d

Update information for the close season
Today's update of the Web site is the last one of this season. I will now start getting the site ready for Football Dreams VI and, while I might not publish it every week as I have been, there will be some updates over the long, non-football months of June and July. 

WEDNESDAY, 28TH MAY, 2003

Champion Fives result confirmation
Thomas secured victory in this competition two weeks ago and, thanks to Pavel Nedved's clean sheet tonight, has beaten me by 25 points to 23. This concludes the Football Dreams V campaign.

So, in the words of ITV's commentator after England's fourth goal in 1966: "That's it. That's it. That. Is. It."

UEFA Champions League Final: Juventus 0 - 0 AC Milan (AET) (PENS 2 - 3)
I'm pleased with the result because I was hoping for a Milan win. This was simply because I didn't want Juventus, a team we beat twice in the second group phase, to end up winning the competition. It would have been too frustrating. I thought the match started really well, and some of the passing and control was exquisite, but the last part of the second half and the whole of extra time was a total non event.

THURSDAY, 22ND MAY, 2003

Friendly International: South Africa 1 - 2 England
I'm not sure whether this match was meant to be a serious warm-up for the Slovakia game or a chance for the F.A. to build ties with the African game and to give public support to South Africa's World Cup bid. The friendly with Serbia-Montenegro next month will probably be of more importance, but it's never a bad thing when England win and at least the first half was something of a spectacle. Inevitably, our captain's broken hand will dominate the headlines but it's not really a football injury, is it? I remember Eric Cantona playing with his arm bandaged from elbow to wrist so, if Beckham wasn't suspended anyway, surely one broken bone in his hand wouldn't rule him out of the Slovakia game? Lastly, congratulations to Emile Heskey for being in the right place at the right time to grab the winner. Quite frankly, a lot of guff is written in the press about his strike rate when, in reality, international football rarely throws up free-scoring strike partnerships. It's Michael Owen's job to get the goals, while Heskey does the leg work by patrolling either flank and holding up the ball. Owen relies on someone to do the ugly stuff for him because he is just not that sort of striker and Heskey is one of the few big, bustling type of English strikers currently around. Wayne Rooney may yet grow into this role and should start in the qualifying match but, apart from him and Heskey, only James Beattie and Chris Sutton spring to mind, and Eriksson doesn't seem to rate either of them.

WEDNESDAY, 21ST MAY, 2003

UEFA Cup Final: Celtic 2 - 3 Porto (AET - silver goal)
Let's not dwell on Porto's disgraceful time wasting. Their 'injuries' were feigned with all the discreteness of a spy with Tourette's and should have resulted in more bookings, even red cards, but the best team won. Celtic were magnificent in terms of heart and endeavour and came desperately close to beating a side who won their domestic league at a canter and who demolished Lazio 4 - 1 in the semis. However, Porto exposed Celtic's kamikaze defending, with Deco a revelation, and not even Henrik Larsson's two textbook headers were enough. I've certainly had to re-evaluate my perception of Celtic as being no better than a bottom half Premiership outfit because of their run in this competition. It is obviously a major achievement for any side to reach a European final but to have knocked out teams from the superior leagues of Spain, Germany and England (twice) on your way is highly impressive. 

SATURDAY, 17TH MAY, 2003

F.A. Cup Final: Arsenal 1 - 0 Southampton
I'm annoyed that Arsenal won today but, hey, we won the League. I know what I'd rather win. Having said that, did anyone else feel angry at Arsenal's cowardice in injury time? Playing possession football is one thing, and Arsenal certainly have the players to be able to keep the ball for as long as they want, but to take it into the corners repeatedly for five minutes is an insult to your opponents.

WEDNESDAY, 14TH MAY, 2003

Thomas clinches a Double of sorts
The League-Cup double has been achieved by me, Thomas and Daniel in Football Dreams but Thomas has become the first manager to win both the League and the Champion Fives in the same season. He holds a one point lead over me with the Champions League Final still to come, but all of my players' teams are out and so I can't catch him.

MONDAY, 12TH MAY, 2003

Clarification of Football Dreams V honours and prize money allocations
The Champions League final is over two weeks away so, although that will end completely the Football Dreams year with the conclusion of the Champion Fives, I'll sort this out now:

Honours:

Football Dreams League: THAT...was a Goal! (Thomas)
Football Dreams Cup: The Prime Minister's Nipples (Me)
Football Dreams League Cup: The Prime Minister's Nipples (Me)
Football Dreams Super Cup: THAT...was a Goal! (Thomas)

Prize money: (The fund was £43 because Chris Morgan did not contribute)

Me - £16.00 (League runner-up = £3.00; Cup winner = £5.00; League Cup winner = £4.50; Champions Fives finalist = £1.00; 2.5 x MoM = £2.50)
Thomas - £15.00 (League winner = £6.50; Cup runner-up = £2.50; Champion Fives finalist = £1.00; 5 x MoM = £5.00)
Adrian - £2.50 (League Cup runner-up = £2.50)
Daniel - £2.50 (League Cup semi-finalist = £1.00; League third place = £1.00; 0.5 x MoM = £0.50)
Olly - £2.00 (Cup semi-finalist = £1.00; League Cup semi-finalist = £1.00)
Andy - £1.50 (League fourth place = £0.50; 1 x MoM = £1.00)
Phil - £1.50 (Cup 2nd Round = £0.50; 1 x MoM = £1.00)

This totals £41 because the £1 that Chris Morgan would have won for reaching the semi-finals of the Football Dreams Cup will go towards next year's fund and there is still £1 to be awarded for the winner of the Champion Fives.

SUNDAY, 11TH MAY, 2003

Conclusion of the Football Dreams League
It's not been in doubt for a few months now but today Thomas completed the romp towards his third FDL title. His team, THAT...was a Goal!, has scored a joint record 87 goals and amounted 728 points. That gives him a 140-point winning margin over me, which is comfortably the greatest in Football Dreams history. I suppose congratulations are in order.

The race for a Champions Five place has ended with Daniel claiming the automatic spot in third, with Robert Pires passing the 100 mark for last year's champion's team. However, Andy will also compete in the competition despite finishing fourth. This is because either me or Thomas will qualify as holders and not by virtue of our league position.

Elsewhere, Phil has ended the season strongly, and takes the manager of the month award for May with 39 points. Below Phil come Olly, Chris Ferry and Chris Morgan in sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively. Taking the wooden spoon for the third time is Adrian. His Left Over Legends side garnered an all-time Football Dreams low of 293 points.

Premiership final day
The headlines will go to the end of West Ham's ten-year stay in the top flight. They and Bolton have been two of the form teams in the Premiership for the past two or three months but the fact that West Ham more or less doubled their points total in their last eleven games tells the whole story. They should not have been in this position at all and it is the players, not the manager, who must take most of the blame. Too many of them have woefully under performed, been disruptive to morale or lacked heart, namely di Canio, Kanoute, Repka and Bowyer. I think the Hammers will bounce straight back, though.

On the subject of Europe, congratulations to Chelsea for saving the Champions League from Liverpool's wingless, erm, non-wonders next season. Everton must be disappointed to miss out on Europe to Blackburn on the last day but, quite honestly, a UEFA Cup campaign can do more harm than good to a team's progress. Look at Fulham this season and Ipswich before them.

WEDNESDAY, 7TH MAY, 2003

Champion Fives update
I have gone top by two points.

SUNDAY, 4TH MAY, 2003

Manchester United - 2002/2003 Premiership champions
My word, this is the Rowntree's Fruit Pastille of sweet victories. It was vitally important that United bounced straight back from last year's disastrous relinquishing of the Premiership crown to Arsenal at Old Trafford and they have done just that. We have our trophy back.

I greeted Leeds' third goal with a combination of shouting and throwing myself around the room, ending up on my knees with my arms reaching towards the sky (well, ceiling). I'm elated. Like last year, United's start to the campaign was, by their own standards, a shambles. On the other hand, back in the autumn Arsenal were playing as they had been in the spring, and the press could not stopping purring over their performances and how European Cup glory beckoned. The derby defeat on 9th November was the watershed moment for us, when Ferguson let everyone know afterwards that the players had let the fans down. A week later, though, we dropped two points at Upton Park and I wrote them off. We weren't playing well enough often enough and Arsenal were speeding off into the distance. Furthermore, our next three games were against Newcastle, Liverpool and Arsenal. Then we took nine points from those games. United have since lost only twice in the Premiership, both defeats coming in the blip either side of Christmas at Blackburn and Middlesbrough. Ruud van Nistelrooy and Paul Scholes have been titanic.

I believe that the league table doesn't lie and that the best team always finishes top. The achievement of taking a further seven points off Liverpool, Newcastle and Arsenal during a second run of matches against that trio in April firmly displayed United's credentials for an eighth title. I've never seen the team play better than this, but they've chosen to do so just as Arsenal began to play as listlessly as they have ever done under Wenger. The two clubs are still very closely matched and the balance of power lies with neither. We won this round, though, and I feel fantastic.

SATURDAY, 3RD MAY, 2003

FDL update
Phil and Olly are now level on 448 points but Phil has the superior goal difference and so moves up to fifth.

SUNDAY, 27TH APRIL, 2003

PFA awards reaction
I know it's voted for by the players so whoever wins an award thoroughly deserves it, but I'm very surprised that van Nistelrooy was overlooked tonight, especially in the team of the year category. He's already scored 40 goals this season, which is a phenomenal haul considering that most came in the highly competitive Premiership and Champions League competitions. Andrew Cole in 1993/1994, I think, was the last player to reach 40 in a season so it doesn't happen very often.

Football Dreams Cup Final: The Prime Minister's Nipples 30 - 27 THAT...was a Goal!
Winning both domestic cups is a highly satisfying way to end my trophy drought that stretched back to 1999, and this win also prevents Thomas from winning the Double. The 2000/2001 season is the only other time that both major competitions haven't ended up with the same manager.

FDL update
Daniel has moved back up to third place thanks to having two Manchester United defenders. Meanwhile, Thomas is the manager of the month with 104 points, 36 of which came courtesy of Paul Scholes. Scholes also surpassed 100 points today for the year.

SATURDAY, 26TH APRIL, 2003

FDL update
Michael Owen's four goals in Liverpool's 6 - 0 mauling of the Baggies have helped Andy to move above Daniel into third and an automatic Champion Fives qualification spot.

WEDNESDAY, 23RD APRIL, 2003

United's European dreams are shattered
I imagine that many neutrals were probably enthralled by the spectacle and quality of the match tonight but, as a United fan, all I felt was fury.  When Real scored their third I had to leave the room and go and listen to it on the radio because I was so livid at the way they seemed to be able to score at will against us.

United started well but then Ronaldo evaded Rio and - bang! The strike was crisp but Barthez was beaten too easily at his near post. However, we got back into to it by going in at half-time level at 1 - 1. Think, though, about how Real's first half goal came about from a passage of play that had looked innocuous but then became dangerous, whereas our equaliser only came after many minutes of pressure. Nonetheless, United could go again in the second half; we once more needed two goals, albeit just for extra time.

