ESPN STAR Sports presenter Andrew Leci is currently in the UK speaking to the Barclays Premier League's movers and shakers. Catch up with him in his BPL diary.

Day 10 - Finale, finally

And...it's over. Our onsite trip came to an end this morning at our London studio with the Monday Night Verdict, and my distinctly looking tired face in a suspended box at the back of the set.

There was so much to talk about, it was a major struggle fitting everything in, but Andy Penders did a great job orchestrating proceedings (and making Macca and Shebby play nice) and the show was over in a flash. Unfortunately we missed Mick McCarthy's sacking by minutes, but I think the parlous position he found himself in after Sunday's 5-1 home defeat to West Brom was mentioned, so I think we're covered.

Macca couldn't resist the temptation to have a go at me for not questioning Sir Alex over the Suarez/Evra saga, but I made the call at the time to stick to talking about football (knowing that we would get all the other reaction anyway), and thinking that maybe he would like to talk about the game and his team's performance rather than men behaving badly. That was my take on the issue; maybe I should have been more ‘tabloid' in my approach, but there you go. Sometimes you have to make quick decisions, and live by them. Sometimes they're right, and sometimes...

The Monday Night Verdict brings to an end a work experience that has been satisfying and very successful. Managed to interview Arsene Wenger, Steve Kean, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Andre Villas Boas, Michael Carrick, Ledley King, Tim Cahill, Joe Hart, Sir Alex Ferguson, Jonny Evans, Alex McLeish and Roberto Mancini, while having Kenny Sansom, Nigel Spackman and Denis Irwin pitch-side with me at certain matches.

I would imagine that it all looks very glamorous to people watching on TV, and don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining for a moment. But what people don't see is the almost interminable waiting around; the scrums in the tunnel post-match, trying to get interviews; and the endless scrambled meals (not eggs necessarily) eaten on the hoof (maybe even containing hoof) when we're dashing around from place to place.

This trip has also seen shoots in the bitter cold, with frozen fingers manfully holding on to microphones and trying to get lips to move in the requisite way, only to be told that there was a problem with the sound/lighting, and it all had to be done again.

A hastily snaffled sandwich in the car park of a motorway service station driving south after the Villa/Man City game on Sunday was one of the highlights - that and viewing our hire car strewn with the debris of past (unhealthy, invariably cold, no doubt sodium-loaded) repasts.

Still, it was an excellent and productive trip, and an honour to be given the opportunity to spend some of my working life in such a way.

Day 9 - A Villa-inous reception

I must say that the hospitality at Villa Park today was excellent. Every member of staff was friendly and accommodating, and couldn't do enough to help us get around and show off their club - even down to a car parking attendant who was only too happy to join in our "Aston Villa pop quiz", and won, despite being a Birmingham City fan.

I thought the team was fairly accommodating today as well - a little harsh perhaps - but they certainly didn't offer much against Manchester City in the first half, and only really looked even remotely threatening after going a goal down.

I didn't know what to say to (or ask) Alex McLeish after the game, and we ended up talking more about the visitors than his side. He didn't seem to mind, although I'm not sure the press officer was best pleased.

Roberto Mancini was his usual charming self, and was pleased with the result, although somewhat disappointed that his side hadn't managed to put the game to bed much earlier and in more convincing style.

Having said that, he maintained that he'd be happy with 13 more 1-0 wins, although his heart might suffer along the way.

We then had to ‘leg it' south down the M6 to get back to London, for a couple of hours sleep before going in to our London studio for the Monday Night Verdict.

No doubt we'll be talking a lot about Suarez, and I may even reveal some of the shenanigans that went on in the tunnel at Old Trafford on Saturday.

But I probably won't.

One more assignment to go then, on what has been an epic trip. If the full version of this diary ever comes out, we'll have a special chapter on my birthday night out in Manchester on Saturday - much of which I can remember.

Day 8 - All eyes on Suarez vs Evra

An exhausting but satisfying day. Bitterly cold in Manchester (once again) and the walk from our hotel was much longer than it was the last time - it wasn't of course, just felt that way.

Our pre-match interviews with Denis Irwin went well, and I'm grateful to the Manchester United legend for wearing a coat this time, and not making me feel like a wimp.

Obviously all eyes were on Suarez and Evra at handshake time, and despite what the Liverpool player claimed, and may subsequently claim, he snubbed Evra. We'll all have our take on the issue, I'm sure. I'm certainly not going to make a comment or pass judgment. Who knows what was going on inside Suarez' head?

