Back in July I wrote with some fury about the fact that Millionaire footballers, tied to multi-million-pound, legally-binding contracts are able to decide their own fate with a sulk and the click of a finger.

I thought it was bad a couple of months back, but oh dear - Dimi Berbatov, you’re a disgrace. He’s decided he wants a move for Man United, and all of a sudden isn’t in the right frame of mind to play for Spurs. What the hell? If it were me, I’d put his name down first on every single reserve team sheet and force him through every 90 minutes in some of the relative dumps around the country, perhaps that’d teach the overpaid stars some gratitude?

This affair is even more amusing because United have this week admitted they’re now less hopeful of signing the striker. After rubbing all of his Spurs’ team-mates up the wrong way and getting a deserved cold shoulder, he’s left himself one hell of a bed to lie in.

Try getting a proper job!

So, SWP is out of Chelsea and back at Manchester City. I think I’m probably the only one who is a bit surprised. Many players - Wayne Bridge, Scott Parker, Steve Sidwell, I could go on… - have had wasted years at Chelsea after being lured by big money, but SWP seemed to have made a decent crack of things and was certainly popular with supporters.

Either way, he’s a quality player and for sure it’s City’s gain. Also out the door is Shevva, who has also reverted back to a previous life by linking up with AC Milan. I think we all know he’s a much, much better player than he showed at the Bridge; that’s what took him there to begin with, of course. Good luck to both of them.

I have to say that this year, I’ve not really been that bothered about the re-start to the Premiership season.

I don’t know if it was because of the Euros, or perhaps the Olympics, but something just hasn’t been there. Naturally Premiership football isn’t my main domain and as such it doesn’t dominate my world anyway but I do normally always look forward to the start of the season, so I’m not sure why things were so different last time around.

Hull’s fantastic performance on the opening day did enough to peak my interest but even so, I’ve not really been excited by or compelled to watch the Premier re-start — until today: What a performance from Chelsea, and certainly Deco.

30 he may well be, but at £8 million he’s an absolute bargain. People talk about Robbie Keane being the transfer of the summer at £20 million? I don’t think so somehow. Deco’s passing range was superb as Chelsea crushed Pompey, and he thoroughly deserved his goal - and what a fantastic goal.

That was much more like it. Remains to be seen whether United can equal things with a strong first showing of their own, but the Blues already look good to challenge this year.

Ok, I may upset one or two folks with this one, especially as I consider myself, albeit casually, something of a Liverpool fan.

Carlsberg – Official shirt sponsors to Liverpool, recently entered into a promotion with The Sun newspaper to give away the odd free pint via a voucher scheme.

Now, it goes without saying that after the Hillsborough disaster, Liverpool supporters boycotted – and still boycott – The Sun for its inaccurate reporting of the events that took place on that day. A total of 96 Liverpool supporters were killed as a result of overcrowding and subsequent crushing at one end of the stadium – The Sun ran with the headline ‘The Truth – claiming that Liverpool fans, among other things, urinated on and pick-pocketed dead bodies. Irreprehensible, without a doubt, and The Sun themselves refer to it as the biggest mistake in their history.

However, 19 years later, many Liverpool fans still wage a hate campaign against the newspaper. So much so that they’ve called on their sponsor of some 18 years in Carlsberg to be given the elbow – many have started buying un-sponsored shirts in another boycott. And I’m not really sure whether I agree with it. I’m not cold-hearted enough to simply say ‘Hey, get over it’ as many have been, but I think it’s been far too long now for so many people – many of whom had no connection to the disaster itself – to carry such hatred.

Nobody doubts that the loss of 96 lives is an unspeakable tragedy – and to have salt rubbed into wounds in the way that took place clearly made matters worse, but I can’t help thinking its time to move on. It just seems to be that many Liverpool fans of today boycott The Sun almost because it’s the done thing – regardless of whether they were even born in 1989. People ridicule Liverpool fans for always seeming to feel victimised – I don’t think I could go as far as to agree with that, but I can sort of understand the sentiments.

I’m treading on very dangerous ground here, but let’s look at some facts: The 96 fans died because of the crush and its related effects, and the ‘crush’ only began because so many thousands of Liverpool fans – who did NOT have a ticket for the game – tried to and managed to get their way into the ground. Many of these fans were drunk, too, and I’ve no doubt that this added to the panic and hysteria. I am NOT suggesting that Liverpool are to blame for the deaths, al ALL. But I don’t think we can be expected to believe that they were, and have ever since been faultless and have been the only ones to be affected by a disaster. I’d almost guarantee it that the families of the July 7 bombing victims receive LESS support than those connected to the Hillsborough disaster. Does the death of one group of people have a monopoly over ANY other? No, not at all, but that’s something worth thinking about.

For Liverpool fans to so roundly condemn Carlsberg for daring to associate with The Sun is to me, just wrong and, with some of the above in mind, bordering on the self-righteous.

Paul Parker - Not So Bad After All?

My goodness.

I admit, I ranted a reasonable amount last season about Paul Parker’s ability as a pundit after Setanta Sports decided to employ him as a commentator for their Blue Square Premier coverage.

Well, I’m sat watching York v Wrexham on Setanta, and it’s a case of come back Paul, all is forgiven. My, my, my. Ian Snodin may well have been an established player and may well be decent enough as a TV studio guest but, as a commentator, he is woeful.

I heard Parker doing some work on a pre-season game for Setanta a few weeks back so I doubt they’ve let him go just yet. If this is how green the grass is on the other side, then I’d rather stay with the Devil I know…