For Your Consideration

How long before having a spliff is as acceptable as enjoying a cold pint on a hot summers' day?

2012-01-27T14:13:00.002Z

Dr. David Nutt has raised some interesting points this week in the long running cannabis debate. The problem is that most of these points have been argued time and time again. Of course the typical arguments have cropped up once again like “horse riding is more dangerous than ecstasy” and “nobody has even died from a cannabis over-dose”.

This may all be true but is it really something MPs and Lords are going to take into consideration when deciding upon the legalisation of cannabis? The case for legalisation has had considerable backing with Richard Branson claiming this week that pushing through legislation decriminalising marijuana is “win win” for the government. Tax it, he said. You free up valuable prison space by not convicting small time users of the drug, waste less tax payers money and police time in making their arrests in the first place and earn the government money from taxing the produce.

It might not be long before farms like this are common place in Britain

Legalisation can only be a good thing. It would mean introducing a whole new industry to Britain – and mark my words, this industry would be huge. It would create thousands of jobs. Growers will be required to farm the crop, drivers will be needed to transport it, and someone will be needed to help sell it.

In the current financial climate, the government can ill afford to pass up such an excellent opportunity to pull some of that illusive “drug money” back into the economy. Of course, importing and exporting will be relatively off the menu for now but if Britain were to take the plunge and commit to its decriminalisation – others will surely follow.

Those sceptical of the proposals should look to Portugal for reassurance. Not a single person has been arrested there in 10 years for a drugs offence and drug-related deaths have been reduced.

Dame Judy Dench has also given the campaign her backing saying if it is proven that the current stance on drugs is failing then “immediate decriminalisation” is necessary.

Once people get used to the fact that cannabis is not actually harmful if used properly then we will see the benefits of its medicinal properties. With the right instructions for use, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

So with much high profile support, are we really nearing a time when a joint will replace the cigar as the standard after dinner treat? As Dr. Nutt would argue...it’s certainly healthier.

All I want for Christmas is for it to be over, quickly!

2011-12-20T01:58:00.043Z

We are less than a week away from Christmas and I must say I have not been looking forward to it.

To some people Christmas is fun and full of excitement. Those people are children.

When you're young, Christmas is fantastic. The bright lights, the colours, all the family around that you don't get to see very often - the cool uncle who tells you things your Mum thinks is inappropriate, the older cousins you look up to but who think you are a fucking irritating little child, the grand-parents who are always so pleased to see you and tell you how much you've grown. You feel so proud to be that little bit taller.

For some it's a time to catch up with the family, see how they are getting on and they are genuinely interested in this. Those people are old.

When old father time strikes, the most interesting thing in your life is what is happening in other peoples lives - more importantly your family. Christmas is a great opportunity to get everyone together to talk about how their year went and how much they've changed. Old people are all too keen to point out where you're going wrong..."we've been there and made those mistakes already, you know."

For others it is a time when they can relax, have a few days off from work, eat and drink what they like and not worry about anything. Those people are middle-aged and wondering "why has my life ended up like this?"

This all links in very nicely to new years' eve where they will make a resolution to make more "me" time and treat themselves a bit more because, after all, why shouldn't we indulge ourselves once in a while?

Well, you did it at Christmas so why not let your food and alcohol binge continue right through to June until you realise you are going on holiday in 2 months and need to lose about 3 stone to fit into last summers' bikini.

There is however, and I don't speak for all of us, a select group of people who find Christmas a little bit tedious. That group includes me and here are some reasons why...

Nobody likes to leave the house on Christmas day...why is this? Why should it be different to any other day, but you know, when you look at other cars on the road, we are all ultimately driving to the same place, be it the in-laws or your own parents or your grand-parents - we all know we are in for a day of awkward conversation and mind-numbing pleasantries.

I don't look forward to the awkward family greetings and then the resulting conversations which always include "oooh you're so tall now." Of course I am taller than you, Auntie, I'm a twenty year old man. There will be the traditional "how-hard-can-you-squeeze" hand shake from the Uncle and the do I, don't I? kiss on the cheek for the Aunties.

Christmas is for the kids so they get what they want...which means wall to wall kids DVDs for two days straight. Brilliant. I wouldn't mind if they were the Disney classics but instead we get stuck with Winnie the Pooh's Great Adventure.

I am a smoker and would like to be able to go for a cigarette without being pestered. Fat chance of that. Last Christmas I retire from the table politely: "I'm just popping outside." I chirp in the hopes they will leave it at that. Oh no. "Can I come?" my delightfully well-behaved little cousin pipes up. "Oh no, he's going out for a cigarette and you don't want any of that nasty second hand smoke now do you? Smoking kills you, you know." How wonderfully irresponsible I think (or something maybe not quite so polite) and walk away.

Can't have a fag in peace...it will no doubt be the same this year and I can't get drunk because that would be frowned upon with children present. I'll have to wait until new years' for that one.

As much as they grate on me, I do love all my family, I just hate Christmas with them...which incidentally is the only time of the year I see them. Work that one out.

A case of one good liar, and one a bit too old and slow

2011-07-20T01:01:00.002+01:00

"This is the most humble day of my life" he says...Yeah, it should be!

I watched with interest today as Rupert Murdoch and his son James sat not so pale-faced, white nailed and with their tails between their legs, as MPs and the like questioned their integrity.

I have to say I didn't really expect to see anything extraordinary but I thought at least Murdoch Sr. might have had something to say for himself aside from long pauses while he carefully thought about whether his answer might come back to bite him in the proverbial, followed by "yes", "no" or "that's not something I was aware of."

James Murdoch on the other hand appeared to handle the questions well, but it just seemed like the better liar was the one with the younger and faster working brain. It all seems a bit too convenient that the chief executives of a company didn't know anything was going on.

More than a few disgusted laughs were provided though, the entertainment value of which I am grateful. RM sat and played the burning martyr as he moaned that "those he had trusted" had been the culprits of the phone hacking and that he had no idea it was going on.

He also claimed ignorance in that he had no idea who some of his employees responsible, some of whom had been arrested and even convicted, were. Anyone else smell faeces of the farm yard animal variety?

As clear as it is to many of us that the Murdochs cannot possibly have had no idea about the goings on at the New of The World, it is even harder to prove unless its shown in written evidence. As much as the guy bangs on about how his shame brought him to pull the plug on one of the nation's favourite papers, I can't help thinking he did it because he could, out of spite if nothing else.

Rumour has it, old Rupe is about to step down. The day can't come sooner as far as I'm concerned. Just look at the picture...smug git.

Everything seems so much better when the sun is shining!

2011-03-09T14:24:00.001Z

We all notice a difference when the sun has his hat on and is high in the sky. The winter months are depressing and the cold makes it even worse.

The last two days have been filled with glorious sunshine, enough to make even Gillingham seem like it's not so bad after all. Amongst the chavs, hobos and generally quite deformed characters, the sun makes it all better.

No matter what troubles you may have, a nice afternoon walk to catch some rays will sort you right out. It's something so simple, and easy to do, but it works.

I have only realised recently how much of a difference the sun makes to everyone's mood. Walking around uni when the weather is good, you notice how much it actually affects the mood.

In the words of that great boy band Five;

"I woke up today with this feeling,
Better things are coming my way.
I know the sunshine has a meaning,
And nothing left can get in my way."

So, everyone, get out and enjoy the sun, remember that everything is going to be all right, and forget about the stress of work and all. Roll on summer!

