FABREGAS THE BEST CHOICE

Fabregas waits in the wings after Gallas is dismissed


This week Arsene Wenger named Cesc Fabregas as his new captain at Arsenal, and it is hard to see a better man for the job right now. In the summer, in my opinion, Wenger lost his two best natural leaders, in Gilberto and yes, Mathieu Flamini. This season it has to be noted that there is a lack of leadership in the midfield and no matter how good Fabregas is, last season that leader was Flamini. Unfortunately for Wenger, money appeared more attractive to Flamini than loyalty to a club that has made his career, something that can be said of Arsenal in many cases, Ashley Cole to name but another, and the Gunners boss, whether through want of trying or not, failed to find a suitable replacement.

Wenger said on Sunday before choosing his captain, "I don't believe too much in leadership. I believe more in good passing than a guy who jumps around with his hands in the air and plays the leader". In this case, i have to say i disagree with him, which is not something that happens often. When you look at previous Arsenal captains such as Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira, you would always see them shouting and waving their arms about to instruct the team. Adams by the way, as an interesting fact was 21, the same age as Fabregas when he first captained Arsenal. Good omen for the future perhaps?

Apart from Fabregas, it is hard to see another stand-out candidate. Obviously Kolo Toure is experienced, knows the club and in the past has been one of the best defenders in the league, however, in the last two seasons, he has been nowhere near the Toure of old and has been rather injury-prone. It is almost impossible for Wenger to make someone who will more than likely be out for half the season the club captain. The same goes for Robin van Persie. I believe that if Tomas Rosicky hadn't picked up the injury when he did and had made as big an impact as i think he would have done last season, i think he would have been a strong candidate for the role. He is more of a natural leader, as well as having captained his country many times in the past. Manuel Almunia has looked shaky recently and i have never agreed with a goalkeeper being captain as it is virtually impossible to lead a team from the penalty area. Other than those it is hard to find any other possibilities which is why i believe Wenger has made the right decision with what he's got.

CRISIS CALLS FOR ALL GUNS AT THE READY

"The worst week of my life" seems like an appropriate statement for Arsenal at this time, but as Arsene Wenger said "I've had worse". A week when a second home defeat seemed to confirm to fans that the Emirates was no longer a place where they just don't lose, captain and supposed leader William Gallas had hung out the clubs dirty laundry for all to see and the weaknesses and injuries of the team were the talk of most of the footballing world, it surely wasn't about to get worse. Manchester City and Robinho made sure of that. The defence looks like a bunch of school-boys against Premier League champions, and whats worse, it didn't look like anyone could be bothered.

Despite all this, Arsenal fan must remember that as one fan on 606 said "before Arsene Wenger we were not very good" and he's right, moreover calls from some for Arsene Wenger's head is ridiculous, as former Arsenal favourite Lee Dixon said "a great manager doesn't become a bad manager over night". One fan even ordered that Gallas be reinstated and Wenger dismissed. To compare the two's records at the club is like comparing a pint of Carling from the Herbert Chapman pub to a can of Asda's economy. A man who has turns around the club from "boring, boring arsenal" to a team who has been playing some of the best football in Europe for years, who until five years ago, had been winning things, and winning them in style. Then error-prone, past-his-best Gallas, who has done nothing but whine and moan and sulk in the middle of football pitches and back-stab his manager to try to get his own way. A complete no-brainer as to who i would keep as far as i'm concerned.



What Gallas did is completely inexcusable. A leader on and off the pitch, a role model is what he is supposed to be, but instead he sets an example that shows he has no regard for the club and shows him to be a pathetic coward. Great captains of the past like Frank Mclintock, Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira would not have even thought about it. Nobody but him will know what he hoped to achieve with this outburst, but all it did was made Arsenal the laughing stock of not just north ondon, but the whole of footballing England.

From now, it can only get better, with a reasonably safe Champions League game against Dynamo Kiev to come in mid-week, and a game which all will expect to be lost away at Stamford Bridge, the team need to pick themselves up and make the most of the rest of the season. One win next weekend will see a complete turn-around in the media and the dressing room. All these recent crisis talks means low-pressure on the Chelsea game and gives them more chance off pulling off a surprise win. Even if, as expected, they do lose, a good performance will do them the world of good and help drag back to where they want to be. The Premier League is all but gone now, but the Carling Cup, FA cup and Champions League are all still very realistic targets. In the cups, you only have to play well for one game, look at Portsmouth who won the FA Cup last season, and Liverpool who somehow managed to win the Champions League in 2005. Anything is possible with some optimism and a couple of decent January signings.

