Friday Thoughts From The Editor

It's a good day, then. The holidays are here and that means plenty of matches to keep our focus away from mundane issues like family and yuletide spirit and all that. And what a way to kick it all off: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid, Inter vs. Milan and Arsenal vs. Tottenham. In Barcelona the word is that Henry will be available. He’s been injury prone and inconsistent since his move to Catalonia, and I’m not sure how much he can contribute. Mind you, with Messi out and The Geri-Curled One a question mark these days (big losses for the neutral) Barca will need all the help they can get.

Meanwhile, in Milan, this could be one of the most lopsided derbies in recent years. Milan have been struggling while Inter just don’t lose. The Rossoneri are suddenly looking old and rely too heavily on Kaka. And you’ve got to give credit to Mancini for putting together a very balanced side. I’d expect a comfortable 2-0 win for Inter here. Speaking of Milan, Arsenal have drawn them in the Champions League. Again, if you ever want to draw Milan in Europe (and you don’t), this might just be the year. On the flip side, I cannot see Liverpool getting past Inter. Mancini’s men will be there at the end, I’m certain. Oh, and ManU can’t be too worried about facing a Lyon side that barely beat Rangers. No trouble here for the Reds.

Two things in today’s news really piss me off. First: Fulham sack Sanchez. Now, it’s not so much the action of sacking Lawrie that gets me, it’s the fact that they sacked Chris Coleman to begin with. He had them competing and staying in the Premiership year in and year out. How can you expect Fulham to be a top-10 side? You cannot, it’s that simple. They’ll have good years and bad, but Coleman was an expert at getting the most out of very limited resources. And they sacked him. Now they’re screwed and it’s a shame, especially since they’ve got three Yanks in the team. Second: Peter Crouch. What is he thinking? I can’t say anything more – just read the bloody article below. Alec sums up my opinion well so no need for me to repeat here.

Oh, and Everton travel to Old Trafford. That's not bad either.

Enjoy, Sanford