By Michael Sinnerton

As Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett suffer a £42.6 million loss and Premier League clubs announce a debt of £3.1bn, Students of the Game takes a look at the effect of the recession in football and whether it's causing an even bigger rift between the Premier League and the Football League. In part one I'll be focusing on the Premier League.

First things first, £3.1billion is a ridiculous amount to owe. These range from £1m (Hull), £2.3m (Stoke) and £8.9m (West Brom) to £701m (Chelsea) and £699 (Manchester United). One huge thing stands out from these figures, the three recently promoted clubs have virtually no debt whilst the top four have the four largest levels on debt. Success it seems comes at a cost.

This brings to mind the obvious question of just how unfair it is that clubs are able to go into that much debt and compete in the same league. Rugby League in this country, as well as numerous American sports, has a adopted salary cap system which allows for a much closer league. Admittedly in both cases their remain a number of teams who are stronger, have bigger budgets and are more likely to win (Leeds, St Helens in the case of the former, or Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees in baseball). However there is much more scope for upsets and on the whole the leagues are more competitive but will it ever happen in football?

Probably not, the top clubs have so much power particularly given the possibility of a European Super League which I think is unlikely in the near future but could happen with frightening speed were top clubs to take exception with domestic changes. FIFA and UEFA are attempting to limit the amount of debt a club is about to build up but for now little seems likely to change, so back to the matter at hand.

With the recession hitting Liverpool (refinancing problems) and Arsenal (falling property prices) among others and the ‘average fan' spending less in terms of going to games as well as merchandising these large debts have been brought into clearer focus than ever. Admittedly a lot of the £3.1bn is owed to clubs' chairman in the form of interest free loans (all of Chelsea's debt is in this form from Roman Abramovich and £174 of £197m is owed to Al Fayed) but according to the Guardian's latest figures only 6 of 19 Premier League clubs made profit before tax (Liverpool unknown) with Everton making a mouth-watering 26k.

Clubs are becoming wise to the recession and are beginning to introduce cheaper ticketing policies. Burnley chairman Barry Kilby, for example, has handed out 7,000 free season tickets to fans who bought their tickets before August last year - those fans will struggle to complain if Burnley go down for spending too little though. But the real problem is not the fans, or lack thereof, it's the players. A 23% increase in television money could have led to greater financial stability but exactly the same percentage rise in player wages has seen a lot of it swallowed up immediately, with Chelsea's wage bill totalling £149m.

Looking at wages as a percentage of turnover show perhaps the scariest figures with even Hull's £6.9m wages being 77% of turnover, Newcastle's wage bill of £74.6m was 74% of turnover, much good it did them. With players now the be all and end all in football, given that so much money is tied up in them, it is no wonder that managers who make mistakes in the transfer market are given shorter and shorter shrift. The stakes are just too high.

By Michael Sinnerton

After reporting back on the end of season happenings around Europe, Students of the Game profiles the top scorers around the major leagues.

Diego Forlan - There are of course two Diego Forlan's. There is the quite brilliant striker who has been brilliant in all five of his seasons in La Liga, winning two ‘golden boots' and has scored an average of 20 league goals a season. The other Diego Forlan is a myth - the striker for whom it just didn't work at Manchester United is a million miles away from the player of whom Sid Lowe of the guardian said, "right now he is probably the best striker in Spain." Given the competition from Eto'o, Villa, Aguero, Van Nilstelrooy and Higuain that's not a bad compliment. If your side is linked with him this summer be really hopeful you sign him. Forlan is an absolute superb athlete, he works hard from the team, is decent in the air and really is two-footed. Of his first 27 goals this season, 13 were with his right foot and 13 were with his left. He has only missed 8 matches in four years and his omission from the line-up against Porto may be why Athleti' crashed out of the Champions League.

Andre-Pierre Gignac - Having scored 2 goals in 28 matches last year ‘AP' probably wasn't most people's tip for Ligue 1 top scorer, but the 23 year old Toulouse striker scored 24 goals in an average Toulouse side to confirm at least some of his hype. Excellent form throughout the season resulted in a call-up to the French national squad where his first appearance as a substitute lead to an assist for Frank Ribery's winner. Gignac was also a substitute in Tuesday's 1-0 loss to Nigeria. Gignac is over 6ft, has good strength and has proved to be a top-class finisher in the box. Good in the air and decent at set-pieces, AP has been eyeing a move to his childhood town of Marseille but has also been linked to Aston Villa.