SHOOTING STARLETS TURN SOUR

From the good, to the very bad and slightly ugly in the space of four days. On Tuesday, Arsenal's young guns went out in front of a packed Emirates Stadium and demolished a full strength Sheffield United 6-0. Four days later and the so-called "first team" go out looking like they've just come back from a tough trip to Eastern Europe for the Champions League.

On an evening where much was expected of the stars of Arsenal, where they were due to show the kids that they're not the only ones who can play, came a huge disappointment. It's hard enough for Arsenal fans to take a 1-0 loss away at a battling Fulham side when their team played badly, but a 2-1 home defeat to a Hull City side who, four years ago, were in the lowest tier of league football in England, and who many people had written of as "no-hopers" for this season. Even when Arsenal had woken up in the second half, and nicked a scrappy, "un-arsenal-like" goal, they still managed to lose to an incredible performance from Hull. The fact is, the 100% that Hull go from every single player on the pitch for the Tigers, should still not have been enough to defeat the quality and strength of Arsenal. They knew lady luck was shining on them yesterday as William Gallas headed brilliantly against the bar and the rebound merely hit Carlos Vela, a superb hat-trick hero on Tuesday, and went behind for a goal kick. Verdict for Arsenal: must try harder.

All this meant that Chelsea took top spot, while Liverpool and Aston Villa climbed to second and third respectively, and Man United gained three of the seven points they were behind on Arsenal back after a 2-0 win over Bolton. In all, seven out of the top nine won, scoring 2 goals. The two teams that didn't win were Arsenal, and Man City, who didn't play. Not a good day at the office for Arsene Wenger and his boys.

GUNNERS SHOOT TO THE TOP

Arsenal yesterday fired their way to the top of the league, and today had their place cemented for the week by the result at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Manchester United.

The Gunners, who started the match without the injured Samir Nasri and the benched duo Theo Walcott and Robin van Persie, fell behind early on with a powerful header from Kevin Davies. However fought their way back with two in two minutes first from Emmanuel Eboue, then Nicklas Bendtner and the game was rounded of with a dazzling run from substitute Theo Walcott, who played though Emmanuel Adebayor to set up young Brazilian midfielder Denilson for the third.

From the kick-off, it always looked to be Arsenal on the up as they got their passing game going quickly.

Bolton had an early chance after a scramble and Kevin Nolan sent a 30-yard snap shot goal-bound, seeing it tipped over by Manuel Almunia.

The early indication was that Bolton were in for a rough ride and they only ever looked threatening from set-pieces or long balls into the box. This was proved the case on 14 minutes as Kevin Davies climbed higher than the hapless Kolo Toure to head home from six-yards. Gael Clichy perhaps should have done better as the man on the post.

Toure very nearly amended for his poor defending when moments later he sent a fierce half-volley just wide of the post.

This, it would seem, was the most Bolton had to give as they spent the rest of the game on the racks. Straight from the restart Arsenal looked hungry, and not long after, Bendtner played a magnificent one-two with Adebayor who proceeded to slot the ball past Jussi Jaaskelainen, only to see it rebound back off the right hand post and back out.

Bendtner himself then saw a goal-bound shot hit Danny Shittu and from the resulting corner, Alex Song, unmarked, headed the ball against the left hand post.

Arsene Wenger looked frustrated, as did the Arsenal fans, who had decided the bad luck was his fault for leaving Walcott and van Persie on the bench.

It was all smiles a few minutes later after some more good play from Denilson, Bendtner slipped the ball through the gaping Bolton defence, to which Eboue latched onto to level the game with his first Premier League goal.

Just as Bolton had woken up after conceding the equaliser, they were picking the ball out of the net again as Bendtner turned from assistant to scorer after connecting with a delightfully weighted ball from Denilson.

Arsenal continued to press once again as Eboue and Denilson both went close. With half-time closing, Bolton took the ball up the other end and Nolan let loose a stinging volley that flew past Almunia's right hand post.

However, in stoppage time, the game took a sour note as Kevin Davies went in high and two-footed in Gael Clichy. The apparent touch on the ball may have saved Davies from a red-card as he escaped with just a yellow.
After the break, Arsenal again came out strongly as Alex Song came close with his effort from the edge of the box, but from then on it was Bolton who looked the more likely scorers.
Mustapha Riga, a second half substitute for Bolton almost made an instant impact, seeing his fine effort tipped round the post by Manuel Almunia.