Alas, the second half started like a game of pinball, with Real taking just five minutes to score and to leave us needing another four goals. Then came a stroke of luck as Helguera put through his own net to make it 2 - 2, followed by the moment that changed the game. Moments before Real got that crushing third goal that so enraged me, Solskjaer had a one-on-one chance that, had he not missed, would have put us back in the position of needing just two goals, with 30 minutes still left in which to get them. However, Casillas parried the shot and managed, for the umpteenth time, to deflect the ball from all the United players who were following in. Real realised that they needed one more goal to finish it and so simply moved up a gear, we backed off Ronaldo as he moved forward, and he had all the time in the world to pick his spot and fire the ball clinically past Barthez. Now, because I support United, I refuse to believe they are beaten during a game but, when Ronaldo completed his hat trick, I knew we were out because whenever we got within striking distance of Real's aggregate lead (the only score that mattered tonight; our victory on the night is a hollow one), they just got another goal.

I lay the blame for our exit on the centre of our midfield. Butt and Keane played together in both legs but failed to protect our back four, who are the best in the Premiership - fact. Real are the best team in the world, I'm not doubting that, but they are not the best in the world all over the park and we could have beaten them. We proved we could score against them but they scored too easily against us when it was possible to stop them. Leaving Beckham on the bench was entirely justified on his current form, especially his performance in Madrid, and his two goals came against a team that weren't protecting a 3 - 2 lead but one that knew they had to concede four to lose. United could well have won the competition if they had got past this hurdle, just like England against Brazil in Japan, and there is the same feeling that we were beaten by the better side but that we could and should have done more.

Champion Fives update
Thomas is one point ahead of me after two match days.

TUESDAY, 22ND APRIL, 2003

FDL update
Chris Morgan is off the foot of the table, with Adrian replacing him there.

MONDAY, 21ST APRIL, 2003

Glenn Roeder collapses
Roeder's collapse has rocked the football world, and we all wish him a speedy recovery. He has been badly let down all season by his under performing players and has faced terrible criticism and pressure with great dignity and determination. However, it must surely be the case that stress has at least exacerbated any condition that may have brought about this incident, or even caused it itself. Either way, this may, unfortunately, spell the end of Roeder's managerial career.

SATURDAY, 19TH APRIL, 2003

FDL update
Thomas' lead is now a quite frankly gargantuan 135 points. Consequently, league title number three is a near certainty for my brother but, judging by his current points tally, is his success down to the sale of something?

Shearer hits 100
Newcastle may have lost yet again today but I'm sure that Alan Shearer will find solace in having reached the century mark for Ear of the Wind.

WEDNESDAY, 16TH APRIL, 2003

Face Off (© Sky Sports): Arsenal 2 - 2 Manchester United
United bossed the first half and, except for the first fifteen minutes of the second 45, looked comfortable throughout the game. Of course, the main talking point is Sol Campbell's red card. Whether he made contact with his elbow or the palm of his hand is irrelevant. The point is that contact was made and Campbell had no need to go waving his limbs around anyway. The decision to send him off was a brave and correct one by the referee and his linesman. If the referee had not branded the red card, it would have continued Arsenal's amazing mix of luck and favourable refereeing decisions over the past two games, encompassing the two incidents before they scored against Sheffield United, Paul Peschisolido's miss, Thierry Henry's fluke equaliser, and the Frenchman's blatantly offside second goal. For Arsenal fans to label Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a play-actor and a cheat is despicable. Martin Keown certainly made the most of Francesco Totti grazing him with his fingertips in the Champions League, and, disgracefully, tried to get Stuart McCall sent off at the weekend by informing the referee that he'd already been booked when he committed another foul. Above all, though, I know which side played like champions tonight.

SUNDAY, 13TH APRIL, 2003

F.A. Cup semi-finals
Neither match today was short on incident but the Arsenal-Sheffield United tie had the most. Graham Poll should have awarded a free kick to the Blades before he ran into one of their players as if wearing blinkers in the run-up to Arsenal's goal. Furthermore, while David Seaman's save was undoubtedly impressive, if Paul Peschisolido had not made such pathetically weak contact with the ball then there would have been no save to make. Arsenal were dire and very, very fortunate to progress. In the other semi, I was glad to see Southampton reach the Final, partly because I picked them out as dark horses for the Cup back in January, and partly because they are a good, honest footballing side who deserve the European football they will play next year.

SATURDAY, 12TH APRIL, 2003

F.A. Barclaycard Premiership: Newcastle United 2 - 6 Manchester United
Wow. Proof, if proof were needed, that football is rarely predictable. While Arsenal are undoubtedly beautiful to watch most of the time, I feel that United's style has been overlooked this season. However, those five minutes that produced our first three goals have to be the most exhilarating in the Premiership so far this season, while our opening five goals were all fantastically well-crafted, particularly Paul Scholes' first. Being able to despatch Liverpool and now Newcastle with so much to spare has been most unexpected. Roll on Wednesday night.

Should they stay or should they go?
Newspapers have been linking Ryan Giggs and David Beckham with moves abroad for some time now and, unless we win the Champions League this year, I would be surprised if both are at the club next year. Ferguson is always alert to signs that a team is stagnating, as shown by his sale of Hughes, Ince and Kanchelskis in 1995 to allow the youngsters to come through, and I reckon that we need a new goalkeeper, another wide player and a regular partner for van Nistelrooy up front (who is capable of leading the line as well as he does too). Players would have to be sold to raise the cash required for these acquisitions. I've thought about this and, if I had to sell one of the two named above, it would be Beckham. While his sale would unbalance the side and he might be the harder to replace than Giggs, I feel uncomfortable at the notion of cashing in on the Welshman, even if his erratic form this season has been a liability sometimes. What Giggs means to Manchester United and its history transcends how much longer he'll be in the first eleven for. For over a decade, he has seen off various challenges for the left wing berth in our midfield and remained an exceptionally loyal and non-dissenting club servant. Contrast this with Beckham, who stalled over an already generous new contract (there is never any fuss over new contracts for the other home grown players like Butt, Scholes and the Nevilles) and who clearly has a personality clash with his manager. If Real Madrid really would pay £38 million for a predominantly one-footed player not too far off 30 then it may be too good to turn down.

THURSDAY, 10TH APRIL, 2003

Revised prize money allocations
Since Chris Morgan is unlikely to be contributing to the prize fund this season because of other financial commitments, I have altered the way that prize money will be dished out because of the reduced pool of cash. The revised allocations are shown below. Please note also that any money that Chris Morgan would have won this season (currently £1) will go towards next season's prize fund.

Domestic competitions (8 x £5.00 = £40.00)

> £6.50 for winning the Football Dreams League.

> £3.00 for finishing second in the Football Dreams League.

> £1.00 for finishing third in the Football Dreams League.

> £0.50 for finishing fourth in the Football Dreams League.

> £0.50 for winning a Football Dreams Cup first round tie.

> £1.00 for winning a Football Dreams Cup second round tie (4 x £1.00 = £4.00).

> £1.50 for winning a Football Dreams Cup semi-final (2 x £1.50 = £3.00).

> £2.50 for winning the Football Dreams Cup Final.

> £1.00 for qualifying from the Football Dreams League Cup group stage (4 x £1.00 = £4.00).

> £1.50 for winning a Football Dreams League Cup semi-final (2 x £1.50 = £3.00).

> £2.00 for winning the Football Dreams League Cup Final.

> £1.00 for each Football Dreams Manager of the Month (10 x £1.00 = £10.00).

European competiton (3 x £1.00 = £3.00)

> £1 for qualifying for the Final Stage of the Football Dreams Champion Fives (2 x £1.00 = £2.00).

> £1 for winning the Football Dreams Champion Fives. 

WEDNESDAY, 9TH APRIL, 2003

Champion Fives Final Stage commences
Thomas currently has the edge over me on goal difference.

TUESDAY, 8TH APRIL, 2003

UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final 1st Leg: Real Madrid 3 - 1 Manchester United
Despite what the media have said about our performance, I believe that United don't deserve to be trailing by two goals after the first leg. The only real difference between the sides during the first half was Real's exquisite movement and passing around our 18-yard box. We had had chances too, notably from Scholes and van Nistelrooy, but they failed to hit the net, whereas the holders were more clinical. I would imagine that Luis Figo was intending to shoot when he scored (he's not that bad at crossing) but Fabien Barthez took an ill-judged step forward, perhaps anticipating a cross, just as the Portuguese maestro struck the ball. Barthez could only watch as it looped over him. In the second half, once we got our goal we bossed the match, apart from the last five minutes when Gary Neville's substitution created panic down our right flank, and could and should have got another one back. However, at least we are now in the situation that if we score first at Old Trafford in the return leg, whether it is in the 1st or the 85th minute, then it's game on. After being 3 - 1 down on aggregate after 10 minutes in Turin four years ago, I know that we can come back.

MONDAY, 7TH APRIL, 2003

Football Dreams League Cup Final: Left Over Legends 0 - 5 The Prime Minster's Nipples
This comprehensive victory over Adrian has given me my first silverware since 1999. It also means that the only realistic way of preventing either Thomas or me from collecting all the Football Dreams trophies this year is for Daniel or Andy to go on a phenomenal run in the League.

SATURDAY, 5TH APRIL, 2003

The Premiership title race is on
Manchester United's glorious 4 - 0 demolition of Liverpool this lunchtime was not only a victory for us but for football fans everywhere. The fact that Arsenal dropped two points at Villa Park later this afternoon, though, has also thrown the title race wide open. The Gunners are now only top through a superior goal difference to United. Furthermore, Newcastle, who I wrote off after Boro beat them a few weeks back, could make it a three-way tie at the top if they win tomorrow at Goodison Park and then continue their good home form by collecting three more points when we play them next weekend. Of the three titanic away ties that United have ahead of them, I feel that the one on Tyneside is going to prove an even harder test than our trips to Madrid and north London. I can't wait.

Ruud hits 100
Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuud van Nistelrooy's two penalties have taken him past the 100 points mark for Phil's team this campaign. Even after just under two seasons, I would call him the best Manchester United striker of all time.

WEDNESDAY, 2ND APRIL, 2003

Euro 2004 Qualifiers Group 7: England 2 - 0 Turkey
I'll be honest with you - I just couldn't see England winning tonight. I always try to be positive regarding the result of a match involving England or United, but a draw seemed liked the best we could hope for in this case. Serious questions have been asked of this England side over the past few months, questions that were repeated with greater amplitude after Saturday's rather laboured defeat of Liechtenstein. Are England good enough technically? Are we tactically aware? Do the players care about internationals anymore? Does the coach really want the job? Would he rather be managing a certain team in red? On the most part, tonight's performance emphatically answered these accusations.