Zlatan Ibrahimvoic - Now maybe Zlatan hasn't quite found his best form in a big European game yet but then it isn't easy with a team as average in Europe as Inter Milan. In Italy though he really is the daddy. Scoring wonderful goals, being truly talismanic in an Inter side that is really still a collection of very good individuals rather than a team and looking like he couldn't give a shit all at the same time. Most English fans don't rate him but anyone who's watched a decent amount of Italian football would have to disagree, mercurial at times he can admittedly be frustrating but a slightly better header at Old Trafford could have seen the world looking at the lanky Swede in a very different night. Another who could potentially be on the move having ‘won all there is to win in Italy.' (In reality the price would probably put all but Man City off and he seems to have a good relationship with Jose)

Grafite - To borrow from Joel: "The 30 year old Brazilian is a rampant beast blessed with great control on the ball, the perfect accomplice to the rangy Džeko. He's the top league scorer this season, with 28 goals in 25 appearances. All the more impressive when you consider he's had his share of injuries this season. He enjoys the big games, having netted decisive braces against Hamburg, Bayern and Leverkusen as well as a hat-trick against Schalke. Powerful and quick, his well-timed runs from deep have made him the ideal figurehead for Wolfsburg's counter-attacks. Also a model professional off the pitch, Grafite will be hot property this summer,"

Mounir El Hamdaoui - AZ Alkmaar's star striker as they romped to the Eredivisie, should perhaps be better known in England having had a year (without a first team appearance) at Spurs. This season he has scored 22 goals in 30 games as well as contributing five assists. Much improved finishing and great technique has seen the 24 year-old linked with Liverpool and Arsenal and whilst from what I have seen that may be a bridge too far a move to the Premiership is not altogether unlikely.

By Michael Sinnerton

Team of the Season

GK - Shay Given

RB - Glen Johnson

CB - Nemanja Vidic

CB - Brede Hangeland

LB - Ashley Cole

RM - Stephen Ireland

CM - Stephen Gerrard

CM - Frank Lampard

LM - Cristiano Ronaldo

CF - Nicolas Anelka

CF - Fernando Torres

Unsung Heroes of 08/09

GK - Mark Schwarzer/Jussi Jaaskelainen

I don't really rate Schwarzer at all but his performances his season have been one of the reasons Fulham have done so well, and the failure to adequately replace him was one of the major factors in Middlesbrough's demise. Jussi just makes great saves all year long, one of the best signings ever made in the Premier League.

RB - Lucas Neill

Now calling Lucas Neill an unsung hero does seem to be pretty much the reason the word ‘oxymoron' was established. But he's actually been really good this season and, other than his own press, doesn't create much media interest. I really dislike his attitude (money-grabbing) but right back is a weak area in the English game in my opinion, a nod to Alvaro Arbeloa who has been much improved particularly going forward.

CB - Martin Laursen

Injury ruined his season which in turn ruined Villa's. Without their talismanic centre-back Villa are a considerably weaker team even with the admirable Carlos Cuellar. Laursen also chipped in with more than his fair share of goals and it was sad to see him retire through injury before the season end.

CB - Titus Bramble

Sounds ridiculous but can you actually remember him making a key error this season? Wigan's player of the year in a season when many of their players performed near their best (he may admittedly have been aided by the January departure of the excellent Wilson Palacios), Bramble has been solid all season, and let's face it he's not going to get much credit anywhere else.

LB - Herita Illunga                     

A fairly difficult decision with good seasons from Stephen Warnock and Leighton Baines but given that Hammers fans seem to have hardly noticed the departure of the steady George McCartney I'll vote for Illunga, if only so he isn't just remembered for his day of basketball at Anfield.

RM - Dirk Kuyt

Until this season almost everyone who wasn't a Liverpool fan, and some who were, cited Kuyt as a reason Liverpool wouldn't win the league. Basically, Kuyt is fairly poor technically (at least for the level he plays at) but has a ridiculous work ethic, gives his all for team every single game and chips in with important goals.

