Brit Awards witterings, ramblings and predictions 2012

So, once again the award season is upon us with this weekend the BAFTA film awards following hot on the heels of the British Comedy Awards, the National Television Awards and the National Envelope Openers Awards. But it is on 22 February that the blue riband event so far as the British music industry concerned takes place, the night when record execs come together to slap their counterparts wholesale on the back.

Yes, it is the Brit Awards, the night that has provided many moments of controversy and comedy, ranging from Mick Fleetwood and Sam Fox's inability to read an autocue right through to Jarvis Cocker baring his derriere whilst Michael Jackson performed, and the amusingly named anarchist Danbert Nobacon of Chumbawamba fame pouring a bucket of ice over John Prescott and escaping a retaliatory jab from Hull's finest croquet playing Jaguar driver.

And so what moments of controversy, debauchery and amusement will be thrown up (hopefully not literally) this year? Well, judging by the nominees, seemingly not very much. Perhaps more than anything it is a sign of the ageing process taking hold, but it is hard to think of a year where I have been less aware of so many of the acts that have made the shortlist. I think this is in part due to me having bought so little music in 2011, either in physical copy or via download. However, I think it is also due to the nature of the charts now. Several of the acts nominated have had very little exposure in the media or via radio playlists over the past year and so consequently, much of their work has crept under the radar.

Maybe I will have to live with the reality that middle age is starting to take hold on me and it won't be long before I start finding myself snubbing music radio altogether and find that Radio 4 or Test Match Special on long wave will be my preferred wireless listening of choice. But it does seem to me that the days of the Brits having an impact and being compulsive television viewing are long gone. Sure, Lady Gaga will turn up wearing something reported missing from an abattoir and some rapper will turn the air blue with a few ill advised F-bombs in their acceptance speech, but these moments will be few and far between in an otherwise anodyne itinerary. James Corden has been booked to compere the show for the second year running, much to universal delight at least in the Corden household. But even a few lame putdowns from Patrick Stewart's old sparring partner are unlikely to give the Brits that much edge.

But, let's not get too bogged down with how the awards stack up with renewals from yesteryear. Comparisons are indeed odious and there are at least some interesting battles that could arise in some of this year's marquee categories. Ed Sheeran and Adele seem to be in pole position to clean up at this year's ceremony and given the commercial success that both have enjoyed in 2011, it would very surprising if either were to walk away empty handed. The Brits panel are an unpredictable bunch, but then so too are the British public, and they have a hand in deciding the destiny of the best single and album categories.

So, I thought it would be a good idea if a musical Nostradamus was to cast his eye over this year's shortlist and provide their expert analysis as to who will win each award, as well as advising the world as to what gems should be scooping the prizes, so far as their musical ear is concerned. Sadly, our correspondent was out to lunch and so the duty falls upon yours truly to predict the night's winners and losers for your delectation. Here goes:


British Male Solo Artist: Ed Sheeran, James Blake, James Morrison, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Professor Green
The days of this category being dominated by Robbie Williams are mercifully long gone. In his place we have some new kids on the scene, along with an old stager appearing as a solo artist for the first time. I have not followed Ed Sheeran a great deal but his songs appear to have received a lot of radio play in the last year and he was also lauded on Top of the Pops at Christmas, which makes him a livewire contender here. Nelly Furtado's former collaborative partner who mended her broken strings should win the battle of the 2 James' here, although Mr Blake continues to make that difficult transition from black US hard court tennis specialist to white, folksy British singer-songwriter. I thought Professor Green generally committed violent crime in the library with a candlestick, but I am not certain of whether his music is equally criminal. That leaves us with one half of Madchester's finest indie sibling combo in his new project and whilst his debut solo album is a very fine listen and reminiscent of Oasis's more mellow offerings, Noel Gallagher sized eyebrows would be raised were he to land this award at a time when old school indie-Britpop music is not particularly in vogue. Disappointing not to see Devonian folk singer Ben Howard make the shortlist (kind of Paignton's answer to Jack Johnson), but of those that have made it, expect flavour of the month Ed Sheeran to edge out James Morrison for the mantelpiece decoration.

My prediction: Ed Sheeran My choice: Noel Gallagher

British Female Solo Artist: Adele, Florence & The Machine, Jessie J, Kate Bush, Laura Marling
Not the most inspiring list of nominees that have ever adorned this category, albeit there are a couple of previous winners amongst the quintet. Jessie J has certainly had a productive year and her song 'Price Tag' has been one of the most played songs of the past year, perhaps because it is appropriate in identifying society's current materialistic obsessions. For all that, however, I found the song somewhat irritating. Florence and her imaginary machine have come back and recorded that difficult second album to general acclaim, although it generally passed me by. Kate Bush seems to be this year's version of Annie Lennox and is nominated just to remind people that she has made her once in a decade trip to a recording studio, while Laura Marling seems to be gaining a reputation as the critics' favourite. She won this category a year ago against the odds, but lightning is unlikely to strike twice as last year was Adele's year. And I say that as someone who does not like her music, or indeed her. When you are the biggest selling recording artist in the States as well as in the UK, you know that you have cracked it and seeing as how sales of CDs and downloads keep record execs away from a Jobseekers' Allowance, expect them to show their gratitude here.

My prediction: Adele My choice: Despite not liking her, it has to be Adele


British Breakthrough Act: Anna Calvi, Ed Sheeran, Emeli Sande, Jessie J, The Vaccines
It has been a strange sort of year because whereas in previous years, I would look at this category and would be championing the merits of at least one of the nominees' work, I look at the list this year and know little of their respective merits. Of course, I have heard of Jessie J, Ed Sheeran and Anna Calvi but have only heard the odd song here and there. I did hear one of Emeli Sande's songs on Radio 2 the other week and quite liked it, while I have heard some of The Vaccines' work and just thought they were the type of indie guitar band that has given that genre a bad name these days because their sound was very derivative. On the surface, this looks like a straight fight between Ed Sheeran and Jessie J, and I anticipate that Mr Sheeran will win his second award of the evening.

My prediction: Ed Sheeran My choice: Emeli Sande

British Group: Arctic Monkeys, Chase & Status, Coldplay, Elbow, Kasabian

A lot of the usual suspects feature in this category, although spot the odd one out. Go on, be honest, have you heard of Chase and Status? They sound like a web design company. A little bit surprising that Beady Eye didn't get a look in for this category after the release of their first album in 2011. Of the established acts, Coldplay returned with their first new album in 3 years in 2011 and as staunch a fan of Coldplay as I am, I have to say that I was underwhelmed by their latest offering. Not a bad album by any means, but it lacked as many standout tracks as most of its predecessors. By the same token, Elbow's last album did not quite hit the same heights as 'Seldom Seen Kid' but it would have been unrealistic to expect it to. Arctic Monkeys seem to have faded off the radar a bit these days, no longer going for the populist audience and in doing so, losing some of their fanbase whilst getting further approval from the rest. If Coldplay are to be beaten here, then it is likely to be Kasabian who topple them given their popular appeal to those that attend live music. They also seem to be a band that are remaining fresh despite now being on their fourth album. I have a gut feeling for the band from Leicester to cause a minor upset in this category and for them to defeat Coldplay.

My prediction: Kasabian My choice: Elbow

British Single: Adele - Someone Like You, Ed Sheeran - The A Team, Example - Changed The Way You Kissed Me, Jessie J Ft B.o.B. - Price Tag, JLS Ft Dev - She Makes Me Wanna, Military Wives/Gareth Malone - Wherever You Are, Olly Murs Ft Rizzle Kicks - Heart Skips A Beat, One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful, Pixie Lott - All About Tonight, The Wanted - Glad You Came
As ever the nominees for this category reads like a playlist for Heart FM's daytime schedule. The Wanted will betray their song title and be wishing they stayed at home because they will not be winning. Nor for that matter will the Military Wives, Ed Sheeran or One Direction, much to Caroline Flack's disappointment. If the queue for their concert at The Dome last year was anything to go by, Example will be getting the teenage girl vote. As much as it would be pleasing to see a Brightonian victory, Rizzle Kicks' collaboration with Olly Murs will not be claiming the prize either. I must confess to a weakness where Pixie Lott is concerned, a perfect mixture of long legs and saccharin sweet electro-pop does the trick. Incidentally where was she on the best female shortlist? Her nominated song was one of the better number 1s of recent times, but even so, I think she will fall short here as I am expecting the winner to come from either Adele or Jessie J, as theirs were 2 of the most played singles of last year. Given that Adele released 3 or 4 singles of note last year while Jessie J's nominated effort remains the one by which she is most readily identified, I think the latter could scoop the prize on this occasion.

My prediction: Jessie J My choice: Pixie Lott

British Album of the Year: Adele - 21, Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto, Ed Sheeran - +, Florence & The Machine - Ceremonials, PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Well, I only own one out of the shortlist this year and that is Coldplay's latest album. I must say that although I am very much a fan of Coldplay's, as I mentioned above, I did feel somewhat underwhelmed by their latest album and do not feel that it has the strength in depth of most of their previous efforts. The problem is, however, that I have not heard enough of the other albums to suitably advise if any of the other nominees' entries are better. I have heard the singles from Adele's album and also a couple of songs from Florence and the Machine and so I would expect them to be at the front of the queue when this award is given out. It is surprising that Noel Gallagher's debut album is missing as that was the best album I bought last year, followed by White Lies' second album 'Ritual'. Ed Sheeran I suppose is also a candidate, while I think PJ Harvey got in because she won the Mercury Prize last year, but that generally does not offer much of a form guide, save for the year that Elbow made their breakthrough. I think it is a close call between Adele and Florence, but although Karl Lagerfield is unlikely to approve, expect another win for Adele.

