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There seems to be an ongoing debate about how good the Premier League is now, and if it is better than 10 or 20 years ago.

The discussion about that in the media or from fans is usually about the quality of football or how exciting it is compared to even a decade ago.

Before I start, I want to spell out that I am writing as a former manager, giving my opinion on the game we all love. I would be fascinated to find out what your views are about it.

What do you think about your team’s performances? Are you watching a more cultured, possession-based style now than you did 10 or 20 years ago – or are you watching your team play without the drive and commitment of years gone by?

My opinion is not only based on performance or style, but also how much has changed off the pitch.

Walk into most grounds today, as a supporter, manager or player, and you can’t help but be impressed. Our stadiums and facilities are the equal or even the envy of any country in world football.

Exactly the same could be said about our training grounds, with state-of-the-art fitness and medical centres of the highest calibre, and the pitches are like bowling greens – absolute perfect surfaces, to play and train on.

I managed 10 clubs and had eight chairmen who were local owners. They were almost as one with the supporters, and understood the value of the club to the community.

My relationship with some of them was very strong and I still have great respect for those individuals.

For me, understanding the identities of the clubs and towns where I worked without doubt gave me more of a connection with the supporters.

Working closely together with my chairman, building a bond between us and having a mutual understanding with them, was always vital for me, especially in difficult moments – and there were lots of them!

It enabled me to speak openly with them, often over dinner, and discuss the club’s development from my point of view as well as theirs.

In my view, it was and still is, the most important relationship at any club, but it is only a dream for the majority of managers today.

Most Premier League clubs, and many in the Championship, have owners and investors who are based abroad.

For these individuals or groups, football is a business and making profits counts as much as gaining points. It’s not an option for the manager to sit down with them over a glass of wine to discuss footballing matters.

With these changes, more and more different job titles are brought in, from sporting director to director of football and more, that decrease or ultimately prevent any contact personally between the coach or manager and owner.

If I was still a manager today, I know which set-up I’d prefer.

I often hear “he’s one of our own” proudly shouted by fans, and I love it. It’s a symbolic way of showing how much supporters love watching home-grown talent break into their club’s first team.

The academy system in this country has an enormous pull on young players. Now pre-academy players can join a club when as young as six, and can end up spending more time at the academy than at school.

These boys are often local lads who, during their journey, build a strong relationship with the club and their coaches.

I’m old enough to remember the three West Ham players who helped England win their only World Cup, in 1966 at Wembley, and I am sure everyone reading this can relate to the home-grown talent in your team, and how special the feeling is to know “he’s one of our own”.

Unfortunately, today’s academy players seem to be viewed differently, from a business perspective.

Clubs have realised they can make pure profit from selling academy players and, to balance their finances, top talent is being sacrificed to meet profit and sustainability rules (PSR).

This is something that maybe has only just started too. Now, clubs are spending enormous amounts of cash to fill academies with good young foreign talent.

It is nine years since Pep Guardiola arrived at Manchester City and brought with him a style of play that was to be followed – and copied – by coaches up and down the country, from the highest professional level to the amateur and youth game.

As I talked about in a previous column about the value of defending properly, Pep’s style of play did not just become ‘the right way’ to play, it also became ‘the only way’.

At the time, without question, City had the strongest squad of players, technically, in the Premier League, but it felt like many other managers and coaches put style over substance and, irrespective of their strengths, many teams were encouraged to play possession-based football.

I always played to my own squad’s strengths, and have never changed my views on that principle, but you still have to admire the complete revolution that Pep and City created.

Possession football, with passes through the pitch and end products to finish off the phases of play, is fantastic to watch.

But possession football, where the goalkeeper and centre-backs play square passes back and forth, is not fantastic to watch!

In my younger days, we were coached to have our first touch forward, and then to play forward to the best technical players we had on the pitch, who usually were the wide players and centre-forwards.

Football is not, and should not be conditional – where you play a certain way regardless of the type of players you have got.

