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It's Man Utd for me
Southampton striker James Beattie will be writing a regular column for BBC Sport Online this season. He starts by predicting how the Premiership will shape up.
The clock is counting down to what I reckon is the greatest league in the world and I can't wait for it to begin.
We all had our appetites whetted by the World Cup and what England did in it, and the fact that so many stars of the World Cup will be playing over here makes the season even more exciting.I don't think there is a better league in the world than the Premiership.
If there was one piece of the Man United jigsaw missing, I think they have found it by signing Rio Ferdinand
Italy's Serie A used to be the most glamorous, but I think it has been overtaken by the English Premiership and La Liga in Spain.Spain has a greater share of world stars but, in terms of excitement, the Premiership is the best.
Everyone has made their predictions for the coming season, so you may as well have mine!
I think Manchester United will win the Premiership. Finishing last season without a trophy will have hurt them and, while the ability of their players is in no doubt, Sir Alex will make sure they are motivated this season.
If there was one piece of the jigsaw missing, I think they have found it by signing Rio Ferdinand.
I don't think they ever really replaced Jaap Stam as an imposing central defender last season, and Rio gives them that authority.
It will certainly be a tough job playing against United's defence!
Arsenal are a quality side and you have to look at the final league table to remind yourself how comfortably they won the title last season.
They have brought in three players for less than Manchester United paid for Rio, which shows how astute Arsene Wenger has been in the transfer market.
Liverpool have spent a lot of money and brought in some good players and now have a deep enough squad to sustain a challenge.
Their success or failure could hinge a lot on Steven Gerrard's fitness. He is their key player and I think England really missed him during the World Cup.
If he can stay healthy throughout the season, Liverpool will be a much stronger team for it.
Newcastle and Leeds will not be far behind, but I don't think you need look outside the trio of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool for the champions and their nearest challengers.
Of course, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Newcastle have the distraction of the Champions League.
Man City are back where they deserve to be - they are a big club in every sense
It is not a bad distraction to have but it will provide a test of how deep their squads are when it comes to winning the Premiership.Further down the table, life is going to be tough, not least for the clubs who have come up.
Birmingham City and West Brom have spent money but, when you come up from Division One, you have to do that merely to close the gap.
Manchester City are back where they deserve to be. They are a big club in every sense of the word.
Although I don't think they will challenge for the title, they will be more than happy if they can win one of the derbies and be top dogs in Manchester for a while.
Like it or not, it is increasingly becoming the case that, to be successful in the Premiership, you have to spend big.
Having said that, spending big does not necessarily guarantee you success.
At Southampton we are not among the Premiership's huge spenders, but we have managed to remain a top-flight team for 25 years now.
Long may that run continue. Return to index
James Beattie
Southampton and England strikerHenry and Beattie have each scored 22 league goals
I was pleased to see Thierry Henry win the Professional Footballers' Association player of the year award.I voted for him simply because I think he's the best player around at the moment.
As we go head-to-head for the Golden Boot, we'll be lining up on opposite sides twice before the end of the season, including of course, the FA Cup final.
His speed is unbelievable and he's a joy to watch, although the lads who play at the back might not agree with that!
I was honoured to be included on the PFA shortlist.
To be recognised by your peers is a recognition of what you've achieved and is something special.
I also voted for Jermaine Jenas as the young Player of the Year.
He's a young guy with a lot of talent and has the makings of great player.
I do enjoy cricket but I wouldn't want to do anything that might bring a risk of injury
In between training I'm hoping to watch a bit of cricket.
I've always been a big cricket fan - Lancashire, of course, although I know a few of the Hampshire lads so I follow them as well.
Without blowing my own trumpet, I was a pretty good cricketer at school.
Professional sportsmen are normally good at other sports, probably because they've got natural hand-eye coordination.
Quite a few cricketers have played football to at least a high non-league standard, and some were good enough that they had to make a choice between football and cricket.
It was never a choice for me, because football always came first.
But I was good enough as a lad to play for Lancashire colts, where I played with Andrew Flintoff, who wasn't a bad player, even back then!
I batted, bowled and kept wicket, so I don't suppose you can get much more of an all-rounder than that.
I can't remember what my best bowling figures were, but I do remember hitting 78 off 40 balls in the Lancashire schools cup semi-final.
