"SO Real Madrid finally won the Spanish League last weekend with a great display from Ronaldo. So what did the club do? They went and fired the manager Vincente del Bosque. That was very disappointing. That is no way to treat a great manager - one who has brought the club Spanish championships and two Champions League titles. I have a feeling there must have been a fall-out between Real's sports director Jorge Valdano and del Bosque. I really have to wonder about some of the officials at many of these top clubs. Del Bosque has a done a great job at Real and while I personally think that many managers are full of hot air and take far too much credit for the team when they win, del Bosque is, along with Manchester United's Alex Ferguson, one of the best managers in football today.

One also has to give a lot of credit to Real Sociedad who pushed Real Madrid all the way to the end. But even though they slipped up right near the end, Sociedad will get the chance to play in the Champions League next year and it will be interesting to see how they do.

Real Madrid have now hired the assistant manager of Manchester United, Carlos Queiroz, who I think will do well. Having said that, Real Madrid is a team that Stevie Wonder could manage such is the number of great players they have!

Queiroz has been around and he coached new Real signing David Beckham last year and also Figo when he was in charge of that great Portuguese youth side which won the World Youth Championship in 1989 and then in 1991. He has coached around the world and speaks five languages so he will be able top communicate well with the variety of players Real have. But again, I say, Real showed no class by firing del Bosque like that. But don't worry he will bounce back because he is a great manager.

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RIJKAARD

Barcelona, who will not be in the Champions League next year and had a bad season just gone, have now hired the former Dutch national coach Frank Rijkaard who I definitely rate.

Rijkaard has done well as a manager and especially as a player - he played with that great Ajax team in the 1980s and then of course he played with AC Milan along with Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten which won two European Cups.

He also managed to get Holland into the semifinals of the European Championships in 2000.

I think he will do well at Barcelona and he is still only a fairly young man to manage a club like that - in his early 40s.

I hope he can bring back Barcelona to the position they held for many years and challenge Real Madrid in Spain.

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SIGNINGS

Spurs have just signed the top young striker from Porto, Helder Postiga. The club paid quite of bit for him in these depressed times - over $10 million. That is a lot of money for a player who is only 20 years old. But I think that after he settles in he will prove himself. After all he was Porto's top scorer last season and Porto won the UEFA Cup and the Portuguese championship. It is always interesting to see how players from countries like Portugal will fit into the English game and also how English players will fit into the European game. But I think once he gets settled he could form a good partnership with Robbie Keane.

Aston Villa certainly did well in signing Leeds' goalkeeper Paul Robinson for just under $5 million. That is a good buy. Robinson is very young for a 'keeper - 23-years-old - and will certainly help Aston Villa in the years to come.

Portsmouth also seem to be on the verge of getting Teddy Sheringham from Spurs and Sheringham will definitely help out Portsmouth who have just gone up to the Premier Division. I know Sheringham is getting on now but he will bring a lot of experience and knowledge to the team. I don't think he will play in every game and perhaps will not play the whole 90 minutes but Portsmouth will need people like him in their first year in the Premiership.

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PARIS

On a note not connected to football, I would like to offer my congratulations to Bermuda's Around-the-World solo sailor Alan Paris. What he did was tremendous and I don't think he has been given enough credit. I have to tip my hat to him. I remember playing in front of thousands and thousands of fans at West Ham but Paris had to go it alone. I couldn't imagine how hard that was!