It was the marquee signing that announced that Manchester City had money to burn and were determined to usurp the comfy old pals act at the top of the Premiership. Fans flocked to Eastlands in tea-towels to show their new Arabic allegiance and the shock that seemed to follow such a transfer.  £32.5 million had brought Robinho from Real Madrid to Manchester in a matter of hours and English football was in shock.

At first, the plaudits rained down on the little Brazilian as his pace and trickery dazzled the fans and replica kits bearing his name flew out of the club shop. Sheik Mansour had offered the highest profile player he could lay his hands on as that frenetic day came to a conclusion with City making bids all over Europe. The City fans were in raptures but every silver lining has a cloud.

For some reason, Robinho’s form began to tail off and soon it became evident that he simply didn’t perform away from Eastlands. Almost anonymous for most of the away games he appeared in, it took until April last year for the player to finally turn it on in an away game. Facing a tough trip to Goodison, he was effervescent throughout the game and showed true glimpses of his undoubted skill. 9 months later, a game at the same opponents has Robinho’s critics sharpening their knives.

I don’t think anyone can honestly understand how low a player feels when you join as a  substitute only to be then substituted. It sickens you to the stomach, unless injury has forced you off and that can still rankle as much. Similarly to being substituted at half time, the effect on the footballers psyche is deep and unremitting. To put it bluntly, it hurts like hell and everyone can see it. Pride and shame bubble up from deep inside you, you hope a giant hole will appear to swallow you up but it never arrives.

This event happening in a Sunday morning pub league is bad enough but in front of 37,728 fans and millions more watching around the world it’s almost catastrophic. The effect can be spirit crushing, especially for such a precocious and mentally delicate player as Robson De Souza clearly is. I appreciate that Mancini has to be strong and coming from Internazionale, he is used to dealing with the largest of ego’s but is Robinho egotistical or simply one of those players that constantly needs to be told how good he is? For me it’s the latter.

It’s difficult to explain why some players constantly need to be told how good they are, despite all the evidence pointing to the contrary. Everyone knows they’re good, so surely they must realise it also? It doesn’t work like that, inside your head, you don’t think like that, you don’t think you are that good, you don’t think you can do it every game. Think that’s infuriating for a fan? How do you think the player feels?

Away from home, opponents can figure out players like this, it’s easy. A bit of needle, a few choice words, a foot left in the tackle a little bit longer than it should be or a body check is all it takes to get the player questioning himself. At home, the fans can make you shake the cobwebs out of your head, clear your mind and get you focused back on your abilities and shut out the opposition and their fans baying for your blood.Away from home, it is a very different ball game. Robinho can be talked out of a match away from Eastlands.

Just because someone cost £32.5 million doesn’t make them immune to bouts of self doubt or a loss of confidence or form. Robinho is clearly a confidence player who needs an arm around the shoulder to keep him on side. Regardless of the image and the wages, it’s the battle inside your mind that makes you the player who you really are. Once Robinho can deal with his own self doubts and lack of confidence, then he will truly unlock all of his potential. Mancini needs to show patience and guide him, rather than chastise him.

Where were you when the news of Scolari’s sacking broke this afternoon? I saw it on facebook, followed by a text message from a friend who works at ESPN. I can honestly say that the decision by Roman Abramovich and the Chelsea board has stunned me, after only 7 months in charge at Stamford Bridge. Did I see it coming? Not all, I commented last month that Chelsea weren’t playing well in my opinion and had little chance of catching Manchester United and Liverpool in the race for the Premiership but to remove Scolari so soon caught most people I know by surprise, even the Chelsea fans I know were shocked over the events. I don’t think anyone expected Aston Villa to be surging past them as we entered February but thats the state of the top 4 in the Premeriship come Sunday evening. I know the fans were booing the Chelsea team, for about the third home game in row but lets be fair, Chelsea should be destroying teams like Hull City and Stoke City, no offensive Tigers and Potters fans, but for you both to have almost stolen wins at Stamford Bridge is unthinkable in modern Premiership history.

Only gaining 3 wins in the last nine Premiership matches is surprising, but to only score 9 goals in that period too tells you a lot about what Chelsea’s problem is. This is an old team, with very little quality in depth if any of the first 11 get injured. Of course the first team is, on paper, one to rival most sides in Europe but I shudder to think what the current Barcelona side would do to them on present form.  A team with no real wingers, only two top quality strikers one of whom clearly doesn’t want to be there, 8 central midfielders and no young players banging on the door of the first team squad. Scolari seems to have to have had his hands tied with no new players coming into the side since Deco’s arrival in the summer until Ricardo Queresma joined on transfer deadline day. Quite what he makes of things right now, heaven only knows.

