Garry Schofield Interview

Earlier today I got the chance to sit down and have a chat with Garry Schofield, ex-Hull FC and Great Britain rugby league legend who is also a member of the British Rugby League Hall of Fame and has an OBE to his name. Here's what he had to say:

What was the greatest moment of your playing career?

The greatest moment stands out quite clearly, and it was when we beat Australia in Melbourne, second test, 33-10. It was not just the reason of the result itself because we were getting very, very close to the Australians, we'd beaten the Australians. We were unlucky in the first test when we got beat and I know the score line might not reflect that, but if Martin Offiah hadn't been caught twice from behind, which didn't happen very often in Martin's career, but anyway... But then the second test, the significance of it was quite clear. The Ashes laid on it because it was only a pre-match test series and also, as well, there was about between 8 and 10 thousand English fans had come over to support us and they believed in us that we could win this Ashes and so did the players as well.

The night itself; sensational. The atmosphere from the British fans was something that will live with me forever, without a shadow of a doubt. But, also, there were two particular sides to it as well. We were 22-0 up at half time, and who'd have thought that for Great Britain to be 22-0 up against the Aussies? And then at half time, it was the shortest speech we'd ever had from a coach, at any level, because quite clearly, the players, did we believe it? No, we didn't. I can reassure you, we didn't believe that we were 22-0 up at half time. And all the coach said to us was, he was great Malcolm, he really was: "Same again lads". That's it. Nothing else said. The dressing room was all silent, and we went out for the second half, and everybody knows what happened, we ended up winning the test match, 33-10. So, that's my greatest memory and also to have a man of the match performance and as captain, it's something incredible. I don't like saying this but I don't think it'll ever happen again, where we beat the Australians 33-10, but it was my best memory and my greatest moment in my career.

And then the opposite of that, what as the worst?

The worst? Well, it's got to be when I was at the black and whites when I got dropped for the '85 cup final. I was very, very disappointed, because the reason from my point of view that I was disappointed was that I had played in all the rounds, I won the quarter-final for Hull, we had a replay at Naughton Park. We drew the first game at 6 a piece, went to Naughton Park on a Wednesday night, people didn't really think we could do it. Anyway, we won the quarter final replay 19-12. I scored the match winning try, I kicked 3 or 4 goals, and the semi-final we played against Castleford. So, to be dropped and to be told, 48 hours before the Challenge Cup final in '85 against the mighty Wigan, it's gone down as my biggest disappointment by not starting the final, but also that, as well, we lost. We all know the black and whites have never won at Wembley. You know, we were going out very confident and yeah, even though I got on for the last 20 minutes, it didn't really mean a lot to me because at the huge disappointment of being dropped just 48 hours before.

Do you remember your debut; your first ever match in rugby league?

I do indeed. I remember it as though it was yesterday. It was against Warrington at the Boulevard. The game itself finished at 22-22, a draw. And what an introduction it was to the professional game because to come straight from the amateur game, it was all new to me. You know, playing against senior professionals, so the experience was huge. I was playing against the Great Britain centre at the time in Ronnie Duane and what an introduction it was because for 80 minutes, he just belted me and made me black and blue and gave me an introduction to what professional rugby league was going to be about week in, week out. So, it wasn't the best of debuts. Did I play well? I wouldn't say so, but it was a great experience and Ronnie Duane gave me a great introduction to professional rugby league by giving me a real good hiding, there's no two ways about that. 

Have you done managing before? Was it a good experience?

I've had two stints at coaching. I wouldn't say they were too successful because I lasted 13 games at Huddersfield; 2 victories out of 13, so that didn't last too long and that was in 1998. Then I went to Barrow in 2011 and that lasted for 5 games, with 3 victories out of 5 games. So from a coaching point of view, has it been successful? You wouldn't say so, but it was a good experience. 

Would you ever do it again?

At professional level, not with the seniors, no. I would like to be involved from a point of view where the experience I've got, I'd like to be involved with the kids from, say, 12 to 18 years of age, and give them that experience because I think my philosophy on the game is a little bit different to how the game is played. The game itself is copied too much, it's become a little bit more robotic and it's become a little bit more where players are not allowed to express themselves. So, to be involved with kids at 12 to 18 years of age, and just give them a little bit different thinking about how the game should be played, how they should be playing what they see, playing with more awareness and also to play with more vision, then I would like to bring that experience to the industry. 

If you had any advice for people starting to play the game, what would you say?

First would be, always listen to your coaches, to a certain extent, but second, always back your own ability and your own vision as a player because if you let people take away what you've got, then it's not going to work out for you. Thirdly, just make sure you enjoy yourselves and do everything with a smile on your face. 

MATCH REPORT: Manchester City vs Barcelona [Champions League]

One of the last 16 Champions League ties being played on Tuesday night was the match between Manchester City and Barcelona. City made it to this part of the Champions League for the first time last year and played against the same opponents they saw themselves in this match. City were without one of their most influential players in Yaya Toure, and as Barcelona are slowly reaching their best again, it looked like it could be a long night for the English champions.

The game started with Barcelona having a lot of early possession but nothing much came of it. A few long balls were drifted in towards the City goal but Joe Hart was there to collect it without much difficulty. The first real chance of the game came from City though when James Milner set up Edin Dzeko on the volley, but the shot is blocked meaning the ball is given back to the visitors. City kept up the pressure on their opponents after Sergio Aguero is fouled in a dangerous position by Javier Mascherano. The free kick from Milner is taken low which the wall easily pushed away.

