By Michael Sinnerton

Stewart Downing's transfer from Middlesbrough to Aston Villa has been criticised by many Aston Villa fans and laughed at by fans of other clubs. I think Downing is a good enough player to be a big success at Villa and he is a victim of being not quite good enough to play for England.

As this blog already pointed out Downing created 72 chances last season (Daily Telegraph stats) compared to Antonio Valencia: 70 and Wayne Rooney: 67. Whilst Valencia's move to United has been praised and is generally accepted as a good move even at the overpriced cost of £18m, Downing's £6m cheaper move isn't held in quite the same slight. This despite Downing creating more chances in a weaker team, who presumably had less of the ball, certainly than Wayne Rooney if not Valencia. I do agree with Joel's assertion that the loss of Martin Laursen could prove huge for Villa though.

I do worry that Villa's squad is becoming a touch lop-sided though, with 3 excellent wing options in Downing, Young and Milner off-set by the loss of Gareth Barry leaving a soft centre to their team. Only Petrov, Reo-Coker and Sidwell offer any real strength through the centre and arguably Martin O'Neill needs to add one top class player to play with one or two of those (depending on formation).

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Will Arsenal fans have any sense of betrayal if Patrick Viera joins Spurs? Or do they accept that Viera was a great player for the club and having lost probably 30% of his effectiveness is now a good fit for a Spurs team who are still, despite spending and spending, some way behind them on the pitch. Are Tottenham fans as under whelmed by this transfer as me? Either way Harry's activity doesn't seem to offer much hope to Tom Huddlestone - another young English prospect pushed aside for an ageing foreign import.

By Michael Sinnerton

As a big Michael Owen fan, few stories have depressed me as much this summer as the ‘Owen Brochure'. If you've missed it, the former European player of the year has had to send out a brochure hunting for suitors because seemingly no-one particularly wants him.

The top four aside there I don't see how there can be many doubts about his ability. Despite all his problems he still scored 10 goals for Newcastle last year and has 30 in 65 starts (and 13 substitute appearances) for the Magpies. I think you'll agree that those are pretty good stats for someone available on a free and proven in the Premiership, albeit at high wages. And at 29, and having played less games than most 27 year olds there should be legs left in little Michael.

The problem, combined with the wages, is an injury record that makes Darren Anderton look like Daley Thompson (I think that just about works). Here's the solution I suggest, not ground-breaking, but a reasonable twist on an old favourite. Owen should sign a contract whereby each week he is unavailable for selection he is paid £20,000/£30,000 and each week he is available for selection he is paid £60,000.

There are a few obvious advantages here; firstly if Owen is injured you only end up paying him a fraction of his value/as much as a fringe squad player. Owen should be willing to sign the contract because if he envisages himself being fit most of the year then there are really no drawbacks. If the manager doesn't fancy playing him or opts for a different tactical system he gets a normal wage, and he isn't hugely reliant on his own form - which to me seems a big drawback of the pay-as-you-play system generally mooted. Knowing you have to score to maintain your livelihood seems to be a lot of pressure (albeit finances shouldn't be his chief concern).

The amounts suggested above are obviously fairly plucked out of the air and a real value would depend on the club and the actual demand for Owen. Any other suggestions for minimising the risk on signing injury-prone pros?

by Joel Abraham

You'd have to have spent the last few months living under a rock to have missed out on Wolfsburg's astonishing title triumph, the first in their history. The side are solid at the back, with a fantastic team work ethic, and deadly in the final third. The team is built upon endless running and players working their socks off for the cause, with wing-backs Christian Gentner and Sascha Riether embodying the team spirit instilled by manager Felix Magath. Proving themselves equally important are left-back Marcel Schafer and Brazilian defensive midfielder Josue.

Yet the standout players have been the ones racking up the goals. In the mires of this summer's tedious transfer tattle, expect to hear plenty about Wolfsburg's "golden triangle": Grafite, Edin Džeko, and Zvjezdan Misimović.

Grafite, Misimović and Džeko

Džeko, a tall and skilful 23-year-old Bosnian striker, netted hattricks against Hoffenheim and Hannover within the space of a fortnight, finishing the season with the handsome tally of 26 goals and bagging the player of the year award to boot. He scores all sorts of goals with either foot, from three yards to thirty yards, and is dominant in the air. He can play comfortably as a lone striker or as a pair, having led the line superbly on his own when Grafite was sidelined by injury. Europe's elite will be falling over themselves to get their hands on this superb young player.

As for Grafite? Have a look at this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSuiI9WY2uY

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.