The loss of Michael Essien became a major burden, his effervescent performances have been the driving force for Chelsea over the last 3 seasons and the midfield failed to sizzle without his power and strength to take games by the scruff of the neck. To chase games, Scolari consistently turned to Belletti, a wing back who occasionally filled in at Defensive Midfield. Chelsea have the most expensive youth and scouting network in the world but it hasn’t delivered any players of any note coming in, unlike Manchester United and Liverpool. John Obi Mikel has shown he is no Essien, or even a half fit Claude Makelele. Teams had worked out how to stop Chelsea by pushing on to Bosingwa and Ashley Cole and packing the midfield, narrowing the playing field even more than normal. Once Manchester United had gone to Stamford Bridge and stopped Bosingwa and Cole pushing forward, the rest of the Premiership realised that if you could do that, Chelsea had no Plan B under Scolari.

Chelsea, lacking players comfortable on the wings, were suffocating themselves with an overloaded midfield and running consistently in to dead ends. Steve Clarke has never looked more important to Chelsea’s recent history as he does today, if anything the reason Chelsea did so well last season after Mourinho left was Clarke’s presence on the training ground in the majority of Avram Grants time as manager. Clarke’s hunger to move onward saw Chelsea lose a major asset that they probably didn’t appreciate in the boardroom as much as the players did on the training ground and in the dug out.Over recent weeks, his importance to the Chelsea cause shouldn’t underestimated.

So where now for Chelsea, who can come in a give this team a lift. The team needs a major overhaul, this is an aging side that needs extensive surgery in most areas of the team if they want to compete at the top end of the European football table. I would rule out Guus Hiddink immediately as I can not see Abramovic testing his popularity in Russia by stealing the national team manager, He may be joint favourite with the bookmakers but the Russian connection would rule him out for me. Sven Goran Eriksson is another one I can’t see coming back to England from Mexico, though he would have the experience to deal with the ego’s of the dressing room after his time at Lazio when they were throwing money around like confetti at the turn of the century.

The two big contenders for me are Frank Rijkaard and Roberto Mancini, both recently employed at two of the biggest clubs in Europe at Barcelona and Internazionale respectively. Neither has a contract to break, can start immediately and can cope with the massive burden of expectations from thousands of fans. Mancini took over at Europe’s most consistently underachieving side with Inter and Rijkaard took over the worst Barcelona side in living memory in the Summer of 2003. Both are used to big players and their ego’s and entourages, big demands from fans and chairmen and consistently challenging the biggest sides in Euope for the top prizes. Both delivered in the following seasons but both saw their reigns snatched away from them, Mancini was cruelly treated for Inters failure in Champions League whilst Rijkaard lost the dressing room war between the Ronaldinho and Eto’o camps. That shouldn’t detract from either mans suitability with the job but I’d wager a couple of pounds on a cheeky flirt with Jose Mourinho in this season of comebacks and returns!! Ultimately though, the key to Chelsea’s problems lie with the Chairmans willingness to sanction a wholesale clear out in the Summer. They need hungry young players to add to the likes of Ashley and Joe Cole, Bosingwa, Lampard and Anelka, get some width to the side and get them playing football with a bit more canniness to it, to have more than a plan A. For Chelsea to succeed again, Roman Abramovic has to fall back in love with the Chelsea blue.

So Andrei Arshavin is starting to make loud noises about his future, and it doesn’t look like playing in Russia is a part of it.  He’s telling Zenit St. Petersburg that if he has to, he’ll buy out his contract (this is the only link that is currently available, the Telegraph also reported the same this morning, before updating their story) in order to move. We’re also seeing rumblings that he’s already in London seeing the Arsenal sights, while the negotiations begin over the transfer fee. While 20 million seems a bit much for someone who is more or less demanding to be sold, I don’t blame Zenit for this ploy to start, knowing they will settle for less to just be rid of a headache.

I don’t know what to make of this whole situation. On the one hand, Arsene Wenger needs someone in the absence of Cesc Fabregas while on the other, what does Wenger do once Fabregas is back. Knowing this, Zenit should hold Arsenal over the coals to get what they feel is right for a player under contract to them. The other thing that I wonder about is does Arshavin become surplus requirements to the Arsenal squad once Fabregas does come back? If that happens, how long before Arsenal are dealing with the same antics that got him in the first place.