Quite simply, the speed, verve and, yes, passion with which England attacked Turkey in the second half made for the most exhilarating England performance since Munich nearly two years ago. The captain, David Beckham, will never be an absorbing interviewee but his commitment to his role in the team must never be doubted. His booking after eight minutes was disappointing because it rules him out of the Slovakia game, but merely showed the intensity with which he and the rest of the squad approached this match. Furthermore, I am glad that the diamond formation in midfield was tried out. Eriksson's leaning towards a 4-4-2 formation is perfectly justified because it is the most versatile system in the sport and is the one most used by Premiership sides, but it is important that its versatility is exploited. A flat four in midfield often makes England look predictable, but allowing Nicky Butt to sweep up in front of the defence, and Paul Scholes to float below the front two, is a sound policy. I was certainly proud to see no less than five United players start and finish the match tonight. Of course, though, the headlines will go to Wayne Rooney. His rise from making his Premiership debut at 16 back in August, to ending Arsenal's unbeaten run in October, to reaching the full England squad at 17 in February, has been astonishing. His performance tonight, however, was breathtaking. It is foolish to expect such displays from such a young, raw talent on a regular basis, but there is now no way that he will lose his place for the next game. He has that all important quality of filling the crowd with excitement and anticipation whenever he gets the ball, just like Giggs, Owen or Gascoigne when they broke through.

So let's celebrate this fine win. The return match in Turkey is still likely to decide who tops the group, but England reminded us tonight of what they are capable of. Not every result will be as good as this by any means, but with five players in the first eleven who are among the world's best in their respective positions (Ferdinand, Scholes, Gerrard, Beckham and Owen), it is easy to forget just how talented this group of players are.

SATURDAY, 29TH MARCH, 2003

Euro 2004 Qualifiers Group 7: Liechtenstein 0 - 2 England
This was certainly not the convincing result or performance that was hoped for, and a barrage of goals would have come in useful for raising spirits ahead of the massive Turkey game on Wednesday. However, let's be realistic. International football is a strange game because it represents the pinnacle of the sport and yet it throws up hopeless mismatches like this one. Yes, Liechtenstein certainly created an uncomfortably high amount of chances, but an England win was never in any real doubt. The inclusion of nations like Liechtenstein, San Marino and Andorra at this level, without any form of pre-qualification, is probably justified so as to give each European side an equally fair attempt at reaching a major finals, but games against these minnows are nearly always of nothing more than novelty value and are a case of getting the points without any needless injuries or suspensions being picked up. A 7 - 0 win wouldn't have given us any more than the 3 points we won tonight. What matters most is 3 more points in midweek.

THURSDAY, 27TH MARCH, 2003

Transfer deadline day
Midnight tonight is the deadline for all Football Dreams transfers this season.

MONDAY, 24TH MARCH, 2003

Transfer news
Chris Ferry has sold Hassan Kachloul and Niclas Jensen to make way for Henrik Pedersen and Mickael Silvestre, respectively.

Football Dreams Cup Semi-Finals
Thomas has beaten Chris Morgan 38 - 14 to reach the final, while I scored just one more point than Olly to book my place too. If Olly had played Jay-Jay Okocha tonight, though, he would have knocked me out.

Manager of the Month
Thomas is the winner for March with 92 points.

SUNDAY, 23RD MARCH, 2003

Transfer news
Olly has brought back Darius Vassell since Brian McBride's loan spell is ending. I have replaced Danny Mills with Andy Griffin. 

FRIDAY, 21ST MARCH, 2003

Turmoil at Leeds
The descent of Leeds United from Champions League semi-finalists to the shambles that they are now is incredible. Just before Christmas 2001, they probably had the best squad, if not first eleven, in the Premiership, and yet now most of their rivals are benefiting from the services of their former players and, on top of this, they are now being managed by the former boss of the club that's been Division 1-bound all season. Peter Reid comes across as a decent, knowledgeable guy as a BBC pundit but, as a manager, you're only as good as your last job, and Sunderland were a bad side for a long time under Reid before he left. Leeds' recent slump in form will be brought under control and they won't be relegated, but Reid will encounter the same difficulties as the departed Terry Venables because the club's problems are so complicated and deep-rooted. The trapdoor to the Nationwide could open next season - let's just hope that Leeds don't become the English Fiorentina.

THURSDAY, 20TH MARCH, 2003

UEFA Cup Semi-Final 2nd Leg: Liverpool 0 - 2 Celtic (Celtic win 3 - 1 on aggregate)
I know that Houllier brought Liverpool five trophies during 2001, but how long can he exist on that success given the money that he's spent since? Liverpool have not built on that success and I don't think that their squad is as good now as it was then. Celtic deserved to beat Liverpool but, if you look at the Scottish side's team, it certainly isn't one that would challenge for the Premiership, something that Liverpool should supposedly be doing on a regular basis by now. I think that he's taken Liverpool as far as he can.

WEDNESDAY, 19TH MARCH, 2003

English teams fail in the Champions League
While I do feel a warm glow of satisfaction that Manchester United are the only Premiership side through to the knockout stages, the fact that there will be three Spanish outfits in the quarter-finals, and also that three Spanish sides beat three English sides (though one was a reserve team) over these past two nights, is disappointing for the stature of English football. The media have fawned all over Arsenal this season, and made ridiculous predictions that they would win the Champions League, but have fallen short yet again. Newcastle have been portrayed as gallant underdogs but were simply not good enough, and Liverpool paid the price for being predictable. It is the idea of Arsenal as world beaters that irritates me most, though, because they have only ever made the quarter-finals once in about five attempts and yet that 4 - 0 defeat of PSV a few months ago suddenly made them potential winners of the Champions League in the eyes of some. Manchester United understand that the European Cup doesn't really begin until the knockout stage and that the groups are something that you just negotiate, and only that, with as little fuss as possible. Win your home games and get at least 1 point on your travels and you're more or less through. It's as simple as that. Once you're into the quarters, then you think about whether you can win the thing or not. Group form means nothing; it's just about qualifying.

Having said all this, the Premiership has definitely suffered a blow, what with three Serie A and three La Liga teams still in the competition. Furthermore, I am disappointed that Arsenal and Newcastle did not go through because they have fewer games than us to play now, and an early European exit certainly didn't hurt the Gunners last season.

Champion Fives Group Stage ends
Thomas and I have qualified for the final stage, with me topping the group on 43 points and Thomas being 1 point behind. Daniel and the holder Chris Morgan have been knocked out.

SUNDAY, 16TH MARCH, 2003

FDL update
Following today's games, Thomas has stretched his lead to a whopping 103 points. His tally of 66 goals, which is 12 more than anyone else, certainly has a lot to do with his success this year but it's worth noting too that his team also has the most wins and clean sheets, along with having the joint best defence.

Should Alan Shearer play for England again?
No. I make no secret of the fact that I am not a fan of Shearer and I do not want to see him selected for England. His form for Newcastle has been sensational this season but I thought that this was why Shearer quit the international scene. He reasoned that by reducing the amount of games that he plays, he could play better for longer as a Newcastle player. Would the decision to return to the England set up not jeopardise his club future and contradict the reasons he gave for retiring from the national side after Euro 2000? Personally, I always thought that he quit England before he was pushed because of his indifferent performances, thus guaranteeing himself a ticket to Benelux three years ago.

Aside from this, bringing Shearer back would be a dreadfully short-sighted and misinformed decision. If Shearer was to return, he would probably retire again after Euro 2004. Furthermore, he would inevitably be partnered up front by Michael 'I make Howard Wilkinson seem interesting' Owen, even though they were nearly always ineffective as a duo, most notably during the debacle that was England's Euro 2000 campaign. Finally, Alan Shearer is too big for the England team. By this I mean that David Beckham is the figurehead of the national side and Shearer is unlikely to want to play second fiddle since he is the undisputed main man with the Toon. It's quite simple: Rooney, Heskey, Defoe and Owen are the future; Shearer is the past.

New Football Dreams League Cup Final date
Since the F.A. Cup Semi-Finals are taking place over the weekend that was to host the League Cup Final, thus reducing the Premiership programme, I have decided to move the Final, which is between me and Adrian, forward to the weekend commencing 5th April.

SATURDAY, 15TH MARCH, 2003

FDL update
Chris Morgan has replaced Adrian at the foot of the table.

Football Dreams Cup Semi-Final draw
Chris Morgan will play Thomas and Olly has been drawn against me. The ties will be decided over next weekend's fixtures, with the Final due to take place on the weekend commencing 26th April.

SATURDAY, 8TH MARCH, 2003

FDL update
There were no changes in League position following the five Premiership games that were played during the week. On a different topic, I am aware that Chris Morgan has had the ineligible Matt Jansen (currently on loan at Coventry for the rest of the season) in his squad for several weeks now. I was all set to deduct 10 points from his score but Adrian has informed me that Chris has, in fact, left home and so, understandably, Football Dreams is not one of his top priorities, while a computer and Internet access are not really possible at the moment. I'm not (C)ruel Fox, so Chris will keep the 10 points.

SUNDAY, 2ND MARCH, 2003

Worthington Cup Final: Liverpool 2 - 0 Manchester United
When Liverpool beat you it's a dishonest victory. You could say that I'm only saying that because they've just beaten us in a major final but you'd be wrong. When it comes to football, Liverpool are the antithesis of everything the sport stands for and this afternoon's match only strengthened my conviction that that is the case. It's like the goal hanger in a playground match; their tactics might come off but that's not the point. Football shouldn't be played like this. If United are beaten by teams like Arsenal, Chelsea or Newcastle then I'm still angry and disappointed but, on most occasions, I also know, deep down, that we were beaten fair and square after being outplayed by a good footballing side. That is plainly not the case with Liverpool.

The sight of United hunting for a goal is still the most exciting spectacle in British football and that saved this match that from the sterility that Liverpool set out to impose on all of their fixtures. Had it not been for Jerzy Dudek remembering how to play like an international goalkeeper, we would have won comfortably today and deservedly so. Despite it being a cup final, Liverpool still sat back and had no intention whatsoever of taking the game to us, so we took it to them. Their first goal was a fluke and came during their first good spell of the game, late in the first half, and their only second half chances resulted from United committing almost everyone forward, which caused their second goal.

What really infuriates me, though, is that this victory will be seen by many in the media as an epiphany for Liverpool and the beginning of renewed success for them. Of course, I feel dejected after losing today but I must put this result in perspective. Liverpool were and remain a mediocre outfit in decline. They have a lot of work to do to scrape a Champions League berth for next season and their squad is simply not as good as ours or Arsenal's. Worthington Cup victory or not, Liverpool's season will not be one of success and, with the likes of Diouf, Diao, Smicer, Traore and Cheyrou in their squad, their fortunes are unlikely to improve. We still have Premiership and Champions League honours to chase.

SATURDAY, 1ST MARCH, 2003

FDL update
Andy has slipped to fourth, with Daniel moving above him into third.

MONDAY, 24TH FEBRUARY, 2003

Football Dreams Manager of the Month
I have claimed the February award with 55 points, the lowest winning score of the season. Chris Ferry's tally of 12 points has beaten his own record for the lowest monthly score of the season.

FDL update
Andy and Daniel are both level on 400 points, but Andy has the superior goal difference.

