Scotland Quietly Going About Their Business Down Under

by Dugald Skene

While much of the focus on international rugby has been on the touring parties of England, Ireland and grand slam champions Wales, it’s been relatively easy to overlook the achievements of Scotland in the past 2 weeks. 

Given the three test series schedules those other home nations have against the ‘big 3’ southern hemisphere teams, it is reasonably argued that Scotland have had a pretty easy time of it.  But given the run of 7 successive defeats coming into the first test against Australia this summer, any tour to the southern hemisphere was going to provide a stern test for Andy Robinson’s men.

Two games in and Scotland have grabbed two notable victories in very different circumstances.  The historic win against Australia in shocking conditions in Newcastle was a true demonstration of an adaptive game plan, a resolute defence and an overcoming of odds.  It maybe wasn’t the best game to watch, but it was as absorbing as the player’s shorts, heavy after such a gruelling fight against the wind and rain.

Conditions couldn’t have been more different as the Scots travelled to Fiji and thoughts of a slip up were very much at the forefront of people’s minds. Taking on the Fijians is no mean task, just ask the Welsh in recent years, and playing them in blistering hot weather in their own back yard was always going to be tough.  But Scotland came through, thanks to a 22 point haul from now firm favourite Greig Laidlaw and a brace of tries from the much anticipated debutant Tim Visser.  There were some hairy moments with 15 minutes to go, but a win is a win and 4 tries in a game is a collector’s item for Scottish fans these days.

The returning Max Evans against Fiji

So that leads us to our next match against Samoa, which holds perhaps the most significance of the tour so far.

I mentioned a few months ago that Scotland had it all to do if they had any aspiration of making it into the top 8 of the IRB rankings by the end of the year and therefore into the top two pools for RWC 2015 selection.  Being in the third pool not only represents poor form for the Scots, but obviously also represents a far harder prospect when trying to escape the group stages of the World Cup.  RWC 2011 in New Zealand was a classic example, the first time Scotland had been in Pool 3 and were drawn against Argentina and England, subsequently failing to make it to the quarter finals for the first time.

It is beyond me as to why the RWC groups are picked so far in advance.  Following the group selections, Scotland beat Argentina twice on tour prior to the world cup, England leap frogged them in the rankings and Scotland got themselves to 7^th at one point. That’s an arguement for another day. 

Following the 2012 Six Nations, Scotland had 6 tests to pull themselves back from their lowliest ever position of 12^th back into the top 8.  After these two victories away from home, Half the job, in theory, has been done as the latest IRB rankings place them 10^th.

The significance of this weekend’s game against Samoa is that the south sea islanders lie 1 place ahead of Scotland, in 9^th.  A victory would go a long way to continuing Scotland’s steady rise up the world pecking order.  Should they win, the Scots will be returning home after a completely successful tour, confidence restored and a renewed determination to consolidate that magic top 8 spot when the All Blacks, South Africa and Tonga come to visit Murrayfield in November.

No mean task, but it will be a hell of a lot more achievable if Saturday’s result goes their way.  Results against the top teams are few and far between, and should be rightly celebrated when they do come along, but it is paramount for Scotland to beat those around them if they have any aspirations to contend in the major tournaments.  In that respect, Samoa are the team to beat on this tour. A win would be priceless.

Is There A Place For A Rugby Union World Club Championship?

by Dugald Skene

Leinster's latest success in the Heineken Cup has thrown up the discussion once again as to whether an international club tournament would be feasible for rugby union?

There's growing opinion that the club game in the northern hemisphere is now on a comparative par with the southern hemisphere (albeit the game is often played with different philosophies) and any fixture set up between, say, the Heineken Cup winners and the Super 15 champions would be a far closer affair than in years gone by.  Has this opinion been inflated by the success of a single team in Leinster and their domination in the Heineken Cup in the last 4 years?  Perhaps, but I feel the discussion still needs to be had. 

There are a lot of speculative opinions about which hemisphere produces the best rugby and best teams but these tend to be based purely on how the national teams compare against each other when they meet.  There is rarely an opportunity for clubs form various leagues or hemispheres to play each other.