The pressure from City didn't last long though and soon Barcelona were on the attack and playing their usual possession game. Luis Suarez tried to get the ball into Neymar in the box, but the ball was cleared back to him; the resulting shot could only hit the side netting. It didn't take long for him to get onto the score sheet though. 16 minutes into the game and Suarez had put Barcelona into the lead. Lionel Messi got a good cross into the box that proved to be difficult for Vincent Kompany to deal with and his headed clearance only got as far as Suarez who flashed his shot across the face of goal and into the far corner of the net. This proved to be a turning point in the half for both teams; City seemed to drop off after the goal and stopped the pressing that they had been doing since the start allowing Barcelona to play more with the ball.

A lot of good chances in quick succession went to waste in the following moments of the match. Messi in particular pulled off some brilliant skill to lose the defenders swarmed around him, but when the ball came to Suarez, he caught the volley wrong meaning the attack was cut out. Dzeko also had a good chance with a header but it bounces just wide of the post. Rakitic was also good when he came into the attacking moves, but he was caught off side after he sent his header looping up into the air towards Hart. The City defence were caught out by a simple ball played in behind them which Suarez latched onto, but Hart was alert and smothered the shot.

In the end, the pressure proved to be too much for City though. The City defenders look scared to get too close to Messi unless he is in a really dangerous position, but even then, their challenges didn't prove to be enough. He rode through the challenges with some brilliant footwork and control before passing the ball out to Jordi Alba on the left wing. The full back's cross finds Suarez in the box who managed to get his foot onto the ball and turn the ball in off the inside of the far post. The goal summed up just how dominant Barcelona were in the first half; the build up to the goal included a lot of possession without any of the City players really pushing to get the ball off their opponents.

Barcelona came close once again just before half time. Dani Alves got lucky when a clearance rebounded off the City defender and he carried on his run into the box. He was closed down by Pablo Zabaleta but not before he chipped the ball up over the defender and the keeper only to see the ball hit the top of the crossbar. City did finish the half strongly following this after Samir Nasri took on a powerful shot at the Barcelona goal, but it was aimed straight at Marc-André ter Stegen who palmed it away and Aguero couldn't quite pick up the rebound. 

In the second half, Manchester City were a completely different team. They started the half extremely brightly and were pushing towards the goal from the starting whistle. They had a couple of corners at the beginning of the half which lead to Dzeko having a lot of decent chances that went to waste. The first was a header which he could only send wide of the post, followed by a second which was aimed directly at ter Stegen; if the ball had gone a yard to either side of him, City would have had their opening goal in the tie. Aguero followed this with a brilliant chance after he got away from Mascherano, however, he couldn't wrap his foot around the ball and the shot ends just wide of the post. Ter Stegen was perfectly placed to collect a lot of the chances that City had on his goal, like one that Martin Demichelis had following a free kick, but City were certainly knocking on the door now. 

It took until the 69th minute for City to finally be rewarded for their second half performance. Gael Clichy strongly, but fairly, dispossessed Barcelona, knocked on the ball to Fernandinho who found the David Silva on the edge of the box. All it took was a little flick to set the ball into the path of Aguero, who with one touch that took the ball away from the defenders, and powered his shot over ter Stegen and into the back of the net. The dominance in the half was soon taken away from them though. In the 74th minute, Clichy was booked for the second time in the game for a late challenge on Alves, leaving City to play the remaining 15 minutes against a punishing team with 10 men. 

Following the dismissal, Barcelona weren't completely dominant in the game again. They had a few chances to get their third goal, but the final, cutting ball just wasn't there. Alba picked out Messi in the box, but the shot wasn't powerful which allowed Kompany to deflect the shot upwards, but it still took a vital save from Hart to prevent the goal. 

In the final moments of the stoppage time at the end of the game, one small slip of concentration from Zabaleta almost let the game slip away from them. Messi got into the box with the ball before a clumsy tackle from Zabaleta sent him crashing to the ground. In the tie this time last year, it was a penalty from Messi that started the game, so would he be able to finish it off in this game? The answer is, no. He steps up to the spot and aims the ball to Hart's left hand side, but he is equal to it and palms the ball away, straight onto the head of Messi. The header that followed wasn't good enough to finish off the game though and could only bounce wide of the far post. 

Barcelona could still be looking like the stronger team in the tie after securing the two vital away goals in the tie, but City put in a dominant second half display meaning that the second leg at the Nou Camp could be a completely different watch to this game. No matter what though, City need two goals in the next tie to even stand a chance of getting through...

MATCH REPORT: Swansea City vs Manchester United

It's that weekend in the Premier League where all of the fixtures played on the first weekend are repeated. On that day, Manchester United hosted Swansea City and saw their first loss under Louis van Gaal in the new era of the club. The reverse fixture was now giving Swansea a chance to finally do the league double over United, but would first have to overcome a side that have only lost 1 match in 19. 

In the opening minutes of the game, United were pressing Swansea high up when they had the ball in the hopes that they could stop them from playing their usual passing game. However, it still seemed to be Swansea who had the best luck at the beginning of the game. Marcos Rojo gives the ball away to Bafétimbi Gomis, but managed to get back in time to cover his mistake. The resulting corner was played well by Swansea with Gomis being found in the centre of the 6 yard box. He directed his header towards the far post, but could only see his shot cleared off the goal line by Ander Herrera.