The match took a little while to get going, and there was a bit of bother in the tunnel at half-time. We were in our commentary positions, but news soon filtered through that there had been a fracas.

And there were more problems after the final whistle, with certain players - I'm not going to name any names - squaring up to each other. It was a nasty end to what had been a fascinating tussle. But in the circumstances, I suppose it could have been worse.

Spoke with Sir Alex Ferguson after the game, and I'd like to think that he was grateful for the fact that I stuck to football, and didn't even mention the 'race row'. He thinks the title race is going down to the wire, and he thinks it will be decided at the Etihad Stadium at the end of April, when the two Manchesters collide for the second league game this season. He might be right.

Also interviewed Jonny Evans in the tunnel, who really seems to be enjoying his football right now.

Russ Wiseman invited us up to his box after the match, and we had a few drinks with him while watching the Spurs vs Newcastle match. Russ' hospitality is legendary.

Day 7 - Insights from Everton

I will not talk about the weather anymore.

But...how can I not? I'm in England, and it is, quite simply, an obsession.

The thing is, now that we are up north, the temperature has fallen, and so has the rain. It's been bitterly cold today, and it's been raining - a double whammy that has made it very difficult to shoot outdoors, unless you're a sadomasochist, or have a masochistic producer.

You can guess my scenario, if you like...

Our interview with Tim Cahill at Everton's training ground went well. He was very media savvy and prevented me from asking a whole load of questions, by providing many of the answers before I'd had the opportunity to ask them. Nothing at all wrong with that.

Being Australian as well, he knows plenty about Asia and Asian football, so was happy to be doing the piece for us.

Somehow, in the space of 15 minutes, we managed to talk about Everton, the season, the weekend encounter with Chelsea, new signings, David Moyes, Blackpool in the FA Cup, Steven Pienaar, and the Academy. Plenty of ground covered.

We managed one other ‘sit down' with the Everton Academy Manager Alan Irvine (former Preston and Sheffield Wednesday boss). He gave a fascinating insight into life as a trainee footballer, and how difficult it is to make the grade in the BPL, but you'll have to watch World of Football on ESPN for the full interview. Especially relevant though for budding players.

The weather was then so bad that shooting at the Manchester Ship Canal (don't ask why...watch Saturday's pre-show) had to be postponed. This came as some relief seeing as even the couple of short pieces we did outside the Everton Academy left me numb with cold. It's not so bad when extremities cease to function; but when the lips go, it's not good.

Day 6 - An audience with a King

Up bright and early to travel to Spurs Lodge for an interview with Ledley King (and anyone else who may have been passing by, and fancied a chat).

In the end, it took us far less time to work our way across London than we anticipated, so there was plenty of coffee to be drunk before we sat down.

No one else was around by the way - why should they have been? It was the players' day off. We knew that...

Ledley was a very good interviewee, and spoke honestly and thoughtfully about Tottenham Hotspur's season, his expectations, and the difficulties he has had as a player coping with injuries.

Because of a chronic (and well documented) knee condition, he cannot train, and struggles to play in consecutive games. And yet, he is still regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the BPL, and somehow manages to summon up the stamina to last 90 minutes on match days. One can only speculate on the number of England caps he would have won had he been healthy throughout his career.

Obviously we talked about Spurs' most recent outing at Anfield, where every member of the team had to dig deep to get a point, but it's a measure of how far the side has come this season. In previous years, there was every possibility that a Tottenham side would have come away empty handed.

Many thanks to all the guys at Spurs Lodge for making us feel welcome - particularly Richard Hubbard the Press Officer, who even volunteered to throw snowballs at me while I was doing a piece to camera (in the freezing cold - as if anyone would have enjoyed doing that...) on one of the training pitches. I've been invited back there in July for the launch of the new kit, and to train with the squad...yes, I did say that. It's an opportunity that I hope I will not have to pass up.

From Chigwell, we headed to Manchester, by car, and reached our hotel - overlooking Old Trafford - some three-and-a-half hours later - a fairly smooth run by UK's traffic standards. It's even colder up here, but the news of Fabio Capello's resignation has certainly warmed things up.

It's Tim Cahill on Wednesday, at Everton's training ground. Looking forward.

Day 5 - Some rest, at last

Up before the crack of dawn to get into our London studio. Hardly any sleep the night before, due to sore throat, blocked nose, and the impending feeling that the body is about to shut down through the symptoms of a raging cold.