How to complain...The British way!

2011-02-25T17:21:00.001Z

In Britain, we like a good moan and in fact somehow manage to find joy in complaining about something. If everything was right in the world and we had nothing to complain about I think we would actually feel a bit lost.

It actually makes us feel better to have a good old whinge about how everything is not fair and nothing ever goes our way.

It's how Britain complains as a culture that bemuses me - the letter writing culture. In the USA, if you don't like something, you march right on down there and you tell'em.

In some parts of the world if you complain, the likelihood is you won't live long enough to have the opportunity to do it again - people who would love the opportunity to be able to freely tell people they are wrong or that something is wrong.

So why is it that in Britian we think that the good old stiff, stern, snotty letter will get us the most attention? Why not go down there and kick up a fuss?

I think it's partly down to balls. It's all well and good writing a letter because you can read it over and over again. But actually going to speak to the person face to face would be much more of a problem. We would end up freezing up and fluffing our lines, whilst absorbing their corporate jargon (or whatever it may be), end up apologising and walking out, red faced, tails between our legs and a smacked bottom.

I rarely write letters, I think it's usually a waste of time. If I was working for a company and I received a snotty email I don't think my reply would be too dissimilar to "find something worthwhile to do with your time."

However, I did come across something this week, which has actually been bugging me for a while. Football ticket prices are absolutely shocking. The other day, I logged on to the Arsenal website to book tickets for the Leyton Orient FA Cup replay, thinking they won't be more than a tenner.

I was wrong - £34 at the cheapest price. I was so angry, I wrote them a letter. Observe...

"To whoever it may concern,

I have just found out, to my disgust, the price of the tickets for the FA Cup replay with Leyton Orient. I think it's absolutely disgusting that you are charging £34 per ticket to a game which is, in effect, a bonus to ticketing revenue for the season.

We have already gone all the way in the Carling Cup, had home games in all previous rounds of the FA Cup and four games in the Champions League, including the astronomically priced FC Barcelona game.

I am a student and would love to come and support my team, I love Arsenal, but I simply cannot afford to do it at these prices. I understand the club needs to make money from ticketing and has a vast role of staff to pay for...but making a cup replay £20/£10, like you have done with the Carling Cup, would hardly have broken the bank, and allows real fans, who might not be able to afford to go every week (for whatever reason), to go and see a few extra games a season rather than clogging your ticket centre up trying to get United or Chelsea tickets because it's the only game they can afford to go to and might as well make it a big one...

I highly doubt you will sell out this game, first reason being it's against Leyton Orient, and with no disrespect to Orient - it's hardly a high profile derby. The second is it's on a Wednesday night and night games can be a problem for some people. The third and probably most important is that it will be on TV anyway. It seems to me a very strange decision to make it even harder for yourselves to sell out by keeping the ticket prices so high.

I am not usually one to write snotty letters, but I only write to you because I care. I love my club and want to support it in all ways I can. All I ask is for something small in return. Don't get me wrong, it won't stop me from buying a season ticket as soon as I can afford it, but right now (and this will always be the case with thousands of fans), I have to limit the number of games I attend. So far this season - only Ipswich at home.

I hope you can understand my frustrated point of view.

Yours sincerely,

James Warner"

It sort of fades out at the end because by that time my anger had deteriorated. I was quite proud of my achievements but of course, that was sent on Tuesday and I'm still waiting for a reply.

The Return of The Rock

2011-02-18T01:16:00.002Z

It has been about seven years since I last watched wrestling...around the time The Rock left the WWE (or WWF). It has gone down hill ever since. I'm not sure if this is because I have grown up and am not fooled in any way by the ridiculous moves and fake punches, or it just got worse and worse. I think it is probably a combination of the two.

There are so many wrestlers or characters, who I have seen from my few occasions of watching (when there is nothing else on), who are extremely irritating or I just don't like. Sheamus, The Mizz, John Cena, Randy Orton - probably the only ones I can name of the new generation - all of whom I dislike.

I genuinely miss the feeling of excitement I used to get leading up to a Wrestlemania or even something as simple as saturday morning Smackdown. I have attempted to watch it since but it's not the same without the Stone Cold/The Rock/Triple H/Kurt Angle etc. rivalries.

Only one of them was ever needed to make me start watching wrestling again, though...The Rock! And now he's back. After I found out, I instantly went to see when late night Raw was on. 2am on Monday night? Oh, and I have Tuesday off! There is absolutely no way I am going to bed before 4am that night.

I will almost certainly never be as excited as I was when I was young, but the return of The Rock is about as close as I'm going to get.

By the way, I really wanted to write about Arsenal vs. Barcelona, but I knew I would be accused of bias (because Arsenal were amazing and are now the best team in the world by default) which I am trying to avoid. So this is why you have this to read instead.

'It's not what you know, it's who you know.'

2011-02-07T23:22:00.001Z

As a journalism student I have sometimes found it difficult to do any 'actual journalism' in assignments because nobody wants to talk to students.

There are two reasons for this, the first is that many people feel students are not qualified enough and are a waste of time.

The other is that people tend to look to what they might get out of an interview, and with a student, it's not likely to be published anywhere.

However, using contacts, I have recently discovered, it's not as hard as it looks. If you persist, and ask the right people, anything can be achieved.

It all comes down to the 'six degrees of separation' theory which suggests that everyone in the world is connected through six stages, yourself being the first stage, and anyone you know being the second.

Using this theory I have managed to get an interview with Chris Moncrieff, and through him, in the next week I will be interviewing Sir Bernard Ingham, and Lords Norman Tebbit and Ian Paisley - quite a scary prospect, especially the latter.

At least two of these people once had or still has a very strong and close relationship with Margaret Thatcher. (Bernard Ingham was her Chief Press Secretary and Chris Moncrieff travelled with her around the world as a political journalist.)

Maybe Mrs. Thatcher herself could be my next interviewee?

In a business where they say "it's not what you know, it's who you know", using the six degrees of separation, there should, in theory, be no problem for anyone who wants to find a story worth sharing.

Andy Murray will never win a grand slam...unless he gets a personality transplant

2011-02-01T23:47:00.004Z

Over the past few years I have been closely watching Andy Murray, ever since he burst onto the professional scene as a budding young teenager in 2005 and took over from Tim Henman as the great British hope.

During the early years of his career, I was mightily impressed with his talent. His speed and ability to cover ground that sometimes might not seem possible and his increasingly low error rate made him one of the hottest talents in the world.

Less than three years ago, when the Scot reached his first Grand Slam final (US Open 2008), I was really encouraged by his potential. Probably being an optimistic fan, unlike the characteristics of your average British tennis fan - stemming largely from the expectation in the days of Henman - I felt like Murray could be the worlds best player by the time he was 25.

However, since that first loss in the final to Roger Federer, having seen Murray be completely destroyed, I have had huge doubts about his credentials as a Grand Slam winner.

In big games, Murray's temperament is a big problem. His inability to keep a cool head when things aren't going his way are a trait we have come to accept and in my opinion, he totally lacks the bottle it takes to become a champion. It is visible off the pitch, too, where interviews with the press are conducted in a moody, monotonous and disinterested voice.

Not only have I come to realise that he is unlikely to ever fulfil his potential, I have also come to dislike the guy. He has so much talent and so much potential, but his aloof and defeatist attitude have put paid, in my opinion, to any chance he might have had in winning one of tennis' major honours.