With Bolton still going forward, as rare as it is, the Arsenal defence stayed fairly solid and they found no way through. As they pressed further, on came Theo Walcott to add pace to the counter-attack. Within ten minutes, he had picked the ball up on the halfway line and took off on a scintillating run, resulting in the game killing third for Arsenal through Denilson.

Walcott came close to making it four late on but had his shot saved from the finger-tips of Jaaskelainen, with Adebayor still screaming for the pass.

In all, it was a brilliant performance from Arsenal, but there are still some worries. Certain players like Denilson and Bendtner, as much good as they may have done yesterday, have a strong tendency to send stray passes out for throws or goal kicks, especially the former. The defensive partnership of William Gallas and Kolo Toure looks shaky at times, and just as a reminder, they haven't played anyone in the top 9 yet and still lost away to Fulham. They may be top, and they may be playing well and scoring goals, but don't get too carried away until they win a big game. You may be setting yourselves up for disappointment.

SCUDAMORE'S BIG "F*** YOU" TO LOYAL ENGLISH FANS

This ridiculous idea completely underestimates the power and the input from proper English fans to their clubs. For years we support our teams and now Richard Scudamore turns around and does a big "F*** You!" and says we are going to play somewhere you cant afford to watch. If it happens, they don't get another penny of my money, I'll cancel my season ticket as protest untill they scrap the idea. I suggest everyone else does the same. A boycott of this kind means that the money grabbers who suggested the idea in the first place will lose out in the end, and eventually will have no choice but to give in. Everyone who reads this, please sign the petition at http://www.fsf.org.uk. It already has over 10,000 signatures but pathetically that is not even half the average Premier League capacity.

The idea is to create a 39th step in which all teams in the Premier League will play abroad for one game, which will count towards the title or relegation at the end of the season. The suggested places where the games should be played include Asia, Australia and the USA - all of whom have publicly rejected the idea. Supposing Japan ends up with Wigan v Reading, possibly a crunch relegation fixture which all die hard fans will want to attend, and all who turn up are 2000 weird Japanese football fanatics? Have we made money? No, have we lost money? Quite probably. This proposal will almost certainly not be profitable for clubs like these because, quite frankly, who is going to turn up and/or pay money to see this if they are not fans. I for one would not pay lots of money to see Murcia v Getafe if the Spanish League decided to come over here. Granted, I would love to see Real Madrid v Barcelona, but I do not expect them to come over to England just for us to watch. I will go over to Spain to watch that game when I have the time or the money. This should be the same for anyone else as regarding the English game.

In 2018, England hope to hold the World Cup, and to do this we need the support of the rest of the World's Football Associations. The Asian FA, having rejected the proposal from Scudamore, are not likely to do us any favours in terms of the World Cup bid, should we go ahead and ignore everything they have to say. Does Scudamore really want to pass up this big money spinning opportunity to bring most of the World to spend their money on our shores? I'm not sure he does. My advice is, scrap the idea, apologise to all football fans all over the country (of whom the majority now hate him) and forget all about it, because if anything can be objected to on such a large scale, it is never going to work.

ENGLAND EXPECTS, CAPELLO DELIVERS...JUST!

Shawn Wright-Phillips, last night, saved Fabio Capello's blushes as he sent England to a 2-1 victory over Switzerland in a game which went some way to repairing the hurt caused by England's exit in Euro 2008 qualifying.

Capello looked concerned with only half an hour gone and the "boo boys" had already got started. The particularly fickle section of the crowd involved in this were probably the same type of people that got Sam Allardyce kicked out of Newcastle a few weeks ago. Lucky then, that Joe Cole quickly silenced them with first a good run and a decent effort, followed by a dazzling run and a pull-back from the by-line for Jermaine Jenas to tap in. Not the best half from England but it was OK and they were in front, that, surely is the most important thing. After all, Italy were nowhere near the best team at the world cup, but they managed to win it. They should have been knocked out by Australia of all teams.

The second half started much better, with some slick passing moves mostly created by Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole. However, when Eren Derdiyok flashed a shot past David James. Lucky the two didn't let that faze them and they continued their good play and finally, after a long goal kick, knocked down by substitute Peter Crouch, followed by Wayne Rooney into Gerrard's path, who then slotted across the box for the other substitute Wright-Phillips for the second tap in of the game. A game in which Rooney had his moments, and David Bentley did well, England showed they have already progressed under Capello and have something to build on and now, instead of going backwards as under Steve McClaren from a confident start against Greece, we need to take this forward, only then will we have a good chance of not only qualifying for, but winning the World Cup in 2010.