League Cup news
Adrian will play me in the League Cup Final over the weekend commencing 12th April after I beat Olly 4 - 0 to complete a 7 - 2 rout.

SATURDAY, 22ND FEBRUARY, 2003

FDL update
There has still yet to be a change in league position this month but I would very much like to point out that the second visitor to the Web site on 14th February was the 1000th in the history of Football Dreams' online presence. Sorry to sound like a stadium attendance announcer, but thanks very much for your continued support.

FRIDAY, 21ST FEBRUARY, 2003

Transfer news
Andy has shown Eirik the Bakke door and bought Thomas Hitzlsperger.

WEDNESDAY, 19TH FEBRUARY, 2003

Champion Fives update
The third set of Champions League matches has left Thomas and me in a commanding position at the top of the group.

MONDAY, 17TH FEBRUARY, 2003

F.A. Cup 5th Round review
Arsenal's 2 - 0 defeat of Manchester United left me feeling totally dejected on Saturday. I'd looked forward to it all week and to have the match turn against us in those chaotic few minutes, when Giggs inexcusably skied the ball over an open goal and then Edu scored a total fluke, was soul destroying. United didn't play coherently enough to challenge Arsenal's command of the game thereafter, although we did create more chances than the Gunners.

Elsewhere, Watford rode their luck against Sunderland but at least the F.A. Cup has been purged of the Black Cats and their general ineptness, while Rochdale started the second half against Wolves very brightly but succumbed to two late sucker punches. On the subject of the 6th Round draw, I'm glad that Arsenal and Chelsea are playing each other now because I'd rather that the F.A. Cup Final wasn't a replay of the previous one.

WEDNESDAY, 12TH FEBRUARY, 2003

Friendly International: England 1 - 3 Australia
This was truly dire. The Aussies thrash us at cricket and tennis, so when it comes to an important sport we should be able to teach them a lesson. Must they be so good at everything? How about we challenge them to a staying sober contest?

Seriously, though, England's displays are beginning to concern me. Since the incredible 5 - 1 demolition of Germany, England have appeared to be a team in regression. Apart from the heroic defeat of Argentina at the World Cup and the first half against Denmark in the same competition, England's matches since that night in Munich have been characterised by inaccurate long balls, disjointed passing and hesitant defending. Just cast your minds back to the matches against Greece, Sweden (twice), Slovakia, Macedonia, and the second half against Brazil, for example. Let us hope that tonight was the nadir and that things will improve. If you'll indulge me, then, I'd like to put forward a few ideas as to how this could be achieved.

The team that Eriksson selected to start tonight's game was, except for David James and Frank Lampard, the eleven that would have started had the game been a competitive one. Why, therefore, did they play in a manner so devoid of both quality and passion that it was an insult to those who had paid to watch? I think it is time for the conventional 4-4-2 formation that Eriksson favours (as I do, on most occasions) to be either tweaked or replaced because the right players are being picked, give or take a couple perhaps, and yet performances of late have been poor at best. The goalkeeper change should be quick and painless, with Paul Robinson taking over from David Seaman. However, the main problem areas are up front and on the left wing. 

No English striker, except James Beattie, has scored regularly in the Premiership this season, and I fear that he is not of international quality yet. Therefore, why pick two strikers? I propose that England play a lone striker receiving quality support play from midfield, which is where most of England's quality players are. Ruud van Nistelrooy does this exceptionally well for United in Europe but Michael Owen is not suited for this role at all, especially on current form. I think that I must be one of his last remaining supporters, but I admire Emile Heskey's power and work rate and would give him the lone forward role, with James Beattie and Wayne Rooney as his understudies. Behind Heskey, England could play Paul Scholes, thus playing 4-4-1-1. However, this fails to solve the left wing conundrum and so I would like to try the audacious 4-2-3-1 formation that United used to brilliantly overcome Arsenal at Old Trafford. This would allow Jermaine Jenas, who is fast turning into an exceptionally athletic all-round midfielder, to partner Steven Gerrard in front of the defence, with David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Kieron Dyer providing dynamic support play to Emile Heskey, who can hold the ball up or chase through balls. I feel that this formation would allow for more intricate and imaginative movement among the team, especially for the quintet in midfield, with which to undo the opposition's defence. To summarise, then, this would be my eleven for the Liechtenstein game:

(4-2-3-1): Robinson; Cole, Campbell, Ferdinand, Neville; Gerrard, Jenas; Dyer, Scholes, Beckham; Heskey

One last thing: how about having a '5 Nations'-esque competition between England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic every two years (between the major competitions) to provide more competitive football for the national sides?

SUNDAY, 9TH FEBRUARY, 2003

Cup news
In the other League Cup semi-final, I have beaten Olly 3 - 2 in the 1st leg. In the Football Dreams Cup, Chris Morgan and Olly have caused upsets by dumping Phil and Andy, respectively, out of the competition. I comfortably defeated Chris Ferry and Thomas added to Daniel's woes by eliminating the trophy's holder 7 - -2.

FDL update
There were no changes in league position this weekend.

F.A. Barclaycard Premiership news
Today was a golden opportunity for United to close in on Arsenal in the title race because I always fancied Newcastle to get something from their game because of their excellent home form. In the end, though, I'm relieved that Arsenal could not make their numerical advantage pay off against the Toon and had to settle for a point. United had three good cases for penalties turned down today but City's goal was always coming because they bossed the second half and we played too many misplaced long balls that failed to alleviate the pressure on our defence. Bitterly disappointing.

SATURDAY, 8TH FEBRUARY, 2003

Sven's squad
I think that a squad of 27 suggests that Sven has foreseen a few mysterious injuries being picked up by certain players over the next couple of days. Speaking of mysteries, I know that Arsenal are probably the best side in the land but do we really need their reserves, whether past or present, in the national team? Furthermore, the exclusion of Gareth Barry and John Terry baffles me. Nonetheless, I still have total faith in Eriksson and if he wants to pick Charlton's reserve left back instead of the resurgent Barry then that's fine by me. People should remember where England were when he arrived. Finally, I'm glad that Rooney's in. He is the most exciting English talent since Michael Owen and does not need to serve time in the U-21s first. We protect our youngsters too much sometimes and Rooney has earned his place. Playing in the Champions League at a young age certainly didn't do the likes of Beckham, Scholes and Butt any harm.

Daniel ejected from Football Dreams League Cup
This lunchtime, Daniel put the cup-tied Szilard Nemeth into his team for the Liverpool-Middlesbrough game (the Slovakian international played for Chris Morgan during match day 3). When he did this before during a League Cup weekend, I gave him the benefit of the doubt and let him off. However, this time I have been left with no choice other than to award his opponent, Adrian, a walkover to the final.

WEDNESDAY, 5TH FEBRUARY, 2003

England squad to face Australia
This is the squad of 23 that I would call up:

Goalkeepers (2): Russell Hoult, Paul Robinson.
Defenders (8): Wes Brown, Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Danny Mills, Gary Neville, Jlloyd Samuel, John Terry.
Midfielders (9): Gareth Barry, David Beckham, Joe Cole, Kieron Dyer, Steven Gerrard, Jermaine Jenas, Frank Lampard, Danny Murphy, Paul Scholes.
Strikers (4): James Beattie, Emile Heskey, Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney.

I know that this squad is a little light on goalkeepers and strikers but that reflects our current shortage of options in these positions, although I would have Richard Wright and Jermain Defoe on stand-by should the need arise. Additionally, I have left the likes of Gareth Southgate and Nicky Butt out because they are recognised understudies for the national side and do not need to prove themselves in friendlies. Their exclusion leaves vacancies for more untried players like Rooney, who I'd bring on for the last 20 minutes.

SATURDAY, 1ST FEBRUARY, 2003

Transfer news
Phil has bought Michael Ricketts and sold Steve Marlet as he continues his quirky strategy of undoing the transfers he made earlier on in the season.

FDL update
There were no changes in League position this afternoon but Arsenal's victory gave Thierry Henry his 100th point of the season for Thomas' team, with the Frenchman becoming the first player to reach the century mark. It's also the third successive year that Henry has reached 100 points. Thomas did miss out on two goals today too, with his decision to play the in form James Beattie instead of Clinton Morrison costing him not only the goal scored by the Republic of Ireland international but also the penalty converted by the unused Kevin Phillips. Furthermore, Daniel would be entitled to feel aggrieved by my decision to postpone the Cup games for a week, since he was due to play the FDL's runaway leader and would have had a 23 - 6 lead going into tomorrow's matches.

Transfer news
Andy has brought in Eirik Bakke for his Norwegian counterpart Oyvind Leonhardsen in time for the Leeds midfielder to make his debut this afternoon.

FRIDAY, 31ST JANUARY, 2003

Phil's new column
Phil has sent me a copy of Back Door 3. Don't worry, it's not a feeble blue movie sequel but rather the article that makes Phil the most prolific writer since Peter Jolly. 

Cup games are postponed
The snow has resulted in the postponement of tomorrow's match between Newcastle and Middlesbrough and more could follow. Therefore, I have moved all of tomorrow's Football Dreams Cup 2nd Round games back to next weekend so that managers aren't put at a disadvantage. This means that they will be played over the same weekend as the Football Dreams League Cup Semi-Final 1st Legs but this shouldn't cause any problems.

Transfer news
I have replaced Marian Pahars with Malcolm Christie.

Elsewhere, although Phil missed out on Christie himself by just 4 hours, he has secured the signings of Emile Heskey (for the second time) and Ian Harte to replace Milan Baros and Abel 'Neptune' Xavier, respectively.

WEDNESDAY, 29TH JANUARY, 2003

FDL update
Thomas is the Manager of the Month for January after collecting 105 points this month. There were no changes in league position, though, despite the high-scoring midweek games.

Transfer news
My patience with Middlesbrough has run out and so I've sold Colin Cooper and bought Michael Svensson.

MONDAY, 27TH JANUARY, 2003

F.A. Cup review
Congratulations to Rochdale for the upset of the round in beating Coventry 2 - 0. It's excellent to have a Third Division in the last 16 of The F.A. Cup, just as it's important that the big teams remain too so that there are 5th Round ties like Manchester United versus Arsenal. I was discretely listening to the draw during a lecture and was surprised when they were the first two teams drawn, but I can't wait for the game. The Gunners have had two simple home ties against minnows so far and it's about time that they had a competitive draw.