United started to press forward slowly but surely after this. Angel Di Maria got his cross into the box and found Wayne Rooney who just managed to get the ball under control, but his shot bounced which took it straight over the crossbar. Swansea set pieces seemed to be the best chances in the match though. Another Swansea corner saw Gomis get his head onto the ball once again, but this time he couldn't keep the shot down and it sailed over the crossbar. 

United's build up play was extremely patient during the game. They didn't rush into attacks, instead choosing to pass their way down field, especially using their left side with Luke Shaw and Di Maria. On 16 minutes, Di Maria's delivery from a free kick seemed to cause Fabianski a lot of problems. The ball eventually found its way out to Robin van Persie who was at the far end of the 6 yard box, but the angle was too tight and the ball went out for a throw in. Through a counter attack, Swansea found their first chance from open play. The United players didn't close down their opposition and the ball ended up at the feet of Wayne Routledge who turned and took the shot, but saw David de Gea collect it comfortably.

Van Persie didn't have a particularly good game, and found it difficult to get his shots on target, never mind find the back of the net. This was proved once again when he was played in by Di Maria and he sliced the shot with his right foot which caused the ball to curl away from the net. Not even a minute later, United were ahead. The build up play once again was very patient and Di Maria plays the ball to Herrera who curls his shot towards the goal. It takes a slight deflection of Ashley Williams, but could still have been heading in without it.

It didn't take long for Swansea to reply. Not even 2 minutes later, Ki Sung-yeung had found the back of the net for the hosts, leaving the United team wondering what went wrong, but that was simple. All of the Swansea players were allowed a lot of time and space with the ball allowing them to build up the attack. The ball came out to Jonjo Shelvey on the left wing and even with two United defenders around him, he was given the space to cross the ball into Ki in the centre of the box. This only left him with the job of directing the ball into the back of the net and past de Gea which he did with ease. 

The first half contained a lot of sloppy passing and some scrappy play by both teams, as neither of them wanted the other to have time on the ball. This caused some of the moves to be played out slowly and there wasn't the smoothness to the passing which both teams are associated with. United were able to create more chances following the goal, with van Persie having most of them. Marouane Fellaini left the ball for him, but the shot that he tried to curl into the bottom hand corner went wide of the post. Another chance shortly after saw van Persie get away with a hand ball shout and then he directed his shot just wide of the left post. 

All of the players were certainly putting in a good shift for both teams. Wayne Rooney was showing his worth as United captain by keeping the ball, dropping back into midfield when his team needed him and playing his part in the build up to the attacks. This doubles with the performance of both Shaw and Di Maria down the left hand side who had looked extremely dangerous all game. For Swansea, Shelvey was definitely putting in some work when it came to defending and shutting down the United attacks. On the opposite end of the pitch, Gomis had held up the ball well for Swansea which allowed his team mates to join the attack and make them more dangerous. Overall, the first half made it difficult to decide between the two sides. 

The second half was all United. They were still playing a patient passing game to try and break down their opponents, but they were camped out in the Swansea half and not allowing them to move down field. On the hour mark, Rooney brings the ball under control in the box but gets dispossessed. Swansea couldn't retain the ball though and saw van Persie curl his shot into the side netting. Within a 10 minute spell, United saw a lot of chances go to waste; Rojo got the chance to put United ahead through a corner, but his header went over the crossbar and van Persie got his first effort on target, but the shot was weak and Lucasz Fabianski easily collected the ball. 

Then, on 73 minutes, completely against the run of play, Swansea get the lead that United had so desperately chased since the beginning of the second half. It was their first attack since the very beginning of the second half and Shelvey is left with acres of space to run with the ball and get his shot away. The shot is powerful and de Gea looked to be in a good position to possibly save the attempt but Gomis got his head to the ball as it soared over him which took the ball over the keeper and into the back of the net. 

This left United pushing for the last 15 minutes of the game for the equaliser that they needed. No matter how hard they tried, they just couldn't find a way past the resilient Swansea defence or even get near the goal at some points. Swansea did have more chances to put the game out of sight but their attack always broke down as the United defenders were determined to get the ball back up field to their forwards. 

They couldn't do it though, meaning that Swansea had finally done the league double over Manchester United and it also left Louis van Gaal without a win over Garry Monk's side. End score: 2-1. 

MATCH REPORT: Paris Saint Germain vs Chelsea [Champions League]

The first game in the current batch of Champions League ties looked to be a pretty good competition, with the leaders in England taking on the team in third place in France. The away team did have some good news as Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas returned to the team as well. 

The game had a slow and nervy start to it, with both sides trying to get a feel of the game. Neither team was moving forward with any pace nor could they create any chances when they did start to push the ball up the field. It took until the 11th minute for Paris Saint Germain to finally create the first two clear cut chances of the game. It started with a powerful header from Blaise Matuidi which Thibaut Courtois palmed away, but he couldn't clear it. The second header came from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but the ball bounced in front of the keeper and he was able to collect the ball easily. 

These chances seemed to wake up Chelsea and they began to push forward with more meaning and pace. They still didn't look likely to get on the score sheet, but Eden Hazard was proving to be a big asset to the team as PSG were not willing to press him when he had the ball at his feet. 

PSG still looked the more likely to get a goal though and were creating a lot more chances. Ezequiel Lavezzi had a chance with a header on 23 minutes but the ball bounced off the top of his head, not really testing Courtois in the end. Two minutes later, Ibrahimovic led the PSG counter attack but a poor pass from Matuidi to Edinson Cavani almost stopped the move. However, they did eventually manage to get a cross into the box which Courtois claimed. This started a quick counter for the Chelsea team now and the ball ended up with Hazard on the right wing. His curling cross almost proved to be difficult to deal with for Salvatore Sirigu, but he caught it and prevented any of the Chelsea players coming in behind him from having the chance to attack the ball. 