Speaking with some fans who attended the game last night, the message was mixed in terms of the performance, but all agreed that with a win, it lays down the foundations, and it is now up to the players and the manager to build upon them.

Fabio Capello said via an interpreter "We played some good football in places and created a lot of goal scoring chances which unfortunately we didn't take and defensively we have played solidly. The last ten minutes again we didn't play football as we were concerned about the result."

Capello has yet to speak English to the media but insists that the players have no problem understanding him. He added "I speak English to my players, I know my football terms and I can speak the football I know to them" and joked that her doesn't trust the media enough to speak to them in English. He seems to think they might try to twist his words. As if!

MAGIC NOT QUITE THERE FOR SPECIAL K

Even before the game, the Newcastle fans were singing Kevin Keegan's name and attempting to pass a small banner with a picture of Kellogg's "Special K" cereal around. The atmosphere in their section must have been one of anticipation at Keegan's first 'proper' game in charge after the disappointing 0-0 at home to Bolton last weekend.

I have to admit, the confidence of the Geordies was filtering through to me in the form of nerves. I was beginning to convince myself that Keegan would make a difference. I was worried that they might scrape a draw and beat us back at St. James' Park. By half time I was even more worried. A half with limited chances, not a hugely entertaining spectacle although there were a couple of moments where Arsenal could have taken the lead, notably Eduardo's half-volley after a mistake by Steven Taylor, and then Abou Diaby's dipping effort on half-time. The Newcastle fans and players were starting to grow in confidence and it was evident that the Arsenal faithful were quite the opposite.

Second half, and Arsenal needed a goal to settle the nerves and stick it to the goading Geordie's kindly offering 5-1 fingered salutes at us. A few rude gestures went the other way but nothing extravagant until 51st minute where the game sprung to life, Eduardo first with a superb curling effort clattering the post and then almost identically, Emmanuel Adebayor shot only this time going in. Most of the crowd went wild, including me, waving their hands in the shape of rude gestures towards the Newcastle crowd. I was delighted until I was literally spat at by an old git in front of me telling me to "tone it!" I thought to myself, OK, I may be celebrating a little extravagantly but I am happy that the team I love has just taken the lead and I want to celebrate like everyone else. I’m young and energetic and I want to use some of that energy supporting my team even if he doesn't.

Anyway, as the second goal went in, I thought I would 'tone' my celebrations a little, but it didn't really work, the relief at going through was just too much and I let myself go. He didn't say anything else poor sod, was probably a little intimidated by the whole crowd but I can't help it and I think it's a little unfair to shower one person out of 55,000 with spit. After the third went in I didn't really celebrate because I wasn't sure if it had been given, no one seemed to celebrate and by the time i saw William Gallas with his arms aloft, the moment had gone to celebrate like a madman. Sadly for Newcastle fans, the magic of the cup wasn't there for them once again.

I can't believe the luck of Chelsea in the draw for the 5th round, firstly they avoid the others in the big four, and then they are drawn at home, AGAIN!!! To Huddersfield!!! I could not believe it, last season, they had home ties all the way until the final, then this season they only have one away tie to Wigan AND they are all to lower league opposition. I won't be bitter though, I just hope that Arsenal beat United - who they drew, and meet Chelsea in the final, because if we win the FA Cup, I want to beat all the best teams on the way, then we can say we truly are the best.

Another thing that has annoyed me this weekend was that Liverpool paid a reported £100,000 for a 'bender' for all the Havant and Waterlooville players. The fact that they paid it doesn't really bother me, it's that when Luton Town asked Liverpool for half that sum to save their club, not to waste on booze etc, they turned them down. Secondly, I'm not sure how most of their team aren't dead after spending that much money on a night out.

In the African Cup of Nations, three players have caught my eye so far; they are Mohamed Zidan of Egypt, Razak Omotoyossi of Benin and Manucho of Angola. The latter two have outstanding areal ability and especially Manucho; he has such strength and high in his leap that it makes him almost impossible to mark. I am dreading the day he joins Manchester United. Mohamed Zidan on the other hand has really impressed me with his skill, pace and flair for the game. In their opening game against Cameroon, widely regarded as one of the best teams in Africa at the moment, he showed excellent shooting ability as well as the speed to take players on, definitely one for the future. Omotoyossi scored Benin's only goal against the Ivory Coast, but he was a constant threat throughout that game and had he had some better support up front with him, he would surely have grabbed at least one more and possibly had layed one or two off for others. Everything Benin did attacking-wise went through him and his positional play off the ball is near to faultless. He scored 6 goals in 6 games with his club Helsingborgs IF in the UEFA cup this season and was top scorer in the Swedish league last season prompting interest from SC Heerenveen. At just 22, he is also one for the future.