I used to play for Cherry Tree Cricket Club in Blackburn, mainly because they were just across the road from me.
I also played in Matthew Le Tissier's testimonial game last summer against the Hampshire boys at the Rose Bowl, and opened the batting for our team with Mark Butcher, which was a real pleasure.
The highlight of my day was a drive through the covers for four off Alan Mullally. I enjoyed it, although he might not have!
Jason Dodd, who is not a bad player, manages to turn out for a club side during the summer and I've been asked to play by a couple of clubs.
It's a nice thought and I do enjoy cricket, but I wouldn't want to do anything that might bring a risk of injury. Return to index
James Beattie
Southampton striker
As weeks go, the last one has been a pretty good one for me.
First, I signed a new boot deal with Puma, which I'm more than happy with.Then I proposed to my girlfriend Sarah - and she said yes!
The third good result, of course, was the FA Cup semi-final win.
The last good result was being short-listed for the PFA Player of the Year award.
I tried to absorb and remember as much of the weekend as I couldLooking at the names on the short-list, I feel honoured just to be among the likes of Thierry Henry, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Alan Shearer, Paul Scholes and Gianfranco Zola.
It's no coincidence that the four leading scorers in the Premiership are on the list.
I think that's a reflection on what a tough job scoring goals in the top flight is, and how important strikers are.
The fact that the nominations come from your fellow professionals is also an appreciation of how they regard you, and that makes it a bit more special.
I've managed to hold my own against some great strikers when it comes to scoring Premiership goals this season, and I like to think my fellow pros have recognised that.
I tried to absorb and remember as much of the weekend as I could, as people always say that if you're not careful, occasions like that can slip by.
The journey to Villa Park was amazing, with red and white everywhere and the reception we got from our supporters was magnificent.
The game itself went pretty quickly, but I do remember the final whistle going - that was definitely the high point.
We had a bit of a celebration do on Sunday night, had Monday off to recover and it was back to training on Tuesday.
The implications of winning an FA Cup semi-final are just beginning to sink in.
Of course it gives us the chance to play in one of football's great showpiece occasions, one that is seen all over the world.I'm really looking forward to playing at the Millennium Stadium. Old Trafford is probably the best stadium I've played in, but Cardiff will probably top that.
It will certainly be another one to tick off the list.
Our semi-final win also means that we will be playing in Europe next season, which is a prospect that really excites all of us.
With us reaching the Cup final and Pompey getting into the Premiership things are looking good down here at the moment
Of course, we've got six important Premiership games to play, which could have a bearing on what happens at both ends of the table.
We want to finish as high in the Premiership as we can, and the gaffer will make sure we put the cup final out of our minds until the right time.
I'd like to say well done to Pompey on their promotion to the Premiership.
They may be our big rivals, but it's good to see them up with us in the Premiership at last.
It can only be good for football on the south coast.
I know a lot of people don't regard our patch as a hotbed of football, but with us reaching the cup final and Pompey getting into the Premiership things are looking good down here at the moment.
We haven't met much up to now and I've never played in a local derby against Pompey but they promise to be great occasions.
I'm looking forward to them already - and to six points! Return to index
James Beattie
Southampton striker
Is there some sort of FA Cup match this weekend?The only reason I ask is that everything has been quiet and normal around the club this week - at least as far as the playing staff are concerned.
Of course we're aware of what a big game Sunday's semi-final is. It's the biggest domestic game in my career, although I would hope there's a bigger one in May!
The excitement in the city is really building and our supporters have been up for it for weeks.
But it's different for supporters than it is for us players.
Everything is going to be exactly the same as for any other game we have played this season
We can sense and taste the excitement, but it's important not to get caught up in it.
We've hit on a pretty successful formula this season and the main job of the boss, Gordon Strachan, this week, has been to keep everything on a calm even keel, and make it as normal as possible.
The motto is: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
For that reason, we haven't changed anything. Everything is going to be exactly the same as for any other game we have played this season.
It might be a semi-final, but we will treat it the same as other Sunday games we have played.
We'll have a day off on Thursday, then back in for training on Friday.
We will also be in on Saturday for a training session, and then set off for Birmingham afterwards.
