Racism, Diving and Goals - No, it's not Suarez's autobiography

The 2012/13 season has been littered with yet more off-field controversy hogging the headlines - the latest being referee Mark Clattenburg's expulsion from Premier League officiating whilst the FA look into Chelsea's claim that he racially abused midfielder John Obi Mikel. However, it's not all doom and gloom. Look past the racism scandals and you'll see a Premier League table full of promise. It seems gone are the days of a 'big four' as, whilst United, Chelsea and City still occupy the top three spots, more clubs start to fight their way towards the top spot.

Two teams in particular have really caught the eye this season: Everton and West Brom. The clubs currently sit in 4th and 5th respectively and have made impressive strides toward becoming two teams to beat in the Premier League. Everton are unbeaten in seven games, having only lost to none other than West Brom so far this season, including a 1-0 victory against leaders Man United. Meanwhile, West Brom have been immense at home this season, having won 5 from 6 at The Hawthorns. Although it's early days, it wouldn't surprise me if either of these clubs managed to hold onto a spot in or around the Champions League places, especially with the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham having inconsistent performances.

Like many sports writers, pundits, ex-players and managers, it's hard not to talk about Luis Suarez. He is single-handedly grabbing the headlines, surprisingly for the right reasons, with some brilliant performances of late (as much as Suarez haters, and there's a lot, will disagree). It isn't enough to put Liverpool near the top of the table, though, as they languish in 12th with just two wins all season.

The bottom of the table sees newcomers Southampton struggling, having conceded more goals than any side at this stage of a Premier League season. Whilst the stuttering start of QPR and Reading is not a surprise, the likes of Aston Villa, Sunderland and Stoke hanging on the brink of the relegation spots does comes as an early shock. Lack of goals plagues all three clubs and the likes of Darren Bent, Louis Saha and Peter Crouch will need to start firing in the goals if they are to move up the table.

In the Championship the surprise packages have been Middlesborough and Crystal Palace who are challenging Cardiff for the top spot. Palace haven't lost since their opening three losses in August and with experienced manager Ian Holloway taking over from Dougie Freedman you can expect them to continue in the same vain.

At the other end of the table it is a sorry story for Ipswich Town and Bristol City. Ipswich will hope for a turn of fortunes with former-Wolves manager Mick McCarthy at the helm, whilst Bristol City need to sort out their defensive woes having not kept a clean sheet all season.

In League One it looks like a whole host of teams could fight for the title with Tranmere, Sheffield United, Crawley, Stevenage, Doncaster, Notts County and Swindon all separated by just 6 points.

With Halloween and Bonfire night done with the country official goes into Christmas build-up mode, and so does football. Every club knows that November and December are important months ahead of a busy Christmas period and the transfer window, so expect to see even more stunning goals, more surprises, more twists and turns and more controversy.

Football is still a beautiful game, you just have to scratch beneath the surface to find out.



Suarez continues to make headlines game after game

Football finally follows suit

Technology has been used to enhance the accuracy of decisions in tennis, cricket and rugby and it seems football will finally follow in their footsteps after years of debate. Today will see the International Football Association Board (IFAB) vote on whether to use the technology that should wipe out goal-line mistakes once and for all.

Hawk-Eye, which is already used effectively in cricket and tennis, is one of the systems expected to be approved. It will use cameras to determine the exact location of the ball and relay a signal back to the referee if the ball has crossed the line, taking under a second to do so. The other is GoalRef, a piece of  technology that uses a microchip inside the ball and magnetic waves around the goal in order to pinpoint whether the ball has crossed the line through a change in the magnetic field.

There is no doubt both technologies are needed after several high profile incidents in major tournaments over the past few years and it is obvious football is way behind other sports who have improved the accuracy and fairness of crucial decisions greatly through technological advances. For the world's most popular sport this is unacceptable.

The problem lies with the people who make the decisions, in particular Sepp Blatter, President of FIFA, who has only recently changed his stance on goal-line technology. There is no place in sport for dictators - rules and regulations should always be discussed and opinions need to be taken on board, something that has not been allowed to happen under Blatter.

Football will benefit once goal-line technology is put into place, there is no doubt about that. However, the greater benefit will come once the likes of Blatter and Platini step aside to make way for someone with the ambition to ensure world football is of the highest standard.

Let's hope from this season onwards incidents like these will be removed from the game once and for all.

Subcontinent Shocker

England are currently the number one Test playing nation in the world. They went unbeaten during 2011, whitewashing India at home and beating Sri Lanka 1-0 in a three match series. Before that they reclaimed the Ashes in Australia and have arguably looked stronger than any other previous England Test side. However, 2012 has been a different story. Their trip to the United Arab Emirates to face Pakistan has been a shambles, clearly identifying their inability to play on slow, turning pitches. With the series already lost and one match still to play, there is one question that needs to be answered - can a team truly be the best in the world when they can’t win on the subcontinent?