CM - Danny Murphy

An excellent performance in a hugely improved Fulham side, has led from the ‘front' as captain, a man who's career I thought was probably over has proved that he has both the ability and the adaptability to flourish in a top-half Premier League side.

CM - Geovanni

Now I know Geovanni was lavished with plaudits earlier in the year but have you heard anyone praise him in the last 6 months? This despite Hull being safe by the skin of their teeth, a skin that was earned in the first few months of the season by Geovanni. A free transfer who almost single-handedly won his team a series of games through a series of stunning strikes.

LM - Park Ji-Sung

One of the few Manchester United players generally liked by the majority of neutrals. Park has a great work-rate and keeps the ball at lot better than he has given credit for. In a team full of multi-million pound signings Park probably shouldn't get a start, the fact that he does shows how highly rated he is at Carrington (and let's face it they probably know better than you or me).

CF - Robin Van Persie

A surprise selection perhaps but Van Persie carried the club through some of its toughest months this year, winning 3 consecutive player of the month awards. Has been somewhat outshone by Arshavin since his arrival, but then who hasn't? In my opinion should be one of the first names on the team sheet.

CF - Carlton Cole

Still seems to be lacking a lot of attributes and I cringe every time I hear an England squad announced with his name in. However, he has had a fantastic season, notching a few goals including that pearler against Wigan. Like Bobby Zamora at Fulham he does a lot of the unseen hard work for West Ham and is a handful for any defence.

Who makes your teams?

By Michael Sinnerton

With the Premier League ending in a third consecutive title for Manchester United, Students of the Game takes a look around who’s done what in Europe over the last year.

Spain – The basics will be known here, Barcelona (in a first for a Spanish club) won the domestic double and the Champions League sweeping all before them. Real Madrid came a comfortable second, 9 points behind Barca, 8 ahead of Sevilla with Atletico Madrid completing the top four thanks in large part to the Pichichi Diego Forlan.

The strength of the Spanish league is perhaps best shown by Villarreal and Valencia coming 5^th and 6^th respectively. Atletico Bilbao complete the European contingent through the Copa-del-Rey. With Recreativo and  Numancia having both been relegated a while ago, Real Betis’ 1-1 draw on the final day of the season saw them go down by just 1 goal due to Getafe drawing away and Osasuna beating Real Madrid at home.

France – Lyon didn’t win the League. After 7 titles on the spin Lyon’s poor home form saw them surrender the title surprisingly meekly to Bordeaux, thanks in part to the star in the making (on the European stage at least) that is Yoaan Gourcuff. Lyon were in fact pushed into third by a very decent Marseille side. Toulouse, Lille and a resurgent PSG completed the top 6 all collecting 64 points. Relegation called for Caen, Le Havre and Nantes, the last team to win the title before Lyon.

Italy – Inter Milan won the league at a canter with Juventus pipping AC (Milan) to 2^nd on head-to-head. The same method separated Fiorentina from Genoa, meaning the former return to the Champions League with Genoa joining Roma and cup qualifiers Lazio in the Europa League. Lecce, Regina and Torino were all condemned to the drop, the off-season’s main interest could be brought about by managerial changes with up-to 10 jobs expected to change hands.

Germany – Wolfsburg were the eventual winners in a fascinating title race, with Bayern Munich finishing a disappointing second and Stuttgart coming from nowhere under ex-Kopite Markus Babbel to secure Champions League. Hertha Berlin and Hamburg qualified for the Europa League, along with DFB Pokal winners Werder Bremen. Arminia Bielefield, Karlsruhe and Energie Cottbus were relegated, Cottbus after a relegation play-off.

Holland – AZ under Louis Van Gaal (to Bayern Munich) won the league at a canter with FC Twente under Steve McLaren securing an excellent 2^nd and Champions League football. The big 3 really suffered with Ajax and PSV 4^th and 5^th and Feyenoord finishing 7^th, NAC winning the play-offs for Europe.

Portugal – For the fourth time in as many years Porto beat Sporting Lisbon into second place with Benfica completing a familiar top 3.

