Federer wins, completes good weekend

Every weekend we look forward to our sport. Sometimes there are many different sporting competitions going on at the same time, for example, football, tennis, Formula One racing, rugby. We enjoy following each sport and our favourite sportsmen and women. Sometimes there are good weekends where all of our favourites win; and occasionally we endure the disappointment of a bad weekend, where the teams and individuals we yearn for, end up on the losing side.

The weekend just passed could be classified as a good weekend, though it wasn't a perfectly victorious one. Allow me to explain.

Firstly was the Barclays Premier League on Saturday night. Any team which is half-good and poses a threat to Manchester United, will be cheered on in all of their struggles. Tottenham, who are rapidly improving and just beat reigning European Champions Internazionale in midweek, suffered a terrible hangover as they went down 4-2 at Bolton Wanderers. That was a good start to our weekend, not to mention a very entertaining match for the neutrals.

By the way, Kevin Davies should definitely keep his place in the England squad

Things almost took a turn for the worse when later that night an absolutely wretched performance from Man.Utd almost resulted in more dropped points. It was only thanks to a stoppage time winner from South Korean winger Ji-sung Park, which gave us the 3 points in a 2-1 win over unlucky Wolves.

On Sunday, there was football, tennis and F1. Let's deal with the one disappointment first, shall we? Lewis Hamilton could only finish fourth in the Brazilian Grand Prix, behind title rivals Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso, who carries a slim lead into the final race of the year in Abu Dhabi. Hamilton needs a miracle comprising of him winning the race and his 3 main title rivals all not finishing in the points. Oh well. . . there's always next year.

Meanwhile, things were going great at the Emirates stadium where Newcastle put on a magnificently disciplined performance to beat Arsenal in their own backyard by a single Andy Carroll goal to nil. Arsenal to win the league? No chance! Not when you've lost games at home to newly promoted teams in West Brom and Newcastle.

Further joy came at Anfield where a resurgent Liverpool powered past Chelsea 2-0 thanks to a rejuvenated Fernando Torres. Chelsea's second BPL defeat of the season was sweet. ManU are just a couple of points behind the leaders now. Thanks Liverpool, for helping us out yet again.

Meanwhile, on the continent, in a small town named Basle in Switzerland, a home-grown star was lifting ATP title number 65 of his glittering career. Roger Federer, the G.O.A.T, beat Novak Djok-strap in 3 sets, sealing triumph with an amazing half-volley backhand winner on match point, taking the decider 6-1.

Enjoying a pizza party with his fellow ball-kids after the match

Please Wigan, Please!!!

When it falls out of your hands, we hope. When hope fades, we delve into the depths of the barrel of hope to scrape up the last particles still clinging to the base.

It is the final round of matches of the Barclays Premier League 2009/2010 season. Manchester United trail Chelsea by a solitary point with Chelsea to host Wigan while ManU host Stoke. A win for Chelsea would earn them the title. ManU need Chelsea to slip up with either a defeat or a draw.

At any other time of the season I would have Chelsea down to comfortably beat Wigan at Stamford Bridge - but this is the final game where pressure and nerves can do silly things to football results. For this night I become a devout Wigan fanatic...

We hope against hope. We will take it every second at a time. Agonisingly, I will cling to stretched and battered hope until either it finally snaps or it holds on for just another 90 minutes.

Please Wigan, you can do it! Just a draw, that's all we're asking!!!

There are now 4 more hours until the game starts, and I'm trying my best not to build my hope up, because Chelsea really should brush aside Wigan......but you never know......an injury to Lampard, Drogba, or Cech......a red card for Ballack......poor referring decisions in Wigan's favour......Terry given the run-around by Rodallega......Chelsea hit the post, hit the cross-bar, hit Titus Bramble in the face, anything but the back of the net......PLEASE!!!

Manchester United still have their job to do in beating Stoke at Old Trafford, but I'm sure that shouldn't be a problem as there is less pressure, and we hammered Stoke here 5-0 last season.

It's going to be an awful 90 minutes to go through, but it has to be done. 

Hope.

Hope.

Hope.

Wigan......come on......

I'm hoping so badly you can do it

Sporting Augury for 2010

As we move into the second decade of the second millennium of the current era, the world of sport is very much centre-stage. And sporting prophecy seems to be all the trend for Arsene Wenger, foretelling the world that eight teams are in with a chance of winning the Premier League this season. Remarkably puzzling. Surely that number can't include Liverpool who are already thirteen points off the pace at the half-way stage. Looking down the current standings, Birmingham and Fulham lie sixth and ninth respectively. No-one in their wildest dreams would imagine these two moderate clubs piling the pressure on Man. Utd and Chelsea in a final push for the summit.

In a mood to portend the future, here is my vision of the near happenings of the Premier League.

Having already lost Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor to Man. City, Arsenal will lose a frustrated Fabregas to Barcelona and replace him with yet another unknown up-and-coming youngster, after yet another trophy-less season. Arsene 'whinger' Wenger will have voiced his final whine about fixture congestion or something as he finally cuts ties 'by mutual consent', or rather, by a boot up the backside.

But it's not any merrier for Liverpool either. After finishing a dismal sixth, Benitez immediately gets the sack, and the club fund in on their top stars. Gerrard is the first to leave in a big-money move to Madrid. Torres is next, moving to Champions League-bound Aston Villa. In an early-season clash at Old Trafford in September against their perennial rivals of Manchester, new boss Graeme Souness decides that the approaching midweek game against Burnley presents a more realistic opportunity of gaining three points. He rests ten first team players as Liverpool begin a relegation dogfight.