My prediction: Adele My choice: Somewhat by default in the absence of Noel Gallagher or White Lies, Coldplay


International Male Solo Artist: Aloe Blacc, Bon Iver, Bruno Mars, David Guetta, Ryan Adams
It is to my great shame and possibly a sign of the ageing process kicking in that I was completely ignorant to Ryan Adams releasing any material last year, an artist who I quite like and whose material I have previously bought. Elsewhere, we have Aloe Blacc who I doubt is in need of a dollar these days following the commercial success of his hit single last year. You do sense he could end up being one of those one hit wonders being picked out of the Buzzcocks ID parade in five years time, by which time one suspects Phill Jupitus will be fossilised and Noel Fielding will have become a woman. I was so oblivious to David Guetta last year when he was nominated that I wondered whether he was in fact a Spanish goalkeeper, but he appears to have had another year of recording and producing club records played on the Balearics' party island so comes here as a livewire contender. I'm not particularly familiiar with Bon Iver, but gather he is of a similar musical ilk to Jack Johnson and Ben Howard, so he may be worth checking out. It is Bruno Mars, however, who seems to have had the most commercial success out of this quintet this past year though and on that basis, I would be surprised if anyone else picked up this award.

My prediction: Bruno Mars My choice: Ryan Adams

International Female Solo Artist: Beyonce, Bjork, Feist, Lady Gaga, Rihanna
Again, due to me not following music extensively in 2011, I was not aware that Iceland's greatest singing pugilist had released any material last year, or indeed this side of the Millennium. I'm sure that she is as grateful as a grapefruit for her nomination competing against such stellar names. Nice to see Feist nominated who had a fairish hit with that radio friendly '1234' song three or four years ago, although I was blissfully unaware that she had released anything since. She surely comes in as rank outsider in this category. As for the A-listers, well I think Lady Gaga's seminal year came a couple of years ago when she swept the board while wearing the delicatessen as her outfit. That then leaves Rihanna and Beyonce and while Beyonce starts to enjoy her new role of motherhood, I expect Rihanna to cap a year in which she hit number one for the fifth year in a row with a Brit award to boot.
My prediction: Rihanna My choice: Feist

International Group: Fleet Foxes, Foo Fighters, Jay Z / Kanye West, Lady Antebellum, Maroon 5
First of all, how do Jay Z and Kanye West count as an 'international group'? They are two solo artists that happen to collaborate with many other artists on their material. This is surely a form of cheating and it would be wrong for cheats to prosper. Secondly, who on earth are Lady Antebellum? Thirdly, Maroon 5, why? That much overused and annoying word 'meh' springs to mind when looking at this category this year. The door seems to be left open for the Foo Fighters to be winning this category. I don't profess to be the greatest fan of the Foos and find a lot of their music repetitive, but at a time when rock music seems to have become commercially unfashionable, you have to respect their ability to keep churning out top 20 hit singles, even if their sound, at least to my ear, is formulaic and derivative. The Fleet Foxes are the band I have most of a liking for out of these nominees and although they have never quite topped their single 'Mykonos' from 3 or 4 years back, I think they the best of a mediocre bunch here. That said, expect the Foos to pick up the award.
My prediction: Foo Fighters My choice: Fleet Foxes

International Breakthrough Act: Aloe Blacc Bon Iver Foster The People Lana Del Rey Nicki Minaj
Have not got a great deal to say on this category due to how little of their material I have heard. Aloe Blacc and Foster The People both seem to be one hit wonders, while Nicki Minaj is another one to file under 'acts I've not previously heard of before a Brits nomination'. I am hoping if I haven't heard of them then members of Brits Committee would not be able to identify them either. Although Bon Iver could be a dark horse, Lana Del Rey has been attracting a lot of column inches recently off the back of that 'Video Games' hit single. On that basis, I expect the King of Spain to collect a crown, or an award anyway.
My prediction: Lana Del Rey My choice: No idea

British Producer: Paul Epworth, Flood, Ethan Johns

When I first saw these nominees, I thought the last person was Elton John, which led me to wonder how long he had been a producer on other people's music. I have only heard of Paul Epworth and purely for that very scientific reason, I predict he will win this award.

Outstanding Contribution To Music: Blur

They didn't bother with an outstanding contribution last year for some reason, but it has been restored this year in order to provide recognition for Blur. I would have to say that is a fair enough accolade to dish out. I don't profess to be the biggest fan of theirs, but they have been around now for over 20 years and have released a vast back catalogue of hit singles to the point where even if you are not an out-and-out fan of their music, the chances are you are going to like at least some of their songs. That is the case with me, albeit most of the songs of theirs that I like have tended not to be the major hits. For the record, I reckon that as an overall music composition, you are hard pressed to find a better song they have recorded than 'The Universal', while 'Tender', 'Out Of Time' and 'There's No Other Way' are also amongst their finest works.

Not so fond of the likes of 'Parklife', 'Country House' or 'Girls and Boys', but there are plenty of people who disagree with me and so it is likely, therefore, that these will be the songs they perform on the night, provided they can tear Phil Daniels away from advertising football betting and cutting down on his Porklife in order to lead the vocals.

Critics' Choice Emeli Sande
Emeli Sande is a Scottish soul singer and I think I've heard one of her tracks on Radio 2, which means it must be the kind of music that won't frighten the horses, or Ken Bruce for that matter. She has collaborated before on a number one hit with Professor Green and as has been shown in the past, collaborating as a vocalist on other people's work is not a bad career move in order to get yourself airplay and awareness in the charts. Her Wikipedia entry also informs the world that she is Simon Cowell's 'favourite songwriter at the moment', although given Cowell's track record at promoting sub-standard mime artists on various talent shows, this is not necessarily a glowing reference. She beat Maverick Sabre to win this award, which I previously believed was the name of an Olympic fencing sword.

United's five point plan for beating Barcelona

Well, if the turf accountants of this green and pleasant land are to be believed (and on the surface, they seldom make poor calls), then the culmination of the 2010/11 Champions League is a formality. The script is written and it declares that European football's finest exhibitionists will win their third Champions League final in six seasons, each achieved against English opposition in the final. This will spark scenes of jubilation in North West London, Catalonia and Wallasey, while sorrows will be drowned in Salford, Didsbury, Guildford and one small corner of this author's local in Brighton from 9:30 pm BST onwards.

Yet, while football for the most part is a game of black and white, there is sometimes scope for shaded areas. This is particularly so in a one-off match, where the favourites can become suffocated by the cauldron of expectation while the underdogs can approach the match with lots to prove but litle expected. Given the stature of these two clubs, it would be absurd to suggest that there is low expectation in either camp, as winning European club football's blue riband event is the yardstick by which clubs are allocated places at football's top table and supporters on both sides demand to be dining on gourmet rather than ready meals.

While recent history and all known form would indicate that Barcelona should prevail and thereby stake a genuine claim to being one of the greatest sides in the history of the European Champions' Cup, it is only three years ago that United defeated the same opposition in the semi-finals to set up that drizzly, tear-stained night in Moscow, without conceding a goal to them in 180 minutes of football. Some of the key personnel have changed since then, but the nucleus of both sides still remain.

For Sir Alex Ferguson to land his third 'cup with big ears' as Gianluca Vialli once referred to it, he will need a disciplined and committed performance from every single player that takes to the pitch. Getting the odd rub of the green would not go amiss either. But most crucially, Ferguson will need to follow the lead of one of the great strategists of his generation, namely John Hannibal Smith. Ferguson will be red with delight when his plan comes together. To aid him in his duties, here is a five point plan from this alehouse strategist that could prove decisive.

1. Settle on a formation
Given the depth of his squad, Sir Alex Ferguson faces a few selection dilemmas. However, in reality, the main quandary he faces is what formation to go with. In the past two months of the season, United have largely kept faith in a 4-2-3-1 formation, ostensibly with Rooney floating behind Hernandez, but the formation has provided licence for the two players to interchange positions. Hernandez's pace and movement would undoubtedly unsettle Barcelona's back line, with Pep Guardiola admitting as much in his ante-post comments.

However, the lines are blurred by the issue of the midfield area, where many sage observers have opined that the result of the final will be determined. Manchester United's Achilles Heel so happens to be Barcelona's strength, namely that their midfield is not as imposing as, say, the treble winning team's in 1999. Barcelona play a trio in midfield, with Sergio Busquets marshalling the defence and committing the strategic fouls in order to free up Xavi and Andres Iniesta to dictate the tempo of the match and to provide the supply line to Lionel Messi. Until Hernandez's rapid improvement dictated that Ferguson could no longer just utilise him as an impact substitute, United generally lined up for their marquee Premier League matches with an extra body in midfield.

Ferguson will mindful that it is as certain as death and taxes that Barcelona will enjoy sustained periods of possession during the match and so his concern will be that if he is a man light in the middle of the park, Barcelona could carve United open with their passing triangles and Lionel Messi will be able to dominate the match. Against that, however, United's central midfield options are not prolific. With Park-Ji-Sung likely to be stationed on the left flank, this would mean Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick taking up two places centrally and playing just two central players would mean a lot of running for a 37 year old, some 16 years older than Sergio Busquets. If United do play a third midfielder, Darren Fletcher would appear to be the most likely addition. If Fletcher was fully fit, he would be a certainty to play, as United missed his harrying and strong tackling when they lost the final two years ago. However, his performance against Blackpool suggested Fletcher is some way from full match fitness, and a Champions League final against Barcelona is not an ideal occasion to feel your way back. With Paul Scholes too much of a liability to start a match of this magnitude now, the only other option would be Anderson, and he has flattered too much to deceive on the big occasion before.