Both teams began to create more chances as the half came to an end. Gregory Van der Wiel managed to get in behind Cesar Azpilicueta but Gary Cahill was on hand to clear the ball out of the box. Not long after, Hazard won a free kick in a dangerous position after he was fouled. Fabregas took the set piece but couldn't find a Chelsea player in the box. Instead of quickly putting the second ball into the box, Chelsea played the ball around the box and the move was quickly cut out by PSG. Up at the other end, PSG had a corner taken by Lavezzi and Cavani manages to lose his man and direct his header towards the near post, but Courtois was there to meet it. 

It took until the 36th minute for the first goal of the game to come, and it was very much against the run of play. After a set piece, the ball ended up with John Terry on the left wing. He crossed the ball into the box and Cahill met it, placing a slight flick in front of Branislav Ivanovic, who directed his header into the back of the net. This gave Chelsea the slight advantage in the tie as now they had not only the lead, but the away goal that could prove to be all important in the second leg. 

PSG had a lot of possession following the Chelsea goal, but they weren't able to get the ball to the forward players or anywhere near the Chelsea defence. Even though they couldn't get on the ball, the Chelsea players were pressing PSG and forcing them to play the ball square or backwards so that they weren't a threat on their goal. On the stroke of half time, Ibrahimovic took a free kick from just outside the box. The shot was aimed for the top far corner but was already soaring over the crossbar, although Courtois did have that side of his goal covered.

The first half proved to be good for Chelsea in the end, but if the end of the first half was anything to go by, they weren't in for an easy ride in the second half. This proved to be true as none of the Chelsea players could get on the ball in the opening minutes of the second half, but again they pressed PSG so that they couldn't get into any dangerous positions on the pitch. When they did get on the ball, Hazard was once again proving to be the danger man, drawing in the fouls and his first thought was to get the ball forward. 

Then, on 54 minutes, PSG's hard work paid off for them. A brilliant cross into the box from Matuidi took out the defender marking him and found Cavani on the edge of the six yard box where he had a free header that he directed into the back of the net. From a Chelsea point of view, it was a poor goal to concede. Cavani had a lot of space around him, when he could have been closed down by any of the three defenders around him. 

On the hour mark, PSG were still pushing forward, this time with Ibrahimovic forcing his way into the box. His low shot was dealt with by Courtois, but he could only clear it to another PSG in the box, meaning that he had taken himself out of the game. Lavezzi was the player on the end of the second ball but his shot was first deflected off Terry and then blocked by an unsuspecting Azpilicueta, who was simply in the right place at the right time. A free kick from Lavezzi not long after landed with David Luiz who's header bounced just over the cross bar. PSG were looking dangerous in their search for the winning goal.

Cavani came close again close to full time. He was quickly being closed down by the Chelsea defenders and the keeper, but he still managed to push his shot towards goal, but the shot was inches wide of the far post much to the Chelsea players' relief. PSG also had the last chance of the game deep into stoppage time after a deflected cross came to Ibrahimovic. His header forced Courtois to make a brilliant save, meaning the score line stayed at 1-1 going into the second leg tie at Stamford Bridge in three weeks time. 

FA Cup Fifth Round [2015]

The fixture list for this weekend of FA Cup action doesn't look nearly as exciting as the last one. It also probably won't have as many results as exciting as the last round. Chelsea, Manchester City, Southampton and Swansea were all dumped out of the competition; three by lower league teams. The surprises from the last weekend don't look like they will be repeating themselves this time out, but there are still three of the big boys in the competition, including the holders, that clubs are just waiting to shock.

The weekend started with an all Premier League tie, a 4-0 thrashing and a red card for fighting. If this is anything to go by, it looked like it was going to be a good weekend of football. West Brom looked to be in control from the beginning and didn't leave time for anyone to doubt them as they went in at the break 2-0. Although West Ham did have chances to try and get a foothold, possibly even a goal in the game, they just couldn't manage it. West Brom got their third just before the hour mark and this did prove to be the final hit for West Ham. The red card did come for the West Ham substitute, Morgan Amalfitano. Ten minutes after he was introduced into the game, he got booked for hacking down Chris Brunt and then seconds later pushed Brunt away by the face right in front of the referee, giving him no choice but to produce a red card. The final goal was scored minutes after this, sending West Brom comfortably into the quarter final. 

Derby County played host to Reading in an all Championship tie and it looked like it would be a good game. Towards the end of the first half, Derby had Stephen Warnock sent off for his second booking, possibly making the game slightly more difficult for themselves. It did take Reading until the second half to capitalise on this, but even then, their lead didn't even last 10 minutes. Both sides wanted the winner in this game, but the sides were pretty level, which could have sent them towards the first replay of the weekend. Then, finally, 8 minutes from full time, Reading finally managed to get the winning goal. Yakubu had only been on the field 10 minutes before he directed his shot into the back of the net, leaving Derby to bow gracefully out of the competition. End score: 1-2

Looks like there were a lot more surprises on the way. Blackburn Rovers hosted Stoke City and the game looked to going well for the Premier League side. The visitors were leading within ten minutes and a lot of people thought that would be it. Blackburn had other ideas though; namely Joshua King. The forward scored a hat-trick in the match, effectively ending Stoke's cup run all on his own, but that isn't the full story. He got the first goal, and played a big part in the second. Stoke had Geoff Cameron sent off deep into first half stoppage time after he pulled back King in the penalty area, leading Blackburn to convert the penalty and take the lead in the game. Stoke were up against it in the second half, but Blackburn easily dispatched the 10 men as King finished off his hat-trick. End score: 4-1

Two Premier League sides down this weekend already, will there be anymore to follow?

