This year’s game will be played out by Ian Holloway’s Blackpool against Big Sam Allardyce’s West Ham with them both looking for an immediate return to the Premier League and the millions of pounds winning brings. For the fans and players of both these teams, it will be yet another chance to mix it with the big boys of the best league in the world and the chance to attract some big name players to aid their new season.

The two teams have had their own hard-fought routes to Wembley. West Ham have fought with Southampton and Reading all season for automatic promotion, only to be pipped on the final day of the season. Their home form has been poor, throwing away too many points to draw games they should have won. The form table shows that the Hammers have had almost identical home and away campaigns, which isn’t good at home, but to have only lost 4 away games has got them to this point.

Blackpool however, under Olly’s leadership, have continued turning Bloomfield Road into a fortress, losing only 4 home games in the league. The fighting spirit we all saw last season in the Premier League continues through the team, showed in their second leg away at Birmingham, where the hosts came back from 2-0 down to almost force their own way into the final.

Both sets of fans will be looking for a happy Wembley day out, and hopefully stay on in a Mayfair hotel to continue the partying well into the night. Once the winners are crowned, they can look forward to a Summer of transfer rumours, next season’s fixtures and the all important away-day planning. The clubs themselves will be looking forward to the promotion windfall, and then hopefully a few years of Premier League television revenue added to increased ticket sales and fan revenue. It truly does deserve to be labelled as the richest game ever.

I try and watch as many FA Cup games on television as i possibly can, regardless of who is playing, as the FA Cup has always provided some kind of excitement and romanticism that league games cannot always give, the tension building towards the end of a game if the underdogs are drawing or even in the lead.

The excitement, however, usually only lasts until about the Semi-Final stage. By this point we are usually only left with Premier League teams, unless the draw has been kind, and then its not always teams people are fond of. The FA are doing their best to help us lose interest in the cup.

Wembley Sacrifices Honour

Firstly, due to the unique way in which Wembley was funded and cost more than the Royal Bank of Scotland, they insist the semi finals take place there instead of the traditional neutral venue scenario. Now this is both good and bad, one team still gets a trip down Wembley Way despite not making the final, but for the other team and the fans it loses some of the grandeur of the actual final and the right to be there by winning all your other games.

Secondly, the match is being played in the early evening, moving again away from the tradition of a 3pm Saturday kick off. This is for television and also so it doesn’t clash with play off games or other sport. But this then provides difficult travelling situations for the 30,000 plus Liverpool fans who will find it hard to get home following the final whistle. They could always stay in one of the many hotels in North London, there are some good ones from Hilton available.

As for the final itself, I am thinking it will be a close fought game, with full strength sides from both clubs due to them both resting big name players in the week at the sacrifice of Premier League points. Both clubs looking for at least one trophy this year, hoping for possibly two. Red or Blue, it will still be watched by millions around the world, hoping for the glimmer of that so call romantic glamour of the FA Cup

Chelsea, following their amazing heroics in Barcelona, will make the short trip across to Germany to meet Bayern Munich who will be trying to be only the third team in history to win the Champions League in their home ground, after Real Madrid and Inter Milan.

In my opinion, and that of many others surely, this is an unexpected final pairing. That Chelsea could overcome the mighty Barcelona, who some would argue are the greatest side ever, was one surprise, but for Bayern to also best their Spanish opposition was as big a shock. But they both now surely deserve the chance to battle it out on 19th May and be crowned the best team in Europe.

The grand occasion of a Champions League final is in itself amazing, but the extra spice of it being a ‘home game’ for one of the clubs lifts the excitement level even higher. We all saw how well Germany hosted the 2006 World Cup Finals and should expect the same extravagant, colourful and vibrant spectacle in and around the Fussball Arena München in a couple of weeks.

Thousands of Chelsea fans, and fans from across the whole of Europe will descend upon the city to take in the day and nights events. They can stay in one of the many hotels in Munich, which are wide in variety both of style and price. Munich is a great sightseeing city, but I doubt many football fans will be thinking of that on the day! Depending on the result, they may hang around and take in some sights.

As for the game itself, I can’t call it. Both these teams have attacking prowess and defensive strength, but both have their faults. There will also be 7 big names missing due to suspensions, least of all Chelsea captain John Terry, along with Badstuber for the Germans, and 5 other strong players. It is the time for squad players to stand up and make their mark. This is a final not to be missed, and a great match to mark the 20th Final of the Champions League era.