Again with just an F.A. Cup to show for a season's work, Carlo Ancelotti is hastily sacked by Abramovich, who then decides that he's fed up with his London toy and walks out.

Ryan Giggs scores the winning goal in the Champions League final against surprise package Bordeaux.

After a second disappointing season at Old Trafford, Berbatov is shown the door, joining Inter Milan. The useless Nani is also evicted as Yoanne Gourcuff and David Villa arrive as repalcements. Giggs and Scholes sign one-year contract extensions and Sir Alex Ferguson says he's good for another five years.

Mark Hughes meanwhile gets the sack from his Arab owners and Carlo Ancelotti is brought in. (Since penning this article, Mark Hughes has been swiftly sacked and replaced by Roberto Mancini. Ancelotti joining next summer still can't be ruled out however!)

Portsmouth, West Ham and Bolton, established Premier League names, make the dreaded drop to the Championship.

England win the World Cup in South Africa, prevailing 4-2 after extra time in the final against old foes Germany. Wayne Rooney becomes just the second player in history to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final.

No African nation advances beyond the quarter finals. A tearful Cristiano Ronaldo bows out at the group stage.

Meanwhile, in tennis, Rafael Nadal shocks the world as he announces his immediate retirement from the sport due to persistent problems with injuries all over his creaking body. (A week later Tiger Woods comes out of hiding and similarly brings to a premature end his golfing career due to long and financially painful divorce proceedings).

Once more, Andy 'never-win-a-major' Murray fails to make the breakthrough with a Grand Slam after hyping himself up all year about his chances. He does reach the Wimbledon final but is comprehensively beaten by Roger Federer, who after his seventh victory at SW19, is given a replica key to the All England Lawn and Tennis Association Club.

Federer himself completes the only thing left to do - winning a single year Slam - bagging all four majors of 2010, taking his Grand Slam tally to 19.

Chelsea vs Man. Utd

It's the big one today - table-topping Chelsea versus 3-time champions Man. Utd. Chelsea are in mean form at home whilst the Red Devils have lost twice on their travels and are not at their best.

I worry for ManU in this one simply because of late they haven't performed well against the other members of the top four. However, against Chelsea they have done alright, beating them 3-0 at Old Trafford last season and getting a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.

I don't think it's because of the loss of Ronaldo that ManU seem a little laboured at the moment. They're just having a slow start and can only get better as they click into gear. They will miss the calming presence of Rio Ferdinand at the back, but Jonny Evans has proved to be a more than suitable replacement. With Rooney and Berbatov restored to the starting line-up, they will give Chelsea a tough test.

Darren Fletcher will be a vital figure in midfield for Alex Ferguson's men. He will look to nullify the threat of Lampard and Ballack, thereby cutting off the supply to Drogba and Anelka. Likewise Ballack and Lampard will look to take advantage of a shaky midfield the same way Liverpool did a fortnight ago. The midfield battle will be the key area.

Dare I predict a result against Man. Utd? I'm afraid so. I don't want to be over-confident on this one, but if this fixture was a few months later I would go for a ManU win or at least a draw. However, it is more likely that Chelsea will take this match 2-1, but for once in my life I would love to be wrong!

Whatever happens tonight, it should be a fierce fight between England's best two teams. And the old dog Fergie may just have a trick or two up his sleeve for this one.

Manchester United versus Chelsea

The Community Shield Sunday sees two of the most successful managers in the game pit their wits for the first time as opposing managers of Premier League clubs. Carlo Ancelotti, having guided AC Milan to two European Cup triumphs, takes charge of his first competitive match as Chelsea boss and will experience his first taste of an English atmosphere. The latest managerial recruit at the merry-go-round at Chelsea will face the toughest start when his Blues come up against the current and three-time consecutive league winners Manchester United.

Sir Alex Ferguson has been around forever and has all the experience of these sort of 'curtain-raiser' matches. But both managers will be aware that there will be much more important pieces of silverware to play for later in the season. However, this is a last opportunity for both squads to be tuned up and ready for the opening round of Premier League fixtures next weekend. Do not expect this to be a friendly match.

Just over a year ago, tempers bolied over as Rio Ferdinand took on half the Chelsea team in a pushy face-off as United went down 2-1 at Stamford Bridge to a debatable penalty decision. It had no bearing on the title race in the end. United are unbeaten against Chelsea since that day, with a penalty shoot-out victory in the Champions League final 2008, a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge and a 3-0 thumping at Old Trafford. Two seasons ago United beat Chelsea in the Community Shield thanks to a 3-0 penalty shoot-out win after a 1-1 draw.

With Ronaldo and Tevez departed, Sir Alex will have to get the very best out of free transfer signing Michael Owen, and Wayne Rooney, who can expect to be playing in a much-higher-up-the-pitch central position. Together with Berbatov, whose first season at Old Trafford was less than average, these three strikers will have to bag the goals more regularly than they have been doing. Whether they can fill the boots of Ronaldo will remain to be seen.

For Chelsea, it's very much the same playing faces performing under yet another new manager. Expect Drogba and Anelka to give Man. Utd's defence a few shaky moments, especially in the absence of Vidic through injury. Frank Lampard continues to be the most consistent goalscoring midfielder in the world, and John Terry is sure to put in a brave, commanding performance as usual.

This one will be close, as it usually is between these two teams. Expect it to go the distance and Ben Foster to once again shine in a shoot-out.