Once the West Ham game was over we turned our attention and focus to Watford - but that has been the same for every game this season.
I know it sounds a bit of a hackneyed cliche, but there's plenty of good sense in it.
We came through the West Ham game with a clean bill of health, and even got a boost this week when Rory Delap returned to training.
There was no let-up in commitment or effort against West Ham, and that's how it should be
The only injury we picked up against West Ham was the hurt of losing two points.
Had we won, we would have gone up to seventh place and although it's difficult to convince people, it is just as important for us to finish as high up the Premiership table as we can.
We're a pretty well-motivated bunch and the boss didn't need to do much to make sure there was no let-up in commitment or effort against West Ham, and that's how it should be.
No matter what job you do, professional pride dictates you always do the best job you can, and once the semi-final is over, we have important Premiership games to play.
Return to index
James Beattie
Southampton and England striker
Well done to England on Wedesday, it was a fantastic result - but I've got a warning for certain players.Don't get too comfortable in those England shirts.
Nobody cheers louder than me for England, and I was really pleased with the result.
Naturally, I was disappointed not to be part of it, but I've certainly got no hard feelings to the guys that were picked and played.
I certainly don't count myself out of the picture
I was really pleased to see Darius score, and as for Wayne Rooney, I thought he played really well.
He's a big talent for a lad of his age, and perhaps his biggest asset is his confidence.
He didn't show the sort of nerves you might expect of a 17-year-old. He looked perfectly comfortable at that level and acquitted himself well.
While I was pleased that England won, I certainly don't count myself out of the picture.
I know that some people are saying that Darius and Wayne are now ahead of me, but I don't think that's the case.
I'm still the Premiership's top scorer and I would like to think that continuing to score goals will keep me in Mr Eriksson's attention.
I'm confident in my ability and when England get to the European Championship finals in Portugal I will be there or thereabouts.
I enjoyed wearing an England shirt against Australia, and I'm keen to pull one on again.
We've got some big games coming up at Southampton - and I'm not including the FA Cup semi-final.
Our fixtures show we've got to play West Ham, Leeds, Birmingham and Bolton, all teams that are involved in the scrap.
Aston Villa have slid into the danger zone, and Birmingham and Leeds are also in the picture.
None of the clubs involved in the scrap can expect an easy ride from us
I think Sunderland and West Brom have gone, and I reckon the other place is a straight fight between West Ham and Bolton.
It goes without saying that we won't be doing anyone any favours. We need the points ourselves as we want to finish as high as possible in the table.
Professional pride dictates that you give everything in every game, and none of the clubs involved in the scrap can expect an easy ride from us.
We went paintballing earlier in the week, but I'm not sure if it was the team-building exercise it was supposed to be!
It was players against staff and Chris Marsden shot our boss Gordon Strachan, right in the backside.
I'm making no comment as to whether it was a big, easy target to hit, but it might affect Mazza's first-team chances! Return to index
By James Beattie
Southampton striker
and BBC Sport Online columnist
By five o'clock on Saturday I had crashed out on the medical table at St Mary's Stadium.We had just played Middlesbrough on the opening day of the Premiership season and the temperature at pitchside during the match had been just shy of 30C.
After the game - and especially on such a hot day - it is very important to rehydrate and our fitness coach Andy Spink was going around the changing room handing out fluids.
Playing against Ehiogu is never easy
Every time play had stopped for an injury during the match we were given liquids.
And when a streaker ran on the pitch I was glad for the break in play and the chance to get another drink.
Although I am fully focused during a match I was able to see the funny side - and there was nothing wrong with his energy levels as he ducked and dived while the stewards chased after him.
Football has come on a lot in terms of diet and fitness.
This Saturday we're at Liverpool - another easy game then!
The new developments give a player the best possible chance to do well - and let's face it you need to be in top shape in the Premiership because you come up against so many world-class opponents.Gareth Southgate and Ugo Ehiogu, for example, were impressive in the centre of defence for Middlesbrough on Saturday.
I knew it was going to be tough against them but I thought we played okay and if a couple of breaks had come our way we could have won the game.
And although I'd rather we had won, it was good to get the first game of the season out of the way.