Still, fashions keep on changing. Set-plays have come into fashion with almost every team now trying long throws and in-swinging corners. Teams who were being pressed by opposition forwards at goal-kicks are now playing long, to beat it.

A certain change of wind direction is taking place, and maybe it has turned back a notch. Even my old assistant, David Kemp, has been in his wardrobe to bring out his old bell-bottom jeans – for those of you reading who are too young to remember, they used to be in fashion in the 1970s.

As a manager, I always saw my job was to get results. Maybe substance over style is the direction the Premier League is heading in now?

Their bubble is burst. The honeymoon period is over. There is no title race.

Despite sitting top of the table, Hearts made the trip along the M8 to take on Celtic showered in such sentiments.

All the bright lights shone on the rejuvenated champions, who were set to be led for the first time by new manager Wilfred Nancy.

The Parkhead side had won seven of the eight games since Derek McInnes’ league leaders left them eight points adrift and without manager Brendan Rodgers, who left the morning after.

Martin O’Neill’s steadying of the ship as interim boss coincided with Hearts’ “wee bit of a wobble” – a run of just one win in six games since their Celtic scalp.

All of that combined set Sunday’s meeting of the Scottish Premiership’s top two as textbook, rather than storybook.

But what’s a fairy tale without a twist?

Hearts ripped up the script to spoil Nancy’s debut in the Celtic Park dugout and re-establish daylight at the summit, albeit the Glasgow side have a game in hand.

“We had to change the narrative a wee bit,” McInnes explained.

“Our fight is with ourselves, not with Celtic.”

In recent weeks, Hearts have handed themselves a bit of a reality check. Before banking the three points in Glasgow’s east end, their last win was 1 November.

In this wild season, which seems to get wackier by the week, that seems a lifetime ago.

Wednesday’s draw with Kilmarnock was a fourth in that run and it brought a bit of booing. Quite the gear change from the ‘we shall not be moved’ chant that was religiously chorused by the maroon faithful in their blistering start to the campaign.

Former Hearts winger Neil McCann said on Sportscene “frustration” was creeping into the crowd.

Those who had enjoyed taunting their pals of other clubs in this season’s early days were perhaps beginning to share the wider scepticism surrounding their club’s capability of a title challenge.

But McInnes insists his “belief hasn’t been affected”.

“We’ve been disappointed in the last few weeks that we’ve just been okay and okay doesn’t get the games won in the Premiership regardless of who your opponent is,” McInnes told BBC Scotland.

“There was loads that I liked about my team. You’ve got to think as if you’ve won the game before you’ve won and carry yourself that way and I thought we did that.

“We’re well into December now. The players shouldn’t doubt themselves, shouldn’t doubt what we are.

“Once we come out the second round of fixtures, you’ve got a rough idea of where you are.

As the rain continued to batter down at Celtic Park and Nancy wiped the water off his whiteboard, Hearts managed the game effortlessly.

While Celtic far from threw the kitchen sink in their direction, the Tynecastle side defended tenaciously and stuck to their tactics to secure another statement win.

Much like the build-up to this game, though, much of the post-mortem will be spent on the champions.

How did they get into this position? How does Nancy suit them? How do they pick themselves up again for the Europa League visit of Roma and the Premier Sports Cup final against St Mirren next Sunday?

Rightly or wrongly, Hearts will slip under the radar a little bit again. But is that the way they like it?

“It will give them that confidence boost because lots of people have said their bubble has burst in recent weeks, but that is a statement,” former Scotland forward James McFadden explained on Sky Sports.

“Now for Hearts it’s about what happens after this win.”

It’s a much more straightforward answer than the convoluted ones for Celtic.

Keep the heid.

Falkirk are the hosts on Saturday (20:00 GMT) before an almighty festive double-header – Rangers at home on Sunday, 21 December (13:30) and a trip to Hibernian on Saturday, 27 December (12:30) sees out the year for Hearts.

By the visit of Danny Rohl’s side, who have clawed back to within nine of the leaders, Celtic will have played their game in hand against Dundee United.