Leinster lift their 3rd Heineken Cup in 4 years

I think the performances of the various international teams skews the actual quality of rugby in that country.  Take Ireland.  With the players they have had at their disposal for over 10 years now, it could be argued that they have underachieved.  One RBS 6 Nations title (and grand slam) in 2009 and a handful of triple crowns is scant reward for their talent and their displays in the last 3 rugby world cups have been under par to say the least.  Compare that to the success of their domestic sides, particularly Leinster and Munster and even the latest revival of Ulster.  The former two have dominated European competition in the last 6 or 7 years and are predominantly made up of the same players that make up the Irish national side.  Can the difference really be the extra foreign players and coaches in those squads?

That's what former All Black scrum half Justin Marshall claims, commenting this week that Leinsters success was down to the New Zealand influence of the likes of second row Brad Thorn and coach Joe Schmidt.  Opinions like this may not be swayed regardless of whether a northern hemisphere club takes on a southern hemisphere club.  It seems to me that people like Marshall see the international game as the most accurate barometer of a nation's place in world rugby's pecking order and test series like the upcoming Irish tour to New Zealand will really show how far the Irish have come.

It's a perfectly valid opinion, and one I subscribe to to a point.  Maybe it's less about inidividual nations and more about the north-south divide.  Could a club championship or even a one off fixture at least help settle the age old argument of which hemisphere has supremacy?

There is of course precedent. Both football and rugby league have world club championships, Barcelona and Leeds Rhinos currently holding the respective titles demonstrating that the European game is stronger than anywhere else. Could it work for rugby union?

The most obvious question and potential stumbling block would be when to hold such a tournament.  The year is so congested between league, cup and international schedules and the overlap between hemispheres means there are few opportunities if any for something to happen.

In football, those clubs in Europe taking part are required to postpone 2 or 3 of their regular league fixtures around January in order to accommodate their playing in the world club championship.  I suspect something would have to give, and it would be for the likes of the ERC and Super Rugby to thrash out a timetable.

Another interesting question would be where to host such a tournament.  On neutral ground, like football, or alternating between the grounds belonging to each participating league year to year like rugby league?  There are conflicting ideas on this.  Neutral ground, say Hong Kong, would provide a fantastic setting but would detract many fans from attending given the distances involved to travel.  Hosting it at or near the home of one of the participating teams would clearly lend a bias to that team but could be evened out over the course of a few years as the tournament moves around the globe.

I think all of us would love to see the likes of Leinster take on the Crusaders in a one-off tournament.  I can only see it being a good thing for the promotion of rugby around the world and although it would only be a select number of teams who will likely contest in such a tournament, it would at least raise the profile of 'club' rugby for those many who only tend to follow the international game.

What do you think?  Is there a place for a tournament like this or is it an unnecessary burden on an already packed world rugby schedule?

What Now For Chelsea And Their Playboys?

by Dugald Skene

After 8 years and goodness knows how many hundreds of millions of rubles, Abramovich has finally got what he wants – Champions League glory for his playtoy Chelsea.  Could he ever have expected it to happen this year of all years?

Given the league form and the managerial turmoil at Stamford Bridge over the course of the season, probably not, but that’s football, right? So many have been talking about the so called ‘script’ of the season, plots and sub-plots that have culminated in the greatest victory in the club’s history but the fact is that Chelsea managed to win it with some inspirational performances, if not inspiring football.

Above all these things though, the most surprising thing for me was that they managed to do it less as a team and more as a collective of narcissistic playboys.

I won’t deny any sportsman or woman their time to celebrate the high points of their careers, but the reaction of some of the players following the penalty shootout win over Bayern Munich, in Munich, told us all a lot about the attitude of many of the players in the Chelsea camp and emphasised the reasons why so many can’t warm to them.

Chelsea lift the Champions League trophy. Where's John Terry?

I certainly don’t grudge Chelsea their win, but I cringed at times watching some of the players behave after Didier Drogba’s winning penalty.  You almost forgive the man himself given we are so used to his antics in the past.  He is annoying, but he always has been and we have come to expect it from him over the years.  It was maybe the players we hear less from that seemed to come over as arrogant, petulant, childish and down right rude when either on the podium awaiting the trophy lifting or being interviewed by the press.