Special buzz
It takes around four or five matches to really hit match fitness, but we have had a good pre-season and as the match reached its final stages we were the team pushing forward in search of a winner.
This Saturday we're at Liverpool - another easy game then!
But we got a superb result there last season - a 1-1 draw - and that gives us confidence.
Running out at Anfield, a ground with so much history and folklore, is an amazing feeling - running out there gives you a special kind of buzz.
But once the whistle is blown, I'll just be trying to do my best for the fans who have made the long journey north.
For a Premiership striker, there is virtually no tougher assignment that going up against Stephane Henchoz and Sami Hyypia.
Opening my account
They are a formidable partnership but I will be concentrating on doing the basics right and making sure I am in the right place if a chance comes my way.
If a good cross comes in my direction I must make sure that I put it away because opportunities against the top teams are usually few and far between.
Having got the first game of the season out of the way, the next thing is to open my goalscoring account.
And there are few better places to do that than Anfield. Return to index
By James Beattie
Southampton striker
and BBC Sport Online columnist
The transfer deadline is at the end of the week and I reckon that it favours the bigger clubs with large squads.Clubs have until 31 August to strengthen and after that they will have to survive until January - when the transfer window briefly re-opens - on the resources they have available.
The likes of Manchester United and Arsenal can suffer several injuries in a certain position and still call on quality cover.
But some of the Premiership's so-called lesser clubs will be hit hard by a couple of injuries in a key area.Down the years teams such as Southampton have often reacted to an injury crisis by going out and signing players on loan.
But with the transfer deadline this appears to no longer be an option and I think you will hear about some pretty desperate situations between now and January.
And I reckon you can expect to see a big scramble between now and the end of the week as managers try to bolster their squads, as Saints boss Gordon Strachan - the gaffer - has done by signing goalkeeper Antti Niemi.
But I don't think you'll really see too much in the way of panic buying - club chairmen simply aren't going to allow that.
One club that does not need to strengthen too much is Liverpool, who beat us 3-0 on Saturday.
I didn't think we played too badly but unfortunately we conceded an early goal.
Steven Gerrard was absolutely top draw for Gerrard Houllier's team.On the pitch it is noticeable that he seems to have an aura about him and England missed his presence during the World Cup.
New signing El Hadji Diouf looked sharp and he seems to have developed an instant understanding with Michael Owen - which is massively important for a striker and spells trouble for the rest of the Premiership.
Strike partnerships are crucial - the value of two forwards who understand each other and link well cannot be underestimated.
Wednesday's opponents Chelsea are another club with a prolific partnership in Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Eidur Gudjohnsen.
Hasselbaink in particular has that selfish streak that you will find in all top strikers.He shoots more often than not when he has a sight of goal and has total confidence in his own ability.
Confidence is one of the most important attributes in a striker's locker.
Obviously if you haven't got the footballing ability then you are not going to make it, but when it comes to the difference between winning and losing in a close game self-belief counts for a lot.
I try to work positive thoughts into my preparation.
For instance, in last season's game against Chelsea I scored twice as we came from behind to win 4-2 in what was one of my best games for Southampton.
The season before that I scored twice against Chelsea in the match at the Dell and I worked these positive thoughts into my preparation for Wednesday's match at St Mary's Stadium.
Lacking in confidence, though, has never really been a problem for me - I have a lot of self-belief
Return to index
James Beattie
Southampton and England striker
I've got plenty of respect for Thierry Henry
Don't set too much store by the result at Highbury on Tuesday night.We don't like losing at any time, and it hurt even more to lose under such circumstances.
The boss decided to rest a few players because he doesn't want to take any risks with anyone getting injured before the Cup final.
The margin of defeat certainly hasn't had any effect on our morale.Spirit in the camp is brilliant and it will be a different story on the day in Cardiff.
The good of the team has to come first, before anything else, and I pride myself on being a team player
I was among those the boss decided to rest, although I got on for the last 15 minutes.Like any player, I want to play every game that I can, especially as I am in the running for the Golden Boot award.
But I can understand why the gaffer did what he did. He does whatever he thinks is best for the team and you have to abide by that.
The good of the team has to come first, before anything else, and I pride myself on being a team player.
In a similar vein, I didn't realise that a decision had been taken not to pick any Southampton or Arsenal players for England's trip to South Africa for a friendly.