About a year ago, I made a small bet with a friend who still believes Murray can do it. You might have thought that, last week, I would have been worried about losing that bet as he looked almost unstoppable on his way to the Australian Open final. Unfortunately, the only emotion I had was a faint hope that he wouldn't, one again, fall at the last hurdle. Despite the bet, I do still want Murray to succeed because, after all, he's all we English tennis fans have to hang on to right now.

Of course, I was proved right in this case, and not to say I will be right for the rest of his career, but the game against Novak Djokovic has only served as confirmation in my mind that Andy Murray will never win a grand slam.

Centre for Journalism does The One Show

2011-01-29T20:42:00.001Z

As the News of the World continues to get itself into trouble after hacking half the celebrity worlds' phones, me and fellow student George Ocaya decided to investigate how easy it would be to hack a mobile phone. Watch the video to find out.

I think I need to work on my reporter skills...

Premier League sticking their oar in once again...

2011-01-27T17:39:00.001Z

Blackpool have been fined for fielding a weakened team against Aston Villa in November, something which I do not agree with and find totally ridiculous.

I hope this fine doesn't lead to the resignation of one of the funniest men in football - Ian Holloway. Back in November when it was first suggested that a fine was on the cards, Holloway said he would resign if the Premier League did decide to punish the club.

I can't say I blame the guy, a managers job is to pick the team and why should the Premier League be interfering and telling him who he can and can't play.

All the players in the squad against Aston Villa were in Blackpool's designated 25-man squad which clubs must now name at the beginning of each season. Who are the Premier League and their team of jumped up, over-paid cronies to say that those players aren't good enough?

Not only is it an insult to Ian Holloway who has signed the players on the basis that he believes they can win matches for the team, but to the players who, let's face it, are basically being called shit by the Premier League.

To suggest that a team who expect to be fighting to survive in the Premier League this season, and who will need all the points they can get, would have deliberately lost a game is beyond stupid.

Richard Scudamore needs to take a long hard look at the way his organisation is regulating its clubs. You can not tell a team who they can and can not play. It defeats the object of having a manager and like Holloway said - his chairman doesn't tell him who to play, why on earth are the Premier League sticking their oar in?

I Have Never...

2011-01-23T21:03:00.000Z

The next part of that sentence will probably be a shock to many people. I usually get the response "oh my god, you've never seen...?"

I'm used to it by now but there are quite a few films that I have just never got around to watching. Ok, so here goes - I have never seen Forrest Gump, Top Gun, any of the Star Wars and until I watched The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull over Christmas, I hadn't seen any of the Indiana Jones films either - at least not all the way through.

So, I have made it my mission to see all the films I really should have, but never got around to watching. I will finally make sure I get around to watching the Terminators, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Mad Max and Braveheart all the way through.

I'm going by Empire magazine's top 500 greatest films of all time and I reckon in about a year I might have worked my way through all of them. Starting with Jailhouse Rock...

Some Journalism or something...Time for a fresh look at fairer football?

2011-01-21T15:18:00.004Z

Nothing makes a football fan mad like a linesman waving his flag in the air for a player who “was miles onside, lino! Put your specs on you t**t”

Nothing can rattle a man’s cage more than a yellow card for diving after “an absolutely blatant foul, ref!”

Nobody can get under a supporter’s skin like a referee who missed a ball crossing the line…as some in the past, including me, have found out.

Referees must live in fear sometimes after getting key decisions wrong. I know I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of the wrath of 40,000 fans in the stadium, let alone the hatred of a couple of million up and down the country. It’s a job I certainly wouldn’t want to do.

So, they are still human after all right? We all make mistakes, right? So do the officials need a little bit of help when it comes to making those key decisions?

The subject of goal-line technology has become one of the most hotly discussed topics in world football today. In the past few years, as technology has developed, calls for major reviews of the refereeing system involving cameras on the goal-line or micro-chips in footballs have been plenty.

In recent times, technology has been introduced increasingly into sport as world governing bodies seek to make their respective games fairer.

One of the first of these technologies to be developed was created in the UK in 2001 by engineers at Roke Manor Research Limited of Romsey, Hampshire. The system – called Hawk-Eye – was first used in cricket in a Test match between England and Pakistan at Lord’s in 2001. Its primary use was to determine the trajectory of the flight of the balls on television but has since been introduced into many more areas of the sport, including the disputing of umpires’ decisions.

A similar system has since become commonplace in tennis where players can contest decisions taken by the umpire or any of the line-judges who have decided whether the ball was in or out. The system works on a challenge basis where each player is awarded three challenges and a player may challenge any decision. If they are right, they keep the challenge, but if they are wrong, they lose a challenge - to avoid abuse of the system.

Some sports also operate a referral system whereby players or the referee may ask for a video referee (watching a monitor from within the ground) to review the incident using slow motion or computerised simulation. This is the case in rugby where the referee on the pitch may ask for a decision to be referred to the video referee, usually to determine whether or not a try has been scored.

A similar system has been suggested for football, where a camera would be installed on the goal-line and the referee would be able to review incidents he is unsure about with a fifth referee.

There have been two systems developed for use in football. The first came from Hawk-Eye – the same system used in cricket, tennis and snooker and involves a camera-based system placed strategically around the pitch. The other was developed by Cairos and involves a microchip being inserted into the ball which can determine the exact position of the ball at any time – perfect for deciding whether it has crossed the goal-line or not.

However, both these systems have been rejected by both the Fédération Internationale de Football Associations (FIFA) – the world governing body of football – and The International Football Association Board (IFAB) – an independent body which determines the laws of the game.

Many fans, players, managers and referees alike are in support of some kind of system being introduced. It would wipe out the majority of the mistakes, more importantly the major mistakes, and make for a much fairer game.

Football fans are notoriously hard to please, however, and many England fans who complained about Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal against Germany in this summer’s World Cup may have forgotten that one of the goals scored in the famous 1966 victory was not actually a goal. There is a major argument to consider here – that there will always be controversy within the sport and, if they cut it out, would it be the same game that we have come to know and love?

FIFA president Sepp Blatter, accused by many of bias against England, asks a similar question of English fans.

“It is obvious that after the experience so far in this World Cup it would be a nonsense not to reopen the file of technology at the business meeting of the International FA Board in July.

“Personally I deplore it when you see evident referee mistakes but it's not the end of a competition or the end of football, this can happen.

“It happened in 1966 and then 44 years later – though it was not quite the same," Blatter said. "I apologised to England and Mexico. The English said thank you and accepted that you can win [some] and you lose [some], and the Mexicans bowed their head and accepted it.

“We will come out with a new model in November on how to improve high-level referees.

“We will start with a new concept of how to improve match control. I cannot disclose more of what we are doing but something has to be changed.”

The game of football is celebrated for the high tempo at which it is played – especially in the English leagues – and some fans argue that any technology introduced would slow the game down and create something of a ‘stop-start’ nature evident in rugby and cricket, while the referees wait for decisions.

FIFA and IFAB have always said, that if any technology was to be used, it must be a split second result in the decision being made and so developers were encouraged to design something which could deliver these kind of results.

In October 2010, a statement from IFAB read: “The indication of whether a goal has been scored must be immediate and automatically confirmed within one second."

Oliver Braun, marketing director for Cairos – which developed the microchip-based technology – has seen the company create a prototype which complies with this idea, only to have it rejected.

He said: “It's frustrating for us because we have developed this system over so many years. IFAB encouraged us to develop the system.