Although second guessing Sir Alex Ferguson's team selection is an impossible task at the best of times, it would seem that his starting eleven will be primarily determined by whether he plays an extra midfielder or accommodates both Rooney and Hernandez. He does also have a decision to make about who plays at right back, but I expect Fabio Da Silva to get the nod ahead of his twin and John O'Shea and to have the job of nullifying the threat of David Villa.

As much as Ferguson has made public pronouncements that United will set out to attack Barcelona, privately I think he realises that being outnumbered in midfield would be akin to Russian Roulette and so I expect Ferguson to mirror Barcelona's 4-3-3 formation, with Darren Fletcher likely to join Carrick and Giggs in the centre and Javier Hernandez reverting to the impact substitute role. If Ferguson was to play 4-2-3-1, then Rooney would be required to drop back into midfield and work hard for the team when they do not have possession, which would restrict his attacking potency. That is why I feel United will focus on staying in the match and keeping Barcelona out of harm's way, before introducing Hernandez as an extra forward early in the second half at the expense of Fletcher.

2. Play a pressing game
With the formation now decided, United will need a winning strategy in order to prevail. Some will suggest fighting fire with fire and going on the offensive. However, you only need to look at Arsenal's matches against Barcelona in the past two Champions League campaigns to see that employing such a strategy would only result in gallant failure at best. It was interesting, however, to see that a player who witnessed first hand Arsenal's latest defeat at the hands of the team they so implicitly wish to emulate, Jack Wilshere, was eager to advise that United had to employ a pressing game against Barcelona.

In every La Liga match that Barcelona have played in the 2010/11 season, they have enjoyed more than fifty per cent possession. It is a near certainty that they will again at Wembley, and there is no point in setting out in being resistant to that. The crucial element is minimising the amount of possession Barcelona have in meaningful areas of the pitch, that is to say, give them as few clear sighters of goal as possible. This is why I feel Ferguson ultimately will choose to play 4-3-3 as it means he has safety in numbers, with his team effectively playing as a 4-5-1 whenever they do not have possession of the ball, which as we have discussed is likely to be more than half of the time the ball is in play.

Jose Mourinho realised that the best way of beating Barcelona was to stifle their supply line and stop them from getting in positions where they can shoot, even if this meant playing a cat-and-mouse game of throwing men behind the ball and committing strategic fouls in areas of the pitch where Barcelona cannot threaten from, but where the rhythm of their passing can be broken up. Ultimately, Mourinho's masterplan in the semi-finals collapsed due to his team's lack of discipline, becoming demoralised by spending so much of the match in the Santiago Bernabeu chasing shadows.

The basic premise of pressing Barcelona high up the pitch was not necessarily wrong, however, and evidence from previous Champions League campaigns shows it can sometimes be an effective method of counteracting them. Mourinho himself deployed the strategy with far more success last season when Inter took Barcelona apart in the first leg of their semi-final, en route to winning the competition. Chelsea also came within ninety seconds of defeating Barcelona the previous season by squeezing their midfield and blocking out the supply lines, only for Iniesta to score a stoppage time goal from which there was no point of return.

United themselves got the better of Barcelona in 2008 despite being on the backfoot for much of the tie, helped by some stoic, last ditch defending on occasions when Barcelona came close to scoring a precious away goal. For United to win the final, it is inevitable they will have to weather a storm during the course of the match and so it is important that they keep their concentration and their tactical discipline to a man at all times, and do not get frustrated if there are spells of the match where they are not getting the ball. If Barcelona get plenty of the ball, but are not getting into meaningful shooting positions, they too will get frustrated. Patience will be key and it is certain that there will be times in the match where United can attack themselves, particularly down the flanks.

3. Make use of width
This brings us neatly to the next point, which is to emphasise that the wide areas of the pitch will also be a determining factor in the outcome of the match. While there are several match-winners taking to the pitch who can decide the result in a split second of brilliance, it does seem a fair assessment to state that whichever team is more assertive and busy in the wide areas will have a clear advantage.

Both teams will have the potential to be fluid and have players capable of interchanging, with the forward players swapping from wide to central positions. However, it should be expected that Messi and Rooney will line up centrally for their respective forward lines, sandwiched in axis of Villa and Pedro, and Park and Valencia respectively. I expect United to play Park and Valencia from the start, rather than accommodating Nani on the right or moving Rooney across to the left in order to accommodate Hernandez, because Park and Valencia are more industrious wide players, who are happy to track back and carry out defensive foot soldier duties whenever United do not have possession. While Nani would offer more direct running, he is less inclined to carry out the defensive requirements of the game and that could result in Barcelona having more capability to run into a green expanse of space when the ball is lost.

Park-Ji-Sung will have a key role to play on the left hand side, as he will be in direct combat with Dani Alves, who has an integral part to play in building Barcelona's attacks with his marauding runs down the flanks. Alves very much fits the template of a Brazilian full back, as he is at his most destructive going forward, but is capable of being self-destructive when required to carry out his defensive duties. Park should look to pressurise Alves and prevent his runs forward, thereby meaning that Park himself is able to get more of a foothold on the game as an attacking threat.

On the other flank, whichever one of the Da Silva twins is entrusted by Ferguson to marshal David Villa is going to have a vital role in the match. In talking up the obvious threat of Lionel Messi, it is easily forgotten what a danger Villa is, as one of the most natural finishers in world football. Villa's role for Barcelona is the same as the pivotal one he played for Spain in last summer's World Cup, where he is usually stationed on the left hand side before cutting in to shooting positions. This is reminiscent of the role Thierry Henry previously performed for Barcelona, and before that with deadly aplomb for Arsenal. United's right back of choice will need to ensure Villa is given as few sighters of goal as possible.

Further forward for United, Valencia is likely to come up against Carles Puyol, who has generally been playing as a makeshift left back since Eric Abidal has been sidelined through illness. This is potentially an area of weakness for Barcelona. This observer has not been as sold on Puyol as some in his more favoured position as a centre back and I feel that Puyol is a reactive defender rather than a proactive one, responding to danger rather than averting it with last ditch recovery tackles. The heavily bouffanted local lad is also not particularly mobile, while Valencia is very much an orthodox winger, who is quick and direct, and generally produces pinpoint crosses. He is not as spectacular as his predecessor, Cristiano Ronaldo, but he sticks to his task more effectively, and United's forward players are able to anticipate his crosses better than they sometimes could with Ronaldo. For United to win, imposing themselves down their right flank will go some way to helping them.

4. Don't concede early
It is an obvious truism in some senses, but the story of the 2009 final was played out in the first ten minutes of the match. At one end, Park-Ji-Sung wasted a good chance to give United a lead after eight minutes, only for Barcelona to advance straight up the other end with Samuel Eto'o being more clinical when presented with his chance. This set the tone for the match and United did not recover from the setback of conceding a goal so early against a team that are imperious front-runners.

Sir Alex Ferguson should consider the philosophy of his managerial compatriot, George Graham, which stood him good stead almost exactly 22 years ago. I am referring to the night that Graham's Arsenal side played a title decider at Anfield against a technically superior Liverpool team and had to win by two clear goals in order to claim the league title at the Merseyside giant's expense. As any supporter of these two clubs will know, Arsenal won 2-0 on the night, scoring the decisive second goal in stoppage time from which there was no comeback for Kenny Dalglish's team.

What is interesting to reflect on is Graham's strategy and pre-match words for his players. Graham's philosophy was simple and while in keeping with the common stereotype of him as a defensive minded manager (which was not always true in his early years as Arsenal manager), was also mighty effective. He simply told his players to keep the score at 0-0 at half time. He asked his players not to concede of course, but also advised his players not to score too early, as it would make Liverpool angry. Then at half time, he revised the strategy and asked his players to become a more attacking threat in the second half. Sure enough, Arsenal made the breakthrough in the first fifteen minutes of the second half, and then with Liverpool committing players forward for an equaliser, Arsenal broke away and scored the crucial second goal.

Much has changed on the football landscape in 22 years and it also hard to envisage an attacking manager such as Sir Alex Ferguson specifically instructing his players not to score in the first half. However, it is worth considering the background to Graham's thinking. The 1988/89 season was the season of the Hillsborough Disaster and by the time Liverpool faced up to Arsenal, they were both physically and mentally shattered and so Arsenal came into the title decider with the momentum, even if the task they were faced with was a monumental one to achieve at the time.

Similarly, Barcelona come into this final with a number of their regular observers claiming that the Catalan giants have looked tired in recent weeks and have not been defeating teams with the same authority they displayed earlier in the campaign. This is understandable given that Barcelona have played in excess of fifty matches this season and over half of the Barcelona team were a cornerstone of Spain's World Cup winning team last summer, meaning that much of the team has had little respite in the past eighteen months. United too have played over fifty games this season, but Ferguson's rotation policy has ensured that all of his players have been refreshed during the season, added to which several of the players also had more of a rest last summer due to their nations being eliminated from the World Cup at an early stage.

Keeping things tight in the first half of the final would give United a suitable platform in the second half of the match to throw on some impact substitutes who could hold the key to unlocking Barcelona's defence as the game becomes stretched and legs become strained.

5. Make use of impact substitutions
And so that brings us neatly to the final point in this unbreakable strategy, which is to make the most of substitutions when the moment materialises. Champions League finals over the years generally see managers call upon at least one of their substitutes in the first twenty minutes of the second half. This is usually due to Champions League finals of following a set template of matches being quite cagey and tactical in the first half of games and so a substitution is used as a game-changer, someone to give the opposition something different to think about.

If United are to be in with a chance of winning this final, I expect a similar pattern to be played out this time around, and so how Ferguson deploys his substitutes could make or break his evening. History shows that Ferguson is generally a grand master when it comes to making positive, match turning substitutions, witness his 1999 goalscorers as a case in point.