One last thing to say - "A-de-bayor...A-de-bayorrrr, Give him the ball, and he will score!"

A little bit of Keegan and my weekend

In Newcastle's 'bore draw' with Bolton this weekend, it was evident that Kevin Keegan had not yet had the influence over his new players that he has over the fans. Keegan himself was quick to blame absences for the result.

He said: "You take nine players out of a football club of that quality - four of them are good enough to play for their countries in the African Nations Cup, there are two very experienced players who have played for Manchester United and won things, a player like Emre, who is a very inventive player, and then Mark Viduka, who has scored goals wherever he has played and at international level too."

Sounds like sour grapes to me.

I personally had an excellent weekend, meeting some great people at a party for a brilliant woman’s birthday and a brilliant cause in Breast Cancer Care. Some of you may have seen it in the guardian. I also got the chance to talk to a professional footballer - Lee Bell. The first I've spoken to at the level I did. Most people probably won't have heard of him but in my opinion he should be playing in a better league than he is having done well at Crewe. Sadly that didn't work out and he moved to Mansfield via Burton Albion on loan. Aside from his football, he is a nice bloke, from what I saw in the half an hour I met him in. Most people wouldn't care but I thought it was quite weird sitting with a cup of tea with a footballer who is friends with people like Dean Ashton and Luke Varney, both of whom are players I genuinely like, and both coming from the same Crewe academy as himself. This makes me think he's probably a better player than his club suggests. No disrespect to Mansfield of course. Everyone who reads this, look out for him in Saturdays home game against Middlesbrough. If you read this as promised Lee - good luck and I hope for a repeat of 1967. If you don't know the score - you should! Look it up! lol

I also found time to go to see Stoke City, as I was in the vicinity, at home to Preston on Saturday, and I was shocked, having watched Charlton most of the season, to find some good football being played at Championship level. The stadium's not bad either. I was also shocked at the sheer power with which Rory Delap launched a throw into the box and almost directly into the net, only for a flick from Leon Cort for Stoke's first goal. It's quite amazing that anyone can throw that far AND get power on it, it's like a whipped cross. Anyway, I enjoyed the match, although Preston played some good football on the floor at times, they were quite bad, but I did feel sorry for their young 'keeper.

I'd just like to finish by saying, if anyone who reads this hasn't visited before, please do read some of my other stuff. I hope you like it. Cheers!

Hicks and Gillette need to follow by example

On October 1st 1996, an historic day in the history of Arsenal football club. They hired a man, scarcely known in England and who had a very odd look about him with his grey hair and glasses. Even some found it mildly amusing at the time at the time, with cries of "Arsene who?". Now we know him better as Arsene Wenger, one of the best managers in the world, possibly one of the greatest to have ever lived. After two seasons he achieved something that no other over-seas manager has achieved and won the league and FA Cup double in 1998.

What could have happened: However, after '98, Wenger failed to win another significant trophy in the next three years and was sacked at the end of the 2000/01 campaign.

What really happened: After the success in 1998, Arsenal went on to press United for another triumph, coming close to ruining their treble chances in both the league and FA Cup in 1999, until finally in 2002 the club won their second double in four years. Wenger went on to enjoy success in one more Premiership title in 2004 and two more FA Cups, as well as finishing as runner-up in the Premiership on five separate occasions and reaching a Champions League and UEFA Cup final. He is currently building an excellent crop of new stars who are challenging in all four competitions in 2008.

On June 16th 2004 Liverpool appointed La Liga winner and former Valencia manager Rafael Benitez. He was quite well known at the time and had quite a few credentials as being a decent manager. He has since built up a very good team with some quality players, and has won the Champions League and FA Cup and reached the Champions League final again since his win. He currently has a squad hoping to start challenging, within the next couple of seasons, for the title.

What could happen from now if Benitez stays: A disappointing season in 2007/08, saw Liverpool finish trophy-less but with high-hopes for the future. The next season Liverpool finished second in the League, but won the League Cup and FA Cup, going out in the semi-finals of the Champions League. He then went on to take the League title in 2009, just beating Arsenal, United and Chelsea to top spot on the final day. After the disappointment of losing in the Champions League final in 2007, Benitez finally won his second title in 2010.