Without going into what was actually shaved into the back of his head, Salomon Kalou came across as one of the worst – his bare chested jostling for position in front of Frank Lampard and the trophy itself during the presentation was embarrassing.

There are many more that I could go about – Ashley Cole, John Obi Mikel, Branislav Ivanovich et al – but the out-and-out most shameful display of them all came from captain John Terry.

Having been banned from playing in the final, Terry was consigned to watching from the touchline, although this didn’t stop him wearing his full strip under a training top which was so swiftly removed at the end as he ran on to the pitch in an attempt to at least appease himself that he contributed  in some way to the final win.

Whatever you think of UEFA’s decision to allow Terry to be presented the trophy, despite the ban (as was the case for Essien, Meireles, Ivanovich & Ramires who were all suspended for the showpiece game), there was a quiet satisfaction evident on the social networks when Terry was mostly blocked from view when the trophy was actually lifted.

I may sound bitter, but I’m not wholly against this Chelsea team.  I thought Frank Lampard handled the victory and ensuing celebrations with the manner you would expect from the captain.  He spoke well when interviewed and appeared humble by what had transpired over the previous couple of hours.  Petr Cech, veteran goalkeeper and long term stalwart for Chelsea also came over well.  Gary Cahill clearly acknowledged that he had found himself in a fortunate position.  Having played better than most in the final, you would have forgiven him for going mad at the final but he seemed to retire from the most fervent celebrations, instead realising how fortunate he had been having being playing for a struggling Bolton side only 6 months previously.

So what now for Chelsea? 

I can’t help but get the feeling that major change is about to happen at the Bridge.  Key players like Drogba and Lampard are now very much in the twilight of their careers and in the case of Drogba, may look to cash in elsewhere for a couple of years with interest from China and elsewhere in the Ivorian man’s talent.  Reports are rife at the moment about Fernando Torres’ future and whether he will be there next season.  He says he has been ‘mistreated’ during his time at Chelsea and is saying all the things a player does when he wants out.

And then there is the Abramovich factor.  What next for him? What is left for him to achieve with this team he has bought and paid for for nearly a decade? With 3 league titles, 4 FA cups and now the big one in the bag, what are his realistic aspirations for the club now?  With the kind of money he has, what are the unrealistic aspirations he has for Chelsea?

So much of Chelsea’s future depends on the whim and fancy of one man and if I were a Chelsea fan, I’d be pretty worried now that the dust has started to settle.

I am notoriously bad at predicting anything when I put it black and white on this blog, but I’ll stick my neck out and suggest that Chelsea might find themselves in a spot of bother over the next 2 or 3 years.  It all depends on the aspirations of Abramovich and where he wants to see his team go.  If it’s European domination, a new stadium at Battersea and a dream of further improvement, he’ll stick around.  But let’s not bank on it.

It's Been A Week For The Semi-Final

by Dugald Skene

It's been some 7 days for European sporting semi-finals, eh?

Many reckon that the semi-final is often better than the final.  It's something I've never understood, but a lot of teams talk about getting to the final rather than winning it, and it's as though there is more to play for in a semi.  Is it just me?

Even the overly glamourised and much pomped Champions League delivered two semi final second leg ties that had to be seen to be believed and had everything from the sublime (Ramires) to the ridiculous (Terry).

Not many had anything other than an El Clasico final in their heads, even after both Real Madrid and Barcelona came away from their away fixtures with 1 goal deficits.  Do we over-glorify their abilities and prospects and do we not give Chelsea and Bayern Munich enough credit? In Chelsea's case, they had it all to do after 40 minutes last Tuesday, but they did it.  Bayern on the other hand, should never be discounted so easily.  They have a phenomenally balanced team that has the ability to really pull out a result at any time.  It's easy to forget that they have made their 2nd European final in 3 years, making them the not-so-dark horses of European football.

Torres rounds Valdes in the closing seconds to put their

result beyond doubt in Barcelona

And then came the weekend, and with it 4 European rugby semi-finals of extremely high quality and gripping intensity.