“They set up some criteria and said if they were met they would go with the technology. For them to come back and say in principle they don't want to use any technology, that's frustrating.

“If they said that before it would have saved a lot of time, effort and money.

“The solution to these incidents is here - it's not an issue that the technology isn't working. The technology is working, but they don't want to use it.”

Fans and managers of lower league clubs, however, have voiced concerns that they would not be able to afford the technology and that this would unbalance the game even further with only the teams in the top leagues being able to afford to have such a system implemented.

Raymond Kennedy, president of the Irish Football Association, Northern Ireland, is opposed to the technology.

He said: “If you were to take the FA Cup as an example, that has teams right from the very bottom, and if you were to use [goal-line technology] in that competition you would have to have that installed in many of the smaller grounds.

“I happen to believe that the extra officials, maybe brought in at a latter stage, does much more than goal-line technology. They are there; they will see the fouls that go on in the penalty area.

“We believe our game is played by humans and we want human eyeballs to decide whether it is a goal or not. There will be mistakes; people thrive in the controversy of football.”

In November 2008, France’s Thierry Henry infamously used his arm to keep the ball in play, which ultimately led to France scoring the winning goal against the Republic of Ireland in their World Cup play-off.

Considering Northern Ireland’s rivalry with the Republic, perhaps Kennedy’s view is not so surprising. I wonder if it would be the same if the football boot was on the other foot.

Birmingham City are huge compared with Ramsgate FC but Brum boss Alex Mcleish thinks that technology might help “little club(s)” win trophies:

“I know you can't stop every part of the game but certainly for key decisions in a major competition like the FA Cup your chances of getting to semi-finals and finals are few and far between for a little club like us.”

Some referees are in favour of extra help for the officials on the pitch, saying it would make their jobs easier.

Former Premier League referee Graham Poll, who infamously showed three yellow cards to Josip Simunic at the World Cup in Germany 2006, says: "It's the same as experimenting with things like sin bins, they say ‘Oh that's a rugby idea, we wouldn't do that.’ We have to be different, we're football.

“I've spoken to Dr Paul Hawkins who developed Hawk-Eye and it is clear that technology, which has been tested in Premier League grounds, in Premier League training grounds, to the satisfaction of the Premier League, is available and would help match officials.”

The UK’s top official Howard Webb, who refereed last year’s World Cup final, is also in favour of a system but says he understands fears that the game may change as a result of any technology which is introduced.
“It's got to be worth looking at to make our job on those really crucial decisions that bit easier. I don't think you'll find many referees who say ‘It's not something we want.’

“It's a matter of fact whether or not all of the ball has crossed all of the goal-line between the posts and under the crossbar.

“Bearing in mind that's the entire aim of the sport, to score a goal.

“If we were to have some support - some assistance that was totally accurate and totally reliable and instantaneous - then I guess it's got to be worth looking at."

“We sit here in 2010 and other sports have embraced certain types of technology.

“Football hasn't - but that tells me that's because it's really difficult, without changing the basic way the game is played. That's the fear, which I understand.”

Urs Meier is a former referee who officiated in a Champions League final and a World Cup semi-final but retired amid a storm of acrimony over his decision to rule out a late Sol Campell goal at Euro 2004. He said most referees were in favour:

“You need help. You need a chip in the ball for example. I'm in favour of that. It's the best way out of this discussion. All the referees want technology. I was always in favour.”

So, with so many referees and managers in support of a technology-based refereeing system, and many more who are yet to speak out, the question on many people’s lips is: why are we still waiting for a system to be implemented?

The answer is that only the board members of IFAB and FIFA would be able to answer you that, though it would be nigh impossible to get any of them to tell the truth.

Alternatives to technology are currently being trialled in UEFA’s Champions League and Europa League (formerly known as the UEFA cup). This season’s competition has seen an extra official standing in line with the goal at both ends of the pitch.

The idea was that they would stay there for the whole game and as a result would be in pole position to verify any key decisions the main referee might need to make. However, after seemingly making no difference, they have faced steep criticism – namely from Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger, who branded the system “useless”.

After seeing his side defeated by Sporting Braga in November 2010, Wenger criticised the trial. With the score at 0-0, Arsenal forward Carlos Vela was clearly brought down in the box, but was booked for diving by the referee.

The Frenchman believed that this was a “turning point” in the game and said: “We have another proof that it is absolutely useless, this system.”

“It is difficult to understand how we did not get a penalty,” he added. “The five referees is not an answer to the problem.”

It’s easy to understand where Wenger is coming from when the fourth and fifth officials are too scared to put their hands up and say “you’re wrong” to the referee.

The system clearly needs reviewing once again and IFAB have got to seriously ask themselves if the technology is available for use (which it plainly is), why is it not being used around the world?

If only limited to use in international competitions – an entire FA of any country will be able to afford a few of the micro-chipped balls – and for use in the major club competitions like the UEFA Europa League and the Champions League.

This is a simple solution to keep the fat cats at major European clubs and board men of football associations around the world happy.

If you tell me I'm killing myself one more time...

2011-01-05T01:56:00.003Z

The other day, I was having a conversation with my Dad and his mate about the smoking ban. Now, being that we were and still are all smokers, you can probably guess the lines of the conversation.

We concluded, in our infinite wisdom and through a cloud of smoke, that the smoking ban, was in fact, a load of rubbish. People will argue with this because, as we all know, smoking kills, and passive smoking can also be a killer. But, there are many reasons why it's still a load of old shit.

Take, for example, a public house. By definition, this is a house - to which the owner has invited the public to enter. If I were to have a day where, in my house in Gillingham, I opened up the door and had a sign which said; "please come in, and help yourself to a drink", I would then become a public house. Does this then mean that I cannot smoke in my own home?

This is what the smoking ban essentially does...It denies the landlord the right to smoke in his own home. Why? Because the government has made it illegal to smoke in the work place. OK, but if you worked in a pub before the smoking ban, and you didn't like the smoke, you didn't have to work there. Simples.

The point I am trying to make here is that, as a landlord has a right to refuse anyone entry to his house, the public have just as much right to refuse to enter in the first place. On the same level, the landlord should be able to decide whether people are allowed to smoke in his house.

Maybe I'm being a bit technical because pub's have licences to sell alcohol and they are somewhat different to your every day home. Instead I will mention that, up and down the country, landlords have been fined for smoking in their pub - after the doors have been locked. Effectively - once the doors are locked - it no longer becomes a pub and reverts back to being a home. So, I ask you, why are home owners being fined for smoking in their own homes?

Of course, the rules only apply to those who do not make them. In the House of Commons bar - to this day selling tax and duty free cigarettes and alcohol - you are allowed to smoke as much as you like. One rule for one etc. etc.

The ban has closed many of Britain's longest running pub's and in my opinion didn't help with the near crash of the British economy. Clubs and pub's now smell of piss, sweat and accumulated farts and I blame the government for kissing the EU's arse. They wanted us to ban smoking in public places so of course we bent over and obliged, unlike the rest of Europe who said "yeah, alright" and carried on as usual while laughing at the British idiots who actually did as they were told. Pathetic.

A New Start

2011-01-05T01:31:00.000Z

I have blogged on and off - although 'off' for the most part - for three or four years now, restricting my blogging to sport. I have decided that there is a lot more in my mind which should probably not be shared with the rest of the world, but which I am going to share anyway.

I hope everyone will gain something from reading my posts, and although some may be completely irrelevant to many of you, my aim is that it will still be an enjoyable read. After all - if a trainee journalist can't interest his readers, it's probably time to get out now.