The final kick off on Saturday saw Crystal Palace face Liverpool, who have struggled in recent visits to Selhurst Park. That run looked like it would be continuing as well when Palace took the lead 15 minutes into the game. Liverpool could do nothing to break down the Palace defence in the remaining time in the half, but the second half looked to be a turning point for them. They got a goal in the opening moments of the half, which looked to build their confidence and also give them the boost that they needed. Not long after, they got their second and this proved to be too much for Palace. Liverpool had very much been in control from the beginning of the game, and now had the result to match their game. End score: 1-2

Aston Villa against Leicester proved to be a very dull start for the games on Sunday. The first half was slow, hardly any chances were created and the players just looked like they would rather be anywhere but on that field. Leicester did have the better chances of the half, forcing Shay Given to pull off some great saves to stop them from getting the breakthrough. Tim Sherwood gave his first half time team talk at Villa and sparked some much needed life into his team. Although the beginning of the second half was slow, Villa did find the breakthrough they needed on 70 minutes after pushing forward for most of the half. Given was still pulling off superb saves which ultimately allowed Villa to take the lead. They got their second through substitute Scott Sinclair not long before full time and he looked to have put Villa through to the quarter finals. However, Leicester weren't giving up yet and got a consolation goal in added time, but couldn't find another to take them through for a replay. 

Next up came Bradford City, Chelsea's downfall, who hosted Sunderland. Sunderland didn't make it easy for themselves either. Within the first 5 minutes, they were already behind and it had come through an own goal. If this didn't already look a big test after the last round, it was certainly beginning to look difficult for them now. None of the Sunderland players had a particularly good game and they were only making it easier for Bradford to get their foothold in the game. Just after the hour mark, Bradford got their second, and winning, goal in the match, which was ultimately the thing that finished off Sunderland and the game. Yet another Premier League side out to Bradford! Surely, they're looking forward to see who else comes out of the pot in the draw tomorrow night. End score: 2-0

They would probably fancy their chances against the holders Arsenal if you asked them. They welcomed Middlesbrough to the Emirates who dispatched of Manchester City in the previous round. It was a game that Arsenal looked comfortable in from kick off, and to the viewer, it looked like there could only be one result. Middlesbrough were finished off within two minutes on the half an hour mark by Olivier Giroud through two very well taken, clever goals. It was a game plan that was well worked for Arsenal and proved to be too difficult for the opposition to handle. In the end, an easy game for the holders who once again see their name go back into the draw. End score: 2-0

Now all that's left of the weekend is the game between Preston North End and Manchester United tomorrow night which is played right before the draw. Preston are doing well in the league and could prove to be worthy opponents for the side currently sitting third in the Premier League. Will there be one more surprise left in the cup this weekend? I guess only time will tell...

The Managerial Position

The role of the manager in the game of football nowadays is all about the result. If a manager isn't getting the results that the owners expect, than they can pretty much kiss their jobs goodbye, apart from in a few positive scenarios. However, in the modern game, the manager is focused on in the media for more than just the results that they can get their team to produce...

Jose Mourinho is one of the best known managers worldwide. He's had major success in some of the top leagues in the world and wins trophies at every single club he works at. A success story all round? Not exactly. It's not often that he doesn't have a complaint about the media or the referee or something that happened in the game, which doesn't just draw the attention of the media, but also that of the FA. He's been in bother with the FA quite a few times, but doesn't seem like he will ever hold back on what he truly feels about what happened in the game, or how he feels about something that has been said in the media. It could only be a matter of time before he says something that could give him a lot more to think about than just a fine. 

Another manager recently in trouble with the FA was Louis van Gaal. It's the first charge of conduct he's received in his managerial career and he wasn't exactly too happy with it. He is pretty much in agreement with Mourinho that he should have the right to say what he wants about the game that had been played. That isn't the only thing that has drawn attention to the Manchester United manager in recent weeks though. On Sunday in a post-match interview, Sam Allardyce said that United had turned into a 'long-ball team' which seemed to upset van Gaal as it wasn't his philosophy. This meant that when he turned up to his press conference and was asked questions about that statement, he brought out what looked like PowerPoint slides that showed his team were not a long-ball team and proved that they could pass their way towards the opponent area. Not exactly your typical press conference... 

Earlier today, Paul Lambert became the third manager to get sacked so far this season. Aston Villa lie 18th in the table, meaning they're in the relegation zone, which they dropped into after their loss to Hull City. They also haven't been very clinical up front this season after scoring only 12 goals in the Premier League this season. They had a goal drought of just less than 11 hours which lasted until their goals against Chelsea at the weekend, but it just wasn't good enough for a team in the top flight. Not many people would have been surprised to see Lambert go though, and it did look to have been a long time coming. This followed the news that Harry Redknapp had left QPR earlier in the month, and it probably won't be the last news about a manager losing their job due to poor results before May.