Friday night saw Johnny Wilkinson and his Toulon cohorts squeak out a 32-29 win over Stade Francais in the first Amlin Cup semi-final game that saw the scoreline yo-yo from the opening minutes to the final whistle.  All of Toulon's points were scored by Englishmen Steffon Armitage and Wilkinson, highlighting the recent exodus of English players to the cash laden Top 14.

The other all-French affair in the Amlin Cup saw Brives take on Biarritz with French talisman and world rugby's cult hero Imanol Harinordoquy.  An altogether much more one sided affair, Biarrtiz, led by outstanding scrum half Dmitri Yachvili ran out comfortable 19-0 winners.

All this was a mere prelude however to the spectatorial delights that were the Heineken Cup semi-finals.  On Saturday, Ulster relocated their troops and loyal fan base to Dublin to take on the surprise package of the tournament Edinburgh in what proved to be a thrilling, if often mistake prone game.  In short, Ulster played the better semi-final stage rugby, controlling the game where they had to through the experienced and faultless kicking of South African Ruan Pienaar.  His place kicking from distance in a swirling wind was something to behold.

Edinburgh did what Edinburgh do, playing some really dynamic rugby, making most of the running throughout the game but coming unstuck at the most crucial moments.  Greig Laidlaw was simply outstanding and wasn't to be outdone by Pienaar as he kicked all of his attempts on goal in another perfect display of place kicking.  With 10 points in it, Edinburgh's late try was too little too late, but brought the scoreline to 22-19 come the final whistle, closer than many would have expected.  The result sees Ulster head to Twickenham for their first final since they won the competition in 1999 and Edinburgh home to Scotland having done many good things for Scottish Rugby as a whole.

The icing on a truly tasty sports cake was perhaps the best game of them all in either sport.  The second Heineken Cup semi saw two time champions Leinster travel to Bordeaux to take on Clermont Auvergne.  If Clermont were 230 miles from their usual home, you couldn't tell as the noisiest fans in European rugby helped create an atmosphere second to none.

The game was enthralling, even with a try-less first half that saw Clermont nick the opening 40 by 12 points to 6.  There were intriguing match-ups all over the field - Bonnaire vs O'Brien, Cullen & Thorn vs Cudmore & Hines, James vs Sexton, Rougerie vs O'Driscoll - I could go on.

Clermont's physicality dropped a little in the second period and Leinster, who are becoming quite adept at producing barn-storming second halves and led by potential player of the tournament contender Rob Kearney run riot for the first 10 minutes.  The Leinster full back making a clean inside break before offloading to prop Cian Healy to touchdown.  This was closely followed up by Kearney drop kicking a stunning 45 yard goal from near the touchline after gathering a poor Brock James clearance.

Leinster never looked back really, and despite some resolute attacking from Clermont that almost saw Wesley Fofana clinch it at the death but for the ball coming loose off his own arm as he attempted to touch down, it was Leinster that held out to silence the boisterous home support with a 15-19 final score.

Brian O'Driscoll & Co head to their 3rd Heineken

Cup Final in 4 years

Clermont have only won 1 of 5 European knock-out games (this year's QF), but this one will be the hardest to take.  It will though, be the most valuable to learn from I would not be surprised to see them back at this stage next season.

It really has been quite some week.  If even one of the three respective finals throws up a spectacle like any of those this weekend (with the possible exception of the Biarritz game), we're in for a treat.

Chelsea Reach Final Against All Odds

by Dugald Skene

It's a funny old game.

Whatever the game was that inspired those words, it surely wasn't as dramatic, incident packed and downright thrilling as last night’s Champions League semi-final second leg between holders and tournament favourites Barcelona and Chelsea. The result was a draw, the fourth consecutive time Chelsea have achieved that at the Camp Nou, but it was enough to see Chelsea through after their first leg victory.

Frank Lampard leads celebrations after Chelsea's victory

The score is incidental in many ways.  What happened on the pitch was extraordinary.