Assuming Ferguson opts for 4-3-3 rather than 4-2-3-1, he would have two of his quickest players starting from the bench in Javier Hernandez and Nani. He could be expected to introduce both of these players at some stage of the match, and particularly so if the match is still in a state of gridlock as both players will provide a 'fresh pair of legs' that can ask questions of defenders beginning to tire, which as discussed in point 4, is a genuine possibility for Barcelona given the exertions of their season. It is also possible that Paul Scholes could be introduced late in the game in order to ensure possession is not needlessly surrendered.

Bringing on players with pace who can make an immediate impact though is where United can prevail if they have carried out all the other parts of the plan effectively. Looking back at Barcelona's past two Champions League campaigns, they have sometimes flagged dramatically in the final twenty minutes of matches. This has been noticeably demonstrated in their past two Champions League ties at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal. Although ultimately in vain for Arsenal, Barcelona threw away a 2-0 lead last season as Arsenal mounted a comeback in the final twenty minutes of the match to draw 2-2. The telling difference was the introduction of Theo Walcott, whose raw pace asked new questions of Barca's left back on the night, Maxwell, who was running on empty having dictated the match for the first hour.

In the corresponding tie this season, Barcelona should have been out of sight in the first half, but were profligate in the final third of the pitch and history repeated itself when in the final twenty minutes, Arsenal turned a 1-0 deficit into an unlikely 2-1 victory. The only difference this time was that Walcott was withdrawn rather than introduced, with Nicklas Bendtner's physique and aggression causing problems down the right and Andrei Arshavin and Robin Van Persie carving Barcelona open in the middle.

That this comeback was ultimately fruitless for Arsenal is beside the point. The key issue is that Barcelona can be exposed in the latter stages of matches, provided their opponents are still in the game and provided they have players capable of making a match-changing impact. Real Madrid also demonstrated this in extra time in the Copa del Rey final. United do have these options and bringing on Javier Hernandez, for example, early in the second half would cause a different problem for Barcelona as his pace and movement would be a challenge to Barca's current stop gap centre back, Javier Mascherano, a player prone to moments of rashness. It would also mean Wayne Rooney could drop deeper and then provide Barcelona with a dilemma of whether to stick tight to Rooney and thereby allow midfield runners to drop into space, or let Rooney roam where he could provide a moment that determines the match himself.

Hernandez has shown that he can quick up the pace of the game almost immediately on numerous occasions this season, regardless of whether he starts the match or is introduced as a substitute. But his pace and ability to find space in the penalty box are very handy assets to introduce when a game is becoming stretched, while Nani is also capable of mesmerising Carles Puyol in the same manner that Theo Walcott did to the more mobile Maxwell last season. The aces Ferguson has up his sleeve could tilt the balance in his team's favour, so long as his team have done the hard work.


So there in a nutshell is how United can Barcelona. Although given the calibre of the opposition and how other factors such as a refereeing decision and moments of outrageous fortune can turn a match in a blink of an eye, United could do all of this and more, but still end up losing the final. It does serve to show, however, that they are perfectly capable of defeating the de-facto 'Greatest Team on Earth' provided they stick to the task rigidly and, in the words of their own supporters, 'Believe'.

World Cup dream squad

Well, we are now at the stage where there are just 4 teams left in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. All of the teams that have made it that far have got there through playing some good, attractive football along the way, as well as showing tenacity and commitment at key times and of course, each of have had some lucky breaks. None more so than Uruguay, whose place in the last 4 owed everything to Luis Suarez's spectacular goal-line save in the final minute of extra time against Ghana. Suarez, of course, is a centre forward rather than a goalkeeper and so his instinctive act resulted in him having first use of the showers, but his self-sacrifice also had the desired effect as Uruguay would go on to win a penalty shoot out after Asamoah Gyan's final minute penalty had hit the top of the crossbar.

I was almost tempted to name Suarez as one of the 3 goalkeepers in my ultimate World Cup squad, such has been the generally poor standard of goalkeeping in the World Cup this year. In the end I decided against it. Here for your delectation, however, is my 23 man squad of the best players that have graced the world stage this summer. Please note that I have picked this 23 solely on how they have performed in the World Cup and not on past reputations, performances for their club in the past season or any other criteria. Hence, there are a number of big name absentees from the squad, as well as the complete absence of any Englishmen. Here goes:

GOALKEEPERS
Eduardo (Portugal)
Stelekenburg (Holland)
Kawashima (Japan)

DEFENDERS
Ramos (Spain)
Lahm (Germany)
Lucio (Brazil)
Friedrich (Germany)
Lugano (Uruguay)
Salcido (Mexico)
Coentrao (Portugal)

MIDFIELDERS
Iniesta (Spain)
Schweinsteiger (Germany)
Sneijder (Holland)
Khedira (Germany)
Ozil (Germany)
Boateng (Ghana)
Beausejour (Chile)

FORWARDS
Villa (Spain)
Mueller (Germany)
Higuain (Argentina)
Forlan (Uruguay)
Honda (Japan)
Robinho (Brazil)

The first thing you notice about the squad is the distinct lack of players in the squad I have named that ply their trade in England. In fact, only one player in my squad was still playing their football in the English Premier League last season, Kevin Prince Boateng of Ghana, and he featured in the Portsmouth team that was relegated from the division. Whether this is an indictment on the standard of the Premier League is open to debate, but it is certainly true that a number of the Premier League's star names have failed to light up the tournament. This has not only been true of English marquee names such as Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard, but also of household names representing other countries. Fernando Torres and Robin Van Persie have noticeably looked desperately short of match sharpness, while Cesc Fabregas has featured mainly as a substitute for Spain. A second member of my squad, Brazil's Robinho, did feature for Manchester City last season but had been farmed out on loan back to his native Brazil during the second half of the season. The Brazilian sunshine appeared to enable him to rediscover his best form, on the evidence of the World Cup.

By contrast, Spain's La Liga is well represented in the squad that I named with five of the squad playing their club football in that league. All six Germans that I named in the squad currently play their football in their native Bundesliga, while only two of the squad play in Italy's Serie A, both for European champions Inter Milan. This would again seem to highlight the decline of a league that was once, by common consent, the strongest league in Europe. This status has diminished since the match fixing scandals damaged the purchasing power of the leading lights in the country. The rest of the squad is made up of two players that play in the Netherlands, two that play in Portugal and one each from the national leagues of Turkey, Japan, Russia and Mexico.

Choosing three goalkeepers for this squad was a difficult decision for the simple reason that the standard of goalkeeping in the tournament has been poor. Maybe the erratic movement in the air of the Jhabulani football has affected goalkeepers' confidence, but the fact remains that very few keepers have stood out in the tournament and people will remember some horrific goalkeeping howlers from the 2010 World Cup far more than they will recall the good saves. Even the goalkeepers with the best reputations have suffered. Iker Casillas has looked decidedly shaky for Spain, while Julio Cesar had enjoyed a quiet tournament until he was finally called upon against Holland, where he was completely at fault for the first goal Holland scored in their comeback win.

I feel that the 3 keepers I have selected have largely had the most error free tournaments and have made some important saves too. It is true that one of my keepers, Stelekenburg of Holland, gave away a penalty against Slovakia, but it made no difference to the result and the Dutch custodian had earlier made a couple of vital saves that swung the balance of the match the way of the men in orange. My first choice keeper though is Eduardo of Portugal, who had an excellent match against Spain, ultimately in a losing cause. Had Portugal been calling upon the services of a lesser keeper though, surely Spain would have won by a wider margin. My third keeper is Kawashima whose assured presence between the posts gave the defence in front of him greater confidence and helped Japan advance to the last 16 of the World Cup, conceding only 2 goals during their participation in the tournament.

The defensive positions were trickier to fill given that there have been several right backs that have impressed in the tournament, while have been fewer centre backs and left backs to choose from. In fact, in the end, I have had to leave out probably the best right back in world football, Maicon of Brazil and Inter Milan, despite him scoring one of the goals of the tournament against North Korea. I have chosen Sergio Ramos and Philip Lahm ahead of him because they simply could not be left out, Lahm has been outstanding in his marauding role for the Germans. Ramos' versatility means he can also play at centre back if need be, while Lahm is equally adept playing at left back.

With Ramos included, I have chosen only three specialist centre backs. Arne Friedrich of Germany has been the standout player in that position during the tournament and will surely be a target for major European clubs after the World Cup finishes, especially given that his club side Hertha Berlin were relegated to the German second division at the end of the season. Alongside Friedrich, I have chosen Lucio, who lived up to his reputation as the world's best centre back throughout the competition by being both accomplished in the tackle as well as displaying the usual Brazilian trait of being comfortable in bringing the ball out of defence. In reserve, I have chosen Uruguay's captain Lugano, whose injury early on in Uruguay's quarter-final win against Ghana put them under more pressure than they usually would have expected to face.

In the left back position, some of the marquee names did not live up to their pre-tournament billing with Patrice Evra heading home in disgrace with his French colleagues while life was not much better for Ashley Cole. Only two left backs really impressed me during the tournament and both were players that showed both sides of the modern full back's game, solid defensive tracking and positioning, as well as great athleticism in getting forward to support the attack. Carlos Salcido shone like a beacon in an adventurous but somewhat toothless Mexican side and found himself at the heart of many of his team's finest moments in the World Cup. Meanwhile, young Sporting Lisbon left back Coentrao was one of very few Portuguese players to emerge with any credit from their insipid displays in the World Cup.

Choosing the midfielders for the squad was generally a straightforward task. The team that has had the best midfield in the tournament has been Germany and so the decision to include all three of their regular midfielders, Bastien Schweinsteiger, Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira, was a no-brainer. Schweinsteiger's determination and drive make him a certain starter while Ozil's ability to get between the lines of midfield and attack and create space for others to drop into mean he too should get a starting berth. My third starter is Wesley Sneijder of Holland, who has shown that a long season in club football need not write off your performance in the World Cup. Sneijder has scored four goals for the Dutch in their run to the semi-finals (albeit one should have been classified as an own goal) but he has had a knack of delivering when it has mattered in the tournament and retained possession well.