Džeko and Grafite have become the most prolific striking duo in Bundesliga history. They also might be the most religious, with Džeko a devout Muslim who reads from the Koran before each game as his teammate Grafite recites from the Bible.

Pulling the strings behind the pair is Zvjezdan Misimović. The 26-year-old captained the Bosnian national side before his international retirement, although he has been coaxed into reneging upon this decision. He is regarded as the top creative midfielder in the Bundesliga. He lacks pace, but his passing more than makes up for this, with 16 league assists this season.

On the topic, it is worth noting that the future of the Bosnian national side looks very bright indeed. With Misimović at the helm, the likes of Džeko, Lyon midfielder Miralem Pjanić, Hoffenheim duo Sejad Salihović and Vedad Ibišević, Hajduk Split's explosive winger Senijad Ibričić, and centre back Emir Spahić will all be looking to make their mark in South Africa next year. They are set up nicely for a playoff push, and may catch more than a few teams off guard should they make it to the finals.

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Rather than fill endless columns with pointless transfer gossip, here's a list of done deals so far this summer, with more than a couple that catch the eye:

Ivica Olic, Mario Gomez > Bayern
Diego, Fabio Cannavaro > Juventus
Sami Hyypia > Leverkusen
Lukas Podolski > Koln
Yoann Gourcuff > Bordeaux
Thomas Kahlenberg > Wolfsburg
Diego Milito, Thiago Motta > Inter
Fabio Quagliarella, Luca Cigarini > Napoli
Hernan Crespo, Roberto Acquafresca > Genoa

 * * *

Another transfer completed today is the £12m move of Gareth Barry from Aston Villa to Manchester City. I won't mince words here - Barry is mad. He's leaving behind one of the most promising young teams in the country led by one of the top managers, and has joined the circus. City are far, far inferior to Villa, and shame on Barry for believing whatever the moneybags owners have promised him. Or maybe his ambition doesn't quite match his greed, being paid a reported £100k a week at City.

A Villa-supporting friend of mine said: "I feel like I've been personally insulted. It's like hosting a party and having one of your best friends not show up because he's gone to the party of another guy you don't like very much. I wouldn't have minded him leaving for Arsenal or Liverpool, but going to Man City is an insult to Villa."

by Joe Walton

Martin O'Neil and Harry Redknapp last night showed why they are such well regarded managers by masterminding their clubs' safe passage out of the UEFA Cup.

Both managers sprung selection surprises to bamboozle their opponents into victory. The policy of selecting youth paid off to wow the fans who have paid hundreds of pounds following their teams around the continent in a gloriously unfulfilling campaign.

Speaking after the game O'Neil said: "We had to make changes to the team to ensure that we left Europe in order to concentrate on our league position and qualify for Europe." Villa picked a team lacking 8 regular starters for the away tie against CSKA Moscow, one of the best teams in Eastern Europe, to ensure they were fit for the mouth-watering visit of Stoke on Sunday.

Redknapp was equally aware of the need to prioritise, he said: "Look, I had to make changes to my team. I wasn't going to risk my best players for a second rate competiton, I need them for the Carling Cup." The Carling Cup represents something of a failure for Redknapp, his team meet Manchester UTD in the final despite his best efforts. Who can forget the brilliant way a weakend Spurs team conceded first to Watford, only to blow it all and come back to win.

These two managers must be applauded for taking these tough, long term decisions. After all what do we expect of these mega-rich, super-fit football players? For them to play football?

by Michael Sinnerton 

With all four Premier League teams either top of their Champions League groups or having taken maximum points it's time for that age old argument about the best league in the world.

The Premier League is the most watched league in the world, has the European Champions, the European runners-up and the top four have all made the Champions League final in the last 3 years.

The League still has a veil of unpredictability with Arsenal already losing to Fulham and Hull, Liverpool being held by Stoke and Manchester United by Newcastle. Admittedly the top four will probably end up the same as last year (Aston Villa may challenge Arsenal) but then Spain's top four is likely to contain at least 3 of Barcelona, Sevilla, Atletico and Valencia whilst Italy's will surely contain at least 3 from Inter, Juventus, Fiorentina and Roma.

However the league's second tier sides are where the argument has weakness. With Everton going out of the UEFA cup to Liege, Tottenham bottom of the league and struggling past Wisla. (The two teams to most closely challenge the top 4 in recent years) whilst Valenica and Espanyol (Getafe amongst others) regularly do well in Europe as do AC Milan, Sampdoria and sometimes Lazio.

Having said that Valencia struggled last year, and it may be that Aston Villa and Manchester City may be the Premier League's next strongest representatives rather than an Everton team who may have peaked (at least temporarily). Both Vila and City have the finanical capacity to go one step further something which Spanish and Italian teams probably lack.