David Beckham this morning has revealed his desire to captain the Great Britain this year at the London Games.

Having led his country already, the 36-year-old made it clear that he would love to lead his nation to the Olympics.

London 2012…

Beckham signed a new contract with LA Galaxy earlier this week and in that deal that made him available for section at London 2012.

All the signs point toward Beckham taking the captaincy, given that he was a major part of the Olympic bid team.  The former England captain has been influential in securing the games for London since Singapore in 2005.

England Manager Fabio Capello has also backed Beckham to become a prominent feature in the GB squad.

Beckham will be one of 184 players who have been contacted by GB coach Stuart Pearce and his team to confirm that they will be available for selection.

Ryan Giggs was also among one of the players who confirmed he would be available for the GB squad.  If selected, the Welshman will be among the three over-aged players available for the squad.  The remainder of the squad will have to meet the guidelines of being under the age of 23.

Beckham, who turns 37 in May, was approached by French giants PSG over the summer, which the Englishman chose to turn down.  He has since decided to extend his contract over in the states, prolonging his career to the age of 39.

Beckham also confirmed that he had seen interest from some unknown Premier League sides, reigniting a possible return to the Premier League since leaving Manchester United back in 2003.

What’s more important though is that the spotlight remains focused on the young talent that will be showcased from our great nation come the 27^th July.

It will have come as little surprise to many to draw back the curtains on this grey Manchurian morning, only to be greeted by heavy showers and dark skies.

Manchester’s failure in Europe

When our two Manchester clubs started their Champions League campaigns, both club managers were filled with a hope of conquering Europe. But it was not to be, as both sides ended those aspirations prematurely and crashed out of Europe’s elite competition

And those failures were no more disappointing then for Manchester United fans, who were left with blushing faces to match their red playing shirts as they exited out of the Champions League last night to FC Basel.

The Reds started the season full of their usual ambition that walked hand in hand with the Manchester United’s historical success. But a recent slump, including a 6-1 drumming to their derby rivals, has seen United step onto the unfamiliar territory of failure.

Like their Manchester counterparts, City started the season in similar style, yet they too fell short of the last sixteen despite their win against Bayern Munich.

But for Ferguson there was particular embarrassment for the failure to qualify from a group that the Scotsman could have handpicked himself.

City though had a much tougher group and the expectations for the blue side of Manchester were far less. And thus, Mancini’s debuted City flop goes somewhat under the radar.

Roberto Mancini’s extensive rebuilding of Manchester City will enviably take time to bed in and though many will expect an instant success from such a colossal spend, football simply does work that way. And given that City found themselves in a really challenging group in Bayern, Napoli and Villareal, the Italian can be forgiven for his halter in European progression.

But in a group with Benfica, Basel and Romanians Otelul Galati, finishing second would have come as a disappointment for a well-educated Manchester United team from the outlay. Who would have gone as far too even bet against qualification for a Manchester United team that has not failed to qualify for the last 16 since 2005? Exiting from a group along with Otelul Galati for a team like Manchester United is more than an embarrassment, it’s a professional tragedy.

United only wins came over the Romanian club. Drawing twice with Benfica and being reduced to a point in the final moments at Old Trafford were disappointing results that could have been salvaged last night with a single point. But last night showed how the mighty have fallen, with a more frequently apologetic Ferguson, English football looks certain to fall into a state of flux.

Let’s not blow things out of proportion though. Manchester United can still rule domestically in a Premier League that is increasingly becoming a majorly talented league. However, things have to change.

Now they find themselves in the Europa League, Patrice Evra said exactly what was on the minds of many. The French left back told the media; ‘It’s an embarrassment to play in the Europa League.’

An embarrassment it might be for the Premier League champions, but reality it has become and if Fergie wants to salvage some silverware this season he will need to be ready to compete. Whether he decides to make a run for the Europe’s plastic cup remains to be seen. Except, plastic might be as good as it gets when it comes to venturing beyond the domestic silverware.

It feels like a different decade almost when Manchester United reached the final last year to battle against Barcelona.

For Manchester City it’s a little different though. With money comes depth and whilst their full attentions will remain on the Premier League, flexing some of their reserve muscle will be more than enough potency to stomp over Europa contenders.