In reserve, my midfield options include the aforementioned Khedira, who has not attracted the plaudits that his colleagues Ozil and Schweinsteiger have, but who has been very tidy and efficient in the German midfield and rarely misplaced a pass. I also include Spain's Andres Iniesta, who has brought his club form for Barcelona to the World Cup more than his esteemed team-mate Xavi, who in my opinion has had a slightly disappointing World Cup. Iniesta has shown plenty of energy and played some trademark passes during the tournament, as well as scoring a vital goal against Chile that ensured his country's progress into the knockout stage. I also selected Kevin-Prince Boateng who I felt was the heartbeat of the impressive Ghanaian side and who scored a goal against the United States in the second round. Ghana were missing their best player Michael Essien due to injury and yet it is testament to how Boateng performed that Essien's dynamic qualities were not significantly missed.

The final midfield place was a tricky choice between two wide players, Landon Donovan and Jean Beausejour of Chile. Donovan's three goals for an ordinary USA side were almost reason alone to include him, but I was impressed by Beausejour who I had not previously heard of and his energetic, hard working performances summed up the work ethic of the Chilean team and Beausejour capped a good tournament with the winner against Honduras. So this previously unheralded player is perhaps my wild card pick in the squad, but I think he deserves his chance. As well as Donovan, other midfielders that just missed the cut were Park-Ji-Sung and Park-Chu-Young of South Korea, who both typified the industrious and energetic displays of their country. Had Arjen Robben started all of the matches in the tournament, he may well have been a contender for a place too.

So this leaves us then with the forwards. I have chosen six forwards, mainly because I have decided that my starting XI will play a 4-3-3 formation. Even so, whittling this squad down to just six forwards is tough because several forwards have made their mark during the tournament. In fact, four absentees from my squad, Miroslav Klose, Luis Suarez, Marek Vittek and Luis Fabiano have scored 14 goals between them during the tournament to this point, with Klose still having the potential to add to his tally. Leaving a player of Klose's goalscoring pedigree out of my final squad was not a decision I took lightly, but it says much about the players that did make it.

Let's start with the easy choices. Thomas Mueller at just 20 years of age has been a revelation in this World Cup. The young Bayern Munich starlet had not scored an international goal prior to the World Cup, but he has notched 4 goals in the tournament so far, mainly stationed on the right hand side of an attacking trio for Germany. He will play there too in my notional XI. Stationed on the left of a front three will be David Villa of Spain. While Torres has painfully laboured and looked a mere impostor compared to the player Liverpool supporters see week in, week out during the regular season, Villa has been Spain's talisman and has almost single handedly dragged his country to the semi-finals, showing exactly why Barcelona paid £34 million to acquire his services for next season. One suspects he will mainly operate on the left of a front three for Barcelona next season and he will occupy that self-same position in this team. Through the middle, I have chosen Real Madrid's Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain who is what I call a "Johnny on the spot" forward, great at anticipating where the ball is going to land in the six yard box and scoring proper goalpoachers' goals. He best demonstrated this in his hat-trick against South Korea, the only hat-trick of this World Cup so far.

So I have chosen three of my forwards, but I still need another three forwards in reserve. Diego Forlan of Uruguay is my first pick. The player who was a figure of fun during his not entirely happy spell at Manchester United has shown that like a good claret, he has got better with age and has been the central figure in getting Uruguay to the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1970. When Uruguay have needed inspiration, Forlan has provided it, demonstrating this most when scoring a spectacular free kick against Ghana in the quarter-finals. Forlan's reputation as a proven goalscorer has been re-established at Atletico Madrid, but this World Cup has also shown that he can play in the hole between midfield and attack too and he has been his country's talisman in every sense.

My next pick may be slightly from leftfield given some of the star names I have left out, but Japan's Khisumi Honda just had to be in the squad. He stood out in a Japanese side that played with plenty of adventure and creativity during the World Cup and Honda had a fantastic match against Denmark that assured his country of a last 16 place. He scored a free kick to set Japan on their way (a free kick which at the time was the first that had been scored in the tournament) and then sealed victory by laying the ball on the plate for his strike partner to score the all-important third goal. Honda has made a mark with some good performances in the Champions League for CSKA Moscow and his showings in the 2010 World Cup may make him a target for clubs in the Premier League.

The final pick for my forwards is someone who has already played in the Premier League and was not a roaring success. But despite this, Robinho was arguably Brazil's star performer during the World Cup, scoring twice and also being involved in setting up other goals during the tournament. Robinho is not the type of player that is going to be involved for all 90 minutes of a match and he has a tendency to drift out of games. But he showed enough in the World Cup to show that his return to Brazil has done his game some good and that there is more to him than just being the stereotypical "luxury player". For that reason, he provides cover in the wide forward positions.

So there you have it, there is my 2010 World Cup select squad. There were plenty of possibilities, plenty of maybes and not-quites. But in the end, that was the squad I settled upon. It is always a subject of conjecture and so I would be interested to hear some alternative suggestions. From the 23 man squad I named though, here is my first choice starting XI. Note to Fabio, I found a way of picking this team without playing 4-4-2:

Eduardo

Lahm
Lucio
Friedrich
Salcido

Ozil
Sneijder
Schweinsteiger

Mueller
Higuain
Villa

SUBSTITUTES: Stelekenburg, Kawashima, Ramos, Lugano, Coentrao, Khedira, Boateng, Beausejour, Iniesta, Forlan, Honda, Robinho

Champions League last 16 previews - week commencing 22 February 2010

Another batch of 2nd round 1st leg Champions League matches are taking place this midweek. Here's my take on affairs:

Stuttgart v Barcelona
The holders have been in imperious form in La Liga this season, although their unbeaten domestic campaign was ended by Atletico Madrid last weekend. They have continued to be the free scoring force that they were in winning this competition last season, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic having been a regular goalscorer since his signing from Inter Milan. Stuttgart by contrast have had a poor season and their place in the second round owed much to being in the weakest first round group. A 5-1 win at struggling Cologne at the weekend was a rare moment of joy in what has been a poor campaign. Stuttgart have Barcelona old boy Aleksandr Hleb in their ranks and will look to him to provide their creative spark. Given that Stuttgart are out of contention for Champions League qualification for next season, they can enter this match with a nothing to lose and that could make them dangerous. All said and done though, Barcelona should have enough technical quality and experience to negotiate this tie and to finish the job in the Nou Camp.
Prediction: 1-2

Olympiakos v Bordeaux
Greece's most regular participants in the knockout stages of the Champions League take on the reigning French champions and this will be an awkward match for Laurent Blanc's side, given that Olympiakos are always strong on their home turf, helped by a vociferous support. The important thing is that Bordeaux managed to retain their best players during January and that gives them the best possible chance of advancing from this tie. Olympiakos should have former Blackburn striker Matt Derbyshire available to them again after a spell out injured. Bordeaux showed in the group phase that they are not afraid taking on quality opposition and as long as they do not concede an early goal and then wilt, I see them having enough quality to grab a draw and then complete the job in the south of France.
Prediction: 1-1

Inter Milan v Chelsea
The blue riband tie of the week sees the much anticipated return of the Special One to take on his former employers with whom he achieved much success. The acrimonious way in which he left though will ensure he is very motivated to plot Chelsea's demise from this season's competition. Mourinho's present employers have much to prove in the Champions League, having continually stumbled at this stage in recent years. Inter have shown the pragmatic and efficient qualities befitting a Mourinho side this season without being spectacular. By contrast, Chelsea have at times been excellent but on other occasions fallible and their away form has been a concern. Inter have not been defeated in the San Siro under Mourinho's watch but their hopes of establishing an advantage will depend on how their back line can cope with the power of Didier Drogba, who has been in magnificent form. This has the look of a tie in which both teams will set up cautiously and not give much away, with the game being particularly congested in midfield. I therefore see only one goal, which I can see going to the home team to put the second leg in the melting pot.
Prediction: 1-0

CSKA Moscow v Sevilla
The early kick-off on Wednesday sees Sevilla travel to opponents currently experiencing their off-season. CSKA showed some attacking qualities in the group stages, in which their highlight was a 3-3 draw at Old Trafford. Sevilla's passage to this stage was easier due to being a straightforward qualifying group. The Andalucians' preparation for this match was not helped by finishing their weekend La Liga match with 9 men and so they could tire noticeably in the latter stages of the match in Russia. By the same token, CSKA's lack of match fitness is likely to have an effect on them in the final 20 minutes. Due to this and because both teams have a natural inclination to attack, I see this being an open, entertaining affair with the honours shared.
Prediction: 2-2

BRIT Award predictions 2010

The past week has seen the BRIT Award nominations for 2010 take place, with the results to be declared on 16 February at the ceremony at Earls Court. In general, the shortlist appears a little lightweight and predictable this year, with pop and dance acts seemingly faring better than indie and rock acts. This reflects the dominance of these genres in the charts during 2009.

In order to build up a sense of anticipation (and to build up my sense of self-importance!), I have decided to provide my lowdown on who is likely to walk away with some decorative pieces for their coffee table or en-suite lavatory, while also stating who I would dish out the gongs to. Let's just hope I don't upset any Russian Pet Shop Boys fans this year. Enjoy!


