Me versus Lawro

I’m sure we all come across Lawro’s predictions each and every week:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/football_focus/15861497.stm

So if it’s good enough for Lawro (that formerly ‘tached demigod), then it’s good enough for me… it’s time for my weekend predictions that will inevitably fall completely flat.

Stoke v Blackburn

Is there a luckier man in football than Steve Kean? Perhaps he’s doing a ‘look into my eyes, you’re under’ trick on the Venkys. In all fairness, Keano didn’t get them relegated last year but appears hellbent on ensuring he puts that right. Old Tone (the tracksuited, baseball capped impresario of throw ins) has done a sterling job – that sticks in the throats of many Bristol City fans – but finds his team relatively underperforming this season. After a significant outlay, with the inevitable heightened expectations, it’s fair to say they’ve disappointed in the league having lost 50% of their games so far. Still, what better way to pick yourself up than playing a Blackburn team hampered by its fans self-sabotaging (even though I agree with their argument) with distracting in-game protests.

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Bolton v Everton

The Trotters also find themselves struggling to the point where you ask: what the hell’s going on? No disrespect Moyesy, but it’s comforting to see the ‘Moyes for United’ drum has been punctured these past couple of years. The bloke’s done a wonderful job for Everton under incredibly difficult conditions but would’ve been an utter disaster for United. There are artful, compelling narratives for why he would do a good job but he lacks the necessary gravitas to fill the shoes of Fergie. Anyway, Everton will quite fancy their chances at Bolton who seem a little unsure of themselves at the Reebok with 5 defeats from 6 games. That said, I cannot see Bolton continuing to struggle at home.

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Chelsea v Wolves

Ahhh, Andre Villas-Boas. Granted, this beleaguered boss won 4 trophies in his first season. It’s hardly like they brought in a Sunday League manager. Nobody can take last season’s monumental achievement away from him. He was also privy to the inner workings of Jose’s setup, which can only have benefited him. However, take away the Jose connection and ask yourself: would he have got the job as an obscure Portuguese 33-year-old who won a league hardly renowned for its competitiveness? You’re a liar if you say yes. With Manchester City clearly about to benefit from the fillip that was the FA Cup win, and United injecting youth to the winning formula, Chelsea required experience over experiments. It’s perfectly legitimate to argue that the current run of bad form simply mirrors the atrocious period last season and that Chelsea have developed an autumnal fear of winning football games. So therefore it’s simply a case of players shirking their responsibility. I’d agree with that, but think it’s exacerbated by placing the poor bloke in the same firing line that did for the Champions League (not to mention Double) winning Ancelotti. It was an extraordinarily rash and cavalier thing to do away with Ancelotti, and I think his experience would’ve at least seen Chelsea safely through the Champions League group stage by now.

Read a good article in The Guardian today that talked about Jose’s previous successors merely ‘tweaking the system’ whereas Villas-Boas is overhauling it; therefore, it’s down to the players being unable, or unwilling, to adapt. With such an enormous expenditure this calendar year, Chelsea need to win something this season. It’s early enough days but winning the league looks out of reach already. If they don’t win this game, it’s going to be hard to see Roman not getting his trigger finger ready.

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Man Utd v Newcastle

Being stripped down at work by a raucous Geordie bemoaning the fact I’m a United fan from the south (Groundhog Day, love) hasn’t whetted my appetite for bragging rights. Sympathy is still the word I’d use to describe my feelings towards the ‘y aye men’. The imploding Keegan severed the Premier League trophy from the premature grip of Newcastle Brown Ale drinkers the North East over and forever left us with the indelible tag of ‘nearly men’ for the Geordies. Pardew has done a good job and brings a Newcastle team that is capable of surprising United. Got to be honest and say I cannot see this happening. Midfield is an area for concern with injuries and not for the same old “United’s midfield is shit” (the same one that took us to 19) talk.

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Norwich v QPR

An interesting one this one. Both teams have started well and look a threat. Norwich are Ruddy difficult to beat and QPR are giving everyone a game since their opening day thrashing.

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Sunderland v Wigan

Wigan look in big trouble this season while Sunderland are like a cooker running out of gas to catch the spark. Brucie is a man I can never forget after his heroics in a United shirt. “BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCE” is a clip I could watch over and over. He’s had an interesting career in management where you think he’s on the verge on something, or on the verge of taking that next step up, but failing to do so. I see Lawro thinks Bruce is possibly in danger but I don’t think that’s the case. Martinez seems like a good guy and he definitely wants to see the game played properly. It’s perhaps a little ambitious when you consider the resources at his disposal. His approach will however click in place every few games and deliver results.

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West Brom v Tottenham

This is a defining game for Spurs, as far as I’m concerned. This is the moment where a win has escaped them in the past just at the moment they needed it most. They’ve nudged their noses ahead of Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool. They have to put the pressure on those teams by continuing to win and trying to take advantage while they’re in the ascendancy. Something niggles me that this will be a challenge where they’ll falter. A little light in attacking depth, they do, however, carry real punch with Adebayor and he needs to make his mark at the Hawthorns.

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Arsenal v Fulham

Always hated Arsene Wenger. Spent years thinking I hated Wenger. The first pang of guilt and regret came with his little crooked smile at the condescending line of questioning in the interview after Liverpool got a late equaliser at the Emirates last season. It was such an amusing smile that I finally found myself liking something about the bloke. That glimmer became a shining light after the hack job carried out on Le Professor at the start of the season. It was ridiculous. Perhaps it’s a sign of getting older that I almost felt sorry for him after the 8-2 (alas I didn’t) drubbing. This geezer brought an exceptionally entertaining (and defining) brand of football to the UK and never jumped ship. That’s called loyalty and it deserves acknowledgement. About the beautiful football, though – I always maintain United have been the better team to watch over the same period and that we’ve been thrown under the bus with the ‘best footballing team in England’ proclamations edging in Arsenal’s direction.

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Swansea v Aston Villa

This has got draw written all over it.

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Liverpool v Man City

It goes without saying that I’ll be supporting the Scousers this week. They were made to look better than they are by an incredibly disjointed Chelsea last week. However, they did the job and are turning into an away team with 12 of their 22 points being on the road. Man City will get beat soon enough and this is a difficult game to come off the back of the defeat in midweek. It can go either way in terms of how they respond. Lose again and the column inches fill up with journos desperately clambering onto the ‘I was first to say City aren’t all that’ bandwagon. Win, and suddenly they’ve ‘shown the mettle of Champions’. Fine line. Suarez has had nothing but plaudits since he arrived and yet his goal return is undeserving of it. To counter the retort that he’s a playmaker as much as a goal scorer, then it’s unfortunate for you guys that he couldn’t make anything to get you a few points more from the 4 draws of 6 games at Anfield so far. I can’t stand Liverpool. Absolutely loathe them. But my fingers will be crossed they knock City down a further peg.

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