Whatever it’s supposed limitations in comparison with continental counterparts this weekend has shown that for sheer excitement and unpredictability the Premier League has no equal.
Blackburn and Sunderland’s wins against the odds proves both the merits and the misfits of replacing a manager, but the victories were due more to the heroic resolve of their players.
United’s loss was shocking but City’s was even more so because of the full strength nature of their squad.
Considering that injury ravished vast swathes of their resources it is a wonder that United end the year joint top and that achievement must be accredited to managerial brilliance.
After turning 70 Ferguson has been everywhere in the news, and in a stroke of incredible irony was partly responsible for Blackburn’s turnaround after an inspiring phone call with Steve Kean.
And Sir Alex has also thrived in his other great love of horses after Harry the Viking’s win in Doncaster. It is fitting that racing also provided another annual Boxing Day star, as Kauto Star’s secured his fifth King George’s triumph.
Mark Cavendish has been Christmases greatest winner and his Sports Personality title was much deserved after years of anonymity on these shores.
At least four other candidates could have won in another year and McIlroy and Clarke, along with Taekwondo champions and Rugby retirees alike, were fully deserving of their New Years honours.
But Messrs Suarez and Terry received Christmas gifts of a different variety after falling foul of racism allegations.
It is great that England is leading the way in addressing one of football’s greatest problems.
Terry’s outburst was despicable and the latest in a series of vulgar actions from a man surely not befitting of the England captaincy.
Suarez’s case is more complicated. An eight-match ban is harsh for an unproven allegation from a character as nefarious as Patrick Evra, but all of the cultural comparisons have been overplayed. The Uruguayan term ‘negrito’ can be a term of endearment, but it can also be an insult and when uttered to someone you don’t know in the heat of battle, the latter use seems more likely.
Suarez’s absence should fatally handicap Liverpool’s Champions League aspirations, and while Terry responded with trademark aplomb against Tottenham a seismic shift is occurring in the capital’s oval-balled hierarchy.
Doubts remain over Chelsea’s consistency and union, while time will tell if Thierry Henry’s return will prove a stroke of genius or vain nostalgia for Arsenal. But in Modric, Adebayor and Parker (the next England captain...) Spurs have perhaps their strongest ever team and could move ahead.
A traditional Christmas hero came a cropper at Ally Power, as Phil ‘the Power’ Taylor was unceremoniously dumped out of the World Champs by the unheralded rookie Dave Chisnall.
But the fortnights greatest spectacle came at Twickenham, where a staggering 81,000 watched Saracens end Harlequins unbeaten Premiership run. It was a world-record crowd for a domestic match and was refreshing in a time of supposed problems with the English game.
There was more drama in Test Cricket with India and South Africa both losing, to Australia and Sri Lanka respectably. England will hope to avoid a similar fate against Pakistan as their number one ranking becomes ever more secure.
Rugby League has elsewhere added to the scandal register with the news that three Hull FC figures have been banned for drugs abuses, while the woes have continued for French Athletics.
Triple Jumper Teddy Tamhgo has been banned for an altercation with a teammate, which is ironic considering two French runners escaped such a punishment after a trackside punch up at the Monaco Diamond League.
Tamhgo’s ban could limit his Olympic chances and therefore play into the hands of Britain’s great hope Phillips Idowu.
And it is with the Olympics that we must end. With that iconic year now upon us, Team GB have been predicted to finish 6th in the medals table. But with a myriad of chances across a host of sports, they will surely place higher than that, and the suspense will only build over the coming months.
Roll on 2012.
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