The first 15 minutes saw both Chelsea’s Gary Cahill (hamstring) and Barcelona’s Gerard Pique (head knock) taken off after separate incidents.  With one half of the Londoner’s centre pairing gone and the only legitimate centre half from Barca’s back 3 gone, there was suddenly opportunity on both sides to expose the gaps.  Bosingwa joined at right back, pushing Ivanovic in to cover with John Terry, while Pep Guardiola replaced Pique with Dani Alves, pushing the vertically challenged Javier Mascherano in as the central figure in a lightweight defence.

With the vast majority of defending to do in the game, as they expected, the reshuffle was always a bigger blow for Chelsea.  Cahill had been a stalwart at the heart of defence and was creating a strong partnership with Terry.

Down 1-0 from a week ago, at home and with most of the 90,000+ crowd behind them, Barca had their customary 70% possession and started to assert themselves on Chelsea.  The defensive resolve almost inevitably broke when surprise inclusion Isaac Cuenca popped upon the left hand side to thread a ball along the 6 yard line, behind Messi, behind Xavi but knocked in by Sergio Busquets at the far post.  1-1 in the tie and Barca were in the driving seat.  When Busquets scores his 2^nd goal in 2 years, you know things might be going against you.

It seemed almost inescapable that they would kick on, and those fears for Chelsea fans became all the more real when minutes later Lionel Messi slipped through a tidy pass to Andres Iniesta who calmly stroked the ball past Petr Cech.  2-0 on the night, 2-1 aggregate.

With 5 minutes until half time, it already looked improbable for Chelsea but in a moment of madness, captain John Terry decided to make things a whole lot worse for his team in a phenomenal display of stupidity as he raised his knee, striking Alexis Sanchez in the lower back, completely off the ball.

Not spotted by the Turkish referee, the linesman advised on the appropriate action and soon the red card was out.  Nobody saw the incident in real time, but replays revealed the enormity of Terry’s inanity.  It was the correct call.  2-1 down and down to 10 men.  Could it get any worse for Chelsea?

Well, no. Somehow, things took a turn.  Just as you expected Barcelona to capitalise on their man advantage, it was Chelsea who broke free, the excellent Frank Lampard sending through the fantastic Ramires who calmly and nonchalantly chipped Victor Valdes to put Chelsea back in front on aggregate just before half time.

The second half was always going to be about whether Chelsea’s 10 men could hold out for the win. They did themselves no favours when within the first 2 minutes of the restart, Didier Drogba brought down Cesc Fabregas in the box.  There was minimal contact and Fabregas certainly made the best of it, taking a leaf from Drogba’s own book.  The game was over now, right?

Wrong.  Messi inexplicably missed the resultant penalty kick, striking the crossbar.  The pivotal moment in the game, and suddenly you started to wonder if it was Chelsea’s night after all.  With 40 minutes to play, it still seemed so unlikely.

It’s not often that we get a chance to criticise Barcelona’s brand of football, but the second half last night provided plenty of evidence to suggest that they are a bit more one dimensional than you might think, and certainly when their backs are to the wall, they start to run out of ideas.  With the likes of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, we all expect magic to happen, goals to come from nowhere and unlimited creativity.  It just didn’t happen.  I lost count of the number of times Xavi, permanently fixed in the ‘quarterback’ position just outside the D of Chelsea’s penalty box, would spread it out to the right to Dani Alves who not once put a creditable cross into the box.

With the minutes ticking away, the neutrals amongst us started to think that Chelsea might just do it. In the final moments of the game, it was replacement and much maligned striker Torres who had the final say of the game as he picked up a speculative Ashley Cole clearance with only Valdes between him and the goal and acres of space in which to run.  Given his form for Chelsea, nothing was a given, but he duly rounded the helpless Barca keeper and netted the finish.  Game over. Chelsea are in the UEFA Champions League Final.

 

As spectacular a result as it was, it has come at a price.  Bookings for Ramires, Meireles, Ivanovic and the red for John Terry all mean they will miss the final.  With Terry in particular will be distraught after his 2008 final experience as we won’t have the opportunity to make amends.  But as mentioned, he made his bed and despite his ridiculous halftime claim that it was accidental and Sanchez backed into him, he finally came to his senses after realising it was all caught on camera.  