What could happen if Benitez goes: A disappointing season in 2007/08, saw Liverpool finish trophy-less and Rafael Benitez sacked. Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillette appointed Jürgen Klinsmann as their new manager in the summer of 2008. After spending lots of money and only winning one FA Cup in 2010, Klinsmann was sacked at the end of that season and the club was sold by Hicks and Gillette to a Dubai Billionaire consortium. The manager merry-go-round continues.

My point is, that should Liverpool sack Rafael Benitez, basically the minute things start to get rough, they will find themselves in the position of Newcastle within a matter of 10years. They have already failed to win the League for nearly 20 years now, and if they decide to change their manager again, they will find themselves falling further away each year, and unless they can find someone who can take off and improve from where Benitez leaves things, which is highly unlikely, then there is simply no good that can come from sacking him. Benitez knows the club very well, has built his own team up and has begun to lay the foundations for the club to build on and become a major force in the League once again. Should they choose to stick with him, then Liverpool should have a very bright future to look forward to, littered with trophies from the next ten years at least.

Who's next for the job from hell?

Newcastle don't make it easy for themselves. Harry Rednapp may well have taken the job on Friday, had it not been almost guaranteed he would be out of work within a year. Granted, whoever takes over at Newcastle United will have a lot of money to spend, but as the three or four previous managers have shown, money doesn't keep you your job if results don't go your way. And yes, I am going to say it, it is "the results business". No matter how much I hate that phrase, mainly because of the blatant obviousness of it, I still have to agree that it is extraordinarily appropriate for a club that has had 7 different managers in 10years.

Personally, being someone who would love any chance at managing any kind of club within or around the football league, I would jump at the chance to manage a team with such great foundations - the fans, the stadium and some half-decent players to work with. On the other hand, were I a manager at the top of the game, for example Blackburn manager Mark Hughes, i would run a mile should Newcastle come knocking. I have a few reasons for this but really all you need to do is look at Graeme Souness and then think, what happened to him after Newcastle, and then realise that becoming their manager can ruin your career.

Onto the appointment, if i was looking from a Mike Ashley perspective, my favourite would be either Mark Hughes or someone people haven't mentioned yet - David Moyes. Moyes, personally would be top of my list. He has proven he knows his stuff, he knows what to do with money when he gets it. He has taken a mediocre team in Everton to Europe in only a few years and can only go further. However, were i David Moyes, nothing Newcastle could offer me would tempt me into leaving Goodison for St James' Park. I'm afraid that the club have got themselves in a lose lose situation and sacking Sam Allardyce last week has only shot themselves in the foot. The fans, as passionate as they are, need to lay of the clubs next manager and give them time to do their job and sort out the team. If they don't do this, soon everyone will be thinking like me and they will only be able to appoint rookies.

Cristiano Ronaldo? Ha, I laugh in the face of Cristiano Ronaldo!

And I wish I had the right to. Unfortunately, nobody has the right to laugh at Cristiano Ronaldo, even if he does insist on strutting around like he owns Manchester and most of England. The talent of this man is phenomenal, but you can't help but hate him. Especially if you are an Arsenal fan you will know what I mean because he is looking ominous in ruining your title bid. He struts around the football field, WORSE than Thierry Henry used to! He seems to think that cheating is part of the game, but worst of all, he is a pretty boy, and knows it! We have all heard women - wives, girlfriends, mums and sister saying "Ooo isn't that Ronaldo lovely". I don't know about everyone else but it only makes for me hating him. I am jealous, yes, and he knows a lot of people are, but does he have to be so arrogant about it? To compound it all, he scores a hat-trick for United yesterday, and makes it his mission to look as cocky as possible.

Credit to the man, he is probably the best footballer in the world, only Kaka comes close at the moment in terms of consistently amazing performances. He can use both his feet, he reminds me of what I have seen of George Best in his ability on the ball. The way he strikes the ball is an envy to us all and a mystery to goalkeepers everywhere. I just can't hold this niggling feeling that I wish he wasn't so damn good. Or at least that Real Madrid would pay £70million for him instead of spending it on five players who will be sold for half that in 2 or 3 years time. Either way he wouldn't be able to stop Arsenal anymore, which is great for me.

