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Football comes alive in September as the Premiership is now well underway, the draw for the Champions League has been made and qualifying for the European Championships is at the business end.
There are plenty of teams, players and especially managers who are under pressure at this time of year as seasons are defined depending on how successful a period they have.
As usual one man heads the field in terms of pressure and if Steve McClaren does not get two positive results at home to Israel and Russia next Saturday and Wednesday respectively then he may not be in a job much longer. How England have ended up in a position where qualification is in doubt from such a weak group is a travesty itself but to actually fail to get to the finals would be a disgrace.
During an interview with the BBC on Sunday, McClaren outlined all his injury problems and whilst undoubtedly he has some he can still put out a team worth £100-million and this should be more than enough to win these two home games.
More worryingly was the statement that he thought England “were in a good position” in the group which will be bravado to some extent but as he sounded as though he believed it means he cannot see his side as one of the best in the world.
The England football team has become more about the man in charge than the quality of results that they produce, meaning we have not moved on from the Eriksson period which is disappointing.
Meanwhile, in the Premiership bright starts have been made by Liverpool and Chelsea and Arsenal have been solid which is a good sign for the London Club who have been winning games this year that they may have previously drawn.
Manchester United are the team that are struggling to find early form with a scrambled win at home to Sunderland last Saturday being the latest instalment. If Ferguson’s side drop any more points to Chelsea then as previous seasons have shown they may be too far behind to ever catch up.
Such is the gap between the top four and the rest of the division that dropping points count for so much more as one of the other big four is unlikely to suffer the same fate.
Initially it appears that for all the attacking talent at his disposal it is an out-and-out goal scorer that could be the vital ingredient.
Only Saha fits this bill as his goal last weekend proved and if he is not fit or out-of-form then it is difficult to see who will replace him.
Rooney and Tevez prefer playing off a striker because when they play up front on their own they become isolated and unable to run at players as they play with their backs to defenders rather than running at them which is when they are most effective.
A deciding factor this year may be what happens off-the-field rather than on it as fresh speculation about the ownership of both Manchester United and Arsenal has arisen again.
With David Dein trying to get back into his beloved Gunners and United being targeted by two consortiums from Dubai and China it is going to be a busy time for all the moneymen.
Elsewhere, Chelsea appear to have resolved the differences between Abramovich and Moriniho while Liverpool look a steady ship this year except that Benetiz has fallen out with his long-standing coach who looks like he will be heading back to Spain.
These four clubs are so closely matched this year that these outside influences may end up being the crucial differences at the end of a long season.
All four managers though would have been eying keenly the draw for the Group Stages of the Champions league last week and everything considered they will all be fairly pleased.
Only United will have some concerns as trips to Roma, Kiev and Sporting Lisbon will be more challenging than they have faced in previous seasons.
Chelsea should qualify easily along with Valencia from their group whilst Arsenal and Liverpool have no real big guns to put any pressure on them.
It is likely that all four teams will qualify but it will be the team from Manchester who will miss out if any of them are to do so.
Far from being the crowning season of trophies, attractive attacking football and the holy grail of the Champions League at the end, Alex Ferguson might find that it will be a defining one for him.
If he fails to take this side to more than last year achievements the time will come when any owner will wonder whether it is ever going to happen and thoughts will spring to other men more likely to take the club to the successes their self-made image desires.
By Patrick Cummings
patrick.cummings@blueyonder.co.uk