If they are to continue to set the pace into 2026, then they cannot afford to “wobble” in the way they did before Sunday’s triumph in Glasgow.

Premiership Womens Rugby

Saracens (12) 33

Tries: Corrigan, Apps (2), Galligan, Packer Cons: Harrison (4)

Loughborough Lightning (5) 15

Saracens fought back from behind to beat Loughborough Lightning 33-15 and extend their unbeaten run in Premiership Women’s Rugby.

Lightning went 15-12 ahead early in the second half, but in a 10-minute spell in the final quarter tries from Rosie Galligan, Olivia Apps and Marlie Packer, all converted by Zoe Harrison, helped Sarries to their fifth straight victory.

The hosts claimed an early advantage when Alysha Corrigan crossed in the second minute and Apps quickly added the first of her pair of tries, converted by Harrison, to build a 12-0 lead.

Lightning failed to score when Sarries were reduced to 14 for 10 minutes with Julia Omukhuale sent to the sin-bin, but they reduced the deficit to 12-5 when Lucy Calladine touched down just before the break.

Tries from Sadia Kabeya and Daisy Hibbert-Jones put Lightning 15-12 ahead in the second half, but they had no answer for Saracens’ onslaught in the final quarter.

An opportunity for instant impact or an immediate set back.

High stakes that backfired as Hearts left Glasgow with a three-point lead at the top of the table after their stunning 2-1 victory.

The timing of Wilfried Nancy’s appointment as Celtic’s new manager midweek had raised some questions, particularly given the run of results interim-manager Martin O’Neill enjoyed.

Level on points ahead of this top-of-the-table meeting with a game in hand. Some thought it prudent for O’Neill to see out this crucial week against Hearts, Roma and the Premier Sports cup final against St Mirren.

The argument was that change may disrupt momentum. It seemingly has.

This was always going to be a big test of Celtic’s recent progress and for the new man in charge in a baptism week full of big tests.

Little time to implement change but the chance to go clear in the league was there for the taking with a game in hand.

It was opportunity missed despite an opening that suggested Celtic had been reinvented immediately. In truth, aside from a bright start, few could argue at the outcome.

“The big talking point will be the change of formation,” said former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner.

“The first 20 minutes was maybe what he wanted, the speed, the counter-press, but you need to maintain that.

“When it comes to breaking down opponents in a compact area, they have been lacking for quite a while now.”

A switch to a back three with Hyunjun Yang and Sebastian Tounekti deployed wide but well advanced. Benjamin Nygren and Reo Hatate slightly more central dropping into space.

It was a big ask for everything to click straight away. However, in the opening quarter, they looked rampant. The home crowd were loving the energy and intensity of their team and new manager.

He camped on the touchline throughout the first half. Time and again he urged them to go forward on the ball. No passing sideways, progress quickly either short or long.

The first part is down to Hearts. They were wonderfully strong and gradually adapted. They got a grip of this and took control, even when in defensive mode. They deserve an incredible amount of praise and have firmly reminded everyone what a good side they are.

Maeda’s miss was crucial. Derek McInnes said pre-match that he knew they would have to absorb pressure. They did and then punished their hosts.

For all Celtic’s early swashbuckling, it absolutely evaporated. They lost the intensity. The bravery was gone.

Increasingly, they looked a little lost on such a big, big occasion, despite Kieran Tierney’s injury time strike.

“This is not about the system,” Nancy told BBC Scotland post match when quizzed on its impact.

“We started one way in the first half. And the second half, we kept going. Towards the end, it was not the same system.

It took until the final minutes for the home side to genuinely look like scoring. When they did, the game was lost, despite striking the crossbar shortly before their goal.

It would be unfair to level much criticism on Nancy this early. He did suggest he would look at nuanced changes in the short term. Perhaps he got a little too ambitious too early.

“They definitely need a striker and a winger on the right. After today the heads are down,” added Bonner.

“You’ve got to break down opposition, you’ve got to move opposition. In that final third, Celtic were absolutely void of ideas.

