Andy who? Fernan-who? Last month's news!

Sports - Football - Premier League - Commentary

Andy who?

Yes. Andy Gray, you are last month's news! One cannot deny you your distinguished career as football player and commentator. I was always one of your biggest fans with your exemplary sketches and analysis and a perfect combination with facts and stats man Martin Tyler.

But it is a sad shame that in your mind you could not and cannot let go of the years where you were in your prime as a player - and got started as a commentator with your funny pencil sketches and original football art attempts. Not just technology has developed and advanced since! Society and the sport and media with it! Shame you missed it and didn't catch on!

Being in front of the camera, representing Sky, the media, the sport in front of millions of people week in and week out, you should have known better than to shoot your mouth off with primitive prejudices and mindsets - but it was not the first time was it? Just the tip of the iceberg so to speak. And I do not think it will be the last.

You will rant on especially after getting the sack, won't you? In every other job, if you have been warned and get caught out again, you are out! And knowing your general lifestyle, I just think it is a case of life having caught up with you! What goes around comes around - and bites back double bad! Life can only be as nice as you can make it out!

I always get asked questions about my sport knowledge and knowhow too - and I just hit back with more technical questions so people get my drift: Football is one of the easiest sports when it comes to rules and regulations. In comparison to cricket and rugby the general IQ required for football is not exactly Einstein level.

That gets more obvious and shown bare when the athletes and representatives of the sport come out with statements like Mr Gray and his pal Richard Keys!

That brings me back to Martin Tyler. He is the perfect gentlemen and my James Bond candidate of all commentators (although his hair has gone a bit to grey with age and scarce on that note) - smart, polite, patient, observative, lovely voice, knowing when to turn it up a notch...

Has he ever felt or had the need to go off on one like Andy Gray? No, he is a happily married man, father and commentator and has been for 30ish years! A true professional. Oh, what was I blogging on about again, Andy who??? Tyler forever!

(Meanwhile, Andy and Richard have started fresh with their show on talkSPORT... Well... Doesn't seem to be all too fresh when you read the Guardian's review...)

Fernan-who?

Another man who got too much money where his mouth rather than form is: Fernando Torres. After being at everything else but his best over the last season or two and a forgettable World Cup for him as a player, it was a joke when he came out wanting to leave Liverpool for a better team and a team that can win stuff, Chelsea?!

Birmingham have already won more than Chelsea will this season (I bet a fiver on that, not saying that Liverpool will win much more with Europa League being the only competition left we have a shout in)! Yes, players make the team what it is, so, if you're such a great player Fernando, how come we didn't win anything with you in our team?!

And we got £50 million for him! Kaching! I think Liverpool got a brilliant deal for a player past his best, one of Roman Abramovich's panic buys I think. To prove this point, here are the stats of his (nearly) four Premier League seasons with Liverpool:

2007-08: 24 league goals in 33 league appearances
2008-09: 14 in 24
2009-10: 18 in 22
2010-11: 9 in 23

Injuries didn't help his cause, but from his first and best season with 24 goals in 33 games, he's gone nearly ten games and ten goals less the couple of seasons after that and only scored half as many goals in as many games this season.

In my experience, past greats that left on the same note, for "better and bigger" teams, their careers ended up everything else but better or bigger and I believe they would have been better off staying. Ian Rush, Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen... I think Torres is heading for the same jinxed run of destiny. So far he hasn't had much to show for his big switch deal anyway...

Great players are made great players by their team. That's why Steven Gerrard has stayed, Ian Rush came back and even Robbie Fowler came back eventually, because they realised that it was Liverpool FC they were great with. Hopefully, Pepe Reina will realise that too and won't do anything stupid (at least he's honest though, see this Guardian interview in case you're wondering what I'm on about).

Those who left all ended up moaning, they wanted to play, feel important again as they did when they first were at LFC. That's why Stevie G. ended up staying, because at Chelsea he would have just fitted and sunk in and under the team, losing his special skipper legend status more than quickly.

I know, we're still a long way away from winning another title - but that will hopefully not come from lack of team spirit, heart or trying!!! Nothing's impossible when you stick with the team and go for it, we've proven that before and will prove it again! YNWA

There is no such thing as unbeatable

Sports - Football - Premier League

Chelsea have been portrayed as the invincibles by many throughout the start of the season, but surprise, surprise, they faltered against Wigan last weekend.

Andy Gray's season top-four predictions said not much has changed for the London team since last season, apart from the manager, and picked the side as his title-favourites. He was only one of many to do and say so.

Carlo Ancelotti is a top manager, he has proven that so far so good. But, so were and did Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant and Luis Felipe Scolari. They started all hailed and praised and good but ended up fired and forgotten.

Gray also pointed out Liverpool's strong display and title challenge last season, but doubted their competence without Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard - like many have done and still do. Did they all miss last season?! Liverpool won-drew-lost as many matches with the duo as they have done without them. Dirk Kuyt scored a dozen, only a couple behind Gerrard and Torres, followed by Yossi Benayoun with eight.