On the subject of their match against Farnborough, once the Conference side had taken the money and decided to switch it to Highbury, I lost all interest in the tie. Could anyone really, honestly, see Arsenal losing? Farnborough deserved to be thrashed for opting for a lucrative certain defeat rather than treating Arsenal's players to a proper cup game at their place. I firmly believe that the home side should fancy their chances against absolutely anyone in a cup environment, and Farnborough could have won at home, but had absolutely no chance away. I heard an argument on Five Live, from Peter Osgood I think, that all lower league teams should switch their ties to the bigger team's ground should they be drawn at home because the team wants the cash and the players and the fans want a day out. What patronising, misguided nonsense. In the case of Farnborough, they forfeited the TV money that they could have received by playing at Highbury. Furthermore, only the 600 or so that make up their average gate deserved the day trip to North London, not the thousands who crawled out of the woodwork in support of the non-leaguers. Additionally, I hate the way that small teams and their players are patronised by the media. Many Conference sides are better organised on and off the pitch than some League outfits and contain players with Premiership experience, like Mark Stein and Tony Roberts at Dagenham & Redbridge. They are not mugs. Nigel Jemson at Shrewsbury has played at Wembley, so why would a trip to Stamford Bridge have appealed to him more than the chance to actually beat Chelsea at Gay Meadow. I'm just disgusted at the notion of small teams accepting defeat in the F.A. Cup and using a tie just to make money and have day out, because that is the very opposite of the ethos of the competition.

Anyway, rant over. United were awesome against a hapless Hammers side yesterday and to still be fighting on four fronts into February is a fantastic achievement. However, there's one trophy that simply must be reclaimed this year, and its holders come to Old Trafford in a few weeks to defend its sister. 

SATURDAY, 25TH JANUARY, 2003

Transfer news
I have made my second transfer of the season by offloading Michael Carrick for Bobby Robson's JJ.

Football Dreams Cup 2nd Round draw
All matches will be played over next weekend and the tie of the round is a rematch between last year's finalists, Daniel and Thomas. The other three games are between Chris Morgan and Phil, Olly and Andy, and Chris Ferry and me.

WEDNESDAY, 22ND JANUARY, 2003

FDL update
I have overtaken Andy and moved up into second place thanks to Claus Jensen's goal tonight.

Worthington Cup Semi-Finals
As a United fan, I'm obviously delighted that we're in our first major final for 4 years. Of course, that's nowhere near as long as some teams go between finals or silverware, but it's all relative to the expectations built up by previous success so it's seemed like aeons. Liverpool, our opponents, needed extra time to see off First Division Sheffield United at home, which proves that their narrow 1 - 0 win over the Saints does not a turned corner make. However, although I dislike Liverpool anyway, both as a United fan and because of their depressingly restrained brand of football, I was particularly incensed by Michael Owen's reaction to scoring the goal that booked their trip to Cardiff. He looked miserable. Was this meant to be some kind of reaction to the £20,000 betting losses story at the weekend? Over 2 years, Michael Owen losing £20,000 of his earnings is like the average man on the street buying a couple of unsuccessful lottery tickets every week, so he can't be miserable. To score an important goal like that and then react like you've scored it at the wrong end disappoints me more in a footballer than any story about gambling losses could. That's why Diego Forlan is becoming a real cult hero at United. He scores vital goals and, almost as importantly, celebrates them just as much as the fans.

SUNDAY, 19TH JANUARY, 2003

FDL update
Phil has moved above Chris Ferry into sixth. Elsewhere, Thomas has stretched his lead over Andy to 84 points.

SATURDAY, 18TH JANUARY, 2003

Transfer news
Olly has bought Brian McBride and sold Darius Vassell, with McBride replacing Teddy Sheringham in his starting eleven. The American international has scored three times already for Everton since joining the Toffees in a 3-month loan deal.

MONDAY, 13TH JANUARY, 2003

Transfer news
Chris Ferry has sold Lee Hendrie to make way for Richard Wright, who replaces Jerzy Dudek between the posts. Chris has also swapped his strikers around by changing Eidur Gudjohnsen and Mark Viduka for Alen Boksic and Paulo di Canio.

SUNDAY, 12TH JANUARY, 2003

Football Dreams Cup 1st Round
Phil has made it a double blow for Adrian this weekend by dumping him out of the Cup with a 6 - -4 victory. The other 7 managers will enter the competition in the 2nd Round, which will take place over the weekend commencing Saturday 1st February.

FDL update
There were two positional changes as a result of today's two high-scoring Premiership games. Chris Morgan has moved off the bottom of the table and has been replaced by Adrian, while Phil has dropped to seventh as Chris Ferry moves above him.

SATURDAY, 11TH JANUARY, 2003

FDL update
No changes in league position again today but Thomas has increased his lead to 67 points.

FRIDAY, 10TH JANUARY, 2003

Transfer news
Andy has sold Massimo 'Windass is preferred upfront to...' Maccarone and bought David Thompson.

You can only play one at a time
Only a team managed by Howard Wilkinson could have 4 international goalkeepers in its squad. With the Estonian stopper Mart Poom making his loan move to Weirside permanent today, Sunderland can now choose between him, Thomas Sorensen (Denmark), Jurgen Macho (Austria) and Thomas Myhre (Norway) between the posts, once they're all fit of course.

MONDAY, 6TH JANUARY, 2003

F.A. Cup round-up
The F.A. Cup gave me the chance to have a weekend off but provided everyone with many fiercely fought ties including, of course, Everton being tamed by the Shrews, Wolves dumping Newcastle out and Farnborough embarrassing Darlington. The most interesting tie of the 4th Round is the fantastic prospect of seeing the jaws of Henry, Pires, Ljungberg et al drop when they see Farnborough's ground. I just hope that they don't switch it to Highbury, even though it's probably inevitable and you can't blame the non-leaguers for wanting the cash, because any side should fancy their chances if they're at home in the F.A. Cup, even if there are around 100 league places separating the sides.

THURSDAY, 2ND JANUARY, 2003

Transfer news
Andy has won the stampede of one to snap up Christophe Dugarry, showing Luis Boa Morte the door in the process.

Football Dreams Cup 1st Round draw
This is the third time in Football Dreams Cup history that a one tie 1st round has had to be played because there are 9 teams in the competition and, incredibly, Phil is involved in the match for the third time too. He will play Adrian over the weekend commencing 11th January.

WEDNESDAY, 1ST JANUARY, 2003

FDL update
The League remains unchanged by today's fixtures but Thomas' four goals have helped to extend his lead to 59 points, with Andy scoring one goal at the right end and two at the other. With the F.A. Cup 3rd Round at the weekend meaning that the Premiership has its first break since mid-October, the managers have some time to reassess their squads and watch out for any transfer window signings that they may wish to add to their own squads.

F.A. Barclaycard Premiership: Manchester United 2 - 1 Sunderland
Sunderland came for the point but very nearly took all three in this peculiar game. It was like a training exercise where you do attack against defence and play towards one goal only, with United bombarding Sunderland's defence for 85 minutes from their goal to Scholes' winner. Sunderland's players worked tirelessly but the fact that we managed 30 shots to their 4 demonstrates the difference in attitudes between the sides and, if that's the way that Sunderland want to play, then the Premiership will be a better place without them.

SUNDAY, 29TH DECEMBER, 2002

Manager of the Month
Thomas has won the December award with a season high total of 95 points and will go into the New Year with a very healthy lead of 33 points over Andy's Monster's Urchin Flowers Fall. I think that any of the top four can win the FDL and Phil, in sixth, still has a chance because he makes regular team changes. Daniel's success last season was great for the competitiveness of the League and so it's good that Andy is also challenging this time. No player has scored more than 7 times for his team but the fact that the goals are spread around the side could be an advantage because his points tally is unlikely to be affected that much by a couple of injuries or one player's loss of form. Andy and Thomas have the two strongest squads in the League but I feel that the former edges it when it comes to strikers and that the latter has the better midfield. I'm confident, though, that myself and the other managers won't let them make the League a two horse race.

SATURDAY, 28TH DECEMBER, 2002

FDL update
There were no changes in position today.

F.A. Barclaycard Premiership: Leeds United 2 - 0 Chelsea
Remember the name - James Milner! The guy is 16 and he left Marcel Desailly (Marcel Desailly!) flat on his back before curling the ball home exquisitely. Rooney had a good game as well today, mind.

THURSDAY, 26TH DECEMBER, 2002

League Cup reaches end of group stage
None of the four managers competing for the two remaining qualification spots increased their points tally yesterday so the top four remained the same. Andy was beaten 3 - 1 by Daniel and Thomas defeated Phil 1 - 0, so Olly and Adrian cling on to third and fourth, respectively, despite the former losing 1 - 0 to Chris Ferry and the latter not having a fixture. I secured second place in the group with a 2 - 0 win over Chris Morgan. The semi-finals will pit Daniel against Adrian and me against Olly, with the first leg being played over the weekend commencing 8th February and the second leg a fortnight later. These dates have been altered from the original ones so as to avoid a clash with the weekend of the Worthington Cup Final.

Transfer news
Thomas has sold Shaun Wright-Phillips and bought Marc-Vivien Foe to keep up his hyphen quota.

FDL update
Chris Ferry has overtaken Adrian and gone seventh.

F.A. Barclaycard Premiership: Middlesbrough 3 - 1 Manchester United
Our third straight defeat against Boro following their victories in the F.A. Cup and at Old Trafford last season [my apologies, we did beat them at Old Trafford earlier on this season - William] and one that, following the Blackburn result, completes the destruction of all the good work done against Liverpool and Arsenal. United have still only won twice away from home this season in the League, at The Valley and Anfield. In truth, though, I always felt that we would stumble once players like Keane, Beckham, Ferdinand and Blanc regained fitness because the recent excellent results had been achieved with a makeshift eleven. Inevitably, the stature of the players who had been sidelined dictated that they had to be incorporated back in at some point because the likes of Keane, Beckham and Ferdinand will not tolerate being substitutes indefinitely, even though none of them have played as well this season as the players currently standing in for them. We no longer have any idea what our best eleven is and, consequently, what team is going to turn up. Therefore, we have filled the void left by a certain team in blue this season; we are the new Chelsea.

Roon the Loon (copyright The Sun)
I feel that Wayne Rooney's sending off today was harsh but it will also do him good. His goals against Arsenal, Leeds and Blackburn were outstanding and he deserves a call-up to the next senior England squad but he has shown signs of petulance and arrogance beyond his admirable confidence. I gather that he behaved inappropriately at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards and he tried a pointless flick that didn't come off in the Merseyside derby when a normal pass would have sufficed, while he has already been booked several times. Rooney is a truly phenomenal talent and this red card will give him the negative publicity he needs to reduce the hype that surrounds him and to remind him of the hard work and injustices that will come his way throughout his career.

MONDAY, 23RD DECEMBER, 2002

FDL update
Three second half goals from Simon Davies, Gus Poyet and Ali Benarbia in tonight's match have put my team third for Christmas.

SUNDAY, 22ND DECEMBER, 2002

Reading matter
Phil has e-mailed me his second column of the season and it's another classic. Will there be a record third?

SATURDAY, 21ST DECEMBER, 2002

FDL update
There were no changes in league position today.

MONDAY, 16TH DECEMBER, 2002

League Cup update
Thomas may now be top of the FDL but, along with Chris Morgan and Chris Ferry, he is now out of the League Cup. All 3 managers lost their matches this weekend and can't make the top four. Daniel's 2 - 0 win over Chris Ferry and my 3 - 1 defeat of Andy (with a goal from Danny Mills, the remaining Leeds player in my team after I sold Lucas Radebe over a month ago - see Sunday's news) guarantee our qualification for the semi-finals. The other spots will go to two from Olly, Adrian, Andy and Phil. With Adrian having completed all his matches, he must depend on other results to keep him in the qualification places. Andy and Olly need only to draw their games to go through, whereas Phil must win his to stand any chance at all of doing so. 