Whilst this all remains speculative, what has become clear is that over the last 24 hours the value of the Europa League has shot through Europe’s terracotta roof. As bigger disappointment as it might seem, chance at a trophy is better than no chance at all and in order to make light of a bad situation both Manchester clubs will need to find a new focus. Otherwise, this overwhelming shame could cost them two trophies, not one….

Had it been that there time of prosperity did not collide with one another, it could have been a sure fired bet that they would have all picked up the award based on this year’s merits. But there can only be one winner, even though all three players will be remembered by a cohort of fans who have watched them over the past few years.

Messi, Ronaldo and Xavi

For Messi, Ronaldo and Xavi, there really are little more prestigious honour then what one of them could be awarded. Fifa’s World Player of the Year is a clear message to the footballing community that its holder really is the games most gifted player.

Their season’s achievements are an advertisement for the Spanish league, with all three candidates playing their club football in La Liga.

The only showcase of Premier League talent was Wayne Rooney, who has been out forward for Goal of the Year for the over-head-kick he scored against Manchester City. Messi though may well grab this award too, for the clever chip and volley he scored against Arsenal in the Champions League.

Messi has won the World Player of the Year award twice before, the first in 2009 and then again in 2010, whilst his Barcelona team mate Xavi has never won the award, coming third on both of Messi’s winning years.

Former Manchester United star, Cristiano Ronaldo has won the award though. It was back in 2008 after coming third in 2007 – a year which Kaka won.

All three of these football superstars were on the shortlist to win the award last year, with Ronaldo and Xavi finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively.

And Messi has been made favourite by the bookies to make his award winning hat-trick this year, completing a three year whitewash of decoration.

In other news, Ferguson and Pep Guardiola are competing to take home the Manager of the Year award. Whilst the scot led Manchester United to their record breaking 19th league title, Guardiola has led his Spanish giants to a domestic league win and Champions League domination. Ironically, it was a Champions League final that hosted both teams, where in this most elite contest Guardiola prevailed.

So more than likely then, Barcelona will be recognised as the team whose talent oozes from their players right to their management, affirming the beliefs of many that they remain the team to beat going into 2012.

Following Tevez’s unplanned trip home after being refused permission by Mancini, the chief executive of PFA Gordon Taylor has said that he is ‘very disappointed’ in the Argentinian striker.

The 27-year-old’s flee from the country meant that he missed scheduled training with the Mancini’s men.

Taylor, who represented Tevez during his alleged misconduct surrounding the Bayern Munich Champions League game, said he ‘was in danger of burning bridges’ following his recent antics.

Tevez is a massive disappointment

But the reality, Taylor’s disappointment in Tevez was a smoke screen for the PFA Chief Executive’s red face. Only weeks before, Taylor had managed to persuade those football governing bodies to half Manchester City’s initial fine – only for the argentine to throw it back in his face.

Mancini will now undoubtedly push for further punishment against his former captain, whose diva like behaviour this year has occupied the paper headlines season long.

On Tuesday, the argentine looked to have come round, having confirmed that he would not be appealing the fine. With everything looking like a lesson had been learnt, Mancini expected to see Tevez at training on Wednesday. But it was not to be.

The problem that City face is following the actions of Tevez, his value is diminishing by the second and he will be hard to offload to any club, let alone the ones that will stretch to cover his wage.

But Tevez’s self-destruct mode is induced by one man only, the consequences of which will hurt him the most. And now with a complex legal situation on the horizon, things are only about to turn worse for Tevez.

Taylor added; ‘Sometimes sorry is the toughest word but it does put an end to difficult situations and stand-offs’. However, it looks like things have long past ‘a sorry’ rectifying the situation.

It might now be the case that they look to pick holes in the Argentine’s club contract to push for termination and even try an sue Tevez for a breech in his terms.

For now though, City will need to firm up a strategy around what to do next. The situation was that Carlos needed to get back to fitness and that hasn’t happened. We’ll see more on this when, and indeed if, he returns back to England.

Rachubka’s performance had caused the Leeds boss so much concern he hauled off the former Blackpool keeper at half time, handing a senior debut to 18-year-old Alex Cairns.

Rachubka has seen a number of poor starts in a Leeds shirt and was at blame for a late equaliser against Coventry. Following that game though, Leeds Boss Grayson backed Rachubka to bounce back on with future good performances.

But with three errors in 45 minutes gifting the Seasiders three goals, Grayson was forced to make the substitution and bring on his promising Leeds academy graduate.