BEST BRITISH FEMALE SOLO ARTIST (Bat For Lashes, Florence & The Machine, Leona Lewis, Lily Allen & Pixie Lott)
All of these artists have attracted a fair amount of coverage in the past year. Leona Lewis in particular would win a Brit Award for ubiquity. Pixie Lott has enjoyed plenty of chart success in 2009 so I guess she is a frontrunner. I don't like either Lily Allen or her music but she attracted plenty of coverage last year and her album sold well. Florence and her machine have been the darlings of the music press over the past year and her album was one of the top sellers last year, so that suggests she is likely to win this. Brighton's very own Bat For Lashes aka Natasha Khan though released one of my favourite albums last year and so she would get my vote.
PREDICTION TO WIN: Florence & The Machine MY SELECTION: Bat For Lashes

BEST BRITISH MALE SOLO ARTIST (Calvin Harris, Dizzee Rascal, Mika, Paolo Nutini, Robbie Williams)
A curious list of nominees here, not least because I didn't realise Mika was even British! According to Wikipedia, he was born in Beirut. As per usual, you sense that the Brits committee had difficulty drawing up a shortlist for this category. Calvin Harris and Dizzee Rascal have had the most chart success over the past year which puts them in the running to win this. Robbie Williams is being given the lifetime achievement award which is usually a polite way of saying that the music you are releasing now should only be played to scare away stray cats. Paolo Nutini has released a couple of good tracks although I'm not sure he is cut out to sing reggae as he tries on his latest effort. Not a vintage renewal of this award, but I think Calvin might just edge out Dizzee.
PREDICTION TO WIN: Calvin Harris MY SELECTION: Paolo Nutini

BEST BRITISH BREAKTHROUGH ACT (Florence & The Machine, Friendly Fires, JLS, La Roux, Pixie Lott)
This looks like a hard one to call as you have a couple of acts that will appeal to teenage girls in the form of JLS and La Roux and then you have a couple of acts that the critics quite like in the form of Florence & The Machine and Friendly Fires. So it really depends on which audience is going to influence the vote the most. Florence has got nominations elsewhere and she will walk away with best British female at least, so I think this might be an award she misses out on here. I'm not sure JLS winning would do the street cred of the Brits much good, although it could cause a crush in the mosh pit. I've got a sneaking suspicion that La Roux might walk away with the honours here.
PREDICTION TO WIN: La Roux MY SELECTION: Florence & The Machine

BEST BRITISH GROUP (Doves, Friendly Fires, JLS, Kasabian, Muse)
I'm trying hard to suppress laughter in seeing that JLS have been nominated for this category. In saying that, it's not really a vintage shortlist in comparison with previous years. The only album out of these acts that I bought last year was by Doves and it was one of those albums I listened to a couple of times and then didn't bother with again, certainly not as good as their previous album. I like Muse but didn't buy their last album, but they have released a couple of good singles cuts. With Oasis having called it a day in a sea of acrimony, Kasabian have entered stage right and they released a couple of good singles too in 'Fire' and 'Underdog'. Acts that are quite popular live tend to do quite well in this category, so maybe JLS have a chance after all! But Kasabian and Muse are both well regarded as live acts, so I think the winner comes from one of those 2 and as Kasabian's album sold particularly well last year, I'd take them to edge it.
PREDICTION TO WIN: Kasabian MY SELECTION: Muse

BEST BRITISH ALBUM (Dizzee Rascal, Florence & The Machine, Kasabian, Lily Allen, Paolo Nutini)
The best British album of last year in my opinion was 'To Lose My Life' by White Lies, but that doesn't appear to have been nominated. What a travesty. I guess it is a sign of the times because for the first time in a good number of years, I don't own any of the albums that have been nominated. That makes it difficult to offer much of a meaningful appraisal on who should win. Kasabian and Florence were responsible for the best sellers last year and so that suggests to me that one of those two acts will probably win. I can't really see Dizzee Rascal winning, that would be a bonkers decision and I don't have the fear that Lily Allen will win (did you see what I did there, did you?). Again, a close call, but I think this might be Florence's second award of the night.
PREDICTION TO WIN: Florence & The Machine MY SELECTION: Erm....I guess Kasabian as it's the only album out of these I've really heard anything of

BEST BRITISH SINGLE (Alesha Dixon: Breathe Slow, Alexandra Burke: Bad Boys, Cheryl Cole: Fight For This Love, Joe McElderry: The Climb, JLS: Beat Again, La Roux: In For The Kill, Lily Allen: The Fear, Pixie Lott: Mama Do, Taio Cruz: Break Your Heart, Tinchy Stryder: Number 1)
As usual, the best single seems to be largely influenced by pop songs. Would I be right in thinking that these nominees are largely determined by the best selling singles of the year? Alexandra Burke would win the award for most annoying song of the year and The Climb was such a good song that it got outsold for Christmas number 1 by a metal song that was originally released 17 years before. Cheryl Cole is bound to be in with a shout for this, as will Tinchy Stryder and Pixie Lott. But I think this award will provide JLS with their moment of destiny.
PREDICTION TO WIN: JLS MY SELECTION: I wouldn't pick any of them, but The Fear is the best of a bad bunch

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEMALE ARTIST (Lady GaGa, Ladyhawke, Norah Jones, Rihanna, Shakira)
Always nice to see Shakira nominated, not least so we can see whether a certain part of her anatomy are as humble as mountains. Rihanna's presence would not be too shabby either. I didn't realise Norah Jones had released anything for about 5 years but I can't imagine I missed anything. I've got Ladyhawke's album. If you haven't heard of her, check her out, she's an Australian singer-songwriter with a sort of electronica/80s feel to her sound and she released a particularly good song called 'My Delirium'. The fact I'm telling you all this though informs you that she won't win the award. There can only be one winner though. Lady GaGa had an incredible 2009 in terms of commercial success and she's performing on the night, she won't be going home empty handed. I imagine her acceptance speech will be worth seeing, as will her outfit.
PREDICTION TO WIN: Lady GaGa MY SELECTION: Ladyhawke

BEST INTERNATIONAL MALE ARTIST (Bruce Springsteen, Jay-Z, Eminem, Michael Buble, Seasick Steve)
As ever, this category should be sponsored by Stannah Stairlifts or Saga Holidays given that both Bruce Springsteen and Seasick Steve would probably qualify for a bus pass. Let's hope that the latter chooses to fly to the ceremony. Michael Buble seems to be one of these crooners who is popular with the ladies, so he's not without a chance. But that then leaves us with the battle of the rappers and although Eminem returned to the fold last year, Jay-Z seemed to be everywhere. When he wasn't recording his own material, he was collaborating on other people's. His work ethic probably gives him the nod for this award.
PREDICTION TO WIN: Jay-Z MY SELECTION: Jay-Z

BEST INTERNATIONAL ALBUM (Animal Collective, Black Eyed Peas, Empire Of The Sun, Jay-Z, Lady GaGa)
As with the best British album, for the first time in several years, I own none of the nominees in this category either. Must say that I'm surprised U2's album didn't make the shortlist though, as it was their best album for quite some time. Animal Collective are one of those bands that critics talk up a lot but I've not heard any of their material. Not really familiar with Empire Of The Sun either, other than the film with a young Christian Bale in the lead role. Black Eyed Peas had another good year and they are not without a chance here, but I expect the assembled audience will be going GaGa again.
PREDICTION TO WIN: Lady GaGa MY SELECTION: Don't care

BEST INTERNATIONAL BREAKTHROUGH ACT (Animal Collective, Daniel Merriweather, Empire Of The Sun, Lady GaGa, Taylor Swift)
You know who aside, these artists all made such an impact in breaking through last year that I barely heard any of their material. Daniel Merriweather and Taylor Swift have their followers and the other 2 bands may well go on to bigger and better things, but there is a certain air of inevitability about who will be winning this award. Hat-trick for the poker faced oddball.
PREDICTION TO WIN: Lady GaGa MY SELECTION: Pass

CRITICS' CHOICE (Ellie Goulding, Delphic, Marina & The Diamonds)
Not sure if this award has already been decided, but I remember Florence & The Machine won this last year before the ceremony took place. Given that, presumably Marina & The Diamonds must stand a good chance this time. Ellie Goulding just came top of the BBC's 10 acts to follow this year, so that must give her a very good chance too. Judging by how last year's winner fared in the award nominations this year, whoever wins is likely to be up for some of the main awards next year.
PREDICTION TO WIN: Ellie Goulding MY SELECTION: Ellie Goulding

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION (Robbie Williams)
I suppose you tend to forget how long Robbie's been around now. His first solo song was released in 1996 and his first album came out the following year, plus if you include all his early Take That work then he's been in the industry for nearly 20 years. His past 2 or 3 albums have been pretty mediocre from what I've heard of them and I wouldn't say I was a massive fan of his earlier stuff, but he has always been about his live performances rather than someone who releases great albums that live long in the memory. In terms of showmen, he's always managed to put bums on seats and made money for the record execs, so given that this is their awards showpiece, they were bound to show their gratitude sooner or later.