Another thing that makes me want to strangle him and shout obscenities at him from my sofa is his insufferable diving! Why he feels he needs to dive to get his own way, I really do not know. His ability far exceeds his need to dive, proven after he had another dive turned down against Newcastle, and then went on to score a superb hat-trick. It's a shame, because if he didn't dive, I and many others would have nothing but good words to say about him, apart from jealous ones of course. If you ever read this Mr Ronaldo, take note.

Manchester United, as a team though, are looking almost unstoppable. They would have won comfortably yesterday even without Ronaldo, albeit with a smaller margin, I would imagine. Rooney and Tevez look to be the best partnership in the league, which makes me wish one of them was African or something. That way, United would tragically lose one of them to the African Cup of Nations.

The African Cup of Nations is THE single most ridiculously placed tournament in the history of world football. And by the way, why is Samuel Eto'o still playing for Barcelona now, and all the Premiership stars have gone? I do not know what the problem is with simultaneously playing the ACN alongside the European Championships this summer. Or is this just too much for FIFA to cope with? If so, then surely it’s a little easier than sorting all the documentation out with hundreds of clubs, allowing the players to leave for international duty, and if this is a big problem, then what was wrong with last summer? No football, nothing interesting happening, where is the problem?

Please Mr Blatter, consider us poor clubs who need the African players. It also, and I don't mean to make excuses, gives an unfair advantage to teams who don't have vital African players. The argument that teams should not have African players in their teams is absurd because what does this do to African football? It will start to make teams think twice soon about taking them on because they will be away for a vital part of the season. I don't know anyone who thinks that having the tournament now is a good idea.

If I were a rich man.....I would throw money at my football club from my yacht!

Another £15million of Roman Abramovich’s hard earned interest goes in the direction of away - from his bank account. Having spent a total of reportedly nearly 60million on their current strike force, and currently have on their books a £30million man in Andrei Shevchenko, who has actually started playing quite well, they decide they haven’t spent enough money recently and splash out on Nicolas Anelka.

The board meeting (taking place on Mr Abramovich's yacht) probably went something a little like this:
Avram Grant: "Can I have some money please?"
Roman Abramovich: "What do you need it for?"
Avram: "I want to buy a new striker..."
Roman: "No! My interest is hard earned, Jose spent enough already!"
Avram: "Ok, I suppose I could just sell Shevchenko to raise the money"
Roman: “Alright, it's yours. How much to you need?"

In all fairness to Roman though, he does not have a clue what he's doing in terms of football. He probably just thinks Shevchenko is a good player...right? Anyway, I won't criticise Avram Grant for his choices in the transfer market, because he hasn't made any before this one. We all know what Anelka is capable of from his Arsenal and Manchester City days mainly and of course from what he did at Bolton. On the other hand, it was Grant, who more than likely got Jose Mourinho the sack. For this, all the die-hard (if this applies to Chelsea) fans that I know, hate him or at least have strongly disapproved of from the start.

Let's face it; £15million is just not a huge transfer these days in term of football. It’s medium to high but not huge, and more and more clubs seem to be prepared to gamble this sort of money. For example: Arsenal paid a reported £12million for Theo Walcott and £17million for Jose Antonio Reyes. Manchester United paid between £15-20million each for Owen Hargreaves, Anderson and Nani and even Tottenham paid over £16million for Darren Bent. It is a pretty common figure now.

Even so, players cost too much and are over-paid. Another argument I could get into. Some people say that footballers have short careers and therefore have to earn more in that short space of time. Ok, so none of these players have jobs as Coaches or Managers, TV Pundits or Host or even in some other field or sport? Of course they do, so that makes that argument exempt. It's only alcoholics and wasters that don't bother getting jobs when they hang up their boots. Not naming names (Paul Gascoigne). Even Paul Merson has a job for Sky Sports, despite his utter inability to commentate or make any intelligent comment on a relevant subject. For example his neandertol-like use of Cockney rhyming slang ("Oh, he's hit the beans on toast" - post).

Interestingly, Sky Sports seem to like cockneys in Tony Cottee and Tony Gail, although their levels of intelligence are far superior to someone like Merson. As for Chris Kamara, he doesn't have a clue what to say half the time, which results in the constant repetition of "Unbelievable Jeff" and "I'm not sure what's happening Jeff". Don't get me wrong, I have absolutely nothing against any of these people, but I’m just making the point that even the thickest footballer can get a job after he retires from the game.

I haven’t yet heard Nicolas Anelka's weekly wage but I’m sure it's ridiculously high, both in amount and on his list of reasons for joining Chelsea I’m sure. Halve every Premiership first team footballer’s wage and you would have enough to double every nurse’s yearly wage in the UK. A much more worthy cause I think everyone would agree. Do they think no-one would be a footballer if they put a cap on their wages? I think not.

