Allo, Darlin'

I've been shouting about this band for a while now, sometimes a bit too obsessively, but still, they are bloomin' marvellous.

So, imagine my delight when the were invited to record a session with the BBC at the Maida Vale studios!

Have a gander at their MySpace or their website to find out more about gigs etc...

Marathon Men

The race for the Premier League approached the final bend yesterday as Chelsea regained top spot with an emphatic 7-0 win which left Tony Pulis’ Stoke City panting as some struggling runners were still on London Marathon duty.

With Arsenal having dropped out of the leading pack and Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham hitting a wall long ago, Chelsea saw their sole challengers Manchester United overtake them on Saturday but the win at Stamford Bridge meant that Carlo Ancelotti’s men regained the lead in this long-distance competition as the finish line came into sight.

This was Chelsea in scintillating form and they sprinted into the lead thanks to three first half goals. They took the lead after 24 minutes as Florent Malouda crossed for Didier Drogba to exquisitely control the ball when it seemed to be beyond his reach. With a nonchalant flick of his right leg, he brought the ball down before his cross was met with a sublime diving header from Salomon Kalou to score the first of his hat trick.

Kalou made it 2-0 as he capitalised on a spillage from Thomas Sorensen but as he slid in, he made contact with the Dane and left him with a dislocated elbow. It appeared as though Kalou challenged with his studs up but the referee took no action as Stoke replaced him with Asmir Begovic.

Chelsea’s ‘other’ Ivorian also had a hand in the third goal as he was comically felled by Robert Huth before Lampard converted the resulting penalty.

The Chelsea faithful were in fine voice but had to wait until the 68th minute for number four as Stoke were punished once more for a high defensive line and slack marking.

Kalou raced onto the end of Lampard’s high ball and beat Begovic at the second time of asking after seeing his first effort parried.

Lampard was on hand to make it 5-0 with a majestic finish after 81 minutes; finding space at the back post and using the outside of his right foot to guide Sam Hutchinson’s cross beyond the Stoke goalkeeper.

Substitute Daniel Sturridge scored his first Premier League goal to make it 6-0 six minutes later and Malouda tapped in number seven with ease in the final minute of the ninety.

This was the third time this season alone that Chelsea have scored seven at home a habit which must leave Roman Abramovic purring. If the Italian manager ever wanted to find favour with his boss, this was surely it.

“We score a lot of goals, we are happy. We are showing during this season fantastic attacking play we have scored maybe 93 goals in the Premier League and it is a very good record for us,” Ancelotti admitted.

The result means that should the title race come down to goal-difference, Chelsea have an eight goal advantage over their northern rivals. However, the Italian manager dismissed it as unimportant.

“It is a good thing [having a superior goal-difference] but I don’t think that is important to decide who will win the title.

"There will be one team that arrives in the first place and one team that arrives in the second place and the goal difference I think that not so important.”

Ancelotti can see the finish line and has it firmly in his sights. It is simple for Chelsea; don’t slow down or trip up and the title is theirs. But be warned, Sir Alex is close behind and has a keen eye on title number 19.

Chris Waddle Was Right

Theo Walcott is an impact player. He does not warrant a place in England's starting XI, or even Arsenal's for that matter.

Walcott suffers from 'Aaron Lennon' syndrome; an inability to make a decision concerning the 'final ball'. A syndrome which its creator has seemingly recovered from.

He does not have, as Chris Waddle said, a 'football brain'.

"I just don't think he's got a football brain and he's going to have problems. Let's be honest, good defenders would catch him offside every time. I just don't know whether he studies the game, learns the game, or what. He's at a great club where they play fantastic football week-in, week-out, and I'm just surprised he's never developed his game."

His hat trick in Zagreb aside, the former Southampton player has shown few signs of having developed his thinking on the pitch. His finish at the Emirates last Wednesday was the perfect example.

After a piercing pass from Nicklas Bendtner, Walcott's pace took him past Maxwell - all good so far, marvellous running from the winger - but then his shot was hit tamely at Victor Valdes and snuck underneath the Spaniard.

I may be setting my standards too high, but it was far from a brilliant finish, and lucky to have found the back of the net. It was hit straight down the middle of the goal, straight at Valdes. If that was Jussi Jääskeläinen, Jose Reina or, on current form, Craig Gordon, I expect that would have been mere fodder.

Walcott's obvious asset is his searing pace. He utilised this against Barcelona, coming off the bench to give the Catalan defence, who had played 70 frantic minutes, an end to the game they could have really done without. (This is also why he should go to the World Cup, as an impact player).

It would be marvellous to see Walcott become the match-winner tonight, the man who helped Arsenal achieve what only Rubin Kazan have done this season. It would be wonderful to see the youngster make such an impact in the World Cup as he did in the second half at the Emirates last week. It would be fantastic to see the 21-year-old fulfill his potential and become a world-class player. But, for the time being, all he has is potential and the ability to cause confusion with his speed.

What do you think? Am I being too harsh on Theo, does he deserve a starting place in the Arsenal and England line-ups?

Follow me on Twitter @mikegrady87

Unfair-Lee done?

Lee Mason should go down in Sunderland folklore. On his two trips to the Stadium of Light this season, the Lancashire born referee has awards the team in red and white five penalties.

Granted, only three of those penalties have been converted, but his contribution to Sunderland's cause shouldn't be overlooked.

It should also be noted that in 19 matches this season, Mr Mason has only awarded five penalties. All to Sunderland, and all at the Stadium of Light. Surely this is one referee you can not criticise as a Sunderland fan.

At the match on Saturday, fans were directing all sorts of abuse at Mr Mason for his failure to caution any Spurs players. This abuse should have been met by bemusement by fellow supporters, but it was met by approval.

I, for one, found it baffling how a referee could be criticised so readily when he has already awarded three penalties to the home side in little more than an hour.

How did you think Lee Mason did on Saturday?

Follow me on Twitter @mikegrady87

Match of the Day?

Match of the Day has often annoyed fans; from the choice and 'insight' of pundits to the hyperbolic commentators, the show is far from a perfect model of a football program. But last night, it was the decision of what order games should appear in that was baffling.

The match between the top two, Manchester United and Chelsea, was always going to be the first match aired; between the two clubs, they must have the largest audience in the country, and the importance - in the football world - was paramount.

However, when looking at results elsewhere in the Premier League, one would have presumed that the other Manchester team would have been next up. An obscene 6-1 away win at Burnley, including three goals after seven minutes, was surely the most entertaining game of the day.

Failing that, Sunderland's 3-1 home win against Champions League hunters Tottenham Hotspur, which also included two missed penalties and a disallowed goal, would have been a wise choice.

But no, the MOTD bods chose Arsenal's 1-0 win over 10-man Wolverhampton Wanderers as their second game.

Tradtionally, the games shown first and second are the features matches - with extended highlights and insight. Surely it would be better to spend twenty minutes talking about the seven goals at Turf Moor or the four at the Stadium of Light than the solitary late effort at the Emirates.

My question is, how the the BBC select that matches? If goals and entertainment make way for league position and gravitas, doesn't that bring the value of an analytical football program down?