Profitez!

CARRAGHER'S INCLUSION COULD BE A STEP BACKWARDS FOR ENGLAND

2010-05-08T17:06:00.011+01:00

WHEN Fabio Capello names his provisional 30-man squad for this summer's World Cup finals on Tuesday, there will be one name on everybody's lips - Jamie Carragher.

The Liverpool defender has endured a torrid time this season with the Merseysiders early exit from the Champions League and failure to qualify for re-entry next season. Despite a terrible start for the 32-year old, who retired from international football at the age of 29, Carragher's form picked up in the second half of the season and this appears to have earned himself a phone call from the England boss.

With injuries to Wes Brown, and doubts over the form of both Glen Johnson and Gary Neville, speculation mounts that his inclusion might be to fill in the right-back slot. There are also injury concerns over the centre-back position with England captain Rio Ferdinand an injury worry and former skipper John Terry is currently suffering from a bad run of form ever since his personal life was pulled into the spotlight. Other potential inclusions Joleon Lescott and Ledley King are both struggling with injury - the latter having been unable to train for two years due to his debilitating knee condition. All this means that the inclusion of Carragher might seem to be a completely reasonable solution.

However, since he retired in 2007, the Liverpool vice-captain has rejected all emergency calls from England managers to try to bring him back into the team. The reasons he gave for retirement were that he was not being played in his favoured position of centre back and therefore decided that retirement was a better option than a tantrum which may have seen him excluded anyway.

In my opinion, if you receive a call up to play for your country, you play wherever you are told and you give 100% without question. Someone who doesn't want to do this and has whinged about selection issues before is likely to do it again and most definitely doesn't deserve another chance. Talksport host Adrian Durham said that the time of his retirement that he had "bottled it" and I have to say - I agree.

Aside from this, Jamie Carragher has endured one of the worst seasons of his career, and even if he was going to give 100% for the cause, I am still not sure this is enough.

England are in danger of going backwards with his selection. I would even go so far as to say that Steven Gerrard does not deserve a starting place at the World Cup. After such a terrible season with Liverpool, who's to say he is going to turn it on for England?

I say, forget about Carragher, bring in Michael Dawson, a player who has made an outstanding contribution to Tottenham's push for a Champions League place, and drop Gerrard in Favour of a proper left winger like Stewart Downing or even Joe Cole. Then again, I'm not the manager.

ARSENAL SANDWICHED BETWEEN GREATNESS AND A FIGHT FOR FOURTH PLACE

2010-05-02T11:30:00.012+01:00

FOR the past five years Arsenal have been a team in transition. The team Arsene Wenger had built up by the turn of the century was nothing short of outstanding. He had the skill and trickery of Robert Pires, the guile of Patrick Vieira and the flair of Thierry Henry.

All have since left the club along with Ashley Cole, Kolo Toure, Gilberto Silva and the retirements of Dennis Bergkamp and Ray Parlour. Wenger has spent these last few years building the team back up to a standard which he believes can bring the glory days back to the club.

They have struggled to find the funds for him to go out and buy ready made quality and so has been forced to bring in younger talent and rear them - something which is not unfamiliar to the Frenchman.
Newer first team players such as Abou Diaby, Samir Nasri and Nicklas Bendtner all clearly have the talent to play in an Arsenal team but consistency is a key issue with all three. Nasri, compared recently to Pires by Arsene Wenger, undoubtedly needs to score more goals to complete his all round game (Nasri has netted five times in 32 games this season).

This season, in many ways, has been a disaster for the Gunners. They failed to win any silverware for the fifth year running, have been comprehensively beaten (in terms of score line) by both of their main rivals, lost to North-London rivals Tottenham who at this stage of the season can still mathematically finish ahead of Arsenal, and finish the season with a whimper and an injury table full of what might have been.
Now, Arsenal are sandwiched between having that little bit extra and winning the league title, or dropping in standard and having to fight for fourth place. Who knows, that little bit extra could have been and probably would have been a fully fit Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas all season. Football fans are terrible for dwelling on the past and what could have been - none more so than the long suffering fans of Arsenal Football Club.

Those who see a team on the edge of greatness, but who fall at the second to last hurdle, losing many brave men along the way. Those who become frustrated with their managers lack of activity in the transfer market - but know they could never stay mad at him for too long. Those who feel like tearing their hair out when the team insist on their one dimensional "pass it into the net" style of play - but not one fan would have it any other way.

Arsenal play beautiful football - everybody knows that, but the two games against Barcelona were - to use an old cliché - like watching men against boys. They were taught a lesson in how to play free-flowing attacking football over those two legs, and it hurt. Winning just one game (a last ditch 1-0 against Wolves) in their last six including the two against Barca, Arsenal's season has come to a damp end like a whoopee cushion running out of air. After the first big loud noise, there’s only enough air left to make a small hissing sound at the end.

If Arsenal are to push on next season and reach that much anticipated trophy which has eluded them for so long, Wenger must delve into those deep pockets and find the funds to bring in two or three top quality additions to his squad - and hope that next season brings a little more luck with injuries.

UNDER FIRE RAFA MUST STAY

2009-11-25T17:05:00.006Z

In January 2008, I wrote an article about why Rafael Benitez shouldn't be sacked at Liverpool. Almost two years and no trophies later, I still feel the same way.

The Spaniard currently has a higher win percentage than Bill Shankly or Bob Paisley and the highest of any manager since Kenny Dalglish. Granted - they all won more trophies, but at the current pace with which he has moved Liverpool forward since 2004, winning the Champions League along the way, the man deserves at least a bit of room for error.

In the top flight, unless you have a billionaire owner who will spend money no matter who the manager is, the key to success is stability. Since the Premier League, only teams who have had a long serving manager (Arsenal, Manchester United) or have spent millions on players have won the league (Blackburn, Chelsea).

Sir Alex Ferguson didn't win a thing until 4 years into his tenure, and there were calls for him to be sacked after finishing 11th twice in his first three seasons. Keeping Sir Alex was arguably the best thing United have ever done. I believe that Benitez has the potential to be a great manager.

In the last season or so he has made one or two mistakes. Buying and then selling Robbie Keane was probably one of the biggest and then failing to find a replacement even more so. Liverpool have been struggling with injuries this season but that cannot be blamed on Rafa, although an injury-prone Alberto Aquilani is not nearly an adequate replacement for the departed Xabi Alonso.

All great managers make mistakes. To name a few - Fergie has made a few baffling decisions in his time. One, to sell David Beckham arguably in his prime, keeping Fabien Barthez in goal for so long, and the signings of Eric Djemba-Djemba and Kleberson in the same transfer window.

Arsene Wenger, a man who can pick a diamond from nowhere in the transfer market has also made a few mistakes - Francis Jeffers and Richard Wright to name two.

After Liverpool's exit from the Champions League, the club are in serious trouble of ending their season before Christmas having already been eliminated from the Carling Cup at the hands of Arsenal. Currently 7th place in the league and 5 points off that all important fourth place. If they are to finish there by the end of the season they need to start picking up the points - and fast - which makes this weekends game an absolute must win.

So....a nice easy one then...a passion filled, high tempo Merseyside derby! Good Luck Rafa!

YOUR CESC IS ON FIRE

2009-11-20T15:49:00.006Z

Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas has been in the best form I have ever seen him this season. The Spaniard has been around for years and it's easy to forget the the Gunners captain is still just 22 years old.

