Don Robbie

By Oli Dickson Jefford After a 2021 which saw the return of fans to stadiums, a Premier League side triumphing in the Champions League and a thrilling men’s Euros, all eyes are now on 2022. The Premier League and Champions League are in full swing and there will be back-to-back years with major tournaments with the World Cup in Qatar coming just months after a home Women's European Championships. It promises to be another thrilling year with twists and turns and a decent helping of drama, but just who will be lifting trophies? Here are our predictions for who will win the Premier League, men's Champions League and men’s World Cup this year. Premier League Until a few weeks ago it looked as if there would be a thrilling title race between Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, However, with the latter two sides faltering in recent weeks, Man City have surged ahead and it is hard to see anyone catching them. Liverpool and Chelsea are still in touching distance, but with their sq...

What is England's best starting XI right now? By Jonny Bray What is there left to say?  England are class. A common criticism of the qualifying for World Cups and European Championships is that the quality of some opponents is so poor that it's hard to send fans of the Three Lions home happy. But a 10-0 win against San Marino shows that England aren't just better than these teams now. A 10-0 win shows they're now able to put these sides to bed without their dinner. It was like watching a slow-motion car crash as England showed the best of what they can offer right now, while also providing a glimpse of the future. But what is the strongest side available to Gareth Southgate, as things stand? Goalkeeper   Despite an increase in competition, goalkeeper is still probably England's weakest position. There  are four or five options to fill the spot, each as slightly above average as the next. The first choice as things stand must be Jordan Pickford, whose for...

By Oli Dickson Jefford Usually at this time of year, clubs across the Premier League and the rest of Europe would be preparing for a solid few months of league action with a five-month break from international football. Yet in a year’s time we will be just days away from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which looks set to be one of the most demanding and controversial tournaments in history.  The tournament begins on the 21 November and concludes just a week before Christmas on the 18 December, one of the shortest World Cup events since it switched to a 32-team format.  Due to the timing of the tournament, the Premier League season will run differently to usual. Action begins earlier, on 6 August, with a halt in action from 14 November - just a week before the tournament begins. And after the World Cup final, there will be a break of just eight days before Premier League action resumes for its traditional Boxing Day fixtures.  Is the turnaround time too short? The decision to...