A Breath of Fresh Air in the Premier League

On this day, exactly one year ago, Chelsea were sitting top of the Premier League table, one point clear of United and City who were separated only by goal difference. The Gunners were 7 points off the pace, Liverpool were down in 12th with only 2 wins under their belt, QPR and Reading were in the drop zone, a sign of things to come, and nestled in between them was Southampton.

How times have changed. And by God do I love it, which in part is my bias as a Liverpool fan, but to a much larger degree is my bias as a fan of the Premier League. In recent years the title race has been a predictable occasion with a handful of teams fighting it out. In particular the two Manchester clubs and Chelsea, with Arsenal not far behind. 

The Darkest of Days for the Socceroos

I was there at Stadium Australia on that famous night in 2005 to experience the Socceroos’ greatest and proudest moment. With a win against Uruguay in the World Cup playoffs, we had not only beaten one of football’s super powers but also qualified for our first FIFA World Cup in over three decades. The “golden generation” was at the peak of it’s powers and Australia was the envy of all other lower tier football teams around the world. A few weeks ago, after back to back 6-0 defeats, the Socceroos’ hit rock bottom and arguably had their darkest moment.