The match is less than a week after the Cup Final, and it was felt that it wouldn't be fair on anyone to pick players from Saints or Arsenal.
I know some people have said it could deny me the chance to get my foot back in the England door but I must admit it didn't occur to me.
It's a friendly and I hadn't expected to be in the squad, so whether I'm disappointed or not doesn't really enter into it.
The season is winding down, but there is still a couple of chances for me to score some goals and grab Mr Eriksson's attention.
Other than that, I'll get my head down in close season, work hard, and make sure I'm ready to hit the ground running come August.
We've a big occasion to look forward to before the FA Cup Final on Sunday.
We will be the last team to play at Maine Road and in a way, we will feel exactly like Arsenal did a couple of seasons ago when they were the last team to play at The Dell.
Just as it was for us, it will be an emotional day for Man City and their supporters.
There will be a party atmosphere at Maine Road, but just as Arsenal tried two years ago, we'll do our best to be the party poopers.
I just hope Shaun Goater doesn't take a leaf out Matthew Le Tissier's book.
Return to index
James Beattie
Southampton and England striker
It goes without saying that I was very disappointed to be left out of the England squad.I was proud and honoured to be called up for the friendly against Australia and I thought I had done well enough in the 45 minutes that I had to earn another call-up.
Just as importantly, I have carried my Premiership form on.
I can only hope that continuing to score goals regularly will make it difficult for Mr Eriksson to overlook me next time
I'm still scoring goals at the top flight and I'm the Premiership's leading goalscorer.
But I have to get on with life. All I can do is get my head down and carry on scoring goals for Southampton.
That's what got me into the England squad in the first place, and I can only hope that continuing to score goals regularly will make it difficult for Mr Eriksson to overlook me next time.
Being left out of the England squad means I have got a free Saturday this week, although I would prefer not to.
I would much rather have been invloved, and I will be a bit envious of Wayne Bridge, and Claus Lundekvam and Jo Tessem as they head off for international duty.
But as I'm not involved, I'll be concentrating my efforts on our next game, which is always the important one.
I'm hoping there are more caps on the horizon
It's a fairly lengthy gap until we face West Ham at St Mary's on 5 April, and I've no doubt that as a few of the players are away on international duty, the Gaffer will give us a few days off.
A bit of a rest not only recharges the batteries but heads off the danger of over training and coming to the boil too soon.
Our draw with Aston Villa was living proof of a striker's lot.
Kevin Davies came on as substitute for us, had one chance and took it.
Villa's Peter Crouch had several chances and couldn't tuck one away.
As an oppponent I was glad Peter didn't score, but as a fellow striker I had a fair degree of sympathy for him.
I went nine games at the start of the season before opening my account and I know what he's going through.
Sometimes, you just can't buy a goal. All you can do is keep believing in your ability, and getting yourself in goalscoring positions to take the chances that will come along.
It also helps if you have a manager who believes in you and gives you his support.
The Gaffer certainly earned his corn at half-time last Saturday after a first-half against Villa that was as poor as we have played this season.
We certainly didn't have the FA Cup semi-final on our minds, we just didn't get going in the first half.
The Gaffer let us know in no uncertain terms and words were said at half-time.
The gist was that we had to stick together and that we certainly couldn't be any worse than we were in the first half.
It worked because we hardly let Villa out of their half after the break.
We left it late again and it was the second week running in which we've scored a last-minute equaliser.
It's a testament to our spirit, fitness and never-say-die attitude.
But there's no truth in the rumour that we have asked if there's some way we can play the last 20 minutes of the match first. Return to index
James Beattie
Southampton and England striker
Does your chewing gum lose its flavour on the bed-post overnight?I don't know, but it doesn't taste too good if you drop it on the ground.
I've taken stick all week after television cameras caught me putting my chewing gum back in my mouth after I had dropped it on the ground.
So to put the record straight, here's the story.
It's a personal thing that I always have a piece of chewing gum in my mouth when I'm playing.
It helps keep the saliva in my mouth and makes sure my mouth doesn't dry out.
We were two minutes into the FA Cup tie against Wolves when I went in for a challenge and my gum fell out of my mouth.