In the last 10 years, England have toured the sub-continent eight times (Including the current Pakistan series), winning just twice, both against Test minnows Bangladesh. The last time England won a Test series against a major subcontinent team was against Sri Lanka in 2001, whilst their last win over India came way back in 1985.

So what is it that makes the subcontinent such a difficult place to play? For starters, the climate difference between the subcontinent and the rest of the world is vast. The humidity levels are high, the heat is sweltering and fitness is tested. Then again, these are athletes we are talking about and all it takes is a few weeks of acclimatisation and training to get up to speed. The phrase ‘under cooked’ should never be used in professional sport, especially in cricket when teams often have a gap of several months ahead of their first tour the year.

Then you have the difference in pitch conditions. In places like England, New Zealand and South Africa the ball swings and seams early and the pitches often hold a green tinge to them, but when you get to the subcontinent is a whole different ball game. You will rarely get movement off the pitch and the ball will wear quickly on the dry, dusty surfaces. This brings spin into play – arguably England’s main weakness.

There is a reason why the top wicket takers in Test cricket are spinners, and it’s unsurprising that 3 of the top 4 spinners on that list have come from the subcontinent. In this current series Saeed Ajmal has bamboozled England’s batsmen making them look like school boy cricketers. It has been a known problem for years, and yet we still continue to be embarrassed by slow bowling. Until this is addressed England will continue to fall flat on their faces, as has been shown in the UAE this winter.

Coming back to my original question, can England by the No. 1 team in the world without the ability to win on the subcontinent? Statistically, obviously they can if they continue to crush opposition outside of the subcontinent, but in theory I don’t believe so. To truly be the best in the world you have to be able to win everywhere and in ever conditions, and at this current point England cannot. Drawing the two match Test series in Sri Lanka is a must.

Ajmal has instigated Pakistan's destruction of England

'The Greatest' - Muhammad Ali

Today is Muhammad Ali's 70th birthday, and to celebrate it I have pulled together a few photos that I think represent him as a man and as a boxer. In the past few months I have gathered a real interest in Ali's career, as well as boxing in the 60's and 70's. No matter what your opinion of him, you can't deny his ability to entertain, nor can you deny the impact he had on sport in the 20th century.



Ali stands over Sonny Liston after knocking him down in their heavyweight title fight



Ali still continues to joke around even in his later years



Named 'The Louisville Lip', Ali had a big mouth and was not afraid to show it

Ali's rivalry with former friend Joe Frazier is one of the fiercest ever seen in sport

It's Game Time - My Super Bowl Predictions

The NFL regular season over, the play-off schedule has been sorted and it’s time for the business end of the season. Here is my look at who I think are serious contenders to lift the Lombardi Trophy this season.

The Big Guns

Green Bay Packers -

Despite their unexpected loss to the Chiefs in week 15, Rodgers and the Packers are still firm favourites to win the Super Bowl having lost just once all season. Both their offense and defense are lethal and combined make up the best outfit in the NFL. They led the league in total offensive points scored and have a turnover ratio of +24. They will be tough to beat come post-season.

New England Patriots -

Tom Brady is back to his best this season, helped out by a talented receiving unit. That unit includes tight end Rob Gronkowski who broke the record for most touchdowns by a TE in a single season in week 14. Always dangerous in the play-offs, expect Brady to mount a serious charge for the Lombardi Trophy.

New Orleans Saints -

To complete the set we have Drew Brees and his Saints team. Brees led the league in passing yards, passing Dan Marino to record the most passing yards in a single season. They boast a good running game with Sproles, Thomas and Ingram, not to mention a great pass rushing defense. The Saints may well lift their second title in three years come February.

The Underdogs

Detroit Lions -

Matthew Stafford has established himself as one of the best QB’s in the NFL, and has a good receiving core to back him up. Their defense is a worry, having conceded an average of 24.2 points and over 360 yards per game. Calvin ‘Megatron’ Johnson could be the deciding factor for the Lions.

Houston Texans -

Houston have been without quarterback Matt Schaub for a large part of the season and have struggled in the final weeks of the regular season, losing to Carolina, Indianapolis and Tennessee in the last three weeks. However, they have an excellent running attack and one of the best defences in the NFL. Don’t rule them out causing an upset in the play-offs.

My Prediction

Packers to beat Patriots by 10 points.



Everyone will be fighting for the Lombardi Trophy