So far this season he has managed to triple his goal tally for the whole of last season and is currently just four away from his career best total for a season to date - 13.

The little midfield maestro has looked in fine form this season, despite personal problems at home, and he hasn't let this affect his attitude on the pitch.

In his last 3 games alone, he has scored 4 goals, including that superb solo-effort against North London rivals Spurs, and it seems that Cesc has turned goal scorer rather than the assistant we are used to.

The good news for Arsenal is that, whereas in past seasons they may have needed Fabregas as one of their only options to provide a killer pass, they now have an abundance of wonderfully gifted players like Andrei Arshavin, Samir Nasri, Tomas Rosicky and Robin van Persie who can now provide those passes for him.

With the injury to van Persie last weekend, the game against Sunderland this weekend will go some way to providing proof of Arsenal's strength-in-depth and their title credentials. Last year, given the injury list they have at the moment, they would no-doubt have completely flopped and ended up out of the Champions League spots.

This time it's different; Arsene Wenger has instilled a huge amount of confidence, along with a bit more of that "steeliness" they have been missing away from home in the last few years with the signing of Thomas Vermaelen, and the emergence of Alex Song as the new midfield general.

With the former also amongst the goals this season alongside his defensive partner William Gallas, it seems that Arsenal can't stop scoring. Wenger's men have notched up 55 goals already with 17 different goalscorers in all competitions.

If Fabregas can continue his fine streak then I have no doubts that he can fire the Gunners straight to the top of the Premier League in the next few weeks with a home game against Chelsea and a game in hand to come.

These are exciting times to be an Gooner!

ALWAYS RELY ON MARADONA FOR A LAUGH AT THE WORLD CUP

2009-11-15T21:38:00.005Z

You can always rely on Maradona for a laugh at a World Cup finals. Whether that laugh is in utter disbelief at his cheek when having scored a goal with his hand, he then decides that he wasn't satisfied enough with cheating, he had to then prove a point by running 60-yards through the England defense to score the "goal of the century". At least this time around the laughter might actually be somewhat jovial.

After Argentina coach Diego Maradona's foul-mouthed outburst last month - I found myself wearing a very smug smile. While he was undoubtedly a brilliant player, one of the best there has ever been - apart from his obvious arrogance - that goal.

The fact that he has single-handedly managed to reduce a team - packed with world class superstars to that which scraped through to World Cup qualification - losing 6-1 to Bolivia along the way - simply makes it even more fun. To say that I revel in the plight of one of the world's greatest ever footballers seems a little harsh, but come on! It's Diego Maradona after all.

One thing amazes me though. I doubt that I am alone in being anything but surprised by the mans utter failings as a manager and after reducing a team ranked number 1 in the world in June 2008 to 6th, and managing his way to a record equaling defeat for his home nation, Julio Grondona must be more than just a manager short of a world class football team if he is to allow Maradona to lead Argentina to next years World Cup. Not that I'm going to lose any sleep if the Argies completely flop like France in 2002.

Talking of France, I wonder if Raymond Domenech has a very large bet with "El Pibe del Oro" to see who can produce the worst team out of the most talent. I'm fairly sure that between the two of them they could easily make Barcelona look like Burton Albion (apologies to Albion fans).

The two managers between them have an unbelievable amount of talent available, namely Messi, Tevez, Aguero, Mascherano, Henry, Anelka and Ribery. I don't know about you, but on Football Manager I did much better with them, surely its easier in real life? On Football Manager, you can't give extremely motivational after-match speeches filled with expletives. I've always thought the game was missing a real cutting edge like that.

On a serious note, Maradona is extremely arrogant, very rude, and an awful manager. Nb: Drugs not mentioned in this article. That aside, I am pleased that he is being allowed to manage at the World Cup, both by FIFA and the Argentina Football Association. It means we will still have someone to laugh at after Germany fluke their way through to another final and England are knocked out on penalties by Portugal after Cristiano Ronaldo dives to win a 95th minute penalty to even the game up despite only 3 minutes time being added on by the fourth official...and breathe.

Picture: One of those faces...

BAFFLED BRUCE DEFENDS BECKHAM DECISION

2009-10-16T13:57:00.006+01:00

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has today defended his decision to name former England captain David Beckham as his man of the match in his country's 3-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Belarus.

Viewers and pundits alike were astonished by his decision to hand the accolade to the LA Galaxy star, who had only played 35 minutes of the match. It seems even Fabio Capello was a little taken aback by the award, likening it to Barack Obama's winning of the Nobel Peace price just months after he was sworn in as US President.

However, former Manchester United captian Bruce, who was working for ITV as a pundit for the game, has claimed he chose the right man and is shocked by the "carry-on" that has followed the game.

He said: "It's incredible. When I was in the stadium, he came on to the pitch and let's be fair, for 50 minutes, it was dull, boring, uninteresting. That's the way I looked at it.

"David Beckham comes on to the scene, the whole stadium in unison rises to him and I thought, 'Blooming heck! Wow! Fantastic! Now Dave, what have you got?'.

"For me, for the 35, 40 minutes, he lit up Wembley, the way his attitude was, and I suppose that's why Mr Capello keeps picking him to go into the squad, to do something like that for him.

"Maybe he can't do it for 90 minutes. However, for me, he had an impact. That's the way I saw it, that's the way I called it."

Nothing to do with the United connection then Steve? It would seem that two goals is no longer enough to get you the man of the match award. Peter Crouch will have to buy his own bubbly this weekend.

SUPER SUMMER SIGNINGS

2009-10-14T15:57:00.007+01:00

It would appear that Arsene Wenger has done it again. Recently named Arsenal.com player of the month for the second time in a row - Thomas Vermaelen is quickly proving himself a world class player and almost undoubtedly the signing of the summer.

You can throw the who's who of footballing talent into the mix and suggest that the signing of the summer is Cristiano Ronaldo, or Kaka or Xabi Alonso. At £80million, £55million, and £30million respectively it is hard to see how an overall bargain has been achieved there. At a mere £10million and a goal return of 5 from defence already this season, Vermaelen has shown that the megabucks are not always needed.

Elsewhere in the Premier League, Darren Bent, who i believe has always been a quality player, is proving a snip at £16.5million. With a return of 7 goals in the league already this season, Bent is starting to show some of the form he once had with Charlton. At Tottenham, he had found his chances in the first team extremely limited, largely spent warming the bench for Robbie Keane or Dimitar Berbatov.

Steve Bruce has done some excellent summer business at the Stadium of Light, not only has he secured a guaranteed goal scorer and almost perfect strike partner for Kenwyne Jones, he has also grabbed one of the most promising English central midfielders in the country in Lee Cattermole, and Lorik Cana, one of the most solid midfield rocks in the French league last season for a combined £11million. With finds such as Wilson Palacios (albeit with a little help from Arsene Wenger), Maynor Figueroa and Hugo Rodallega, Bruce has already built a reputation for finding hidden gems.

Players like Sebastien Bassong and Alberto Aquilani may prove in time to be huge signings for Tottenham and Liverpool respectively provided they can stay injury free, but until now Thomas Vermaelen has certainly been this summer's "Super Signing".

EXPERIMENTATION TIME FOR PROFESSOR CAPELLO

2009-10-13T12:23:00.013+01:00

The luxury of qualifying early for South Africa next summer gives Fabio Capello a chance to experiment and sift out some of the squad's aging deadwood. The next qualifier against Belarus will give younger players the opportunity to experience the competitive edge which a friendly can't provide.

