Derby County were the first club relegated from the FA Premier League yesterday (29/03/2008). They were the bookies favourites to get relegated at the start of the season and the bookies are rarely wrong. However I believe the future is bright for Derby County as they have one of the best English managers in Paul Jewell and given time he will turn things around.

Arsenal kept their chances of winning the FA Premier League alive, with an awe inspiring comeback against Bolton. At half-time Arsenal were a man down after Abou Diaby was sent off and losing 2-0, however they still managed to beat Bolton 2-3.

Manchester United beat Aston Villa 4-0, with Rooney and Ronaldo on top form, these guys look unstoppable at the moment. Shame Rooney can't deliver the goods when playing for England.

Liverpool won the Merseyside derby with Torres getting the only goal of the game. Everton rarely creating a chance with Yakubu playing up front as a lone striker.

So the race for the Premier League is still in the balance with all the top four clubs winning. Manchester United are still in the driving seat, but Arsenal and Chelsea are applying the pressure, so it looks like it's going to be a close finish.

When will the England players show the fight, passion and determination to win every ball, and the raw energy that was once feared.

Did England turn up to Paris to face France? France looked really pumped for the game and ready to fight tooth and nail to beat the old enemy England. Whereas England were yet again poor. Did Steve McClaren pick the formation? Rooney is not a lone striker and England need at least two up front.

Ribery's penalty gave France a 1-0 deserved victory against England, but was it a penalty? James must of felt a little hard done by, as Anelka's touch was too heavy and James just stood his ground.

On the positive side it was nice to see that Beckham made his 100th cap for England, it was even nicer to see the whole stadium give him a standing ovation when he was substituted. Hope it's not Beckham last game for England as he still has a lot more to offer on the international stage.

By way the best English player on the pitch was Peter Crouch, he held the ball up well and always played the right pass. Shame he doesn't get a regular game at Liverpool, he will definitely have to get a transfer at the end of the season.

Result

France 1 - 0 England

England play France on Wednesday (26/03/2008) in Paris and will Fabio Capello pick Beckham for England?

I'm a big fan of Beckham and I hope he does get to play, as he still has a lot to offer on the international stage. When McClaren dropped Beckham, I knew it would effect England's chances of qualifying for Euro 2008.

I hope that England play with heart and passion against France, as that's what's been lacking from the last couple of internationals. It's time to start over again and a lot of the players in the England squad still have to justify why they're in the squad.

Can Lampard and Gerrard play in the same team? Should Crouch start up front? Hopefully Capello will have the answers and solutions to these questions. England needs to stretch the French defence and revert back to traditional wingers and high tempo football.

Whatever the outcome, I just hope England puts in a good performance and holds their own and the players can hold their heads up high.

France are a force to be reckoned with, hopefully England won't be on the wrong end of Anelka and Trezeguet.

Prediction

I'm going for a 1-2 to England, France will score first through Anelka, Crouch and Rooney for England late on.

Just goes to show that football is a funny old game, my predictions were completely wrong and the matches lived up to the hype surrounding them on what was billed as 'Grand Slam Sunday'.

With Manchester United beating Liverpool 3-0 and Chelsea beating Arsenal 2-1, Manchester United have now gone 5 points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Manchester United's task was made easier with the Mascherano sending off, however Liverpool at this point were already 1-0 down. I believe that referees should continue this crack down on players using intimidation tactics. When I was a lad, I was told to accept the referee's decision and just get on with the game, as nothing could change their mind.

Players have to realise that they have to accept the referee's decision and any attempt to intimidate them will result in a yellow card. The top four clubs always think they can get away with this tactic. I hope the clampdown is not just a one off and referees continue to crackdown on this behaviour.

It looks like Arsenal are cracking under the pressure and don't seem to be able to grind out results. Whereas Chelsea are playing to their strengths and keeping their title hopes alive by leapfrogging over Arsenal to go second in the table. Drogba is on fine form and banging the goals in, along with Anelka up front, Chelsea have the impetus to challenge Manchester United.

Arsenal are by far the best passing team in the Premier League at the moment, but sometimes they try too hard to pass the ball into the back of the net. If Arsenal had followed Chelsea's example of root one football, then the outcome would have been different and the title race would be more interesting.

Liverpool's title race is all but over with the defeat to Manchester United, so they will have to settle for 4th place. Whereas Manchester United look like favourites to retain the Premier League, but then Chelsea and Arsenal aren't out of the race just yet.

This Sunday (23/03/2008) sees the top four Premier League football clubs do battle (Manchester United vs Liverpool and Arsenal vs Chelsea). These fixtures could make or break the season. With Manchester United currently leading the pack and sitting three points clear at the the top of the Premier League, but that could all change with a slip up against Liverpool and Arsenal defeating Chelsea.

So are these fixtures going to live up to the hype surrounding them, probably not, as they usually end up cancelling each other out and not making good viewing for a neutral fan. That won't stop me watching them on the box and hopefully enjoying a humdinger of a weekend.

Predictions

I predict that Manchester United will beat Liverpool 2-1 and Arsenal and Chelsea will cancel each other out resulting in a 1-1 draw.

Football definitely is a funny old game, but I'm glad to see that the usual top four Premier league teams aren't going to win the competition this year. It looks as though the FA Cup is going back to the good old days when I was a little whippersnapper, as there seemed to be more magic in the FA Cup.

Barnsley fully deserved to beat Chelsea; they had more fight and were first to the ball on every occasion. Likewise Cardiff showed that they wanted to win a lot more than Middlesbrough. Whereas West Brom were just too hot to handle, but Bristol Rovers should be proud of their achievements.

Portsmouth definitely had lady luck on their side as they beat Manchester United. How on earth did Carrick not score, only he will be able to answer that?

Barnsley is my tip to win the FA Cup, as they've knocked out two of the best teams and it will be a shame if they don't go all the way. However, football is never straightforward and easy to predict, but least this year's FA Cup is exciting for the neutral fan.

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