Yesterday Portsmouth FC were hit with a winding up order from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs with regard to unpaid taxes. It has been less than two years since Pompey were placed into administration whilst still cutting their teeth in money fairground that is the Barclay’s Premiership, the point deduction that followed was the final nail in previously successful top level tenure.

A generation of mismanagement under shady owners and mysterious foreigners has resulted in the much loved local club worry more about finances than performances on the field in recent times. Long gone are the days of playing AC Milan in the Europa League, the likes of Jermaine Defoe and Niko Kranjcar in the starting line up being urged on by the experienced Harry Redknapp. These days the untested Michael Appleton takes charge against teams such as Peterborough relying on the ever ageing Kanu and journeyman Tal Ben Haim to come up with the goods for the expectant Portsmouth faithful.

This test seems to be the biggest they have faced in a long line of financial restraints. Not since Milan Mandaric have Portsmouth had any sort of relevant stability behind the scenes at Fratton Park. Alexandre Gaydamak, Suliamen Al Fahim, Ali Al Haraj and Balram Chainrai have all been in control in the last three years and none of them have provided any good in the grand scheme of things for the club. Yes they have achieved FA Cup success but as a result the club appear to be about to hit the wall with debts at one time quoted at over £100 mil. Silly spending, not paying bills and paying players such as Peter Crouch and Sylvain Distin inflated wages are just a few of the reasons Pompey find themselves in the predicament they now find themselves.

Former chairmen, Vladimir Antonov was recently arrested for alleged assest stripping, prompting the sudden change again in the clubs financial situation. A failed bid for the club from Italian businessman Joseph Cala on Friday has seen the situation deteriorate even further pronoting HMRC to now chase the £1.6mil they are due.

Times look tough once again for a side that was seen to have a lot of potential at the start of the Championship season but now the big worry is the future of the team not the final league position come May.

Paul Lambert’s men knew a win at Fratton Park would be enough to secure back-to-back promotions for the Canaries.

Simeon Jackson’s header just after half-time proved the winner to send the travelling Norwich fans wild.

The win means Norwich will be playing Premier League football for the first time in six years.

Congratulations to Norwich and we at Football Corner wish them all the best for next season.

Portsmouth keeper David James used to play for Manchester City and there is no denying he is still a good goalkeeper at the grand age of 39. With 3 massive games coming up for City, they obviously need a solid, reliable keeper to play in their remaining games and I think James is the man.

Manchester City would have no problem throwing Pompey a few quid for James and there is no doubt the south coast club could do with a few more pound coins. James spent 2 years at Eastlands and I for one feel he could do a job for City in this all important run-in.

The only thing that may prevent the move is Portsmouth’s FA Cup final which takes place a week after the Premier League campaign finishes.

I really am keen to hear what you have to say on this. Comments below please.

It has to be said that Martin O’Neill has had quite a lot to ponder over recently. Villa have hit a rocky patch in their league campaign – they are now down to seventh – and after the disappointment of going to Wembley for the League Cup final and losing to Manchester United in February, O’Neill and the Villa faithful must be wondering what the return to the capital will bring. In their last match in London, less than a fortnight ago they were hammered 7 – 1 by Frank Lampard and co. at Stamford Bridge – a nightmare that everyone in the Villa camp will be trying to put out of their minds.

Chelsea’s fortunes on the other hand seem to be soaring. Since their goal-fest against Villa, the Blues have beaten Manchester United at Old Trafford and are now at the top of the Premiership. Many impartial observers would look at Chelsea’s current scintillating form and contrast it with Villa’s recent woes and conclude that there can only be one winner on Saturday. According to football betting websites Chelsea are odds-on favourites to reach the final while Villa are being quoted at 4/1.

At first glance the Sunday tie between Tottenham and Portsmouth looks pretty one-sided too. Portsmouth are already doomed to playing in the Championship next season after suffering the ignominy of going into administration and having 9 points deducted as a result. They have managed only 6 league wins all season so a trip to Wembley will at least be some consolation for their fans. However, let’s remember that Portsmouth not only got through to the Final in 2008 but they also defeated Cardiff to win the competition that year. So despite the adversity and disappointment they have suffered in the league this season Portsmouth supporters will be hoping that their team can rise to the occasion and pull off a real surprise by making the Final again.

Ex Pompey and current Spurs boss Harry Redknapp will probably be confident that Spurs will have the firepower to sink Portsmouth especially after the two sides’ recent league clash which ended with Spurs winning by two goals to nil at White Hart Lane. Spurs are currently riding high in the Premiership and chasing the fourth spot despite last Saturdays hiccup at Sunderland. For those who like a bet the online betting sites are offering odds of 3/10 on Spurs winning while odds of 9/1 are being offered on a Portsmouth victory.

One thing that you can be sure of is that all four sides will be going all out to get to the Final with the prospect of securing that highly-prized silverware for the trophy cabinet. The FA Cup is still a competition that “matters” in English Football and the semi-finals are going to provide an exciting prelude for the Final that will be played on the 15th May.

With just six games to go, Harry Redknapp’s men are now the clear favourites to claim that final Champions League spot and to be honest, I think they will go on to finish 4th this season.

With Aston Villa losing 7-1 at Chelsea today, I feel Martin O’Neill’s men are now out of the reckoning for 4th. That leaves Manchester City and Liverpool who, in my opinion, both look incapable of winning the remainder of their games this season.

What do you think? Comments below please.

Goals from Didier Drogba (2), Florent Malouda (2) and Frank Lampard helped Chelsea to move to within one points of Premier League leaders Manchester United and also move ahead of Arsenal.

With just 7 games to go now for the three sides chasing the title, there are only two points seperating them and I think it’s fair to say, we are in for an exciting few weeks. I would appreciate it if you took a few seconds out of your day to head over to FootballQS to vote on the poll I have posted up there.

The poll asks you a simple (well maybe not simple) question : Who will win the Premier League title this season?

Feel free to leave your comments below here and let us know who will win the title and why.

Anyway, Sunderland.

Steve Bruce’s men fell to their 12th defeat of the season this afternoon at the hands of Arsenal. The North-East club are now just 3 points above the drop zone and I am sure the majority of Sunderland fans would not have envisaged that at the start of the season.

The last time Sunderland won a Premier League game was way back in November when they welcomed today’s opponents Arsenal to the Stadium of Light. That’s exactly three months ago since Sunderland tasted victory and if they don’t get their act together soon, they could find themselves in the Championship next season.

With just 12 games to go, Sunderland have some tricky fixtures between now and May with Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Tottenham all still to come for the Black Cats.

The majority of bookmakers have Sunderland around 6/1 to be relegated this season and to be honest, I feel that’s actually a very generous price considering the way they are playing at the moment.

What do you think? Comments below please.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s men are bang in form at the moment and many, including myself feel Manchester United are an absoloute cert for tomorrow’s game. I may even put down a nice wager. With my winnings I’ll pay off those online payday loans and have a good bit left over to wager on the next match.

I can see United scoring four or five goals and I think a certain Wayne Rooney may be amongst the goals. In my opinion, there is no better striker in the world at the moment and even though odds of 12/1 look pretty poor for a hat-trick in tomorrow’s game, I still think it’s worth backing.

So follow the link to William Hill here to get some money on the Rooney hat-trick!

Have you any tips for the weekend? Leave youe comments below please.