It was the first time it had happened to me, and as there are no pockets in football shorts to put a pack of gum, I was suddenly confronted with the prospect of playing almost a whole half without any gum.
I didn't give any thought to it, I just bent down, picked it up and popped it back in.
I wish I hadn't, because I spent the next 43 minutes chewing sand!
But you'll be relieved to know that I did put a fresh stick in at half-time.
I hope my first-team place isn't under threat from an unusual source - our goalkeeper Antti Niemi.
Anyone who saw our injury-time equaliser at Fulham last weekend will have been impressed with the skills Antti showed.
Normally, a goalkeeper's presence in the opposite penalty area is purely for nuisance value or to use his physical presence.
But Antti was as cool as ice and showed great skill in chesting the ball down before volleying it against the bar for Michael Svensson to head home the rebound.
It didn't come as a great surprise to us because he does some unbelievable things in training for a goalkeeper.
He loves to play up front - when the boss lets him - and he'll barge people out of the way to take free-kicks.
As a schoolboy in Finland he was a striker, but I don't think he's going to turn into another Jose Luis Chilavert and start popping in goals from set-pieces.
He's got to get the ball off me, first.
Antti will stick to doing what he's best at, and although I might be accused of bias, I honestly think he's the best goalkeeper in the Premiership at the moment.
All the early season talk of Blackburn's Brad Friedel has gone a little quiet of late, but Antti has been consistent since he came into the team, and some of the saves he has pulled off this season have been amazing.
Lastly, I would like to pass on my best wishes to all our servicemen in the Gulf.
Professional footballers sometimes live cocooned from some of the things that go on in the world at large.
But we're all aware of what our troops might face and I'm sure my fellow pros will join me in passing on their best wishes.
Return to index
James Beattie
Southampton and England striker
The FA Cup will be a banned subject in the Southampton dressing room for the next few weeks.Last Sunday was a great day for everyone at the club and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
But now the whole subject of the semi-final against Watford will go on the back burner until we start our preparations in the week before the game.
I know that sounds very glib and easy to say, but you have to be professional at a time like this.
We have some vital Premiership games coming up, with crucial points to play for. We still fancy our chances of finishing high enough to qualify for a Uefa Cup place.It is still very tight, and although we're currently 10th, a couple of wins will put us back in the top six.
The Premiership is still our insurance policy and we have to knuckle down.
To do that, we have to exercise all thoughts of the FA Cup from our minds.
People say that must be almost impossible, when you're just 90 minutes away from what might be the last shot at a Cup final for some guys.
Who could blame them for easing up? Well, certainly the gaffer, Gordon Strachan, for one.
He'll be watching like a hawk for any signs of anyone not giving less than their best, not that he'll need to.
All professionals know that you can't switch your level of performance on and off like a light switch.
Once you attain a high standard, you have to maintain it. You can't ease off and pick it back up. If you do that, you're only short-changing yourself.
It sounds like a cliché, but you really do develop the mindset that the next game is the most important one.
If you start thinking what's down the road, and the possible implications of getting injured and missing a game like a semi-final, you're in trouble.
That is when you invariably will get injured, going into tackles and challenges half-heartedly.
In the games and weeks before the quarter-final, we excluded the game from our thoughts completely.
But when the time came to focus on it, there was nothing else on our minds and we were up for it like nobody's business.
The line between arrogance and self-belief is a thin one, and one that can easily be stepped over at a cost.But every one of us knew we were going to beat Wolves.
They're a good side, but the difference between Premiership and Division One teams is we are used to playing at a high tempo for a longer time.
Wolves more than matched us in the first half, but when we were able to just up it a notch, they couldn't stay with us.
That is where the superior fitness and athleticism of Premiership clubs just gives them the edge.
I had a few quiet words with Dave Jones after the game.
He's a top man who gave me my chance at Southampton and I have a lot to thank him for.
The only sour note of the whole day was the injury to Wolves' midfielder Keith Andrews.
He suffered a bad injury in much the same way as I did last season. There was nobody else involed, he just fell awkwardly.
I know what what he faces to get himself back to fitness, so I sent a fax to Wolves this week wishing him all the best.
James Beattie
Southampton and England striker
There are times when it pays to be selectively deaf.One of those is when an opponent is trying to wind you up and get your goat.