The most shocking news of all managers, in my opinion, is Nigel Pearson. He served a ban and paid a fine in December for getting into a row with one of the Leicester fans, and then seemed to be walking on extremely thin ice after an incident that happened against Crystal Palace at the weekend. James McArthur slid into him after trying to tackle a Leicester player and accidentally tripped him up. This was followed by an episode where Pearson pinned McArthur down by his neck and looked to have him in a strangle hold before letting him get up and then pulling him back again by his shirt. Pearson has said it was all in good spirits and he didn't mean any harm by it, but that still begs the question of why he did it in the first place. The other thing that really shocked me was that the FA didn't do anything about it! Even after the explanation, it deserves a punishment as it isn't setting a good example to people who watched the game. I guess we'll never truly know if there was some malice behind it or not. 

Sometimes, the manager can be in the lime light even more than the players depending on which view the media chooses to focus on. To me, the manager is in a role that should be calm, collected and have the ability to turn games around for their team and this should be focused on from a positive point of view. However, when wrong choices are made by said 'responsible' members of the game, there always really is only one story that the people want to hear about.

MATCH REPORT: Newcastle United vs Stoke City

The game between these two teams may have been understated, but it could be important for both of them. Whichever team wins finishes the weekend in the top half of the table. John Carver finally got his first win since taking charge of Newcastle after beating Hull City 3-0 and names an unchanged team from that game. Stoke have been on a good run in recent games and look to be a tough team to beat.

The game had a relatively quiet start with both sides trying to push forward and play their way past the opposition. However, each attacking move was cut out early on. It took until the 8th minute when Jonathan Walters chested down the ball outside of the 18 yard box. He had nobody in support so decided to take the shot on himself but saw it go just wide of the post. 

Newcastle seemed to take a bit more control in the game after this. Moussa Sissoko was given a lot of space down the left wing and put his cross in towards the far post where Remy Cabella tried to just guide it in with his head but forced to Asmir Begovic to pull off a good save. Minutes later, Newcastle got a throw in that eventually landed to one of their own players, but Ayoze Perez made a run that took him away from goal, so the resulting header was directed far off the target. Sammy Ameobi was also given a chance to recreate the goal he scored at Hull after he turned past Glenn Whelan and took on the shot from outside the box which ended with Begovic only needing to make a simple save.

The first half was end to end but with no telling end ball to find the breakthrough. Newcastle also gave away a lot of cheap free kicks in the wide areas throughout the half and were extremely lucky that nothing came of them. 

The half ended with a chance for both teams at either end. First up were Newcastle, Perez played in Cabella, who's first touch was very poor before he managed to get it under control. His shot was fired across the face of goal and ended up going out for a goal kick. Stoke got the final chance of the half when Stephen Ireland put a cross into the box that was met by Mame Biram Diouf's head giving Tim Krul his first save of the game. 

The second half began in the same way that the first did. Both teams had chances but none looked like they would be the defining moment in the game. Newcastle did begin pushing forward more and Cabella's ball into the box almost landed at the feet of Perez if he had made a slightly later run.

This was followed by a lot of pressure being built up by Stoke. They began pressing higher up the pitch and Newcastle found it extremely difficult to get out of their own half. Instead of trying to play the ball up the pitch, they tried to play it out of their own box and got dispossessed, but were lucky not to see the ball land in the back of their own net. Newcastle really were creating a lot of their own problems and continued to give away cheap free kicks.

It took until the 74th minute for the breakthrough to finally happen when Gabriel Obertan crossed the ball into the box from the right hand side to Sissoko. It looked like he had wasted the chance but managed to pull it back for Jack Colback to direct off the far post and into the net. Stoke will feel hard done by though, as not even 5 minutes before he should have been booked for his second terrible challenge. 

This goal was followed by an onslaught of chances from Stoke. Phil Bardsley saw his speculative effort sail over the cross bar and Ireland hit the back of the net with his curled effort around Krul but was correctly ruled offside. Peter Crouch teed up a perfect shot for Bardsley on the edge of the box but his effort was straight down the middle of the goal and easy for Krul to collect.

It was the substitute who had the final say though. In the final minute, Geoff Cameron crossed the ball very deep into the box where Crouch was waiting in the six yard box. Instead of taking the ball down, he chose to loop his header just under the crossbar and out of Krul's reach. Fabricio Coloccini did try to direct the ball back out again but couldn't get under it, leaving the sides equal at the end of the game just as they had been throughout. 

MATCH REPORT: North London Derby

As always, the atmosphere building up to this game was intense. Both sets of fans needed the win, but for Tottenham especially, if they won this game, it would look like their season could only go up from there. Arsenal have been dominant in recent derby games, but it could all change today. Alexis Sanchez is out with injury and Spurs have a top goal scorer in Harry Kane, who has 20 goals in all games this season.

Spurs started the game brightly and enjoyed a lot of possession as they pushed forward. The first real chance in the game came only 5 minutes in when Kane tried to curl the ball around the keeper and into the bottom corner. However, David Ospina was equal to it and pulled of a great save to turn the ball out for a corner. 

Arsenal stuck with the tactics that they used against Manchester City; they kept all of their players behind the ball when Spurs were attacking, played on the counter attack, and kept the game very compact in the middle of the field and this change in philosophy seemed to pay off for Arsene Wenger. On 11 minutes, Danny Welbeck used his pace to get ahead of the Spurs defender and crossed the ball into the box. This was met by Olivier Giroud who scuffed his shot. The ball did, however, land nicely for Mesut Ozil who took the shot on the volley and saw the ball hit the back of the net after sailing over Hugo Lloris. 

