10@10: £37m doesn't buy you much of a defence these days, plus nine other things we learned from watching football this week

Yes, there was rather a big game going on at Stamford Bridge this weekend , but that's not to say there weren't lessons to be learned elsewhere this weekend, writes Dan Silver.

1) £37million quid really doesn't get you much in the defence department these days. Manchester City would have been equally solid at the back if they'd picked two of those oversized poppies than Lescott and Toure.

2) While we're on the subject, Mark Hughes really does have a shaky grasp of economics. He moaned that his team should have got more credit for coming back from two goals down against Burnley. Sparky: considering the relative values of your squads (£300million, give or take, compared to a tenner and a packet of crisps), you should have been able to give them a TEN goal head start and still won.

3) Tottenham are going to win the league again. They say the mark of Champions is that you can win games when you aren't playing well. And performances don't come much worse than Spurs' against Sunderland on Saturday. Steve Bruce's Black Cats must have run over a few of their namesakes on the way to the ground to lose that game.

4) Darren Bent famously fell out with Harry Redknapp when the Spurs manager suggested his missus could have scored a chance Bent missed for Tottenham against Portsmouth. What a shame Sunderland couldn't have nominated Sandra Redknapp to have taken that penalty on Saturday...

5) Arsenal's forwards are now so prolific that they're boring even themselves. So full marks to Eduardo for playing penalty box billiards at Molineux on Saturday in an attempt to liven things up. The cannon he expertly lined-up off of Jody Craddock's head was sublime.

6) Congrats to Bolton's Johann Elmander, who broke an 11-month goal drought by scoring against Aston Villa on Saturday. It was a shocking barren run, yes, but as his previous goal also came at Villa Park, the Holte End faithful have still seen him score more goals than Emile Heskey in the past year.

7) With his brace of match-winning goals on Saturday, Jason Roberts proved that the supersub role is nothing to be sniffed at. And, given that the striker was a recent victim of the Blackburn swine flu outbreak, that's probably for the best. Apparently opposing Portsmouth boss was feeling pretty pig sick after Roberts' intervention too...

8) After West Ham's midweek win over Aston Villa , there were subsequent reports of strange atmospheric conditions over the Boleyn Ground towards the end of the Hammers' defeat to out-of-sorts Everton yesterday . Apparently the Met Office have told residents of E13 not to worry - it's just another false dawn.

9) Jimmy Bullard should henceforth be known as 'Jesus' for he worked not one, but two miracles at the KC Stadium yesterday. Not only did the finally fit again midfielder set up a Hull victory with his last-minute long-range strike, he also enabled a dead man to walk away with his job. Forget saving suicide cases on the Humber Bridge, Phil Brown should spend all of his spare time from now ensuring Jimmy doesn't twist so much as a sock.

10) You can't beat the magic of the FA Cup, particularly when it provides onetime big names of the beautiful game who have since fallen on hard times the chance to pull of a shock result and get their names back in the papers. So take a bow Norwich - let's hope you pull a big name out of the hat in the second round!



Which classic football manager are you? Take our test

Follow MirrorFootball on Twitter for breaking news, the latest opinions and fun stuff throughout the day

Get the best priced tickets to the best games at Mirror Tickets.

Win two tickets to see Fulham vs Man City with Mirror Football.

Your comments

Related content

3PM Extra: The best things we've found on the internet today - Friday, March 19, 2010
    The Plugger vs...The Rifles
      MirrorFootball's Best XI: Beardies
        3PM Extra: The best things we've found on the internet today - March 18, 2010
          Strawberry blond? Who are you kidding! The best Ginga XI of all-time
            Rocket science, own goals and bouncebackability - The life and times of Iain Dowie
              3PM Extra: The best videos we've found on the internet today - Wednesday, March 17
                Cheer up Pompey... Nine reasons to look forward to life in the Championship
                  Does Dowie owe his Hull gig to a PowerPoint presentation?

                    Latest opinions

                    Blog

                    Rooney v Torres clockwatch: Who came out on top in the battle of the strike stars?

                    Mirror Football Blog 15:52 21/03/10

                        All eyes were on Wayne Rooney and Fernando Torres at Old Trafford as two of the world's leading fron... Read More+

                        Blog

                        Manchester United v Liverpool: The minutes that mattered

                        Mirror Football Blog 15:45 21/03/10

                            It was a tense affair at Old Trafford, with few chances but plenty of incident. And these were the k... Read More+

                            Blog

                            10 things we learned from watching Man United v Liverpool

                            Mirror Football Blog 15:29 21/03/10

                                1) Alan Green was firmly on his high horse prior to kick-off, berating a small boy in the crowd for ... Read More+

                                Blog

                                Transfer news, rumours and gossip from Sunday's papers

                                Football Spy 11:55 21/03/10

                                    Stories from today's Sunday Mirror:Spurs set to swoop for £7.5million West Ham star - ExclusiveJuven... Read More+

                                    Blog

                                    Neymar da Silva Scouting Report

                                    Football Spy 11:53 21/03/10

                                        Premier League giants Chelsea and Manchester City are set for a summer battle for the signature of B... Read More+

                                        Column

                                        Why Aquilani is the Premier League's 'Golden Bin' winner

                                        The Mole 07:01 21/03/10

                                            In Italy it’s called the ­Bidone d’Oro, the most ­unwanted award in ­football.The prize goes to the ... Read More+

                                            Column

                                            What a difference a decade has made for Zamora

                                            The Mole 07:00 21/03/10

                                                What a difference a decade makes.Ten years ago to the week Bobby Zamora was a Bristol Rovers ­substi... Read More+

                                                Column

                                                Why Mark McGhee still needs to learn a few things from his old mentor Fergie

                                                Ray Hepburn 05:01 21/03/10

                                                    There is no better exponent at ripping into his players ­relentlessly in the dressing room, while pu... Read More+

                                                    Column

                                                    Why the Scotland 1974 World Cup side gets my vote as best ever

                                                    Ray Hepburn 05:00 21/03/10

                                                        Most of the country seems to have been engaged in picking Scotland’s best ever team this week, inclu... Read More+

                                                        Column

                                                        I hope the Co-op Final will be close... but fear it won't be

                                                        Terry Butcher 05:00 21/03/10

                                                            I sincerely hope this afternoon’s Co-operative Insurance Cup Final turns out to be a much closer con... Read More+

                                                            Column

                                                            Why Abramovich's expensive Chelsea flops are the new Damned Blue-nited

                                                            Michael Calvin 23:02 20/03/10

                                                                Damned United can finally rest in peace.Football’s evil eye has averted its gaze and ­refocused on D... Read More+

                                                                Column

                                                                Why Portsmouth should be relegated two divisions, and managers need to get tough on players

                                                                Michael Calvin 23:01 20/03/10

                                                                    Avram Grant, take note. Living beyond your means is just another form of cheating.If we lived in an ... Read More+

                                                                    Does Carlo Ancelotti now have to win the title to keep his job?

                                                                    Blogs & Categories