Leading sportswriter Richard Williams once analysed Cristiano Ronaldo and KakaâÂÂs styles of play in terms relating to classical music.
According to Williams, Kaka is like a C&W twang on a mouth iron, while Ronaldo is a whopping funk riff on slap bass played by a strung-out geezer in a âÂÂfro and stack heels⦠oh alright, that wasnâÂÂt the point he was making.
Seems Kaka was âÂÂallegro molto vivace, with a pronounced fondness for bursts of staccato phrasing via those quick-stepping feet,â while Kaka âÂÂplays at a permanent andante cantabileâÂÂ. No, weâÂÂve no idea either.
Still, it got us thinking. Which bands really speak 'Premier League football' to us?
Now, unlike Mr Williams â who at Melody Maker once accidentally mistook an EMI engineerâÂÂs test pressing for a John Lennon album and reviewed it in glowing terms â weâÂÂre simple folk when it comes to tunes, so thereâÂÂll be no mentions of glissandos, diminuendos or minimalist compositions here. Well, only one.
ARSENAL: Air
This French synth combo are classy, ephemeral and aesthetically pleasing â though the melodies are often lightweight, noodle unnecessarily, and rarely culminate in a satisfying conclusion. (Speaking of music, the crowd at the Emirates are music buffs to a man, often raising the roof with their rousing renditions of John CageâÂÂs 4âÂÂ33".)
ASTON VILLA: Prince
Prince enjoyed spectacular success in the early-'80s before going steadily â some would say spectacularly â downhill. HeâÂÂs enjoyed a couple of minor successes since, but most of the time people simply shake their heads and wonder what the hell happened to a once-great institution. (Coincidentally, former chairman Doug Ellis is rumoured to do a cracking karaoke version of Sexy Motherf*cker.)
"Come here baby, you sexy..."
BLACKBURN: Radiohead
The Oxford miserablists enjoyed phenomenal sales in the mid-'90s. They looked set fair for a long period of dominance, but threw it away big-style with a series of amazingly wilful career decisions. Replacing the majestic guitar swirl of The Bends with the piss-in-a-puddle drums of Amnesiac is one thing⦠but Kenny Dalglish for Ray Harford, Brian Kidd and Paul Ince?
BOLTON: Snow Patrol
A bunch of professional chaps who always turn up on time and get the job done with minimum fuss. Problem is, nobody remembers an effing thing they ever do. Or know what any of them look like.
CHELSEA: Coldplay
Immensely successful â yet equally unpopular. Nobody youâÂÂll ever meet actually admits to liking this lot mâ perhaps because thereâÂÂs such a ridiculous amount of money thrown at the production, and whatâÂÂs produced is turgid rubbish.
EVERTON: The Beatles
A Merseyside outfit whose toppermost days were in the 1960s. TheyâÂÂve still got a big reputation, but it doesnâÂÂt take a genius to spot that only 50 percent of their members have any discernable talent.
FULHAM: The Bangles
They work-for-an-E-gyp-tian.
HULL CITY: Elbow
Phenomenally underachieving northerners suddenly hit the big time and get the âÂÂovernight successâ theyâÂÂve worked decades to achieve, to widespread hair-ruffling delight. But itâÂÂll be interesting to see how they follow it upâ¦
LIVERPOOL: David Hasselhoff
To the human eye these two institutions appear so identical they suggest a single hybrid. The Hofferpool, if you will. Both enjoyed glory days in the âÂÂ80s when they bossed Europe with some of the finest perms the world had ever seen. Both have huge followings in Germany. And both emerged from the doldrums in the Noughties to score unexpected hits as varied as Jump In My Car and winning the Champions League.
The Hoff, complete with all-conquering hairdo
MANCHESTER CITY: Oasis
Yes, it seems far too obvious. But examine the evidence â theyâÂÂre wealthier than theyâÂÂve ever been, but are past their best, fail dismally in their goal to recreate the heady days of the 1960s, and are prone to occasional bursts of extreme violence.
MANCHESTER UNITED: Thelonious Monk
The legendary jazz pianist pressed keys which should never have worked together in a million years, but somehow did. Fergie meanwhile cobbled together a winning side with a midfield containing the likes of John OâÂÂShea and Darren Fletcher. Mmm, nice!
MIDDLESBROUGH: The Magic Numbers
Cuddly, wholesome kids who no one really minds but who seem inexorably headed for the dumper.
NEWCASTLE: The Grateful Dead
Blessed with an unbelievable number of rabid fans who can see no wrong in their heroes whatsoever. Everyone else looks on in total bemusement.
PORTSMOUTH: Massive Attack
Peter Crouch gags are great, arenâÂÂt they?
STOKE: Motley Crue
Like âÂÂem or loathe âÂÂem, you canâÂÂt deny the formula works. May be prone to the odd bout of in-fighting but you wouldnâÂÂt want to get into an argument with their army of loyal, noisy fans.
SUNDERLAND: The Arcade Fire
The Canadian hipsters first hit the big time a couple of years ago, and enjoyed much critical success with their initial effort. But despite good early notices, in reality their second effort saw them merely treading water, and nobodyâÂÂs talking about them much any more. LetâÂÂs face facts, their time is already running out.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR: U2
Big on bluster and not half as important as they think they are.
WEST BROM: The Smiths
So many of The Smithsâ lyrics speak directly to Baggies fans. âÂÂI know itâÂÂs over.â âÂÂHeaven knows IâÂÂm miserable now.â "Sing me to sleep / I donâÂÂt want to wake up any more." âÂÂPanic.â âÂÂUntil itâÂÂs mathematically impossible to stay up / WeâÂÂll carry on giving it our all.â Actually, weâÂÂre not sure if that last one was one of MorrisseyâÂÂs or not; weâÂÂll have to check.
Mowbray: "Heaven knows etc..."
WEST HAM UNITED: Chas âÂÂnâ Dave
Yes, we know Chas, Dave and the drummer from ChasâÂÂnâÂÂDave did all the FA Cup final songs for Spurs. But you couldnâÂÂt get a more typical Sound of East London if you strapped Lee BowyerâÂÂs head to the axle of his Baby Bentley and went wheel-spinning around Dagenham for a couple of hours.
WIGAN: Fatboy Slim
A chancer who made his name in the âÂÂ80s and now pieces together loads of different bits of old tat to make something which is passable at best.
Wednesday: How football became the new rock'n'roll
Yesterday: When footballers become pop stars
The EnemyâÂÂs new album Music For The People is out April 27.
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