Liverpool Crisis? Tinker-man Rafa in trouble

I have always been a supporter of Rafa Benitez, but at the moment, it is hard to see what good he is doing at Liverpool right now. Yes, granted, he has won them the Champions League, something that one of the greatest managers in the World - Arsene Wenger - has never managed, and for that he should be commended. He has taken Liverpool to two Champions League finals in three seasons and this has always been my defence for him, and probably what has kept him in his job for so long. Had he not done well in the Champions League, they would arguably be just like Newcastle are now, sacking and replacing managers almost every season.

The reality is that the results Liverpool pull off in the Premier League are not good enough. Drawing 1-1 at home to Wigan is poor, and 1-1 away at Luton is even worse. I have never been one to agree with changing around a winning team and resting players. If you find your best team, or a winning formula, then stick with it; don’t start resting players because you end up with results like at Luton and a congested fixture list with the replay that simply could have been avoided. If you are chasing the title, which realistically Liverpool aren't anymore, then you have to win FA Cup ties to avoid replays and wearing your players out any more than needed.

People have been saying to me recently that Benitez has pulled out a transfer coup in bringing Fernando Torres to Anfield. I'm sorry but since when was £26million a coup? £12million for a relatively unknown Thierry Henry is a coup, but going and spending the same amount of money that would completely buy out a Championship club on a World famous player who was reportedly being chased by Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, two of the most respected managers in the World, is not something to put on your C.V. Any manager could go to a club with almost unlimited money to spend and think, ok, I’ll go and buy Kaka for £40million. Everyone knows he is an excellent player, but it takes a good manager to in for a relatively unknown player, take a gamble and turn him into a World Class star - Cesc Fabregas. On the same note, do you spend all that money on a player to only play him in half of your games in a season?

I believe that, with a full strength team being put out every week, being given the chance to gel, Liverpool would be somewhere near the top of the League, and would be safely through to play Havant and Waterlooville or Swansea in the FA Cup Fourth round. Four wise four-lettered words of advice to you if you ever read this Rafa, PLAY YOUR BEST TEAM!

Sport today

Firstly I would like to say sorry for not posting for six months, but I have been busy with my GCSEs and currently AS levels.

I suppose the main issue in sport at the moment is the Indian cricket racism row. It’s all very complicated, Harbhajan Singh has been accused of calling Andrew Symonds a "monkey" and now Singh has accused Brad Hogg of racial abuse. They have both been banned pending appeals. Quite frankly, Harbhajan Singh has been in trouble for this sort of thing before after an incident with Ricky Ponting, and if he did make another comment, the ICC should quite literally "throw the book at him". There is no room for this type of unsporting behaviour in any sport and anyone found guilty of it should be banned for life.
What followed this should bring the whole of the Indian cricketing game to shame. First, they accuse Umpire Steve Bucknor of giving a number of decisions to the Australians and demand that the ICC replace him. Then upon hearing that Singh had been banned, they decided to suspend their tour until the ICC withdrew the ban. This sort of action should be severely reprimanded, and is highly irresponsible of the Indian Cricket Association. What example does this set to up and coming athletes? If decisions don't go your way, use blackmail to get what you want? It's ridiculous. This could be an under-hand move to try to over-shadow the race row, and it if is, for me, it has worked. In all honesty, if the Indian Cricket Association is going to behave like this, then we don't need them in the game, and they should be banned from competing until they learn to accept punishments and to play by the rules.
Anyway, that’s the end of my cricket rant. On a lighter note, it is nice to see the English teams away from any negative press for a change. In tennis, Andy Murray has won his fourth ATP Tour title at the 2008 Qatar ExxonMobil Open, moving him up to 9th in the World rankings. It’s good to see a Brit finally doing well in, well anything really. No that’s not fair, I mean, Paula Radcliffe’s not bad is she?
Away from tennis, Fabio Capello has started his new job as England football team manager as of Monday. His first job is to travel to the Croatian capital of Zagreb to organise the fixtures for the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers on the 31st January. He has already been spotted on scouting missions at Aston Villa v Man United and Luton Town v Liverpool. It’s good to see he has taken by Sven Goran Eriksson’s example by attending matches and making public appearances regularly.
I hope to attend Charlton v Blackpool this weekend and I will hopefully have a report by the end of this Sunday.