BEST BRITS ALBUM OF LAST 30 YEARS (Coldplay: Rush Of Blood To The Head, Dido: No Angel, Dire Straits: Brothers In Arms, Duffy: Rockferry, Keane: Hopes & Fears, Oasis: Morning Glory, Phil Collins: No Jacket Required, Sade: Diamond Life, The Verve: Urban Hymns, Travis: The Man Who)
As this is apparently the 30th BRIT Awards, there are a couple of extra categories this year and the first of them is the best album of the past 30 years. Considering some of the great British albums that could have been chosen but weren't, you have to wonder about the sanity of the shortlisting panel for suggesting Phil Collins and Duffy for an award that marks the best of music in the past 30 years. Phil Collins might just be eligible to win an award for best portrayal of a Great Train Robber on film, but there is very little else he is best at. As a fan of both Coldplay and Oasis, I would question whether the albums nominated are those respective bands' best albums. There is a case for Definitely Maybe and X&Y being their best work. Nonetheless, these albums are their most commercially successful which is why they are here. I think 'The Man Who' is an excellent album and would come very close to winning this. But if pushed, Morning Glory would have to get the honours.
PREDICTION TO WIN: Oasis MY SELECTION: Oasis

THE BRIT HITS 30 - BEST BRITS LIVE PERFORMANCE
Some rather odd nominations in this category which is for the best live performance at the BRIT Awards in its 30 year history. As you'd expect, Robbie Williams, Take That, Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney are all nominated. Rather more surprisingly, Bros and the Spice Girls are also nominated. Coldplay's performance of Clocks a few years ago rocked and is certainly a contender. I also remember the Scissor Sisters set being well received a few years back, so they have a chance. And of course, how can we forget Kylie? But I'd go for Michael Jackson, although not so much for his performance but because Jarvis Cocker's stage invasion which is one of those iconic BRIT Award moments. I'm not so certain the judging panel have a sense of humour though, so I expect this award may be heading elsewhere.
PREDICTION TO WIN: Paul McCartney MY SELECTION: Michael Jackson with special credit to Jarvis Cocker's derriere, just edging out Kylie and her, erm, derriere

Sporting matters

Good evening.

Hope you have all had good weeks and been enjoying the continued good weather. Perhaps the only people who have not enjoyed the fine spring sunshine and heat of the past few days were those brave souls in some cases dressed up in foliage or superhero costumes pounding 26.5 miles of London's streets in the name of charitable cause. Well done to everyone who raised money for their cause of choice. And suitably, I thought that this week I would focus my blog output predominantly on sporting matters from various arenas. Seconds out, round one. Ding ding.

1. PFA nominations show the case for technology
For those that follow the beautiful game, you often hear the argument that technology should be used to help with making the right decisions in times when the pace of the game and players' adeptness at fooling the match officials becomes more and more of an issue. Indeed, Harry Redknapp advocated this motion just yesterday in response to Manchester United being the beneficiaries of a fortunate penalty decision. Not that you will hear any complaints about that decision in this blog!

However, the most damning case for the use of modern technology in football can be demonstrated by this year's PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year nominations. If you have not seen the awards shortlists, the Player of the Year accolade is being contested by five Manchester United players, Ryan Giggs, Edwin Van Der Sar, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Cristiano Ronaldo. The sole non-Manchester United nominee is Steven Gerrard. This presents a strange problem in as much as any Manchester United player that votes will be forced to vote for Gerrard as they cannot vote for one of their own players. It is because of this that Gerrard is currently the bookmakers' favourite to win the award, despite the fact that he has been injured for a few weeks now. I rather expect there to be numerous abstentions and spoilt ballot papers around Old Trafford way to stop the Liverpool captain securing a runaway victory.

Quite apart from Manchester United's domination of the Player of the Year shortlist, it seems ridiculous that in times when technology can be used to collect the votes that such an antiquated mode of voting and drawing up the nominees is used because this invariably means that it is not the best player over the whole season that wins the award, but the best player up until the end of January when there are still four months of the season to run and no trophies have been decided. I like to see players awarded for making a tangible difference to their team between winning and losing, but these nominees were drawn up before anyone knew who was winning what and therefore knew who the difference makers were.

Now, admittedly there would be certain obstacles. Footballers as we know are not always renowned for being the sharpest tools in the box and when it comes to technology, the light switch is about as much innovation as some of the more Luddite minded can handle. There is also the problem that the further down the football pyramid you go, so the football season can finish earlier. If you are a member of the PFA though, you are entitled to vote for the Footballer of the Year whether you ply your trade in the Premier League or in the Screwfix League. Therefore, expecting votes to be cast in the final week of the Premier League season would be unrealistic as by then the semi-professional footballers will be partying in Ibiza or riding a camel in the Egyptian desert.

But these barriers can be overcome. Each club has its own PFA representative. All they need to do is input the votes on to a secure Internet or Intranet site on the PFA website. This would not involve collecting forms or even so much as the expense of a first class stamp. It would just mean one person sitting in front of a computer and inputting their team mate's voting preferences. OK, it would contravene the concept of a secret ballot, but knowing who your team mate's favourite footballers of the season are is hardly classified or confidential information.

And for the technophobes, there would be no problem. Just get someone from the PFA to come in after training and show the PFA reps how to use the software system. That way, voting need not take place until the final few weeks of the season when the players who really have demonstrated their quality over the whole campaign can ensure they come out on top.

Looking at the nominees, there is a strong emphasis on the Manchester United players that were pivotal in their team's period of over three months where they did not concede a league goal with Edwin Van Der Sar, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic all nominated. Vidic's nomination is certainly warranted as he has been a defensive colossus for United for the vast majority of the season and he was consistently excellent throughout the time United did not concede a goal. Ferdinand as the other half of United's established central defensive partnership is also worthy of inclusion as United have been shaky when he has not played. Van Der Sar's choice, however, is a case of a goalkeeper getting the glory for his defence's achievements. Van Der Sar has not had a bad season by any means, but he has been prone to error as the season has worn on and so his inclusion is because of the plaudits he was receiving at the time the shortlist was drawn up.

United's two other nominees, Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo would also polarise opinion with their inclusion. From reading the sports pages of the newspapers, I have been aware for some time that there is a strong contingent among the writers on the game who want to see Ryan Giggs receive the Player of the Year award because of what he has achieved throughout his career, in what they see as a season when there has been no standout candidate. This is all very worthy and corinthian and I am a huge fan of Ryan Giggs's myself. However, Giggs winning this award would be a triumph for sentimentality over realism. Giggs has played in a dozen of United's league matches this season and although he scored a virtuoso and priceless goal in a 1-0 win at West Ham in February, that is not reason enough to give him an award supposedly there to recognise achievement over a whole season. Nonetheless, Giggs should be applauded for his continued importance to Manchester United as the face of the experience.

In Cristiano Ronaldo's case, he has won this award for the past two seasons in a landslide. There simply was no other candidate to challenge him for the accolade last season, given that he scored 42 goals from his right wing vantage point, 42 goals that went such a long way towards United winning the Premier League and Champions League. In comparison, Ronaldo's performances this season have not hit the same heights. He came into the campaign with an injury after the European Championships and there have been times this season when the game has appeared to pass him by. That said, Ronaldo is still the top goalscorer in the league this season and in the past two months has often proven to be United's difference maker, even if his contribution has not been as consistently good this season as it was last season. But then, could he ever really expect to match last season's contribution?

There are some notable absentees from the list of nominees that was drawn up. From a Manchester United perspective, it is surprising that Wayne Rooney has been overlooked for both Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year, for which he would still be eligible. Rooney turned the game on its head at the weekend with his performance in the 2nd half against Tottenham and that was not an atypical performance by him over the course of this season as he has continued to energise United. I suppose people have overlooked him for Young Player of the Year because they do not realise he is still eligible as he has been around for so long!

Elsewhere, Frank Lampard has been head and shoulders Chelsea's best player throughout the season and can consider himself unfortunate not to make the cut. Liverpool have had their share of performers this season, as well as the nominated Steven Gerrard. Fernando Torres has been in imperious form in the past two months but missed much of the first part of the season which is why he is missing. Midfielder Xabi Alonso has done much to warrant a mention after the season began with him wondering if he even had a future at Anfield. Meanwhile, in a season which has seen them reach the FA Cup final, Everton could have been represented by the ever consistent Tim Cahill and rock solid Phil Jagielka and may wonder why Belgian midfielder Fellaini did not get on the Young Player of the Year list.

On the young player side, of those nominated Ashley Young and Stephen Ireland look like the best two candidates having been the best players for Aston Villa and Manchester City respectively over the course of the season. Young was instrumental in Villa's push for a top four finish up until a few weeks ago and so I think he should be the best candidate to win this award. Young winning Young Player of the Year sounds right too! Nonetheless, Ireland has shone like a beacon in the Man City team this season, when others that continually failed to deliver. As well as the aforementioned Rooney and Fellaini, Arsenal's Samir Nasri would seem to be the most glaring absentee from this list. Spurs's Aaron Lennon has been in fine form since the turn of the year and is another worthy of consideration.

Personally, my choices for these two awards are Nemanja Vidic and Ashley Young. However, the opinions of professional footballers can often be very different to the ones that the supporter has and so a surprise result should not be ruled out. For the record though, here are my players of the season for each of the Premier League's teams this campaign.

Arsenal: Robin Van Persie
Aston Villa: Ashley Young
Blackburn: Stephen Warnock
Bolton: Matthew Taylor
Chelsea: Frank Lampard
Everton: Tim Cahill
Fulham: Brede Hangeland
Hull: Michael Turner
Liverpool: Xabi Alonso
Manchester City: Stephen Ireland
Manchester United: Nemanja Vidic
Middlesbrough: Sanli Tuncay
Newcastle: Jonas Gutierrez
Portsmouth: Glen Johnson
Stoke: James Beattie
Sunderland: Kenwyne Jones
Tottenham: Aaron Lennon
West Brom: Chris Brunt
West Ham: Valon Behrami
Wigan: Antonio Valencia

2. If the product's good, why change anything?
While football is very much my first sporting love, the first sport I remember watching on television when I was a child was snooker. I was captivated by the game at a very young age, the table, the mixture of colours and the players' outfits. All in all, it just made for a brilliant television spectacle. Indeed, in these days of HD television where every small point of detail shows up in the television picture, there is possibly no other sport that is made so perfectly for a television audience than the green baize.

So, I am currently enjoying one of the finest sporting fortnights of the year with the World Snooker Championship currently taking place at the iconic Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. The intimate venue may not win any awards for being the prettiest venue in the world of sport, nor is it even the largest setting for a snooker tournament. But the memories associated with the place are such that the World Championship just would not be the same if it was held anywhere else. Because I remember watching the tournament as a young child and now continue to do so, the World Championship has a special place in my heart and I always look forward with anticipation to the tournament every year, although due to work I do not get to see all that much play these days. Apart from visiting the New Wembley and seeing a test match at Lord's, I cannot think of any sporting venue I would like to take in more.