By Michael Sinnerton

Don’t listen to the talk about Messi outdueling Ronaldo. Yes the tiny Argentinean scored a very good headed goal but Ronaldo was comfortably United’s biggest threat (one Wayne Rooney cross apart). Yes, Messi was good (silencing the ‘big game’ doubts that didn’t really persist) but this final was all about Andres Iniesta. After two or three years of relatively unnoticed brilliance in a slightly struggling Barcelona team, the man who’s training performances caused Pep Guardiola to tell Xavi “this kid could retire us all” absolutely dominated a Champions League final.

With his wonderful Spanish compatriot Xavi pulling the strings alongside him, Iniesta prods and probes opposition defences. Running with the ball with such ease, pace and strength he doesn’t need the step-overs of a Nani or a Ronaldo, like Lionel Messi he relies on body positioning and wonderful close control to beat men. It is a commentator’s cliché to talk of a collector’s item when Xavi or Iniesta give the ball away but they are nearly that good.

I must confess a slight bias here having picked out Iniesta as a wonderful talent years ago, his rise to the top has given me faith that I may have at least some useful insights into the game we all love. Barcelona’s dominance over United yesterday though requires no bias, with players and fans to a man recognising that on the night the ‘Dream Team 2’ were the ultimate deserved winners.

Having won the league in stunning style, with two comprehensive victories over their nearest rivals, scoring 104 goals (the record of 107 would have surely been broken had Guardiola not played reserve teams in the last two games which led to just one goal) and being absolutely lavished with praise, even in the Madrid press, Barcelona had to prove themselves in Europe to be considered truly great. Especially to the somewhat biased English media who rate Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal considerably higher than Villarreal, Sevilla and Real Madrid (with some vindication admittedly).

This European victory, achieved in truly stunning style, proves the side to be truly great - the first ever to achieve the treble in Spain. Imagine Manchester United winning the game without John O’Shea, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra. Barcelona losing Daniel Alves, Rafael Marquez and Eric Abidal could have been huge, instead it was turned into nothing more than a trivial footnote as Barca’s magic front five, assisted by the hugely promising Busquets and future captain Pique, passed, passed and passed some more until United finally withered. Rarely has such a big game been so one sided, off the top of my head I can only think of Brazil v France in the 1998 World Cup Final, but even that was ultimately settled by two set piece goals.

A final word to Thierry Henry, who suffered the agony of losing both a European Cup and World Cup final in 2006 and finally has a great final to remember. Provided you’re not a Manchester United fan you do too. This was truly the night that beautiful football came home.

by Joel Abraham

Admit it. It's the final you wanted.  Regardless of who you support, Manchester United v Barcelona is surely the purists choice to decide the Champions League. Arguably the best two sides in the world come head to head tonight in a mouthwatering encounter that will see the greatest players on the planet battling for global supremacy.

[/hyperbole] 

It's interesting to note that this is the first time since 1999 that two newly-crowned domestic champions have met in the final. Although this tie looks on paper to be a classic, in reality, I'm expecting a turgid, gritty affair. Chelsea have set the blueprint on how to defend against Barca, having shut them out efficiently for 179 minutes. Defend in numbers, close down, mark tightly, get physical. United have a better defence than Chelsea, so Barcelona may struggle to play their famous free-flowing football. Defending in La Liga is a joke compared to that in the Premier League, so Barca's intimidating goal tally may flatter them. Anybody watching the shambolic defensive display by last year's champions Real Madrid in their 6-2 home defeat to Barca will know that a bottom half Premier League side could have done a better job keeping out the Catalans.

Barca will be looking to dominate possession, so United could find themselves camped inside their own half for much of the game. Xavi and Iniesta can keep the ball better than anyone in the world, so United must be well-organised to cope with the siege. Rooney and Park will have to double up with their respective fullbacks. Park and Evra in particular will face a mighty challenge in keeping out the diminuitive maestro Leo Messi. Anderson replaces Fletcher as the midfield destroyer, and United will likely be defending deep and looking to counter-attack swiftly with the pace of Park and Ronaldo. The latter will be crucial, as always; love him or hate him, Cristiano Ronaldo cannot be ignored as the best footballer in the world right now. The man can score a goal from nothing, and could well be the decider in this match.