No weather report today either, just a health one.

Andy Penders anchored the Monday Night Verdict, and I was given the opportunity to natter about the weekend. There's no doubt that being at the grounds, and talking to some of the protagonists before and after games, gives a fabulous insight into the working of a Barclays Premier League football club.

It's a very different experience being a disembodied head and shoulders in the background of the set, as opposed to being in my normal seat in the studio, but it gives a much better understanding of what it's like to be one of our London guests. It's also good to function outside one's comfort zone, every now and again.

As in every MNV, there is always so much to talk about, and after every segment you're left with the feeling that you haven't said enough, or there were issues that hadn't been examined with sufficient thoroughness. Sometimes though, as my producers are wont to say, "less is more', and "you can't cover everything".

Steve McMahon and Shebby Singh were in fine fettle, and my ‘argument' with Macca about presenters and opinions ‘rages' on. At least I was far enough away to prevent him from clipping me round the ear.

Fortunately I have the rest of the day off, which means seeking help from a pharmacist, and trying to catch up on some sleep.

Day 4 - Sharp changes and better weather

I have to say, we've been very lucky with our onsite games this trip. After the 7-1 at the Emirates on Saturday, we were lucky enough to be present for the 3-3 thriller at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Our pre-match pieces went very well, with Nigel Spackman always an engaging, opinionated and very well informed guest. Nigel also seems to know everyone in football, so we had several opportunities to chat with some of the industry's movers and shakers - particularly in the broadcast world. Gathered in the press lounge were Tony Gale, Martin Tyler, Alan Smith, Craig Burley, John Champion, Garth Crooks and Frank Sinclair, and it was great to hear their opinions before the match.

We also found out very early how Chelsea's defensive resources were going to be redeployed in the absence of the suspended Ashley Cole, and that gave us something meaty to talk about pitch-side.

After the first 20 minutes, nothing could have prepared us for what was to follow, and the game may have been decided (if anything is ever ‘decided' when the match ends in a draw) by second half substitutions.

Andre Villas-Boas withdrew Danny Sturridge (he wasn't best pleased) and brought on Oriol Romeu with the score at 3-2, seemingly with the intention of shoring things up and holding out for the win.

Sir Alex Ferguson - whose hand was forced by being two and then three goals down, introduced Javier Hernandez and Paul Scholes, taking off the disappointing Ashley Young, and Rafael, a full back.

As most pundits will maintain, managers live and die by their decisions, and clearly SAF won that particular battle.

I couldn't resist suggesting to AVB post-match, that taking off Sturridge changed the game, but he didn't seem to think so - no surprise there.

I also got to interview Michael Carrick who, in true Manchester United tradition, expressed disappointment that his side hadn't gone on to win the game. That's a measure of the club, I feel. Most sides would have been delighted to secure a point having been 3-0 down. Manchester United's players thought that they should have gone on to get all three.

So, two games in, and they have both been excellent entertainment. A very early start tomorrow, as I will be the head and shoulders in the background on the Monday Night Verdict.

You'll notice there has been no weather report today.

Day 3 - A good day for Arsenal and the Ox

No more weather reports. Suffice it to say that it was cold at the Emirates, but it didn't prevent us from having a very productive day.

We weren't supposed to have a guest for a pre-match pitch-side interview, but Kenny Sansom was milling around in the press lounge, and we asked him if he wouldn't mind having a quick chat with us.

It was almost serendipitous, as when the teams were announced, Arsene Wenger had decided to replace Bacary Sagna (a recognised full back), with Francis Coquelin (a midfielder by trade). Kenny thought that it might work to Blackburn's advantage, but obviously, over the course of the game, his fears were never realised.

Arsenal were terrific overall, and produced some of the end product that has been missing in recent weeks. Who needs Batman, when Arsenal have Robin Van Persie, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored his first, and second, BPL goals.

Arsenal were particularly rampant after the dismissal of Gael Givet, and the final score could have been even more emphatic - as if 7-1 isn't either bad, or good, enough (depending on who you support).

By the way, Givet looked disconsolate in the tunnel after the game. Slow motion replays show that he only had eyes for the ball, but he was late, and the tackle was at least one and a half footed (if not worse), and everybody knows the rules these days... (yes, this is irony).

Arsene Wenger was in a good mood after the game - if you can't be in a good mood after a 7-1 win, when will you be? - and we got to interview him. He seemed particularly interested in my question about the balance of the team when both Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain start.

