were deciding what players they would discard and where the holes were in their squad, it felt like the silly season. As 1st July came around and clubs could officially announce their new signings, it felt sillier. I have no word to describe the period that's about to arrive - transfer deadline day. The business that's done in the last day, as clubs engage in brinksmanship - whoever blinks first loses money - is amazing.

In a world where players have no concept of the type of salary that the fans live on, they and their agents fight over the extra few grand a week or a better goal bonus that eventually makes little difference to their existence. Clubs that squander millions of players that turn out to be flops, squabble with other clubs about the different valuations each carry for a player. The selling club overvalues heavily, the buying club undervalues heavily and the player can get left in the middle. Where else would you force someone who doesn't want to work for you to stay and "become part of out future" or "stay and fight for your place." Not that the players are slaves to the clubs - far from it.

So we head towards the final day and Sky Sports are already hyping it up, with talk of world record, British record and club record transfers. With some heavy spending by the two Manchester clubs, Chelsea and possibly a big deal to come from

Arsenal the spending this Summer may top £1 billion. Is this the way that the world wants to spend it's money?

But after all that we, the fans, love it. We love the drama of the transfer window, the speculation about who we are going to buy, who might be in for one of our players or who we might have just missed out on. The figures seem to pass over out heads. A player that we have booed relentlessly when they played for another team is suddenly one of our heroes and the short sales go through the roof. The word that is often attached to football fans is "fickle" but I see it as something different to that altogether.

At any club, the average time a player or a manager stays there is probably now down to under 3 years. A fan is there for life, and has to adapt to the changes in chairman, director of football, manager and players. The fans will often support the club that their father and grandfather and so on supported. The lineage often goes back as far as the club itself. This is the opposite of fickle - this is long-term dedication from people that work hard all week to put their hand in their pocket for a few goals, a pie and a pint.

As the silly season gets to it's silliest point, I ask the clubs to keep their fans dreams alive. It's often these dreams that get us through the rest of our lives.

3 weeks break leads me to expand the blog

I've now returned from three weeks holiday. A three week break brings lots of thinking time but the return to reality and activity is tougher than I remember.

I've kept physically active whilst away, with a gym and swimming pool on the complex I've been staying on. But a lot of time on the road, by the pool, in the gym and on the beach gives you plenty of time to think about what you are doing and where you want to start going next with everything you do.

I think that it is good (and it was good) to have a period of reflection and contemplation. It gives you a chance to determine whether you think that you're on the right track and to plot the way forward without the everyday distractions of work life. It also enables a little "blue sky thinking" as there exposure to a different routine and a different culture can have you thinking about things in different ways. I have looked at the direction I'm heading in and I broadly think that it's where I want to be going.

It's now thinking about heading out of the break and back into my life that's occupying my mind. I landed and got home in Sunday evening and it was back to work at 7.30am on Monday, so there was no real transition to be had. It was a case of holiday mode as is went to bed and work mode when I got up the next morning. It was just the way it had to be with three weeks off - there was no spare time to be had! So it was straight back into it, which can sometimes be the best way to get on, although I don't really feel like that the the moment! I can just about see the wood from the trees at work now, after a few days of catching up. I just wish I could say the same about everything else I do.

I've looked at my blogs and I can see that there is definitely a Sunderland bias developing in terms of content. The plight of the club this Summer has occupied my mind and has obviously occupied my blog as well. My resolution is to look at the wider football situation and produce more (probably slightly shorter) blogs about the events of football as they occur.