Nemanja Vidic's quotes, promising to "win at all costs" in spite of style, is all we need to know. United will drag Barca through the mud and should be lifting their fourth European Cup by the end of the night.

Predicted XIs:

----------------Valdes----------------
Puyol-----Toure--------Pique-----Keita
------Busquets---Xavi---Iniesta-------
----Messi-------Eto'o--------Henry----

----Rooney------Ronaldo-------Park----
-------Giggs----Carrick----Anderson---
Evra-----Ferdinand----Vidic-----O'Shea
--------------van der Sar-------------

I was one of the 32,000 people who settled into the Emirates last night to watch the next generation of Wengerlings as Arsenal beat Liverpool 4-1  in the first leg of the FA Youth Cup Final.

At only a fiver to get in (although last year's first leg at Chelsea [v Man City] was free) the game is great value. The crowd is filled with kids enjoying, what for some is probably their first and for many a rare visit to a wonderful stadium, this means the atmosphere is good, cheerful and on the most part friendly (provided youre not the only shirt-wearing Liverpool fan in front of a block full of loud Arsenal 'youths').

For me, as well as the value for money, this represented a great chance to get a head-start on other football fans; giving me an insight into how good Jack Wilshere, Henri Lansbury and Thomas Ince really are.

Wilshere really is very good, at times he looked the best player on the pitch by a mile. Having said that Liverpool's goal came from him giving the ball away lazily near the half-way line - whether that was over-confidence from being one of the better players or a slight mental weakness that means he switches off to easily is yet to be seen. Lansbury too was good, growing more influential in the second half as Arsenal took control. Ince, the son of former Liverpool man Paul, didn't have one of his better games. He showed good touch but little in terms of end product.

Given that Arsenal dominated it's obvious that it would be mostly their players who stood out, and the two who perhaps impressed me the most were captain Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Sanchez Watt (Gilles Sunu also promised much). Thomas was strong on the ball, good in the air and rarely gave the ball away whilst Watt, a first-half substitute for Emmanuel Frimpong, was a livewire causing Liverpool's, admittedly lead-footed defence, huge problems with neat lay-offs and quick turns.

Will many of these players be a success in the Premiership? Probably not more than a handful, but those that do will have had a great grounding and have already brought joy to almost 30,000 people. Not bad for a start.

By Michael Sinnerton

As Alex Ferguson cemented his place as the greatest British manager of all time this season, his former players and protégées have by and large had successful seasons too. With Ferguson nearing retirement, and the vague possibility of a shock announcement if United retain the European Cup, Students of the Game takes a look at the likely contenders for his position. 

My number one contender would be David Moyes, who I think has barely put a foot wrong at Everton.  Having served his apprenticeship at Preston, the Scot has proven his ability to spend money wisely and manage big name players. He has brought players of the calibre of Mikel Arteta and Yakubu to the club but has shown he can deal with injuries, leading the club to 5^th in the league again this season despite injuries to both (his best player and his top scorer).

Moyes has also bought brilliantly from the Championship in Joleon Lescott, Tim Cahill and Phil Jagielka, whilst showing this season that he’s not afraid to trust in youth when he has to – this season has seen the emergence of Dan Gosling (another buy from the Championship) and Jack Rodwell.

He is not afraid to stand up to other managers, notably Rafa Benitez, which is bound to please potential employers at Old Trafford and has Ferguson himself rates him as one of the best in the business. From a purists’ point of view, I would like to see Moyes given the chance to succeed at a bigger job than Everton (unless they manage to move stadiums and are given real investment).

The other candidates are numerous. Carlos Queiroz seems determined to prove that a good number two doesn’t make a good manager; a poor spell at Real Madrid has been followed by a disastrous one with Portugal who are struggling to make the World Cup. Laurent Blanc is leading Bordeaux to the title in just his second year as a manager, finally breaking Lyon’s stranglehold on Ligue 1, Steve Bruce continues to take Wigan from strength to strength and Alex McLeish managed to get Birmingham promoted despite being under intense pressure.

Then there is Mark Hughes who is many people’s favourite despite an underwhelming campaign at Man City. Hughes’ work for Wales and Blackburn stands him in good stead and he will seemingly be given the chance of a better showing next season when I would expect to see an improvement in both results and style.

