'Back On My Old Stomping Ground'

Here I am, back on blogspot, grovelling at the doorstep, for a brief foray into the world I once knew. The reason? This blog doesn't really fit in with my Videojug account. So, what has the first quarter of the season taught us?

1. Chelsea aren't as brilliant as we first thought, but they'll still easily win the league. When they played the mighty footballing forces of Wigan, West Brom and Blackpool, and swept all before them, some thought that they'd prove to be the best team ever. They aren't, as disappointing performances at Villa and Man City proved. However, the other teams in the division are far too inconsistent to mount a decent challenge. Arsenal may have learned how to win ugly, but the real test will be whether they can win at places like St Andrews, Molineux, the Reebok. If Manchester United are in touch as we move into February, they have a decent chance, but it's impossible to look past Chelsea.

2. Money eventually talks. Whilst Man City won't win the title this season, the signs are there that, with the right stewardship, they will eventually be serious title challengers. He may have taken the Josef Stalin approach to management, the 'if I put enough players in the ranks, I can't lose' tactic, but Mancini is not the right man. Not only is his name, in the same fashion as Arsene's, far too similar to his club's to be taken seriously, he is far too negative. I could win the games that Mancini has this season, finishing 4th is not good enough.

3. The Championship is a lot duller without the Albion. Usually, the bi-annual tour of the Championship from West Brom adds some excitement to the second tier, but this season, they're not in it, and neither are the Wolves. Sure, it's funny to see Leeds struggle, but without a vested interest, the Championship passes me by.

4. There simply aren't enough good referees. Michael Oliver, Stuart Attwell, Anthony Taylor and Mike Jones are too young and too inexperienced to be refereeing at this level. Some of the decisions have been laughable this season, and unfortunately, we seem to have been on the wrong end of more than most. Martin Atkinson seems to have a personal vendetta against Blues, and should simply never be allowed to referee us again. You can bet your bottom dollar that had two shocking penalty decisions gone against Sir Alex Ferguson, Atkinson would never have darkened Old Trafford's door again.

5. The offside law needs re-writing. Far too many times this season, the offside law has been interpreted to the letter, and as such, the wrong decisions have been made. It's not the application of the law that needs looking at, it's the law itself.

6. Monday Night Football is still just as dour as ever. It didn't take long for the MNF games we know and love to replace the seemingly fantastic games that Sky showed at the start of the year. You don't watch MNF to see Manchester United v Liverpool. You watch it to see Blackburn v Wigan, or Charlton v Middlesbrough. What? Neither of those teams are in the Premier League anymore? Why are Sky even having MNF then?

7. Alex McLeish may not be the most tactically astute manager the Blues will ever have, but he's probably the most magnanimous and genuine. His refusal to criticse referees must be applauded, and the way he spoke about how the Blues players must 'button it' in the face of poor decisions brought a smile to this referee's face.

8. Clarke Carlisle should've spent more time training, and less time reading. Did we really have to be subjected to that tripe on a Monday night? He talked non-stop, about nothing in particular. I know he's supposed to be the cleverest player in England, but he was worse than Andy Gray. And he's shocking.

9. I'd rather watch the Carling Cup than the Champions League. The only matches I've wanted to watch this season have been Inter v Spurs, and Man Utd v Rangers. Simply, nobody cares if Arsenal put 4 past Rag-Arse Rabotnicki, or Pub-Team Belgrade. Contrast that with the stories that have been emanating from the 'much-maligned Carling Cup' (TM). Lee Hughes at Wolves. Brentford. Kevin Phillips desperate for some silverware at last. The most eagerly-anticipated Midlands derby since 2002. You can have your prawn-sandwiched Champions League, while I'll have a pie and a pint at the Carling Cup.

10. Whisper it, but Avram Grant might actually not be that good a manager. Yes, he performed admirably at Pompey, but there was no pressure and their FA Cup campaign was given a huge helping hand from Sepp Blatter and his anti-goal line tecnology crusade, and a linesman's decision that will always haunt me if I never see us win a trophy. West Ham got rid of chipmunk lookalike Zola, and replaced him with Herman Munster's butler. With pressure from the eel-munchers at Upton Park, Grant has started terribly.

11. It's much harder to hate Liverpool with Woy in charge. I hate that I don't hate Woy Hodgson. Why can't I just hate Liverpool like I used to, with that smirking Fat Spanish Waiter in charge? With a bit of luck, the Americans will fail to realise that Woy will turn it round, and is a fantastic manager, and they'll get rid of him and appoint some whooping Yank.

So there we go. It used to be claimed that the only thing that was certain of the Premier League is its uncertainty, but now I feel the only thing that is certain is that Chelsea will win the league. The relegation battle, much though Sky would hate to admit it, is far more intriguing.