With up and coming players like Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor of Aston Villa and Jack Wilshere and Kieron Gibbs of Arsenal, Capello can now experiment with different strike partnerships, which up until now have failed to shine.

Against Ukraine, players like Rio Ferdinand and Emile Heskey once again showed that they have perhaps been handed one too many opportunities to prove their worth. Now it is time to try something new. Heskey looked hopeless on the ball, hardly winning anything in the air, and running into trouble on the ground. Even against Croatia, he made a strong case against himself, missing two clear cut openings. The huge problem with Emile Heskey that many people have is his lack of goals. The last two games have only moved to strengthen that view.

Rio Ferdinand, this season, has almost looked like fish out of water. Early signs were there to be seen - agaisnt Manchester City - giving the ball away, and failing to prevent Craig Bellamy from scoring from a tight angle. In Dnipropetrovsk, Ferdinand once again showed that he was not at his best, he almost looked clueless as the ball came over the top. He looked like a Sunday league player caught short because he had stitch from the beer he drank the night before.

If Capello thinks we can win the World Cup with Rio in defence and Heskey up top, he is very much mistaken. Time for a change, only two small changes, but he needs to start the experimentation now...before it's too late.

FABREGAS THE BEST CHOICE

2008-11-25T18:14:00.004Z

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

2008-11-23T22:47:00.010Z

"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

2008-09-28T13:59:00.005+01:00

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

2008-09-21T17:32:00.009+01:00

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

2008-02-13T23:04:00.003Z

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!

2008-02-07T23:22:00.000Z

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

2008-01-28T13:48:00.001Z

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

2008-01-20T23:44:00.000Z

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

2008-01-16T13:49:00.000Z

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?

2008-01-14T19:11:00.000Z

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!

2008-01-13T00:52:00.000Z

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!

2008-01-12T00:04:00.000Z

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

2008-01-09T13:29:00.000Z

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

2008-01-08T23:05:00.000Z

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.

Why why why....Thierry???

2007-06-23T12:10:00.000+01:00

Maybe i should start by saying: Bye Bye Bye Thierry. He has gone now and good luck to him. I hope he has a very successful end to his career with Barca but not too successful. It would be just too good if Arsenal went on to win the Champions League without Henry, possibly beating Barcelona along the way. It would be a shame though, if he didn't win anything there, but he made his decision and i'm sure he feels it was the right one. I on the other hand, disagree.
Had former Vice-Chairman David Dein not left, things would probrably be very different, and had Stan Kroenke's proposed take-over had gone through then none of this would be happening, i'm almost certain of that, but you can't change the past. At Arsenal, Thierry Henry was worshiped like a God, he was the King of Highbury and was seemingly ready to make his mark on the Emirates Stadium, and having said, only a year ago: "This is my last contract. It is where I belong," it may come as a suprise that he has now left. It is certainly a shock to me, i never though that Henry would go back on his word.
There are many reasons in my view for him to stay at Arsenal. It looks like Stan Kroenke is going to work with the Hill-Wood family to achieve the best for Arsenal, which is what Dein wanted. I believe this is a reason for his departure, because he though this was not going to happen. I also believe that if this does happen in the near future, then the door is still open for Dein's return. Had Dein come back a week ago, Theirry Henry would almost certainly have remained at the club. There are many young and learining stars of the future at Arsenal, and had he stayed at the club, Henry may have found himself a title winner come next may. With players improving with every game like Eboue, Clichy, Fabregas, Walcott and Bendtner, Arsenal would certainly have been a force to reckon with next season. They still can be, but they will have to do it without their leader on the pitch. Hopefully Gilberto Silva will fill that vacancy.
Had Henry remained at the club, then Arsene Wenger's future would not be in doubt. It is just like a Domino-effect at Arsenal at the moment, and it needs to stop now. If Wenger is the next Domino to fall, then he will take Cesc Fabregas with him. Then who knows where Arsenal will be then. I don't want to say it but all this is down to the one man who wanted to do best by this club. He turned down foreign investors because he wanted to keep the clubs best interests at heart, and all of this has now dramatically back-fired. Peter Hill-Wood, Arsenal's club Chairman, could have stopped this crisis from forming, but he didn't, and now i can only hope that Arsene Wenger will still be at the Club for the start of the next season, with some new additions, and will go in with the Arsenal fighting spirit.
Arsenal are already being linked with a replacement for Henry, with Carlos Teves, Nicolas Anelka, Fernando Torres, and the rumour that the rediculous £16million transfer fee for the best player in the world, has a twist, it includes Samuel Eto'o going the other way. Whatever Arsene Wenger decides on, it just cannot afford to be another youngster who will be ready in two or three years time. They must be ready now. Darren Bent? Worth the same as Thierry Henry?? I DON'T THINK SO!

This weeks football

2007-04-26T20:24:00.000+01:00

For some it has been an exellent week but for others, such as the family and friends of Alan Ball, a true footballing legend, it has not and i send my condolences to them. He really was a magnificent player and was many peoples man of the match in the World Cup Final, 1966. Although i never got to see him live, i have seen the World Cup Final many times, and he was definately one of the best, and at such an early age. His one touch movement, was extraordinarily like that we see today and his passing was excellent. He will be missed in the football world.
I'd like to think that an all english final is approaching in the Champions League but i'm not so sure. Manchester united have got a hard task of beating or at least scoring at the San Siro and im not sure they can do it. Milan are bound to score one which means united will have to score as well but i don't see it happening. Even with the likes of Ronaldo and Rooney.
As far as the other semi goes, i think it will be tight but i believe Chelsea will get their revenge this time and knock Liverpool out. They have one of the strongest defences in the league and will go to anfield, undoubtedly for a 0-0 and will probrably get it. The first leg was boring as it was always going to be, two very strong, defensive sides.
I apologise to anyone who wanted to read a report from Charltons match at home to Sheffield United, i have been literally, snowed under with coursework, i'd much rather do this but i can't. I won't be doing a report on that game, however, i am going to Ewood, so i will have 6hours on the way back with nothing better to do but to write a football report, so i can guarantee that one will be on here, if not sunday then monday at the latest. As far as the game goes, it is a crucial, must win for Charlton, and with Blackburn having nothing but pride to play for, and a very probable half-empty staduim, exept the Charlton fans, i think Charlton can win this. They have the desire and passion that Alan Pardew has injected into the team and i think they can stay up. Fulham being my prediction to suffer as a result.

Watch this space....

2007-04-23T22:21:00.000+01:00

I will be posting again very shortly, i have been very busy with school work as you can imagine, so i havn't had the chance yet, i will also be posting my match report from saturdays game at charlton, so keep looking i should have something on within the next couple of days...

The Modern American Revolution

2007-04-19T20:23:00.000+01:00

The number of foreign owners in the Premiership is now at six and counting, three being American, and now i see that it is hugely likely that another billionaire buisiness tycoon Stan Kroenke is going to invest in Arsenal, making the number seven from twenty, almost half.

Roman Abramovich set the ball rolling back in 2003 when he became the owner of Chelsea, and now it seems that within 10 years of that, all clubs will be under foreign, if not billionaire ownership. I myself can see the attraction, if i had that money i would love to invest in my own club, but as a fan, not as a hobby or a buisiness arangement. Football is there for fun and to provide entertainment, the players should be playing because they enjoy it, and not because of how much they will make out of it. Soon football will not be seen as a proper sport, it will just be an entertainment, like the WWE and wrestling is now.