Unfortunately, the inexperience of Cairns showed, conceding a further 2 goals in the second half before the final whistle blew for full time and a 5-0 defeat.

Rachubka started the evenings calamities in the 13th minute when he could only parry a Jonjo Shelvey shot directly into the path of Lua Lua’s, leaving a simple tap in for the Blackpool striker. Following that the Leeds goalkeeper then dropped a routine pass, which lead to Right Back Tom Lees’ dismissal for handling the subsequent shot and reducing Leeds to ten men.

Rachubka’s hat trick of errors came in the 31st minute after a speculative 25 year effort from Lua Lua was palmed down Shelvey for his second goal of the game. The Liverpool based Shelvey then went on to score his hat trick in the second half.

It will be interesting to see the reception he gets from the Leeds faithful come sundae afternoon

Grayson now faces a tough tie at Leicester City, with a quandary as to who he will play between the posts. Leicester have also limped their way to 22 points alongside the Yorkshire club and are one place above them in the table. The Foxes had high hopes for this season after spending big money and signing ex-Leeds United hero Jermaine Beckford.

This morning the Tongo international has called his latest season with the Manchester club a ‘headache’, insisting he does not regret his move in spite of the blues massive success.

Adebayor moved to White Hart Lane on a season long loan in August after being frozen out by Mancini’s expendable side.

It was clear from the outlay that once the former blues centre forward started to see more time on the bench, the Tongan thought he should have been on the field. And Adebayor may have had a point, scoring 15 goals in 34 appearances was an impressive stat line during his time in Manchester. He shared equal success during his loan spell at Real Madrid, adapting to the Spanish game quickly and scoring in one every 3 games.

Even though he wished his city team mates the best for the future, his lack of comment regarding former manager Roberto Mancini spoke volumes. Refusing to comment on the Italian’s man management skills, Adebayor focused more on his relationship with Redknapp indicating clear signs of a frayed relationship with the City boss.

And his happiness shows in his on pitch performances. Adebayor has scored three goals in six games this season, firing Tottenham closer to a top four finish and that all important Champions League spot.

That’s a trend that is set to continue. Now that Redknapp looks to have kept hold of Modric, the creativity is there to feed a proven striker with goal scoring opportunities. Add Van Der Vaart and Bale to that concoction and you have what could be a spear head attack.

So, the signs certainly suggest that Adebayor is happy down in the North of London and providing the Spurs manager can keep it like that, his new acquisition can expect to produce 15 to 20 goals come the end of the season. Though keeping the threat of Bent off the team sheet will hinge on the Tongon’s success…

The Manchester City forward has said that he is considering taking legal action against his club manager Roberto Mancini for the defamation of his character according to a host of media sources this morning.

It was on Tuesday where the Manchester City forward was fined 4 weeks wages, equating to £1m, for what the club say was five separate breaches to his player contract during the game against Bayern Munich.

Though it is not clear what all of the five reasons are, all players’ contracts hold the generic citation that a player is obliged to ‘participate in any matches where the player is selected.’ The club’s investigation proceedings conducted after the Champions League game found Tevez guilty of refusing to play in the European tie against the German outfit.

Tevez however still pleads his innocence and his advisers believe that none of the five reasons City gave for their fine for were breached. The Argentine goal scorer has two weeks to appeal the decision. If the appeal fails, he can then take it to a Premier League tribunal.

Tevez’s record

Tevez hasn’t played since City’s Carling Cup tie against Birmingham back in September and following the Argentine’s recent antics, it looks like it might be his final involvement in a blue shirt. Following their run of results, Manchester City have to stand by Mancini and, as a result, let Tevez go come January.

It seems such a long time ago now that Tevez captained Manchester City to FA Cup victory, taking the blues to their first major trophy in 35 years. Since Mark Hughes signed the 27-year-old, he has scored 53 goals in 91 appearances. Even with Manchester City’s prolific squad – losing that fire power will hurt.

But his shenanigans off the field have ironically kept him off the field and so he has only made 5 appearances, two of which were starts, and is yet to find the back of the net this season.

The likelihood of him playing for another European giant is slim and with Brazilian side Corinthans even pulling out of their £40m bid, there is little left potential for the argentine. A prospering club career needlessly thrown out the window, soon to be followed by a flourishing international career.

Never before have the words ‘what a waste’ ever been more relevant.