Spurs didn't let this stop them though. The goal had been against the run of play and it continued to go this way. Danny Rose was given a lot of space down the left hand side throughout the game, and often had some of the best chances. Not long after the Arsenal breakthrough, Rose found himself in acres of space which allowed him to make a run directly into the penalty box. The shot that followed was saved by Ospina. More Spurs chances followed those, Nabil Bentaleb dragged a shot from outside the box wide and Rose had another chance which went across the face of goal before going wide. Repeatedly, Ospina was equal to the chances that Spurs threw at him. 

Ryan Mason also had a good chance with a shot from outside of the box, followed by Kane's shot that flashed across the face of the goal after he fought through the challenges from the Arsenal defence. Ospina again turned both chances away, but it seemed like at some point in the match, Spurs would be able to break down the Arsenal defence. 

Arsenal did begin the second half a lot brighter than the first. Their build up play was very good and Santi Cazorla was at the middle of it all. He had a shot from just outside of the box, which could possibly have been heading wide, but Lloris still got across to turn the ball around for the corner, which Arsenal couldn't make a chance out of. 

On 56 minutes, Mason, who had been bright in the attacking moves, had a shot that was deflected off Laurent Koscielny for a corner. Christian Eriksen whips the corner into the box, where it is headed further into the action. Ospina tries to palm the ball out, but doesn't get enough of a hand to it and sees it land at the feet of Kane who is left with a simple tap in. 

This seemed to put even more wind into the Tottenham Hotspur sails. Quickly after their goal, they were pushing forward again, this time with Moussa Dembele. His shot was saved by Ospina, but he could only push the ball back into play where Kane was very close to being on the end of the ball to turn it into the net. He just missed, but nothing would have happened as the offside flag had gone up. Arsenal looked extremely nervous after the goal and looked like they could pay for their nervy defending. 

Arsenal did get another chance though. Welbeck tried to curl his shot around the keeper which prompted Lloris to make an excellent save. The corner that followed saw a chance land to Koscielny who directed his header straight at Lloris. At the other end of the pitch minutes later, Eric Dier had a header cleared off the line by Francis Coquelin and Mason saw his follow up volley saved once again by Ospina. 

Spurs continued to push for the winner and looked the more likely of the two teams to get it. Once again, Kane was the player waiting to get onto the end of the ball. Bentaleb floated a beautiful ball into the box which Kane leaped highest to reach. His looping header sailed over Ospina to land in the bottom of the net, finishing the game off for the home side and stopping Arsenal's recent winning run. Could this be the win that springboards Tottenham's season to better things? Right now, it sees them leapfrog their arch rivals into the top four of the Premier League table. 

MATCH REPORT: Manchester United vs Cambridge United [FA Cup Replay]

After a tough 0-0 at Abbey Road only 11 days ago, the two teams, now 79 league places apart, faced off again. This time it looked like it would be an easy win for Manchester United on paper, they were at home, the big names in the squad were included and they had a strong result in their last game against Leicester. However, they would be up against Richard Dunn who had a great performance last time out against them and would be hoping to carry that form into this game. After a 20 minute delay to kick-off due to heavy traffic, the game way underway. 

An upset looked to be on the cards within the first minute of the game. Daley Blind couldn't quite reach the ball and ended up giving it away to Tom Elliott, who's first thought was to go for goal. Much to Blind's relief, he couldn't get the curve of the shot right to take it around the keeper and hit the post instead of the back of the net. 

United began to build on their attacking front soon after this. They were pushing forward with their wide players, Marcos Rojo and Paddy McNair, and they were getting plenty of balls into the box, but Cambridge were equal to everything. Although, most of the time, the passes and crosses were sloppy, which made it easier for Cambridge to clear the ball and try to mount their own attack. Sometimes, instead of passing forward straight away, Cambridge tried to play it out of their own box which caused them to get dispossessed and almost present a goal to the home team, but luckily withstood all of the attacks. 

United's first real chance came from Wayne Rooney after Marouane Fellaini played the ball into him. Rooney cut inside onto his left foot but could only direct his shot into the arms of Dunn. Dunn looked comfortable in the Cambridge goal; willing to catch shots and punch away corners to a safe distance for his team. He looked to be a tough player for the front-line of United to get past. 

Eventually, on 25 minutes, United were finally able to find the breakthrough that had eluded them. McNair passes the ball into Juan Mata who then passes out to the left wing. Fellaini is found waiting in the box, and his header back in is met by the waiting Mata who's shot bounces off the bottom of the crossbar and into the back of the net. 

Not even 10 minutes later, United had got their second. They had a couple of chances between the two goals, including a great chance for McNair on the volley, but the ball hit the back of the net after a corner kick taken by Angel Di Maria. Fellaini got the ball in a lot of space in the area and after his shot was blocked, Robin van Persie chipped the ball up and Rojo met it with his head to direct it into the bottom right corner and scoring his first goal for the team. 

Cambridge began a steady build up after this in search of a goal to get them back into the game and turn the tie around. They had some nice build up play that led to a shot from Ryan Donaldson which went across goal and wide of the post. Cambridge were beginning to create chances but at the same time not really testing David de Gea. One of the Cambridge chances did lead to a counter attack from United with Di Maria receiving the ball and sprinting down the by-line with Rooney alongside him. When Rooney received the pass, he could only hit his volley against the floor and watch the shot go wide of the post. 

10 minutes into the second half saw a lot of chances for van Persie went begging; starting with a Rooney volley which was saved by Dunn and van Persie couldn't collect the rebound. He also had a great chance from close range that Dunn was equal to as well. It just wasn't shaping up to be his day in front of goal.

