LONDON -- The buildup to what promises to be the closest, most exciting Premiership ever has been overshadowed by the Football Association soap opera, the Patrick Vieira saga and more recently Michael Owen's propoesed move to Real Madrid.
Football, in the accepted sense, has virtually taken a back seat to in-fighting, politics and transfer speculation -- the beautiful game has had an ugly face in recent weeks.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.