A predictable winter in Manchester, Almunia's dream

Man Utd's 4-0 win over Sunderland was its fifth straight in the Premiership and allowed the Red Devils to move into first place. Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

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Gather round the fire and nestle close, dear readers, for here in the great hall of Castle Limey, amidst faded portraits and moth-eaten antlers, wise Team Limey has salutary holiday messages for you to contemplate. And some banter, too.

Six weeks ago, we predicted Manchester United would win the English Premier League. And following its 4-0 victory at Sunderland on Wednesday, United truly tops the league for the first time this season. Arsenal can no longer point to games in hand that would let it leapfrog its northern rivals.

And United did it in style -- winning so easily one questioned whether it should be in the same league as Sunderland. With the Wearsiders currently sitting in the relegation zone, they may not be for long. Manager Roy Keane complained last summer that he struggled to attract players because their wives and girlfriends find Sunderland less than glamorous.

Will Keane fail to keep Sunderland in the EPL due to a society where consumerism has become more important than production? Or is his management at fault? Only Nigerian Dickson Etuhu provided any effective resistance against a United side that simply had too much class, pace and guile -- even with Ryan Giggs and Patrice Evra left to pick the remains of their pot roasts in Manchester and both Carlos Tévez and Anderson chilling on the bench.

Indeed, it is chill in England this winter, and many poor unfortunate souls have sought a warm refuge. That includes a Mr. Joey Barton of St. James Park, Newcastle, who on Thursday took shelter in a jail cell following an incident in Liverpool. Barton, presumably a keen meteorologist, will remain in his cell until Jan. 3 hoping for more agreeable weather conditions. Well, it's either that or he has been refused bail pending a hearing into an alleged assault.

Barton is an enigmatic character, and his tumultuous life carries a moral message of biblical nature, one that contrasts with the "American Dream." Raised in a poor suburb of Liverpool in a time of local economic depression, he could hope for little more than outstanding footballing ability, a mind so intelligent that former teachers claim he could have been admitted to Oxford or Cambridge and that all-important drive and dedication to succeed in his chosen field.

And Barton did succeed, rising up through Manchester City's ranks to become its midfield talisman, his form rewarded by an English national-team call-up last season. Following an $11.5 million transfer to Newcastle United last summer, Barton now reputedly earns around $120,000 a week. So why is someone so gifted, intelligent and wealthy residing in a jail cell in his hometown, following what looks to be the latest in a long line of violent incidents?

Barton's lawyer claimed he was the victim of a "great deal of provocation," and has been "goaded" by fans who have brought up the conviction of his half-brother, Michael, for a racially motivated murder in 2005. But it is a longer-term, more deep-rooted problem that Barton presumably must come to terms with, given this incident comes at time when he is on bail for allegedly assaulting former City teammate Ousmane Dabo last summer.

And there's a longer rap sheet Barton is looking at. Two winters ago, after catching City youth player Jamie Tandy attempting to set fire to his shirt, he stubbed a lit cigar out close to Tandy's eye. In May '05, while driving his car through Liverpool City Center at 2 a.m., he broke a 35-year-old pedestrian's leg. In July '05, Barton was sent home from a preseason tournament in Thailand after assaulting a 15-year-old Everton supporter who had verbally abused him and kicked his shin.

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