With 22 goals so far this season in only seven games - a club record for over a century, I heard - I don't think the Reds are out of question or in a crises as assumed and checked off by many so-called experts because they had suffered defeats early on in the season (and both defeats were WITH Gerrard and Torres by the way).

Xabi Alonso is a miss, I am not denying it and am a big fan of him, but Liverpool have enough players to fill his shoes. Of course Gerrard, Torres and Alonso were and are the main players and contributors for Liverpool, but the world has not and will not stop revolving without them. Liverpool can and have progressed and won without them as well.

As for Manchester United and Arsenal, both teams have just as much shown their strengths and weaknesses already this season. They have enjoyed quality wins and suffered sorry defeats since they lost their main players - Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid; Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure to Manchester City, in case someone needs reminding. Again, many experts considered both will have a hard job getting used to life without their main players. But both teams can and have moved on.

They have done it before - losing their main strikers and players - the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy et al jump to mind - listening to all the doubters telling them they won't be the same and cannot do without them. But they proved them wrong with new players. Teams consist of eleven players, not just one or two. The main players rely on their providers and team's backup just as much as vice versa.

Regarding Manchester City, I do not know how they can expect people, fans and teams to take them seriously. Ok, they have started this season strong and have an over-the-top-strong team line-up, but to be considered a world team, it does not go by how much you spend but by the team as a whole and the players clicking and winning.

I am thinking of the likes of Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness and Ian Rush; Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard; David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs; I could go on and on. Homegrown greats! Those who breath and live for the club and last for a lifetime. Not those that just follow the line of where the biggest paycheck will greet them!

I said the same about Chelsea when the Roman Abramovich took over and went through countless players and managers - you can buy successful players, but success will not follow immerdiately and definitely and only to a certain extent. It will not be of long last if you do not show patience and give the team time to develope and build, step by step.

Legends are born and bred through time, years, decades, centuries, dedication and patience - like Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal have proved with 49 titles between them. You just cannot buy that within an instant. Ask Alex Ferguson! Looking back at how he started at United, he would have been sacked and replaced for sure nowadays, where managers are lucky to see a full season if they have not reached all expectations within the first weeks or months.

Hence, I don't think City will set a serious challenge at the end of this season nor will Chelsea cruise the league. Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool will make sure of that and have shown quality and determination to do so, even without their main players. And with over 30 games still to go, I think Aston Villa, Tottenham and Everton are not allowed to be forgotten either when it comes to the top-four challenge.

I see an open challenge for the title - unlike most of the panel experts estimate and find on various shows and channels and in various newspaper and website articles. Most of them like to place a stamp on teams from the outset without realising that the season has 38 games not just five or six. As summarised and analysed, all teams have already shown their strengths and and weaknesses, depending on the form of the day, with not much between them.

So far this season, all sides have opened with much more determination than in previous seasons, every team pressing for the win. There have been much less draws so far than last season at the same stage, which is going to be the most decisive factor in the title and top-four race, as Liverpool know best reflecting on last season and many seasons before.

Andy Gray again...

Sports - Football - UEFA Champions League Final

Again Andy Gray has just amused me with his blog on Manchester United's defeat against Barcelona in Rome.

I find it weird, more funny, that every time Man Utd get outplayed and well-beaten, they just say they did not turn up. THAT IS NO EXCUSE! Every loser could say that!

Ok, they got the goals and points in the league when it mattered most and were crowned champions deservedly despite their four defeats. But to talk a defeat like this away by saying they just did not turn up and Barcelona are not as good as they are lauded, is a joke! Barcelona have scored over 100 goals this season, have also won their league and league cup, so, have done the treble - hm, how much and many times has Utd 1999 been hailed?! How hypocritical is that?!

So, Andy Gray, can you please take your Utd-red-tinted glasses off and just see who was the better team on the night and is the better team, no excuses, please.

Congratulations Barca.

Thank you Andy Gray

Sports - Football - Champions League Quarter Finals

Just by the way... The comment I wrote last week regarding Andy Gray's blog on Liverpool's Champions League defeat against Chelsea has been put on the blog's comment page.

Just wanted to say: Thank you! :-)

Funny Andy Gray

Sports - Football - Champions League Quarter Finals

Funny isn't it: Andy Gray hasn't blogged on Liverpool and their victories for weeks/months, but I told my friend last night, 'I bet you, Andy Gray will enjoy analysing this on his blog' and surprise surprise, he writes one on Liverpool's one and only home-defeat this season!

But credit where credit is due, Chelsea fully deserved the win and could have gotten more out of it with Drogba creating beautiful stuff. Liverpool were everything else but impressive this time around.

But at least Andy isn't as stupid as most of the Man Utd and Chelsea fans and writes them off - Liverpool are the masters of comebacks, they've done it against Olympiacos, Milan and Chelsea have failed before holding this kind of 1st-leg-advantage (plus Terry's suspension won't help them). Walk on! I still believe and have put my money where my mouth is, too. YNWA

Image taken from skysports.com