On 55 minutes, Robbie Simpson gave Cambridge their first shot on target, but it was aimed straight at De Gea. Even so, Cambridge weren't ready to surrender their chance to be in the fifth round just yet. 

It was proving harder for them to keep United out at the other end though. They were throwing their bodies on the line to keep the deficit at 2 goals, Dunn was being especially helpful, but they were finding it difficult to contain and deal with the wide threat that United possessed. On 64 minutes, van Persie had another great attempt with a volley on the turn, but once again Dunn was perfectly placed to deal with the shot and turn the ball away from goal. 

Not long after, Gearoid Morrissey had a good chance for Cambridge after being set up by Elliott, but he could only direct his shot wide of the post. This was followed by a wonder strike from outside the box by Di Maria at the other end, but Dunn gets up in time to palm the ball over the crossbar. 

For a long time, it looked like the score line was going to stay the same, with both teams determined to not concede goals in the second half. However, substitutes James Wilson and Ander Herrera had a big part to play in changing this. After a Cambridge throw, the ball is sloppily given away to United. Herrera plays the ball into Wilson who takes on the shot with his left foot from outside the box and finds the bottom right hand corner of the net. Dunn would be disappointed though, after making a lot of good saves in the match, he just had to watch as the ball bounced over his outstretched hand. 

The Cambridge players began to tire as the game headed into the last 10 minutes, but Rooney seemed to come alive in this time. He had a lot of good chances, either getting saved by Dunn or just skimming the outside of the post. No matter how hard he tried though, he just couldn't seem to find the goal that he was chasing. 

Deep into stoppage time at the end of the game, Cameron McGeehan came very close to getting Cambridge a consolation goal. He tried to direct his shot into the bottom corner and around de Gea but could only watch as it swerved just wide of the post, meaning a proud Cambridge team were out of the cup, leaving United to play Preston in the next round. 

MATCH REPORT: Southampton vs Swansea City

On paper, and going by recent form, it looked like Southampton would be back sitting pretty in third spot after they were pushed out of it by Manchester United yesterday. They have been in excellent form of late, while Swansea really haven't. Southampton have only lost at home to the two Manchester teams so far this season, which shows how good their home form has been of late. 

Southampton made a really bright start to the game. They hardly let Swansea get hold of the ball, and were pushing forward with every chance that they got. On 7 minutes, James Ward-Prowse had an excellent chance when he steered his shot through the defenders leg. Lukasz Fabianski was equal to it though, making a great save with his feet to turn the ball away. 

On 13 minutes, Swansea finally managed to get hold of the ball and create a chance with it. Jonjo Shelvey's through ball found Bafétimbi Gomis on the edge of the area and he turned to power his shot at the Southampton goal. He had beaten Fraser Forster, but unfortunately, his shot was just wide of the post. 

This was followed by an onslaught of chances from Southampton. The first one came from Harrison Reed on the edge of the box, but he could only drag it wide of the post. 5 minutes later, they were gifted a few good chances following a corner. Dusan Tadic took too long to take his shot but still managed to cross the ball into the box, but no breakthrough came from it as the shot was directed over the crossbar. Instead of taking the direct approach, Southampton were just trying to pass the ball into the net. On 31 minutes, Eljero Elia put an excellent cross into the box, but Neil Taylor just did enough to put Tadic off and prevent the shot from happening. 

In the first half, Southampton were unable to break down the Swansea defence. They were dominant throughout, but were missing that final cutting pass to get the goal that they really needed. On the other hand, Swansea were equal to everything that Southampton threw at them, Ashley Williams in particular doing a great job at making vital interceptions for his team. The second half started much the same as well. 

Finally, on the hour mark, Swansea began to step up their game. They started pressing Southampton higher and passing the ball around neatly to keep possession. Shelvey's cross got cut out, and in the hope not to concede a corner, Forster ran out to clear the ball, but he could only find Taylor. Luckily for Southampton, Taylor wanted too much time on the ball and they were able to close him down, much to Forster's relief. Only a minute later, Shelvey pushed his way through the crowd and hits the post with his shot. The visitors were causing a lot more problems now. 

With only 7 minutes and stoppage time left in the match, Swansea finally found the breakthrough they were looking for. After playing a quick one-two on the halfway line, Shelvey powers through the Southampton half, where no one tries to close him down or challenge him. He eventually reaches the edge of the box and fires his shot towards the top right corner, beating Forster and giving Swansea the lead their second half deserved. 

This didn't stop Southampton though. They carried on pushing forward for what would now be an equaliser and in his haste to get the ball, Ryan Bertrand committed a foul that was deemed worthy of a red card. He goes completely over the top of the ball and takes out Modou Barrow. The referee reached straight for the card, despite Bertrand's protests, leaving Southampton with an even bigger mountain to climb. 

However, it didn't look like it. Southampton carried on exactly the way they were before the sending off throughout stoppage time. The game became very scrappy and Swansea were camped out in their penalty box, but somehow they still managed to keep shut the door on any potential Southampton attacks. 

So, that leaves Southampton in fourth, only one point behind United who beat Leicester yesterday and level on points with Arsenal, who they are only above because their goal difference is one higher. Swansea retain 9th position after Stoke had briefly gone above them yesterday due to a win. Could this be the game to turn Swansea's season around, allow them to climb the table and challenge for a place in Europe? I guess we'll soon find out...