FDL update
Thomas has regained top spot from Andy, who had been leading since 9th November, thanks to Leeds' comfortable win against Bolton. May I also point out that I incorrectly told Phil that he could not play Robbie Fowler tonight because he's cup tied without realising that Phil was not actually playing this weekend. Therefore, Phil has received the 6 points earned by Fowler tonight. The cup tied rule has been controversial this season and it will be reviewed in the summer. The likely outcome is that cup tied players will still not contribute to your cup score but you will receive any league points that they may earn.

SUNDAY, 15TH DECEMBER, 2002

FDL and League Cup update
There have been no changes in league position so far this weekend but the penultimate set of League Cup ties will provide some important results. For example, Andy is heading to a 2 - 1 defeat against me unless Lucas Radebe [sorry, I meant Danny Mills] puts through his own net tomorrow night, and Olly is currently 2 - 0 up against Thomas. 

WEDNESDAY, 11TH DECEMBER, 2002

Transfer news
Oyvind Leonhardsen has taken the crocked Hugo Viana's spot in Andy's midfield.

Champion Fives update
I have moved to the top of the group thanks to Ruud's brace of goals tonight. He is unquestionably the best striker in the Premiership (I don't see enough of other leagues' stars like Raul, Ronaldo and Hernan Crespo to comment). The Dutchman's two main rivals, Thierry Henry and Michael Owen, fall short in certain areas. For example, although Henry is the best footballer of the three, I still think that he plays like a winger moonlighting as a centre forward. He uses his blistering pace and phenomenal touch and skills to great success but tends to drift wide because he can't hold the ball up and bring others into the game like van Nistelrooy. I don't like strikers taking corners, either, and the Frenchman's habit of doing this results in him scoring nowhere near as many headers as a striker should. Michael Owen, meanwhile, is still rather wasteful in front of goal and relies heavily on receiving good service, which is a problem if your club doesn't possess any wingers. Consequently, Owen can be totally anonymous in some games.

SUNDAY, 8TH DECEMBER, 2002

Transfer news
I owe Olly an apology. I had reported that he sent me an e-mail on Tuesday requesting that I replace Darius Vassell with James Beattie in his team. However, the night before, Thomas had wanted to buy Beattie before the West Ham-Southampton game and I would not let him because it was a League Cup weekend. Beattie's last-minute goal would have given Thomas a much-needed victory over Daniel and so he was annoyed to say the least and there was a bit of an argument. I was unclear whether Thomas still wished to sign Beattie after the game, though, but this morning I discovered a piece of paper that read Speed for Scholes and Beattie for Henry. I have clashed with Thomas several times this season over the ambiguity and underhand nature of some of his team changes but I feel that, in this case, he did buy Beattie before Olly. In some ways, I suppose, justice was done because Olly could have played Beattie yesterday afternoon but chose to leave the non-playing Teddy Sheringham in his starting eleven. Thomas played him and got 11 points to draw level with Andy. Needless to say, though, I will be taking steps to make sure that Thomas' team changes are made more clearly in future.

Elsewhere, Daniel has signed Jason Dodd and Szilard Nemeth to replace Ian Harte and Freddie Kanoute, respectively.

SATURDAY, 7TH DECEMBER, 2002

Transfer news
Phil has swapped Robbie Fowler for Nwankwo Kanu.

FDL update
Adrian has moved above Chris Ferry to the lofty heights of seventh.

F.A. Barclaycard Premiership: Manchester United 2 - 0 Arsenal
Isn't football just the most wonderful, exquisite, poetic creation of mankind? Back in May, Old Trafford was pillaged by Le Arsenal and the Premiership crown headed back to London. The Gooners taunted us with chants of 'cheerio, cheerio, cheerio' and 'Vieira, ooaahh...'. The magic of the Beautiful Game, though, is that there's always next year and, quite simply, we got to rub their faces right in it today. This past week has been the best time for me as a United fan since winning 3 trophies in 11 days in 1999. Absolutely fantastic.

TUESDAY, 3RD DECEMBER, 2002

Transfer news
Chris has bought Alen Boksic and sold the pensioned off Niall Quinn. Olly has replaced England international Darius Vassell with James 'I have a purple patch every 2 years' Beattie.

MONDAY, 2ND DECEMBER, 2002

League Cup update
Another exciting set of ties has ended with vital wins for Andy and Olly over Adrian and Phil, respectively. The games between Chris Ferry and me, and Thomas and Daniel, finished all square. With just two match days left, the top four are: 1 - Daniel; 2 - me; 3 - Andy; 4 - Olly.

FDL update
My descent continues as Daniel moves above me into third following the completion of the weekend's games.

SUNDAY, 1ST DECEMBER, 2002

F.A. Barclaycard Premiership: Liverpool 1 - 2 Manchester United
This is a truly phenomenal result for a patchwork United XI against a full-strength Liverpool team. Gary Neville will never be remembered as a great full back like Maldini or Cafu, but his performance today was titanic. He threw himself at all 50-50 balls and played on despite a nasty looking wound to his ankle. The whole defence played exceptionally well as a unit, with Silvestre doing his chances of a new contract no harm at all, and Barthez pulled off a match-winning save from Dietmar Hamann. It's also good to see a back up player like Quinton Fortune have such a solid game in a position that is quite unusual for him. Then there was Forlan - feed the goat and he will score. Thank goodness Veron had 'flu.

SATURDAY, 30TH NOVEMBER, 2002

Manager of the Month
Andy has claimed the award for November with a haul of 85 points in a month that saw his Monster's Urchin Flowers Fall side go top.

WEDNESDAY, 27TH NOVEMBER, 2002

Football Dreams Champion Fives
Thomas has stormed into an 11-point lead after the opening set of games, largely thanks to Thierry Henry's masterful performance in Rome. Ruud is still the best striker in Europe, mind.

SATURDAY, 23RD NOVEMBER, 2002

FDL update
A haul of 5 goals today has helped Phil to leapfrog both Adrian and Chris Ferry to go sixth.

FRIDAY, 22ND NOVEMBER, 2002

Transfer news
Phil has bought Ed 'I'm a sane Chelsea goalkeeper' de Goey and Joseph Yobo to replace Paul Robinson and Dominic Matteo, respectively.

WEDNESDAY, 20TH NOVEMBER, 2002

Olly's questionnaire
I have added Olly's modified questionnaire to the site. What does he think of Chris Llewellyn? Is daytime TV the place to be for an Eastern European?

MONDAY, 18TH NOVEMBER, 2002

Transfer news
Luis Boa Morte has taken the place of Sylvain Legwinski on the bench for Andy's team.

SUNDAY, 17TH NOVEMBER, 2002

League Cup update
While there were no changes in the FDL this weekend, the League Cup group table has changed around once more. Jermain Defoe's late equaliser for West Ham against United had the slimmest of silver linings because it gave me a 2 - 1 victory over Thomas, a defeat that leaves him bottom of the table. Daniel remains top by 1 point after drawing 2 - 2 with Phil. There was a major upset, though, with Andy crashing to a 1 - 0 defeat against Chris Morgan, despite having scored four times as many goals in the League as Chris, and so Adrian's 1 - 0 win over Chris Ferry means that he replaces Andy in the qualification spots.

SATURDAY, 16TH NOVEMBER, 2002

Transfer news
Thomas has swooped for Shaun Goater as a replacement for Kevin Nolan in time for the Bermudan to make his debut for THAT...was a Goal! this afternoon.

WEDNESDAY, 13TH NOVEMBER, 2002

UEFA Champions League
The conclusion of the 1st Group Stage means that the four managers in the Champion Fives (Thomas, Chris Morgan, Daniel and me) may now pick their teams. In the Champions League itself, Manchester United have proven why they are still the best English team when it comes to European competition by amassing 15 points, while Arsenal gained a mighty 1 point from their last 3 group games and Liverpool were embarrassed by a bunch of clockmakers. Newcastle's defeat of Feyenoord to seal qualification (with a little help from Juventus' reserves) was sensational and gave a glint of romance to an often predictable tournament.

SUNDAY, 10TH NOVEMBER, 2002

Transfer news
Seeing as Leeds' defence has been nowhere near as watertight as a mermaid's brassiere of late, I have decided that having two defenders from the Yorkshire club in my team is a liability. Therefore, Colin Cooper replaces Lucas Radebe to partner the equally sprightly Laurent Blanc at the heart of my back four.

FDL update
I have now slipped another place this weekend, with Thomas going second above me. Elsewhere, Chris Ferry is getting vertigo in sixth after displacing Adrian and Phil, who lies a lowly eighth.

SATURDAY, 9TH NOVEMBER, 2002

FDL update
Andy has sensationally leapfrogged both Thomas and myself to go top after scoring twice and keeping 4 clean sheets today. Phil has fallen another place to seventh, below Adrian.

F.A. Barclaycard Premiership: The Nevilles 3 - 1 Manchester United
After the manner in which Peter Schmeichel celebrated City's win this lunchtime, as far as I'm concerned he never played for United. As the Americans say: 'Benedict Arnold'.

MONDAY, 4TH NOVEMBER, 2002

Transfer news
Thomas has bought Gary Speed and sold Darren Huckerby. He wanted the transfer to go through before the Newcastle-Middlesbrough match tonight but I insisted that he would have to wait until afterwards because it seemed to me that he was buying a Newcastle player simply to try and overturn his 1 - 0 deficit against Adrian in the League Cup.

League Cup update
Five match days have passed now and all 9 teams are only separated by 6 points. There were only 18 goals spread over the 10 Premiership matches this weekend (the usual average is about 2.5 goals per game) and just 2 went to Football Dreams managers that were playing in this competition. Adrian repeated Chris Morgan's trick of a fortnight ago by beating Thomas 1 - 0, while Steve Marlet's own goal was enough for me to defeat Phil. The other two ties finished goalless. Thomas has dropped to eighth in the group but Chris Ferry is up three places to sixth, with Chris Morgan returning to the bottom of a table for the second time tonight.

FDL update
With the completion of the weekend's games, Olly has climbed above Phil into fifth and Chris Ferry, after a good weekend defensively, has moved off the bottom and above Chris Morgan. Andy would have gone second tonight had it not been for Franck Queudrue's late sending-off for Middlesbrough.

SUNDAY, 3RD NOVEMBER, 2002

Transfer news
In fact, Daniel has now bought Rooney to replace Robbie Fowler.

Wayne Rooney strikes again
After a goal like that, we certainly won't have any trouble remembering the name now.

SATURDAY, 2ND NOVEMBER, 2002

FDL update
Andy's 3 goals this afternoon have helped him storm back above Daniel into third.

WEDNESDAY, 30TH OCTOBER, 2002

UEFA Champions League Group A: Borussia Dortmund 2 - 1 Arsenal
Is that a gospel choir I can hear?