The League's wages are higher, the clubs spend more money on transfers and this is bound to attract the best players and managers. If England had Spain's climate there would be very little reason for foreign players not to move.

Despite this there were less goals/game in the Premiership last year than in most of the other European leagues, with the Bundesliga the best value for goals. La Liga still has an element of the unknown and is the breeding ground for young South American talent. The likes of Messi, Aguero, Fernandez and Dani Alves (to name but a few) were always much more likely to join LA Liga, partially due to a technical capacity for football that can arguably not been found in the Premierships  "kick-and-rush" culture.

I am a huge La Liga fan but I don't think you can beat the Premiership for pure excitement and adrenalin.

But my favourite League in the world, despite it's dimunitive size and lack of status has to be the Isles of Scilly (where else) Football League which is a scilly little league with only two teams.

http://www.worldssmallestleague.co.uk/html/league_table.html

The Garrison Gunners and the Woolpack Wanderers make up the League (a massive 12 game fixture list) as well as having four cup competitions. The league whilst perhaps more predictable than the Premiership (the same two teams make the finals every year) has a charm about it that I can't help but love. Obviously I've never seen a game but the Gunners are running away with the league this year largely thanks to the hugely unheralded Adam May, a part-time retailer who you shouldn't expect to be gracing our shores any time soon despite his impressive goal record.

The Garrison Gunners against Manchester United for a best league in the world title? Don't count on it.

by Stuart Gillespie

So, where are we at? Well so far Cherno More have beaten Sant Julia 9-0 on aggregate, Man City have played about 15 games (all unconvincingly), Young Boys have spunked on some Hungarians at the Wankdorf, and it has been announced that this 38th edition of the mind-boggling competition will be the last.

And we haven't even reached the group stage yet.

Are our teams likely to get there? Let's find out...

Aston Villa (3) v Litex Lovech (1)

Put simply, yes, Aston Villa are likely to get through. It was a kind draw and the Premier League high flyers have gratefully placed one-and-a-half feet in the group stage at the expense of the unknown Bulgarians.

Man City (2) v Omonia Nicosia (1)

Omonia Nicosia may not be a household name, but they are no mugs and City did well to leave Cyprus with a first leg lead. Of course a lot has happened since then, with defeats to Brighton & Hove Albion and Wigan seeing Sulaiman-ia dampened somewhat. But with that crucial advantage from the away leg and the talent they have at their disposal, City should have no problems progressing to the next phase.

Motherwell (0) v Nancy (1)

Mark McGhee's side did well to hold relative giants Nancy to a one-goal advantage in France, though they remain underdogs going into the second leg. But despite their struggles in the SPL this season, Well have a good group of players and are by no means out of this tie.

Standard Liege (2) v Everton (2)

Everton look to have the toughest task ahead of them if they want to reach the group stage. Their lack of summer spending has seen them eclipsed by rivals Villa, Man City and Portsmouth in the Premier League, and their uncharacteristic defensive frailty this season was evident in the first leg draw with the Belgians. Liege came so close to putting out Everton's city rivals Liverpool in Champions League qualifying and will rightly be confident of piling more misery on already worried Toffees fans.

Vitoria Guimaraes (0) v Portsmouth (2)

Harry Redknapp's men have a good advantage from the first leg, but in that match Guimaraes missed a penalty at 1-0 that would have given the Portuguese an intriguing away goal. As it stands they'll still be a danger at home, though it'll be a surprise if Portsmouth are unable to finish the job.

Wisla Krakow (1) v Spurs (2)

Where to start with Tottenham? Much has been written elsewhere (including on this blog) about their horrific start to the season. Whoever's to blame (and, as usual, it's probably a combination of factors), things won't be any easier in Poland tonight. Between 2001 and 2006 Wisla went 73 matches unbeaten at home, and although they haven't had much success in European competition recently, a tricky trip to Krakow is undoubtedly one of the last things Spurs need at the moment. Of course successful negotiation of this tie could kick-start Tottenham's season. But, on current form, the more likely scenario is the overturning of their slender 2-1 lead and yet more pressure being heaped upon on Juande Ramos.

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So there we have it. Britain should have a few representatives in the asymmetrical group stage, and possibly more than a few. But the competition is in desperate need of next year's long overdue revamp. The Europa League may be more of a gentle tweaking than the rebranding suggests, but the changes should be for the better. The Intertoto Cup will be absorbed into the qualifying rounds and the group phase will come at the beginning of the competition, rather than in the middle, featuring even numbers of teams with home and away legs. 

Cherno More? Unfathomable format no more, with any luck.