The Birmingham derby on Monday night brought the whole subject of players setting out to wind up opponents sharply into focus.
Despite all the hype, I don't think there's too much of it going on in the Premiership, but that might be down to the way I deal with it.
The best way of all to shut a wind-up merchant up is to win the game
I don't take any notice of it and turn a deaf ear as much as possible.
You're obviously aware of what's going on around you on the pitch but to be honest your concentration is - or should be - so totally focused on your own game that you block most of all that nonsense out.
Robbie Savage has got himself a bit of an image as a wind-up merchant, but there are others around.
Word gets around and all those who play in the Premiership know who they are.
Some wind-up merchants are better at it than others and you have to accept it's part of their game to try and put you off yours.
I suppose it's something of a back-handed compliment that they think they need to knock you out of your stride.
Inevitably, some players will react and sometimes it's difficult not to.
These days there are so many cameras around that you can't even get in the sort of dig that you might have got in in the past.
But on the occasions when people have tried to wind me up, I've found it funny and I just laugh it off.
The best way of all to shut a wind-up merchant up is to win the game.
There's not much comeback the most skilful of wind-up merchants can have to that.
We face Wolves in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday and none of us needs reminding what a big game it is.
I'm not going to say it will make or break our season because I still think we've got a lot to play for in the Premiership.
But I don't think that any of the players are under any illusions that this is our biggest game of the season so far.
There's a big buzz about the city and the players know about the weight of expectations on our shoulders.
Dave Jones' return to the club also adds a bit of spice to the occasion, and we know he will have his Wolves players fully fired up to put one over on his old club.
The prize at stake is a big one though: a place in the semi-finals and just one step away from the FA Cup final.
It's the sort of prize we want to get our hands on and Wolves won't have the monopoly on being fully motivated for the occasion. Return to index
Highs and lows at the end
James Beattie
Southampton and England strikerThere can be no worse place than the losing dressing-room after the FA Cup final.
As you can imagine, we were pretty devastated and down in the immediate aftermath of losing to Arsenal on Saturday.I discovered that losing an FA Cup final is a pretty harrowing experience.
But in the cold light of day and once the hurt had eased a bit, we realised there are plenty of positives to take out of it.
It's a thin line between success and failure, and we felt that with one or two breaks, we could have won.
Arsenal had chances early on and failed to take them and with only one goal in the game, you're always in contention.
They had the sort of break with their goal that we never had in front of goal.
I thought I had scored with my header in the last minute, only for Ashley Cole to scramble the ball off the line.
In the end, we were the thicknes of Ashley's thigh from forcing extra time.
I enjoyed the whole experience and the day was made complete by our fans, who were superb
I know there are instances of players throwing their runners-up medals away, or just neglecting them.
But I won't be doing that. I'll put it in my cabinet with the rest of my trophies.
It's still something to be proud of, and there are plenty of teams in the Premiership who would have been more than glad of a season in which they finished eighth and got to the Cup final.
I enjoyed the whole experience and the day was made complete by our fans, who were superb.
They never drifted out on the final whistle and stayed to applaud us and Arsenal round the pitch, which was fantastic.
The only downer of the Cup final experience was some of the press coverage after it.
Some of it was a bit mischievous and you wonder the motives of some people who try and unsettle players.
Inevitably, there was more speculation concerning me, this time linking me with Liverpool.
I'm getting used to such speculation now and I don't know how many times I have to say it, but I'm going nowhere.
I've signed a new contract, I'm happy at Southampton and as far as I'm concerned I'll be reporting back for pre-season training in July.
My season hasn't quite ended yet, though, and I've still got plenty to look forward to.
I'm joining up with the England squad on Friday for the friendly against Serbia & Montenegro, and the Euro 2004 qualifier against Slovakia.
I can't say how much I'm looking forward to linking up with the squad - even Ashley Cole, who I'll have a word with!
I was really chuffed to get called up, I feel it's a reward for all I have achieved this season.
This is a chance for me to get my foot firmly in the door with England and I fully intend to take it.
After that, I'll have a bit of break, but it doesn't seem that long until I'll be reporting back for pre-season.
In the meantime, have a great summer, enjoy the break - and I'll see you again in August.
© BBC MMIII