Seven matches. Nine points. One direct encounter. Maybe, just maybe, the title race isn't over yet.

Up to now we have all assumed that Chelsea will be crowned Premiership champions for the second year running come May. And with good reason.

Since the turn of the year the London side's lead at the top has looked unassailable and many of the bigger bookmakers have already paid out believing it to be a forgone conclusion.

But none of them, or us, expected Chelsea to wobble and Manchester United to hit a rich vein of form at pretty much the same time.

United have now won seven in a row in the league, a run that has been both motivated and aided by not having European football as a distraction.

Chelsea, on the other hand, have suffered a couple of defeats over the same period and, despite also being Europe-less, still have the FA Cup as a distraction.

With that in mind it is worth having a look their respective run-ins.

United have Bolton and Spurs away and Arsenal, Sunderland, Middlesborough and Charlton at home.

Chelsea have Birmingham, Bolton, Newcastle and Blackburn away and West Ham and Everton at home.

Mixed in among all that is the direct clash that will be played at Stamford Bridge.

Interesting, very interesting.

It would be wrong to say either team has the easier conclusion to the season as they are pretty much equal. United, for example, have the bonus of playing Sunderland but the disadvantage of taking on Arsenal. Chelsea, meanwhile, have today's clash with Birmingham as their banker, but tricky games away against Bolton and Blackburn to deal with.

Hmmm.

I think it is fairly safe to say that should Chelsea slip up in even one game between now and the United match, the race could end up going right to the wire.

Mourinho's side are still odd-on favourites but football is a funny old game and you just never know what is around the corner.

And it is that uncertainty which is probably giving Sir Alex and Jose sleepless nights at the moment, if for very different reasons.

Looks like this season might not be a boring as we all thought.

New rules for diving

The English FA is apparently locked in talks with FIFA to see if it might not be possible to introduce new rules allowing for players to be punished for diving after matches have taken place.

As it stands, if a player dives and gets away with it during a game, referees and the authorities have no way of punishing them. So, if the referee or his linesmen don't spot the offence, the player is laughing.

Under the new proposals players will be punishable on the basis of video evidence and I have to say this is a move that is long overdue.

Surely, if you can be punished for a bad tackle retrospectively, then any offence that has a bearing on the game should be equally punishable by virtue of hindsight.

Although still at the discussion stage, I fully expect this new rule to be introduced quickly as the game tries to clamp down on the 'simulators' who are making a mockery of the sport.

Premiership players who are partial to this most hideous form of dishonesty will either have to clean up their act or spend most of the season suspended.

In Italy, meanwhile, it could conceivably mean Serie A grinds to a halt…

Newcastle season

Just when Newcastle thought their injury-plagued season couldn't get any worse it does so in quite extraordinary fashion.

Since they first ball of the season was kicked, Newcastle have suffered one injury crisis after another, a situation which has seen just about every member of the squad out of action at some stage.

Recently those injuries have started to ease and it is no surprise that this has coincided with a distinct improvement in results.

But in the past week they have been rocked again by the news that Owen needed a further operation on his broken foot and that Scott Parker has been ruled out for the rest of the season with glandular fever.

Luckily, with nothing left to play for, the problem is no longer a major issue. But imagine they were fighting relegation?

Whoever takes over at St James Park this summer, whether it is Martin O Neil or whoever, should think about spending a good portion of their transfer budget on signing new club doctors…

Steve Bruce

It's back to old Steve Bruce for my favourite quote of the week. Speaking before the match against Liverpool, which his Birmingham side lost 7-0, he said:

"We can either wave the white hankies and surrender, or roll up our sleeves and have a good crack."

Obviously his player prefer to keep their sleeves rolled down then.

Also worthy of a mention this week are the Aston Villa's fans who decided it was time to make a point to boss David O' Leary.

The manager has, over recent weeks, accused them of being fickle and only getting behind the team when it is winning.

However, a prominently displayed banner at the ground during their match with Fulham should have dispelled any doubts he may have. It read:

"We aren't fickle. We just don't like you."

Well, that's that cleared up then…

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