“When they went two goals behind, it was gone. I just couldn’t see them getting back into the game.

“Now Wilfried Nancy knows exactly some of the deficiencies that he has to work on. He’s got to replace some players, he’s got to get players in in the January window.

After his first outing at Celtic Park, Nancy had experienced both sides of the crowd.

The early embers of his reign had fans off their seats. They were absolutely loving what they were seeing. It just lacked a goal.

“I have many, many good things that I can show them [the players],” Nancy insisted.

“We need, obviously, to adjust on certain things but I was pleased with the mentality.

“I think that with more connection, with more relation, we’re going to be able to do it like we did in the first half.”

The 2026 World Cup is getting that bit more real following the draw, and we now know what games are taking place and when.

While some games will kick off at the palatable time of 17:00 BST, there will be many that don’t get under way until 05:00. In total there are 13 (thirteen) different kick-off times.

North America is a big place and the World Cup will be hosted across 16 cities, spanning four time zones and three countries, at locations up to 2,800 miles apart.

All of that, plus the heat at that time of the year, provided an additional layer of complication when it came to deciding kick-off times.

Fifa said that the times chosen for games to begin was done so to “optimise welfare conditions for players and supporters, while enabling the widest possible global audience to follow their teams across different time zones”.

That means for viewers in Europe, some games will be played from midnight onwards because of the cities they take place in.

For example, all five of the group-stage matches in Kansas City will take place in the middle of the night UK time, with the earliest kick-off being 00:00 BST on Friday, 26 June for Tunisia versus Netherlands while the latest there is 03:00 BST for Algeria versus Austria on Sunday, 28 June.

The San Francisco Bay Area hosts two games that will kick off at 05:00 BST (Austria versus Jordan on Tuesday, 16 June and European Play-Off C winner versus Paraguay on Friday, 19 June).

There are also 05:00 BST games in Vancouver (Australia versus European Play-Off C winner on Saturday, 13 June) and Guadalupe, Mexico (Tunisia versus Japan on Saturday, 20 June).

In total there will be 35 group-stage games that kick-off between 00:00 BST and 05:00 BST, which is almost half of the 72 fixtures for that stage of the tournament.

Things start to get a bit easier for those of us who are not night owls.

Six of the 16 last-32 ties take place from 00:00 BST onwards, which drops to just two of the last-16 games and one for the quarter-finals.

England begin their World Cup campaign against Croatia in Dallas on 17 June with that game kicking off at 22:00 BST.

Their next Group L fixture is against Ghana in Boston on 23 June and is at 21:00 BST, with their final group fixture against Panama at 22:00 BST on 27 June in New Jersey.

Scotland fans will have to stay up later to watch their games.

They begin their Group C campaign against Haiti in Boston on 13 June at 02:00 BST.

They will remain in Boston for their next game against Morocco on 19 June and then play five-times World Cup winners Brazil in Miami on 24 June, with both games kicking off at 23:00 BST.

All times BST unless stated

England – Group L

21:00, Wed, 17 June v Croatia – Dallas (15:00 local)

21:00, Tue, 23 June v Ghana – Boston (16:00 local)

22:00, Sat, 27 June v Panama – New Jersey (17:00 local)

Scotland – Group C

02:00, Sun, 14 June v Haiti – Boston (21:00 local)

23:00, Fri, 19 June v Morocco – Boston (18:00 local)

Uruguay versus Spain is one of the more eye-catching fixtures that will require some strong dedication to football watching in the early hours.

That Group H encounter takes place in Zapopan, Mexico on 27 June and kicks off at 01:00 BST.

The first 48-team World Cup will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States between 11 June and 19 July 2026.

Mexico will take on South Africa at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca in the opening match of the expanded tournament, during which 104 matches will be played in 39 days.

That game – a repeat of the first match at the 2010 World Cup – will kick off at 20:00 BST on Thursday, 11 June – 18 days after the conclusion of the Premier League season.