MONDAY, 28TH OCTOBER, 2002

Transfer news
Phil has tweaked his strike force again with the completion of his move for Steve Marlet, who replaces Michael Ricketts.

FDL update
There were no changes in League position this weekend but Football Dreams history has been made. For the first time ever, the Manager of the Month award will be shared, since myself and Daniel both scored 61 points in October.

SATURDAY, 26TH OCTOBER, 2002

F.A. Barclaycard Premiership: Arsenal 1 - 2 Blackburn Rovers
Testify!

FRIDAY, 25TH OCTOBER, 2002

Transfer news
Andy has swapped Franck Queudrue for Aaron Hughes, while Phil has brought in Nwankwo Kanu and Tomasz Radzinski to replace Matthew Upson and Peter Crouch, respectively.

TUESDAY, 22ND OCTOBER, 2002

UEFA Champions League Group A: Arsenal 1 - 2 Auxerre
Excuse me while my sides split.

MONDAY, 21ST OCTOBER, 2002

Transfer news
Thomas has sold Juan Pablo Angel of Aston Villa (how can one team have so many strikers and still be goal shy?) and signed up Kevin Phillips.

League Cup update
The fourth set of League Cup fixtures has resulted in four victories by goals to nil. Andy and me trounced Chris Ferry and Olly, respectively, 4 - 0 and one goal was enough for Phil to beat Adrian. Chris Morgan caused an upset by claiming his first victory of the competition against Thomas and so moves off the bottom of the group table to be replaced by Adrian. Daniel did not play this weekend but remains top by 2 points.

SUNDAY, 20TH OCTOBER, 2002

FDL update
A very symmetrical set of changes has taken place in the League over the weekend. I have gone top above Thomas while Daniel has swapped places with Andy, Adrian with Olly, and Chris Morgan with Chris Ferry. Phil remains resolutely fifth.

SATURDAY, 19TH OCTOBER, 2002

F.A. Barclaycard Premiership: Everton 2 - 1 Arsenal
YYYYYYYYYYYYYYeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssss - that was some goal!

Penalty at Craven Cottage
Firstly let me say that, while Barthez's actions were not sporting, they were no different to what happens before most penalties, for example what Diego Simeone did prior to David Beckham holding his nerve from the spot against Argentina. Barthez's yellow card was for time wasting but his gamesmanship worked. However, I do not believe that a penalty was the correct punishment for Blanc's challenge. He crossed the path of the attacking player but did not push him. This is obstruction and should have resulted in an indirect free kick.

WEDNESDAY, 16TH OCTOBER, 2002

Euro 2004 Qualifiers Group 7: England 2 - 2 Macedonia
It is a dark day for English football when the national side are held to a draw at home by a nation that has only been in existence for just over a decade and who themselves only took a point from a match against Liechtenstein. However, were it not for two kamikaze moments from two Arsenal players (I though that they were invincible?) and some poor finishing then England would have won comfortably tonight. Yes, the link up play tonight was disjointed but how often do we praise England for their fluid passing? The main worry tonight was the lack of strength on the bench. Darius Vassell was the only substitute striker available (Teddy Sheringham should have been in the squad) and players like Frank Lampard and Owen Hargreaves do not change games. The former, in fact, is rivalled only by Jamie Redknapp for the tag of most overrated player of his generation and should be nowhere near an England squad.

Those calling for Eriksson's head are foolish because the national side is still the best it's been for 6 years and, quite simply, if you'd thought that we'd make the quarter-finals of the World Cup when he took over then you'd have been certified. He made a mistake in taking Bridge off tonight and going 4-3-3 but at least he was trying to alter the path of the match. I think, though, that despite Sven's admirable loyalty to players, a certain pony-tailed goalkeeper has made his last appearance for his country. Thank goodness.

SATURDAY, 12TH OCTOBER, 2002

Euro 2004 Qualifiers Group 7: Slovakia 1 - 2 England
England were awful in the first half and the continuous barrage of aimless long balls from our full backs was simply depressing. However, let us rejoice in the 3 points successfully won and the fact that England have come from behind to win a game for the first time since Munich. UEFA should not allow matches to take place on pitches that, despite the weather, have obviously been neglected in the hope that the match will be decided by a mistake and so, with the rapturous crowd ecstatic at half time too, it was heartening to see England turn a match around like this. Michael Owen deserves full credit for being in the right position to nod down Paul Scholes' cross for the winner (but David Beckham must surely be credited with the first) and a mention must go to Emile Heskey and Ashley Cole. Both were subjected to despicable racist chants from the moronic home fans and Heskey gave his best performance in an England shirt. Both players were heroes for simply being able to concentrate on the game in such a hate-filled environment. Finally, why must England fans be treated like cattle when they travel abroad?

FRIDAY, 11TH OCTOBER, 2002

The managerial merry-go-round
This week has seen the axe fall on many managers' reigns and new faces replace them. The appointment of Howard Wilkinson and Steve Cotterill at Sunderland is a mistake because a similar arrangement at Leicester last season with Bassett and Adams failed spectacularly. Two recognised managers can not work together because it raises all sorts of control issues. Cotterill took Cheltenham from the Dr. Marten's League to the Second Division and must be used to being in total charge of team affairs so why would he want to take a back seat? Sunderland should have had the courage of their convictions to appointment him as manager because Wilkinson, since being sacked at Leeds in 1996, nearly wrecked the U-21s and has been caretaker coach of the full team twice (a 2 - 0 defeat against France and a goalless draw with Finland). His role as technical director with the F.A. has been relatively successful but his coaching career peaked in 1992.

Elsewhere, Jan Molby flopped at Hull, who have big ambitions, so his departure was no surprise. George Burley's exit at Ipswich, however, did raise eyebrows because of the close relationship he was seen to have with David Sheepshanks, much like Bryan Robson and Steve Gibson used to have at Middlesbrough. Sadly, I think that Burley had lost control of the squad in the sense that Ipswich don't have a settled starting line-up, especially up front, and the 'things will improve soon' attitude throughout last season has carried through to this one. Ipswich have the ability and strength in depth to still get promoted but that starts with not losing 3 - 0 to teams like Grimsby Town.

MONDAY, 7TH OCTOBER, 2002

Reid leaves Sunderland
It was confirmed today that Peter Reid is the first managerial casualty of the Premiership season. This is a shame because Reid is an honest guy and one of the more interesting managers in the division but while his seven years in charge included two promotions and two seventh places in the Premiership, the team has regressed from one that scored 91 times in their promotion year to a miserly 29 times last season. The classic big man-little man combination of Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips has been blighted by Quinn's injury woes and Phillips' battle with form and so Sunderland's trademark long cross field balls no longer have the desired effect. Sunderland have a reasonable squad that includes two international goalkeepers, reliable defenders like Joachim Bjorklund and the pace of Julio Arca and Matthew Piper. This squad has been expensively assembled, though,  and I feel that the board had shown sufficient patience with Reid, who was not getting performances from his players that matched their potential.

SUNDAY, 6TH OCTOBER, 2002

England squad for the matches against Slovakia and Macedonia
The main talking point for this squad was resolved yesterday when David Seaman's inclusion was publicised. I feel that it is wrong to start a qualifying campaign when it is almost certain that the goalkeeper will have to change at some point. The signs are already there that Seaman's age is catching up with him (feebly conceding two 'freak' lobbed goals in a matter of months) but David James was beaten too easily at his near post for West Ham against Birmingham yesterday, blowing his chance of wearing number 1 next weekend. The squad is still a little lightweight up front, a problem in English football at the moment that I have discussed before. On the subject of Rio Ferdinand's injury, I believe that he could be out for between 3 and 5 weeks. If Ferdinand shows the same quick progress of Roy Keane and Paul Scholes then he could be back sooner rather than later. Therefore, with England facing 2 games in 5 days against mediocre opposition, I think that this is a case of Sir Alex protecting his own.

FDL update
Andy's team's 4 goals over Saturday and Sunday have helped to lift them back up to third above Daniel. I had a good defensive weekend so Thomas is now top on goal difference alone. Elsewhere, Phil is up one place to fifth, Olly is down two to seventh, Adrian rises from eighth to sixth and Chris Ferry slips back to eighth. Chris Morgan remains bottom but has the basis of a very good side as he is only 10 points behind Chris Ferry despite having scored 8 goals less.

SATURDAY, 5TH OCTOBER, 2002

Transfer news
Kevin Phillips is back on the transfer market because Olly has seen fit to replace him with Tore Andre Flo.

WEDNESDAY, 2ND OCTOBER, 2002

Transfer news
Szilard Nemeth's fortnight as a Bloom Blaum player is over, his replacement being Kevin Campbell.

MONDAY, 30TH SEPTEMBER, 2002

League Cup update
Dwight Yorke's penalty for Blackburn tonight also gave Daniel a late victory against me in the League Cup, keeping up the League champion's 100% record in the competition so far and giving him a 5-point lead in the group. Chris Morgan lost his third match, 2 - 1 to Phil, and remains bottom. The other matches saw Olly and Adrian finish all square at 1 - 1, while Andy's unfortunate substitutions saw him miss out on three goals in losing 2 - 1 to Thomas.

FDL update
Blackburn's 2 - 0 win over West Brom tonight, courtesy of goals from Dwight Yorke and Damien Duff, has helped to lift Daniel above Andy into third and Chris Ferry to take seventh from Adrian. Thomas is the Manager of the Month for September with 89 points.

SATURDAY, 28TH SEPTEMBER, 2002

Transfer news
Andy has bought Gianfranco Zola to replace Tore Andre Flo.

FDL update
Andy has reclaimed third from Daniel despite missing out on two of Michael Owen's goals and one from Massimo Maccarone because of his unfortunate substitutions.

SUNDAY, 22ND SEPTEMBER, 2002

Transfer news
Phil's purchase of Ugo Ehiogu to replace Tugay has gone through following Blackburn's game this afternoon. Ehiogu takes the place of the on-loan Matthew Upson in the starting eleven. 

SATURDAY, 21ST SEPTEMBER, 2002

Transfer news
After the Czech Republic international's goal today, Phil has strengthened his attack with the exchange of Milan Baros for Emile Heskey.

FDL update
Although Thomas, Phil, Chris Morgan and me remain first, sixth, last and second, respectively, elsewhere it's all change in the League table. Olly moves up two places to fifth, Daniel climbs to third from fourth and Adrian is seventh rather than eighth. The fallers are Andy, down one to fourth, and Chris Ferry, who plummets three places to eighth.

WEDNESDAY, 18TH SEPTEMBER, 2002

Transfer news
Chris Morgan has bought Szilard Nemeth to replace Carlton Cole. 

MONDAY, 16TH SEPTEMBER, 2002

League Cup update
The second round of matches has left only the top and bottom teams with 100% records; Daniel has two wins, Chris Morgan two defeats. Daniel defeated Adrian 2 - 0, while Chris was beaten 2 - 1 by Olly. The Andy-Phil and Chris Ferry-Thomas matches were tied 1 - 1 and 2 - 2, respectively. 