Who would you like to see in charge at United? If you’re not a fan, presumably Bryan Robson.

By Michael Sinnerton

After yesterdays look at which players could move on from the Premier League's lesser lights, Students of the Game takes a look at which players could make the step up from the Championship this summer.

Joe Ledley - Ledley seems to have been around forever but is just 22. Part of a Cardiff production line that has seen Michael Chopra and Aaron Ramsey, he has the potential to be the best of the lot. Having allegedly rejected bids of £5million in the past from West Ham amongst others, the credit crunch could see a similar fee (£5-7million) accepted this time although Cardiff will be reluctant to let go of arguably their best player. Despite his age, Ledley has almost 200 appearances for Cardiff and 27 for Wales and plays best as a left midfielder with real ability to get forward. He could be a target for Stoke, Everton, West Ham or Portsmouth.

Kevin McDonald - Unlikely to leave Burnley after just one season, Premier League fans knowledge of McDonald is likely to rest on Burnley's progression through the play-offs. Touted by some club insiders as the clubs best player at the age of 20, although he may not have the eye for goal of Martin Paterson or the jinking feet of Robbie Blake just yet, McDonald is a central midfielder with real drive and ability. He has already shone this season against Premiership opposition, most notably with both goals against Arsenal in the Carling Cup. Widely regarded as one of Scotland's brightest prospects, he may not be ready for the biggest stage just yet but certainly has the talent to succeed at the highest level.

Nathaniel Clyne - Crystal Palace's Young Player of the Year, which given the clubs penchant for producing good youth players and not a lot else is almost a bigger achievement than winning player of the year. At only 18 his first season at Championship level has been a resounding success and one of the established but weaker Premier League sides could make a move (Portsmouth) to get him on the cheap. Obviously not an established talent yet but a player with huge potential.

John-Joe O'Toole - The man with the stupidest name in the league looks set to make the step up to the Premier League in the near future. Having begun making his name at Watford a loan spell at Sheffield United is likely to be made permanent if the Blades overcome Burnley at Wembley. Even if Burnley overcome the odds, it's sure to be a case of sooner rather than later than ‘JJ' makes the step up. A 20 year old with five under-21 caps for the Republic of Ireland, he has a decent goal scoring record and looks to have the temperament to match his ability.

Wayne Hennessey - Wolves have a host of young players who will be plying their trade in the ‘Prem' next season, from Michael Kightly and Sylvain Ebanks-Blake to David Edwards and Richard Stearman, but with good young goalkeepers at a premium Hennessey really sticks out. A product of the club's youth system, anyone who can displace Matt Murray deserves a mention, Hennessey was voted Wolves' Player of the Year and named in the Championship Team of the Year in 2008 and has since established himself as the country's first choice.

Which youngsters stick out from your Championship teams? Who do you see your side swooping for from the Championship?

By Michael Sinnerton

Footballers have managed to get themselves in the news for all the wrong reasons again this week. First Nicklas Bendtner was pictured leaving a London nightclub at 4am on Wednesday, something which goes some way to justifying Arsene Wenger's claims that some of his young stars were in for a marvellous performance that evening. Bendtner's reputation took a boost inside the club when onlookers saw him take some of his most potent shots in weeks. Amusingly whilst the ‘great' Dane has apologised, Wenger, luckily having seen footage of the action having ‘not seen it' at the time, has claimed Bendtner was set-up.

"I was angry - but he has been set up," Wenger said. "People make the story that he was drunk. He was not drunk. He did not put his trousers down, somebody did it for him and somebody was posted there with a camera."

Bendtner's late night made it Arsenal's second humiliating exit of the week, with a source in the Mail saying: "Nicklas was with a group of friends inside the club, and just seemed to want to wind down after his match. But for some reason, his belt was undone as left at 4am and his pants started to slip."

Ledley King, of course, is only fit enough for one night out a week. Tottenham insiders were said to be pleased that King had made it through the action unscathed, especially as there is still the matter of Gareth Bale's victory night out next weekend...or the weekend after...or..

King's ‘chronic knee injury' that prevents him training may well be the new metatarsal with rumours of similar injuries for Dimitar Berbatov, Robinho and Marlon King yet to be confirmed.