An Unholy Alliance

Something amazing is happening in the North West.  Born from a mutual hatred of uncaring, selfish and money-orientated owners two of football's biggest rival supporters, Liverpool and Manchester United, are on the verge of a truce in hostilities to join forces in a single voice against the ownership of American businessmen that have taken both clubs severely into debt and failed on promises made at the beginning of their tenure.
Manchester United are nearly £800million in the red (maybe the Americans think that if their team's shirts are red, then so should everything else!) which consists of £500million raised through a recent bonds issue that has only given the

This season's Championship is like a box of chocolates...

January is already bidding us a swift exit. It’s where a football season in years gone by might’ve started to show signs of taking shape. Man Utd would be a million points clear at the Premiership summit, with Arsenal and/or Liverpool fighting over the scraps. Occasionally, this order would swap round. Villa would finish mid table. And rest.
Wind back to now, and witness the change. Certainly within the Premierships’ ranks. Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool, the omnipresent “Big Four”, have conducted themselves with about as much dignity as a Dad dancing at a Disco over recent months.

Liverpool: Camera-shy or simply shoddy(!) this season?

This season has been a major surprise for Liverpool supporters (but not to the management according to a recent interview with Benitez) who expected their much-loved team to continue the form of the second-half of last season and really challenge for the title.  The loss of Alonso, such an integral component to last season's challenge, was keenly felt and was a cause for some worry for most Liverpool supporters but the club assured fans that the purchase of Alberto Aquilani would improve the attacking play to such an extent that Alonso would not be missed.  Although he was injured for the first half of the season, Benitez felt confident that the side could cope until his new recruit was ready to fill in the creative hole left with the departure of Alonso.
Unfortunately, this season has not been a particularly happy one for the club and its

Michael Owen: Right or Wrong to sign for United?

Summer 2009, Michael Owen is on the market and out of contract. His agent sends a brochure detailing his strengths and achievements as a player and England's currently-playing highest goalscorer is desperate for a club.

Knowing he is way down the pecking order for a place in the World Cup squad, with Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch, Emile Heskey and even Darren Bent ahead of him in Fabio Capello's mind, was it the right decision for Michael to join United? When he signed in the summer, some pundits thought that this could be the perfect platform for Michael to display his talents and give Capello no option but to take him to South Africa. One of the many arguments put forth being that his name alone carries a certain

Premiership January Sales

Happy New Year to all Big Match Centre readers and many thanks to you for coming back!  Well, as another decade passes and we head into the New Year, the January Sales gossip begins its yearly ritual.  Who will your club buy or recruit on-loan during the half-season?  Here's our guide to who we think might spend and on whom:

Arsenal

Many pundits thought the loss of Van Persie would deal a crucial blow to Arsenal's hopes but the Gunners have played some scintillating football and scored some wonderful goals in the process.  Still light upfront, it is likely that Wenger will spend money on a big striker with Marouanne Chamakh the more likely target.  Other possibilites (but less likely) are Klass-Jan Huntelaar and Andre-Pierre Gignac, the Toulouse striker.

McCarthygate

The furore surrounding Mick McCarthy’s decision to field a weakened team against an injury-decimated Man Utd at Old Trafford has not died down despite Wolves winning against Burnley on Sunday. Hordes of fans and journalists are attempting to suggest that McCarthy’s decision to rest his “first-choice eleven” has been vindicated because of that win but a little perspective should be applied here. Wolves have won three of their last four games and have cleared themselves of the relegation zone but

Owen hat-trick confirms United as Group Winners

An injury-decimated United clinically beat a wasteful Wolfsburg in Germany to top their Group. A hat-trick from Michael owen gave United's reserve side a comfortable victory despite the home side wasting some good opportunities in the air against a makeshift defence of Carrick and Fletcher. Carrick found it hard to handle the physical presence of Wolfsburg's 6'4" striker, Edin Dzeko, who headed a well-deserved equalizer on 56 minutes. But it was United's threat on the counter, with Gabriel Obertan tricking the Wolfsburg defence, beating three defenders to set up the second for Owen in the 83rd minute, which Wolfsburg could do nothing about. Victory was sealed in injury time after owen clipped over the Wolfsburg 'keeper following a counter attack from a goal-mouth scramble in United's box.
With a crippling injury list, the team selection may not be such a terrifying prospect for Ferguson after this convincing victory away from home.

Graham Matheson