So who will face Chelsea in the final?  Few would bet against a tasty match up with Real Madrid and former coach Jose Mourinho, but Real have it all to do tonight against Bayern Munich to make that happen. 

Whatever happens, Chelsea’s achievements in Barcelona will go down in folklore, and rightly so.  They have knocked off one of the greatest teams in living memory and if they can do that, who knows what might happen in Munich in May.

Celtic Win SPL Title

by Dugald Skene

Celtic clinched the SPL title, their first 2008, with an emphatic 6-0 victory over a lacklustre Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

Braces for the outstanding Charlie Mulgrew and league top scorer Gary Hooper were added to goals from Glen Loovens and crowd favourite Joe Ledley in a a game that resembled little with the intense contest that saw Killie come out on top in the League Cup final.

There was no chance of Celtic making their fans sweat as Mulgrew's first and Loovens added a second before 20 minutes were up. Mulgrew's second and a lovely volleyed finish from Hooper from Mulgrew's cross made it 4-0 at half time. The party was well and truly underway by now as the Celtic faithful ran through the full repertoire of songs in the East Ayrshire sunshine.

Kilmarnock provided a little more opposition in the second half but Celtic only had to contain the game as they enjoyed the vast majority of possession. Two late goals from Ledley and Hooper either side of the 90 minute mark put a gloss on a game where the score mattered little.

Celtic can now celebrate before the league splits. They have been by far the most consistent team through the course of the season and after a sluggish start, have lost only 1 league game in 6 months.

Manager Neil Lennon has hailed today as the 'best day' of his career, and one that sees him propelled from legendary status at the club to nigh God like status having led the club to league titles as player, captain and now manager.

An emotional Neil Lennon after the final whistle

After the match, captain Scott Brown said 'the team owed Neil Lennon the title' having come so close the previous campaign only to lose out by a single point.

After the disappointment of the League Cup final defeat, Celtic can now look forward to their Scottish Cup semi-final next week against Hearts at Hampden and hopefully the final beyond that to secure a domestic double.

Nike Bring NFL Right Up To Date

by Dugald Skene

Nike unveiled it's new 'Elite 51' uniforms for the 32 NFL teams for the upcoming 2012 season yesterday in New York.  It signals the single biggest change to the style and technology of the strips as Nike begin their 5 year licensing deal with the league following the conclusion of Reebok's 10 year contract.

Nike have updated the designs for all 32 NFL teams

The single biggest change has been to the technology, particularly the material.  Nike claim the jersey's are 20%-30% lighter and have a special '4-way' stretch technology that sees the jersey's become a lot tighter and more contoured to the players.  Combined with new collar designs and mesh panels, this extra tightness contributes to an overall dramatic change in appearance and fit that I think sees the uniforms look a lot more up to date.

Victor Cruz, Super Bowl winner with the Giants earlier this year, was on hand in New York to model the Giants new look.  He said "the [uniforms] conform to your body. They're tight. You can't get pulled or snagged on. That's the biggest thing for me: making sure that I'm sleek and I'm fast and I can't be grabbed or held."

Nike have gone into a lot of detail, not just producing jerseys, pants and helmet designs, but also shoes and gloves.  Here's a selection of some of the various details and designs:

Oakland Raiders have a particularly menacing outfit

Cincinnati Bengals pants detail

New Orleans Saints gloves

Carolina Panthers shoes

As well as the design, Nike have also worked hard on the integration of technologies into the fabric, most notably the integral padding in the baselayers around all of the "hit zones".  As well as the '4-way' fabric, integrated Flywire technology has been installed into the neckline to reduce weight and provide lock down fit over pads, increasing sleeve articulation for better range of motion.

Todd Van Horne, Nike’s Design Director for Football, said "Our brief was to provide players with everything they need and nothing more. We blended cutting edge technology and fabrications with more than 40 years of knowledge, craft and insight into the game. We worked closely with the teams, listening to their needs and delivering the best options to serve those athletes".