FDL update
Olly has moved above Adrian into seventh place after the weekend's games.

SATURDAY, 14TH SEPTEMBER, 2002

FDL update
Chris Ferry and Adrian have swapped places, with Chris climbing to fifth and Adrian slipping to seventh. Phil remains between them in sixth, though.

WEDNESDAY, 11TH SEPTEMBER, 2002

FDL update
A night of strange results has seen Thomas return to the top of the table, the only change in League position after the midweek programme. However, Daniel and Adrian, currently fourth and fifth respectively, are level on points, goal difference and goals scored.

SATURDAY, 7TH SEPTEMBER, 2002

International Friendly: England 1 - 1 Portugal (Villa Park, Birmingham)
Yet another international draw for England and, once again, the only real thing to take from the game is the debate over the point of these friendlies. Portugal made nine halftime changes, while England have not scored in the second half of a match since the game against Cameroon before the World Cup and seem to have a habit of totally running out of steam as the second 45 progresses.

I am not a fan of Alan Smith because of his temperament and poor strike rate but in the first half today he showed why his tenacity and disrespect for any opposition can be a great asset to a team. His lack of goals of late stems primarily from Leeds' deployment of him as a winger, ditto Emile Heskey at Liverpool. With Michael Owen low on form and confidence, Fowler injured and Sheringham not getting any younger, England are a little lightweight up front as we go into the Euro 2004 qualifiers. English football needs the crop of strikers bubbling around or just below the senior squad, like Smith, Jermain Defoe, Darius Vassell and Peter Crouch, to become regular 20 goals a season players, and that will only happen when club managers use their strikers, especially in the case of Smith and Heskey, properly and don't waste them out wide.

This is another problem for the England team, though, because today's starting full backs, Ashley Cole and Danny Mills, often play more like wingers in the traditional sense than the people playing beyond them. With this in mind, look out for a resurgent Nick Barmby at Leeds this term.

Finally, between the posts, it is not ideal but David James is the only option for the Slovakia game on 12th October. David Seaman will not last as an international keeper for Portugal in 2004 (and, quite simply, a younger stopper would not have been left so flatfooted by that Ronaldinho lob in Japan) and Nigel Martyn is unlikely to play for Leeds this season after claiming to be too tired from sitting on a bench in the Far East to go on a pre-season tour. Paul Robinson, however, will eventually be the number 1 but can't go from Leeds number 2 to the national keeper in the space of a few months. It would be nice too to have Chris Kirkland getting some first team football at Liverpool but, unfortunately, he has the best goalie in the Premiership, Jerzy Dudek, to displace.

Any thoughts on England (or Scotland, who seem to plummeting down the rankings faster than an Olympic diver)?

TUESDAY, 3RD SEPTEMBER, 2002

Transfer news
Phil has drafted in Michael Ricketts to replace the prolific Marcus Allback.

The EU? Pah!
Please let me confirm that the transfer deadline at midnight tonight will not apply to Football Dreams. As each manager has only 16 players, if someone has an injury crisis then they could be hit quite hard. Plus it's a stupid restriction of trade imposed by people who know nothing about the sport.

FDL update
I have held on to first place and so collect the Manager of the Month award for August with 79 points. Chris Morgan props up the table on 25 points, while Daniel, last season's Double winner, is languishing in seventh.

Transfer news
It's now a hat trick of transfers this week for Andy. Sylvain Legwinski replaces Noel Whelan on the bench.

FRIDAY, 30TH AUGUST, 2002

UEFA Super Cup Final: Real Madrid 3 - 1 Feyenoord (Stade Louis II, Monaco)
Real simply outclassed Feyenoord to win the Super Cup for the first time and in doing so have thrown down the gauntlet for this season's European campaign. Who will pick it up?

Transfer news
Andy has pounced to sign Tore Andre Flo, who replaces Geoff Horsfield in his team.

Chris Ferry's team name
Chris has decided to stick with the eponymous title of his team in protest against the flagrant misuse of his name by others.

WEDNESDAY, 28TH AUGUST, 2002

FDL update
I have reclaimed top spot thanks to a flurry of goals while Olly has relieved Chris Morgan at the foot of the table. Phil is third despite having only scored twice by virtue of his team's good defence.

Champions League qualifiers
The two Uniteds are both through now, much to the relief of commentators who struggle with those tricky Eastern European team names. Celtic, however, slumped to an away goals defeat against FC Basle (insert herb or TV fox jokes here) of that football hotbed, Switzerland.

TUESDAY, 27TH AUGUST, 2002

Transfer news
Andy has made the first transfer of the season, swapping Oleg Luzhny for Paul Konchesky.

SATURDAY, 24TH AUGUST, 2002

League Cup update
The first set of matches have been completed and the early leader is Daniel after his 4 - 0 defeat of Chris Morgan. Other winners were Andy and Chris Ferry, with Adrian and me drawing 1 - 1.

FDL update
Thomas is back at the top and Chris Morgan is now propping up the table, with his team yet to score.

MONDAY, 19TH AUGUST, 2002

THAT...was a Goal! clinch Super Cup
Thomas has put his recent outburst behind him to keep up his 100% record in the Football Dreams Super Cup with a 35 - 29 victory over Daniel, last season's Double-winner.

FDL update
I am top of the League, after the weekend's remaining fixtures, for the first time since April 2001.

Taylor to replace Carini
Stuart Taylor will replace Fabian Carini in goal for my brother's team. This will not count as a transfer as Carini was never eligible for a match and Thomas will be permitted to swap Taylor for the number two goalkeeper that Arsenal are rumoured to be seeking regardless of the fortnight rule over selling recently bought players. I hope that this is now the end of the matter.

SUNDAY, 18TH AUGUST, 2002

Thomas threatens to quit Football Dreams
My brother and twice Football Dreams League champion Thomas has threatened to walk out of this season's competition over the collapse of Fabian Carini's transfer to Arsenal. The Uruguayan keeper had been photographed with an Arsenal shirt a few weeks ago but a couple of days ago complications over personal terms came to light in the press and Stuart Taylor, not Carini, was on the Gunners' bench this afternoon against Birmingham. I have not awarded Thomas the 4 points Carini would have won from the 1 - 0 result because he is not an Arsenal player at the moment but this has angered last year's FDL runner-up. He argues that, as he was unaware of the Carini situation, he should still get the points but that is why it's up to me to make sure that all managers' players are eligible within the rules of the game and Thomas' goalkeeper was not.

Season predictions
The season may have started yesterday but here are my belated predictions for the current campaign:

Top four: Manchester United will reclaim the title this season. There are too many players in the squad who detest failure for them to stand another barren year. Arsenal are still a better side than Liverpool despite Gerard Houllier's summer attempts at adding to the Merseyside club's attack. Leeds' year could end in mid-table if the squad is torn apart through transfers and egos but Terry Venables is an excellent man manager so I fancy them to take third, below Arsenal and above Liverpool.
Dark horses: One or two of Middlesbrough, West Ham and Blackburn could challenge Newcastle and Chelsea for a UEFA Cup spot. All three will see this season as a chance to build on their surprisingly good one last year.
Relegation: Birmingham simply don't have enough quality anywhere on the pitch to stay up and will come bottom. Manchester City, Kevin Keegan and Nicolas Anelka is a nightmarish mix and I expect City and their attractive but naive tactics to return to the Nationwide, with both Keegan and Anelka going before the end of the season.  The third spot will go to Bolton, whose foreign mercenaries no longer have a World Cup place to play for. West Brom will stay up by the skin of their teeth by virtue of their defence. It'll be ugly to watch, but they'll do it. Sunderland and Fulham will struggle but both managers are under threat anyway so a successor will have plenty of time to turn things around should the team start poorly.

SATURDAY, 17TH AUGUST, 2002

FDL opening day
Thomas has taken a very early lead but, interestingly, the four comedians who like to spell words with the initials of their team names occupy the final four spots.

FRIDAY, 16TH AUGUST, 2002

Football Dreams League Cup draw
The draw for the group stage has been made, with the teams playing each other once to make a total of eight matches per side. After the final round of games on Boxing Day, the top four in the group will qualify for the semi-finals. Adrian begins the defence of his trophy against me on 24th August.

THURSDAY, 15TH AUGUST, 2002

Web site updates
The new questionnaire answers sent to me by Daniel, Chris F and Chris M are in the Archive. I also mistakenly left Paulo di Canio in Bryan's starting line-up after he had said he wanted Eidur Gudjohnsen there instead so this has been rectified.

WEDNESDAY, 14TH AUGUST, 2002

Champions League qualifiers
Well done to Newcastle and Celtic for both overcoming difficult situations in their ties tonight (Newcastle playing in Eastern Europe, Celtic going a goal behind to the clock makers). As for Manchester United, undone by a sublime cross field ball and losing 1 - 0 to Zalaegerszeg, tonight's performance resembles our 3 - 0 thrashing at the hands of Arsenal in the Charity Shield four years ago when it looked like they'd learnt nothing from the previous season. I can only hope that things turn around like they did back then. Incidentally, United haven't won their opening competitive fixture of the season since 1997, and that was on penalties.

TUESDAY, 13TH AUGUST, 2002

The Football Dreams Auction
The annual congregation of footballing minds took place today (unfortunately, Adrian had to work) and each manager left with 16 players they hope will have brought them success come May. As usual, the bidding was high to begin with, with Phil shelling out £34m for Ruud van Nistelrooy. Once Adrian has selected his side, the stage will be set for an exciting season. On a serious note, though, three individuals, who probably think themselves a little bit 'anarchic', thought it would be amusing to spell out a rude word with the initials of the words in their team names. They know who they are.

SUNDAY, 11TH AUGUST, 2002

Alterations to the Football Dreams League Cup
In a bombshell to rival an episode of 'Knowing Me, Knowing You...with Alan Partridge', I have decided to scrap the two-group format of the League Cup and instead have all the teams play each other once with the top four qualifying for the semis. The new regulations for this competition are explained on the Rules page.

F.A. Community Shield: Arsenal 1 - 0 Liverpool (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
Arsenal claim their third trophy in four months in the traditional season curtain-raiser but charidee was the real winner today. New Gunner Gilberto (Silva optional) got the only goal and El Hadji Diouf looked like a pacy but petulant diver.

The auction is on Tuesday, 13th August, from 10:30 at the usual place.

Web site development
The player list and rules are complete for the new season and I have put Andy and Phil's updated questionnaire answers in the Archive. Please go to the 1998 - 2002 section to reach the links for each manager's page.

SUNDAY, 28TH JULY, 2002

Football Dreams Web site relaunches for 2002/2003 season
The fifth Football Dreams season will, ahem, kick-off in 3 weeks time and so here is the updated Web site for the forthcoming campaign. The two things to take note of first are the new player list and the season calendar, which contains all the dates for this year's cup ties. All of the data from Football Dreams IV has been filed away in the Archive for your nostalgic viewing pleasure.