The other story that has caught my interest is are we starting to see the sell off at West Ham United?  We all know about the alleged financial difficulties West Ham’s owner are having, and we also know about the comments from Zola about selling the surplus. My question to that is, are Calum Davenport and Matthew Etherington really surplus requirements to West Ham United’s squad? The proposed seven million those two will bring doesn’t seem like the right valuation. Then add Scott Parker to that mix that looks to be a 12 million pound transfer to Manchester City makes me wonder if West Ham United are trying to gut their squad. But at the same time, there is talk about bringing in Savio Nsereko. Being an under 19 makes me think he’s probably another year from really cracking the starting 11 on a consistent basis.

I understand Zola wants to keep his core of Craig Bellamy, Matthew Upson and Scott Parker together, and really only one of those three look to be on the chopping block.  I also understand that West Ham do have surplus that they do need to get rid of. I just wonder if the balance they are looking for is the balance that is going to be needed going into the future.

Other Stories
Jermain Defoe is back at Tottenham and as goes with the tried and tested ‘It’s great to be back‘ line. So if Harry Redknapp goes to another club, how long will it be before Defoe follows along?

Micah Richards is hitting back at those who claim he is fat and unfit. I think the only thing unfit is his mind with regards to field positioning.

Look who’s trying to be officer of the peace with Carlos Tevez and Manchester United…the third party interest.

It’s been nice knowing you Dean Windass, who looks to finally be leaving Hull City. I do feel for him, as the man who scored the goal that got Hull City into the Premier League is making a hasty exit back to the lower leagues.

Luis Felipe Scolari has lost his mind if he thinks that Florent Malouda holds the key in their Sunday clash against Manchester United.

This weekend we were graced with another very entertaining and competitive Premier League weekend. At this rate, we’re well on course for one of the most exciting Premier League seasons in recent memory. Here are ten reasons why:

1. No more Derby County. The three promoted teams already have equaled or exceeded the number of points that Derby achieved during the entire 07/08 season. Derby won a mere 11 points last season. West Bromwich Albion currently have 11, while newboys Stoke City have 13 and fairytale Hull City has 20.
2. Amr Zaki. The Egyptian striker has been a revelation and an absolute joy to watch. Not only has his exquisite goals been sublime, but the way Zaki reads the game and how strong and confident he has been is a testament to his skills. He also seems very humble, which is a rare attribute for Premier League goalscorers.
3. Hull City. Even in their losses against Manchester United and Chelsea during the past week, Hull have showed a wonderful attitude as well as a lack of fear which is so hard to find in the Premier League. With Hull, unpredictability happens, which is another rarity about the Premiership.
4. Rory Delap. When was the last time you saw one player have such a dramatic impact on a team’s chances of winning by using one of the most unconventional methods? Delap’s throw-ins seem to be practically unstoppable. Both goals by Stoke yesterday against Arsenal were the result of Delap’s throws.
5. Tottenham Hotspur. Love them or hate them, Tottenham Hotspur’s season has been more dramatic than an entire season of Dream Team. Everything that could have gone wrong did. And everything that could have gone right in one week did, too.
6. Liverpool. While I was a big critic of their form earlier in the season where they lucked out on several occasions during the qualifying games in Europe and their first few matches in the Premier League, the club has found its form and look one of the most dangerous sides in the league.
7. Arsenal. Before the season began, who would have predicted that the Gunners would lose against Fulham, Hull City and Stoke City? Arsene Wenger’s side continues to be a mystery wrapped inside an enigma. Some weeks they’re playing blistering football, but other times they’ve been abysmal.
8. Classics. One of the major things we were missing last season were classic games that you’ll remember for years. While last season’s race was close, we’ve already experienced four classic games and we’re only just in November. Classics include Man City 2-3 Liverpool, Arsenal 4-4 Spurs, Liverpool 3-2 Wigan and Spurs 2-1 Liverpool.
9. Big Four. This season, for the first time in ages, we have the best chance of a real Big Four race instead of just the Big Two. Sure, Arsenal has slipped but there’s still plenty of time for the Gunners to regain their winning form.
10. Chelsea reborn. Luis Felipe Scolari has turned Chelsea into a lean fighting machine capable of playing some free-flowing football as well as playing with a confidence that they’ve been lacking for quite some time. The Blues already have a goal difference of +23, while Liverpool have +8 despite having the same number of points as Chelsea, 26.

What highlights and storylines are missing from the above list that have made this season the best yet? Click the comments link below and let us know.