Steve Kean also did 'post-match', and it must have been hard for him in the circumstances. But he was very accommodating, and you really have to admire his spirit. Blackburn have QPR coming up - Steve is going to have to work hard to get his boys back on their bikes.

Also got to interview Alex O-C (Oxlade-Chamberlain is just too bothersome to write every time). What a charming young man, and I think it's fair to say that he really does have the world at his feet. The Arsenal fans already love him; he has bags of talent; and strikes me as being just as balanced in his life outside football as he is on the pitch when he's threading his way through opposition defenders.

Good day for us; great day for Arsenal. Oh, and I had my photo taken with Gunnersaurus Rex - couldn't resist it.

Day 2 - Looking ahead to the weekend's action

I hate to bang on about the weather, but Friday morning at Stamford Bridge was particularly cold - especially when the wind got up.

However, the sky was blue, and that might be a good omen for Chelsea ahead of their crunch game against Manchester United on Sunday.

Before doing a short piece with Nigel Spackman pitchside, we went into the visitors' dressing room, and tried to imagine what Sir Alex Ferguson would be saying to his players ahead of the game.

We shot a bit in the tunnel (very tight at Chelsea, narrow to the extent that two burly footballers can just about stand side by side without making the walls dirty) and traced the steps that John Terry has made on so many occasions, leading his troops into battle at Stamford Bridge - there are military analogies here, but I won't labour them

Of course we couldn't be sure whether JT would even play on Sunday (and it's been a bad Friday for the Chelsea captain, who'll miss the game through injury - confirmed by Andre Villas-Boas - and the former England captain is now the former England captain once again, after the slightly surprising decision from the Football Association).

Nigel was his usual charming self, and gave us an excellent piece - we focused on the intimidating nature of the stadium, suggesting that the intimidation often came from the home supporters to their own team when things weren't going well.

Chelsea fans became used to success under Jose Mourinho, and they're not used to watching their team fight for a Champions League spot.

We're at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday for Arsenal vs Blackburn, which could prove to be an uncomfortable afternoon... for several.

Day 1 - A bright Spark on a cold London day

Freezing. There is no other word to describe London at the moment - at least in terms of the weather. And I'm allowed to be literal, seeing as the temperature was zero degrees in London, and liquids are supposed to freeze at this point. And they would have.

Down to Queens Park Rangers' training ground, in the far west of London, very near Heathrow airport (the place where planes take off and ferry passengers to warmer climes where human beings can actually function normally) for an interview with Mark Hughes.

As the newest managerial appointment in the Barclays Premier League, and a living legend, Mark Hughes is in big demand, and we were grateful to Tony Fernandes for helping us set up the event.

At the back end of a standard press conference, scheduled, incidentally, only a few hours after QPR's away game at Aston Villa, the usual suspects meted out their mandatory examinations and Mr Hughes trotted out a stream of decently constructed retorts.

Fortunately, we were given the opportunity to have a one-on-one with Mark, and fortunately again, the venue was designated at his office within the training ground, and it was as warm and toasty as a rich man's study in a Dickens novel - although without the roaring log fire and attendant butlers.

It was an excellent interview, and I have discovered over the course of time, that 'bizarre' isn't quite as strange as it sounds.

Basically, football personalities, whether they are high-profile players or managers, or even club owners, have been asked pretty much the same questions, time and time again, and have invented and spouted out a litany of generic responses. It's all rather dull, and none of us should be in the least bit surprised.

While some people would say that there are almost infinite variations in the course of a football match, there seems to be a very finite number of issues for people to discuss within the game itself. So wherever possible, I try to bound off the beaten track when interviewing football personalities and, simply, hope for the best.

It seemed to work with 'Sparky', as he was known during his playing days. He responded better to unusual questions than he did to the mundane, and ended up giving us a full 25 minutes of his time. He was particularly bullish about QPR's new signings - and why wouldn't he be - the club's Premier League survival appears to be dependent on them.

I even managed to draw him on who would likely be in his starting 11 against Wolves on Saturday (a huge game for both clubs who are fighting against the prospect of relegation), but we'll have to wait until match day to find out whether his wishes have been fulfilled, or whether injury concerns have forced his hand.

While Mark was very friendly and most accommodating, it's clear that he has a steely determination, and I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of him.

It's Stamford Bridge next, and an opportunity to preview Sunday's big clash between Chelsea and Manchester United. That's if my blood doesn't freeze first.