My first memories of snooker were in the 1980s during snooker's so called "golden era". Back then, snooker was huge because there was blanket coverage of the game on television back at a time when there were only four television channels and the game was full of larger than life characters who would people on the edge of their seat with their antics, even if the quality of their play was not anything special. The first final I remember was the 1985 renewal which Dennis Taylor famously won on the final black in the early hours of the morning against Steve Davis. I can't quite remember if I stayed up right to the end, but I certainly remember Taylor sinking the black and I was none too happy as I idolised Steve Davis at the time.

Such heady days. I mention all this because currently if you believe the press and you believe Ronnie O' Sullivan, the game is dying. I dispute this because I think the people that proclaim snooker's golden era as being the 1980s are not really snooker fans at all. The game had plenty of characters back in the days of Davis's dominance, but aside from Davis, Alex Higgins at his absolute best, Jimmy White, Dennis Taylor and Cliff Thorburn, none of the players from that era would last five minutes in the game now. The evidence is damning. Last year, there were 68 century breaks made during the World Championship. Go back to the 1980s and you would be lucky to get even half that over the duration of the tournament.

Sure, everyone remembers Hurricane Higgins making crazy shots, head butting officials and soiling plants rather than potting them and they remember Jimmy White's years of gallant failure and Bill Werbeniuk breaking wind as he stretched over the table, but how did any of this add up to good snooker? Willie Thorne is somehow regarded as one of snooker's great characters because he had a shiny bald head and Dennis Taylor seemed to be more famous for his upside down rimmed glasses than for actually winning the World Championship. But people remember these people because they were on their television screens.

The problem snooker has now is partly down to lifestyle choice and partly down to perception. In the modern climate, there are so many other things people can be usefully doing other than watching snooker and they are spoilt for choice in terms of their viewing options. The casual follower is going to be less inclined to tune in now than they were in the past. It also does not help that snooker seems to have a negative perception in some people's eyes. "There aren't enough characters any more" they will cry. "Things aren't like they used to be" others will say and then there will be those that say "I'm only really interested in Ronnie, the rest of them are a bunch of faceless robots". People with that attitude won't be tuning in for the rest of the World Championship with Ronnie having crashed and burnt in round 2.

As a more avid fan of snooker, I do not see things this way. Yes, it is right that Ronnie O' Sullivan is snooker's biggest draw card, he is to his sport what Tiger Woods is to golf or what Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are to tennis, the players that put bums on seats. When they swing a club or serve a tennis ball, the public are hooked. O' Sullivan is captivating not just because of the brilliance of his play but his unpredictability. On his day, he can destroy anybody that is in his path, but on other darker days, the main person he destroys is himself and his frustrations and character flaws make him the genius he is. There is no doubt that O' Sullivan's defence of his world title ending so early in one sense is bad news for the tournament because he keeps people interested.

In saying this though, this does a disservice to everyone else. In fact, with O' Sullivan out of the tournament, it makes this year's World Championship compulsive viewing because just about everyone left in the tournament is capable of winning it. The new bookmakers' favourite Stephen Maguire is testament to this because he has been made favourite despite the fact he has never even made the final at the Crucible before. There are plenty of fantastic players wherever you go, players with contrasting styles, but who each have their own merits.

The quality of the play now compared to 15 or 20 years ago is much better. Back in the 1980s, you knew that Steve Davis would have to play quite badly not to win the tournament, such was his superiority over his rivals. In the 1990s, there was slightly more competition coming through but for the early part of the decade at least, no-one realistically expected anyone of being capable of stopping Stephen Hendry. Compare and contrast this to now when the picture generally is that if O' Sullivan is in the mood, he can clean up, but if he is not then there are so many players in the field who could win the tournament. The pace of the game is much faster too, rather than the pedestrian nature of the players back in the days of Terry Griffiths and Cliff Thorburn.

The trouble is that snooker is not in the public consciousness so much any more. Apart from people have greater choices of programmes to be watching, the game is not on terrestrial TV as much as it used to be and there are fewer tournaments because of the current economic situation with sponsorship harder to come by. People are looking at ways of jazzing up the game and some have said that snooker should copy the template of darts with silly nicknames for the players and grandiose entries to the arena.

While it would be worth looking at ways of making snooker more accessible to a younger audience, I do think that people need to realise that the audiences for darts and snooker are different and if you rebrand snooker too much towards those with a shorter attention span, it will alienate the people most loyal to the game. Darts is a sport with its origins in the pub and the people that watch the game live treat the occasion like they would if they were watching in a pub. In essence though, it is a sport of precision accuracy played by middle aged, obese and sweaty men who can add up. Snooker might not require supreme fitness but it is an endurance test, a game where sublime tactical and technical play is required and a test of one's mental strength, resilience and powers of concentration. If people feel there aren't enough characters in snooker, it is because they do not understand the level of professionalism and dedication in snooker, something that is rare in darts unless you are Phil Taylor.

People continue to bemoan the lack of characters in snooker but in fact there are several capivating characters who will enjoy the limelight in Ronnie O' Sullivan's absence from the rest of the World Championship. The so-called "Jester from Leicester" Mark Selby is always good fun around the table and is full of wisecracks and humour, but also possesses a deadly competitive streak and can lull his opponents into a false sense of security. World number 2 Stephen Maguire is an unfulfilled talent. He has all the talent in the world but his temperament has been known to fail him at key moments and could have the makings of another Jimmy White in not reaching his full potential.

"Wizard of Wishaw" John Higgins is something of a veteran now and he takes the Steve Davis role of being fairly devoid of emotion at the table but being a silent assassin who plays his best snooker under pressure. Beyond them, there are the outrageous potting talents of Aussie Neil Robertson and Welshman Ryan Day and the young pups Mark Allen and Jamie Cope, who both seem to be capable of potting balls off lampshades. Then there's the quarter final to really look forward to between hometown boy Shaun Murphy and seven times world champion Stephen Hendry, who at 40 years old, seems only to play for this tournament now.

Times have moved on from snooker's golden era and realistically, it can never expect to enjoy the same amount of exposure in this country that it once had. But the sport is actually in pretty rude health at the moment with a talented crop of young players coming through and some seasoned pros still eager to prove they can cut at the highest level and the game's global profile is extending, particularly in the Far East but also increasingly in the Middle East.

Just tonight I watched two thrilling matches in the evening session with a match on one table which was a masterclass in break building and winning frames in one visit, while on the other table, there was a tight match between two players with little between them but where mistakes and tension led to frames being stolen from a seemingly unassailable position. Ultimately, if the product is good, as the quality of the snooker is, then it has got a chance. All the glamour and gimmicks in the world just add up to excess packaging.

As for who is going to win the tournament, well, I feel that the draw has opened up nicely for Mark Selby to win his first world crown. He was runner-up to John Higgins in 2007 and he could well face the Scot in the quarter-finals this time. A semi-final place would then await against either Ryan Day or O' Sullivan's conqueror Mark Allen. In the bottom half of the draw, I fancy Shaun Murphy to get past Stephen Hendry in the battle of the former champions. This would likely set him up with a semi against either his old adversary Stephen Maguire, last year's runner-up Ali Carter or Australian swashbuckler Neil Robertson. Maguire blows hot and cold but maybe, just maybe, this is his best opportunity of at least making the final.

3. Haye was not boxing clever
I would not describe myself as the biggest fight fan but more of a casual observer. The glory days of the 1990s are long gone as the vast majority of boxing's showpiece events are now shown on Pay Per View television and at inconvenient times in the morning in order to suit the American audience that comprises much of the world television audience. However, the sport did enter my consciousness this week with the actions of David Haye, heavyweight boxer from South London.

Haye is a world title fighter in the heavyweight section and is shortly going to be fighting the younger of the two Klitschko brothers, both of whom have held world title belts in their time. Haye is known as a cocky individual and is not averse to talking the talk, but in fairness to him, has also walked the walk by holding a world title belt. However, Haye overstepped the boundaries of acceptable sporting banter while promoting his latest bout.

It seems to be as much of a tradition in boxing as the pre-match weigh-in and the staring each other out contest that boxers feel compelled to trash talk one another in the pre-fight press conference and sure enough, Haye did just that by turning up at the press conference wearing a T-shirt which bore an image of the dismembered heads of his opponent and his brother on the front of it. Haye would later say that this tactic was deliberate because he wanted to make Klitschko angry at the insult he was making and therefore make Klitschko indisciplined when it came to the actual fight.

Maybe I'm being slightly old fashioned here, but is this really necessary? I do not recall Joe Calzaghe behaving in this way before any of his 46 professional fights and yet he did not lose any competitive edge. People might mention Muhammad Ali, but the great man would never have aimed such a metaphorically low punch in order to get his point across. What Haye did was cowardly and it was a cheap shot which could in fact rebound on him. Quite apart from possibly facing censure, Klitschko will definitely need no incentive when he goes out to fight Haye, he just needs to keep a photo of Haye wearing the T-shirt on his dressing room wall to pump him up good and proper.

Mind games seem all the rage at the moment with football managers doing their best to put one another off just to grab the smallest competitive advantage. But what does it all achieve when all is said and done? Words are just words, they can come back and bite you when they are not backed up by actions and Haye in trash talking Klitschko and choosing to be confrontational by wearing a T-shirt that was in such poor taste has unwittingly put extra pressure on himself now to win. Maybe he thrives on that kind of pressure, I don't know, but I think his cornerman will need to prepare himself for a busy evening when he gets in the ring with Klitschko.