I think Jermain Defoe will certainly leave Portsmouth. Tony Adams has done some strange things in his time, but to leave Jermain Defoe out of the team for his first game in charge at Pompey, that was crazy. This guy had left Spurs to come to Portsmouth under Harry Redknapp because he wasn’t getting the games, he’s scored lots of goals, looked like a real predator, got back in the England squad and the first thing you do is leave him out?

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This weekend sees everyone’s favourite footballing event - the third round of the FA Cup. No matter how much the naysayers claim that the ‘magic’ has gone from the famous old tournament, we’ll have plenty of evidence over the space of four days that there is still plenty of romance left in the world of football.

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The new year brings new hope for everyone, and it’s a time for looking to the future and wondering what 2009 will bring. So, that’s exactly what we want you to do. Tell us your predictions for the footballing year ahead!

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With 2008 on its way out, it is the time of year to look back on the last 12 months of football and pick out who will have fond memories and who will be glad to see the back of it and put up their new calendars.

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Another costly defeat this weekend has left Mark Hughes looking very vulnerable at Manchester City. His team are third from bottom in the Premier League and are well short of where the club’s super-rich owners would have expected them to be after funding the signing of superstar Robinho on transfer deadline day. Job security is one luxury that Hughes cannot afford at the moment, but it looks like he will be given a little more time to turn things around.

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The Champions League knockout draw has thrown up some cracking ties, with Jose Mourinho going up against Sir Alex Ferguson again, while Claudio Ranieri goes back to Stamford Bridge with a point to prove and with a Juventus side capable of doing just that. And did we mention Liverpool vs Real Madrid? The five-times winners against the nine-times winners should be a classic encounter, while Arsenal take on Roma, hoping that they can return there in May for the Final.

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Sam Allardyce has been appointed manager of Blackburn Rovers just a day after the sacking of Paul Ince. Rovers currently lie second from bottom of the Premier League having won just three league games all season. Graeme Souness, who took charge of the club between 2000 and 2004, had been strongly linked with a return to Ewood Park, but a statement from Rovers confirmed Allardyce’s appointment: “Blackburn Rovers are delighted to announce the appointment of Sam Allardyce as manager with immediate effect. Sam has signed a three-year contract.”

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Harry Redknapp is reportedly chasing Mallorca’s flying winger Juan Arango in January as he attempts to use his transfer market knowledge to Tottenham’s advantage. The 28-year-old Venezuelan has been tracked by numerous Premier League clubs such as Arsenal and Liverpool in the past but looks finally set for his dream move to England in 2009.

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Chelsea maintained their perfect Premier League away record by winning at Bolton and Nicolas Anelka was on target again. Given that Didier Drogba’s absence against ‘Big Four’ opponents may well have cost the Blues, how do you see Luiz Felipe Scolari accommodating both strikers when Drogba is available again? Or do you think one will have sit it out?

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I was somewhat surprised by the departure of Roy Keane from Sunderland last week and adds fuel to the fire than the highest profile players don’t necessarily make the best managers. For me, the fact that Roy didn’t have a grounding in management may have made the situation up on Wearside that much harder for him to handle. He played at the very top level and then basically walked straight into management without a trial run so to speak.

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