Of all the teams, it's the Seattle Seahawks who have had their appearance most radically updated, with a darker blue jersey and an updated, more aggressive looking graphic on the helmet.  Mark Parker, CEO of Nike, said the Seahawks were "very open and actually eager" to push a head-to-toe uniform redesign. "We worked with the players, coach and trainers. Really the whole Seattle organisation."

The new Seahawks uniform

It's good news for fans too as Nike have said that they will be producing a lot more training apparel and making more fan based memorabilia available.  Unfortunately though, it looks like the replica jerseys will cost a little more.  The old Reebok replicas came in at around $85 and the new Nike tops will be closer to $100.

What do you think of the new uniforms and the revised Seahawks design?

Can City Now Catch United?

by Dugald Skene

Manchester United last night showed the sort of resolve that has seen them secure 12 league titles so far under Sir Alex Ferguson. 80^th and 85^th minute goals from the excellent Antonio Valencia and substitute Ashley Young against Blackburn Rovers meant the Reds now have a 5 point cushion over their nearest and fiercest rivals Manchester City.

It’s that resolve, and dare I say ‘unitedness’ that sets them apart from the young pretenders across the city.  Many of the United players have been here before, both Scholes and Giggs started last night and between them have seen it all.  Even Wayne Rooney can be considered a relative veteran in the push for titles.  But it was the composure of the younger and newer players to the Man Utd ethos that have impressed so much, the likes of Young, Jones and Smalling who have all had their injury problems but who have all been consistent and stand out performers when they have played.

United celebrate Valencia's opener against Rovers

With the ridiculous display of in-fighting by some Man City players against Sunderland on Saturday when they were 3-1 down, it was all too clear that the pressure of the title chase is affecting them.  Manager Roberto Mancini seemed resigned at times during the game, almost unwilling to support his players until they had pulled back the deficit to 3-3.

So is it purely down to experience?  Partly, I reckon.  Mancini is an experienced, Serie A winning coach and has managed a team of superstars in the past.  He is now in his 4^th season at City having joined in December 2009 and should be more than aware of the rigours and requirements to compete in English football.  It just seems to me that he hasn’t quite got a grip of his team for whatever reason, and looks at times on the touchline like a spectator rather than the man with the power to make changes.

There’s no chance of that happening at United, where Alex Ferguson has an almost unique ability to rule with an iron fist while having the skill to nurture young talent and let them prosper.  He commands the respect of the team and they give him that respect, knowing that there are consequences if they don’t respect at least the team, if not him.  He is clearly not afraid to play his young players, a trait he has had all of his managerial career, but makes sure he knows exactly when they step out of line.  A great example of that came last night, when only 1-0 up and with 10 minutes to play, Danny Welbeck showboated with a back-heeled lay off intended for Rooney but didn’t come off, handing possession back to Rovers.  Ferguson was immediately all over him (as was Rooney, showing how far his maturity has come along over the years under Ferguson) and Welbeck, fresh from the rollicking, cantered off with his tail firmly between his legs.

So can City catch United?  They can, sure, but I don’t think they will.  United are traditionally so strong at this time of year and as has happened so often over the years, when they get their noses in front in April, they rarely lose to the line.  To succeed, Mancini needs David Silva back in form.  The little Spaniard has been somewhat off it of late and is way too important to how City play to afford being out of form for much longer.  Sergio Aguero’s odd injury may keep him out of touch for a few weeks and in his place, Dzeko hasn’t scored in 8 games and Tevez doesn’t yet look anything like the player he was.

United, on the other hand, have got just about everybody back in time for the last few weeks of the season.  Goalkeeper David de Gea seems far more settled in his new role and has been consistent since Christmas, Ferdinand and Evans have firmed up their partnership in the absence of Nemanja Vidic and the midfield is ticking over nicely.  With Valencia, Young, Rooney, Hernandez and Welbeck all contributing to the goal scoring, United have grabbed 31 points from an available 33 since losing to Newcastle in January. I can’t see United giving it up now with 7 games to go.

Don't forget though, one of those 7 games is the Manchester derby at the Etihad.  If City win that with two games to go, anything could happen.