However i am not saying that this is an entirely bad thing and i am not saying that all foreign owners are investing as a buisiness opertunity, i am merely saying that if we carry on like this, football will lose all of it's competetiveness, and it will be just about the making money.

It could be a good thing but what i do know is that, as a result of the latest take-over bid, a man had quit or lost his job. A man who is extremely powerfull in English football and who is very good at his job, David Dein. It is just pure madness how a club like Arsenal, who are in need of rebuilding and Dein's guidance through this, that they should give him his marching orders or let him quit like that. Dein is the best thing that Arsenal had going for them off the pitch, he was instrumental in bringing Arsene Wenger to the club in 1996 and also the appointment of Sven Goran Errikson into the England job in 2001. Losing someone so powerfull in the game can only be bad for Arsenal. Not only this but he held a very strong relationship with Arsene Wenger and there has already been speculation that he will follow Dein out of the exit, although i don't think he will. It's a massive blow to Arsenal, and maybe now fans can look forward to a take-over bid, to improve things on the pitch, and then surely will improve off it.

*Picture: They've gone and Dein it now havn't they!

The Weekends football

2007-04-17T18:51:00.000+01:00

So it'll be a United Chelsea FA cup final. Im not sure this is good news or bad. I was kind of hoping that it would be Watford Blackburn so that everyone would say it was an insignificant final, being the first at the new Wembley and next years would be the proper one, like a dress rehearsal. Not to be though, and i suppose it is a good thing, the first final at Wembley being a showcase event, although of course i'd rather it was Arsenal or Charlton.
The Premiership was exiting as usual this weekend, and i think now that the relegation battle has been cut down again - to four teams - only one going down. In my opinion West Ham and Watford are already down and its between Charlton, Sheffield Utd, Wigan and Fulham for the last spot, and i think, although they have the most points from their games out of all those teams, that Fulham will be the team that goes down. Their remaining fixtures are about the hardest they could have at this time of the season, they don't have any 6 pointers and they have tough away games with Arsenal and Blackburn, while they polay host to Liverpool and Middlesborough. I can see them maybe picking up one or three points form the Boro game, and none anywhere else. Its going to be tight but i think the other teams will pick up points elsewhere, Charlton are in form and i think will beat Sheffield United on saturday, and Wigan are looking good, form wise, and i can't see Sheffield going down after their excellent display against West Ham.
As far as Europe is concerned, i think Arsenal have now bagged fourth and could go on to take third although it really makes no difference. And i think Tottenham are looking good for the UEFA Cup spot created by two teams already in Europe being in the FA Cup final. They will join Bolton and Everton, who diserve their places, after two seasons of nearly there or failure as far as Everton are concerned.
To end i'd just like to mention the C-word. Cricket. As i am writing this, England are being destroyed by South Africa in the World Cup and Sajid Mahmood is officially the WORST bowler in the world, EVER!! Two overs at a cost of 28 runs!!! It really is abismal and i'd like to make a protest, kick him out please, why is he in the England squad when we have people like Matthew Hoggard who could do ten times better. The build up to this game had been quite promising, with the whole squad standing up to be counted for once in their careers, but i was a fool to believe it would ever happen. We have all been let down by some very average England cricketers. Although, i did expect better from Kevin Pietersen, out for 3?? Whats going on? He has the England bug thats what. Its like in football. Put Cristiano Ronaldo and Drogba in England shirts and they'd be like two kids having a kick-about at the park. I don't know what it is about England but everyone who plays for them, no matter how good they are, they never seem to be able to gel or get the consistancy they do for club or county. Its the same in all sports. The rugby was an exeption for a year or two, they must have thought they were Australian or something, then they all realised that they aren't meant to play well for England and turned into the shite we all know and see from England teams week in, week out.

*Picture: Mahmood trying to do the YMCA, i'm sure he'd be better at it that Cricket.

Thanet Blog list

2007-04-16T13:04:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone, i'd just like to point out that i have now been added to The Thanet Blog List. So you can find me on there, i believe im top of the Home page at the moment.

And to let you know that i will be adding a review of the weekends football shortly, i have been busy this weekend so i hav'nt had a chance yet.

UEFA Cup and Operation Ewood

2007-04-12T22:25:00.001+01:00

Firstly i would just like to say that Totenham put up a very brave performance agianst an excellent and tactically astute Sevilla side. They fell apart in the first ten minutes, which cost them, big time. Had they not conceded so early on, i think they would have definately gone on to win the tie. However Sevilla did deserve to win in the end i think, Juande Ramos, the Sevilla boss, getting his tactics spot on. These being to go out all guns blazing, snatch one or two goals and then sit back. It worked perfectly. Its a shame Totenham are out, and i do genuinely mean that, despite having such a keen dislike to them, considering Arsenal are my family team. They played excellently during this years competition and deserved to get this far, I have enjoyed watching them.
Moving on to some good news that i found out on Saturday in the Charlton programme, they have announced Operation Ewood! Its brilliant news considering the success of last years Operation Riverside. It will be great to see so many travelling Charlton fans there, and who knows there will probrably be more of us than them. Ill certainly be going. Balckburn will be shocked at the turnout.
It strikes me that in a few years time, the Premiership will be entirely foreign owned. The next target of corse being Arsenal and Kroenke Sports Enterprises buying further into the club. They are thought to be close to securing one of the club's majority shareholders Danny Fiszman's shares, in excess of 25%, which would take them well over the 30% threshold needed to make a formal bid. I dont know whether this is good or bad news. It means more oney and therefore better players in the Premiership so its probrably a good thing but im not convinced.

Champions League football

2007-04-11T21:47:00.000+01:00

A good weeks football for English clubs as far as the Champions League. Well i say good, when really i should be saying magnificent, three of our clubs in the semi-finals of the Champions League is absoulutely brilliant for English football and proves that our league is the best in Europe.
It is easy to say that Manchester United didn't need to play well against Roma to win like that because they had an absolute shocker but to be fair to the Roma team as well as the Manchester United team, this really wasn't the case. Although, defensively Roma looked scarily like Charlton earlier in the season, the rest of the team put up a good fight with one player in particular standing out for me, Francesco Totti. Even as Roma were made to look like little boys, Totti still managed to look world class. Roma had 55% of the possesion and they has 15 shots on goal. Not bad for a team beaten 7-1! Them aside though, United were another class, anything that came their way, they seemed to put away, and with ease too. The way they created the chances too were superb, showed perfectly in Alan Smith's goal on 20 minutes. Every pass in the move was one-touch, orchestrated by the danger trio, Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo in particular had a stormer of a game, and its the best i think i've ever seen United play in my short life. He for me is by far the best player in the world right now.
Chelsea, for me played their tactics almost to the opposite of United. They came our with a very cautious approach that for me had trouble written all over it. And this was proven in the first half when Fernando Morientes hit the post with a powerfull effort then soon after he scored, leaving the Chelsea team in dissaray. The turning point came in the second half when Jose Mourinho's men were sent out with a much more positive attitude for me, won them the game. Their play in the second half was much more attacking and this helped them through, Michael Essien was the key.
Then after a good night last night, Liverpool rounded it off, seeing of a luckless PSV side, who really only turned up to restore pride, Ronald Koeman said after the first leg that he would be stupid to think they could go through after their display, i agree but i also think that it was stupid of him to say so. It automatically puts a negative perspective in his players minds, after all anything can and does happen in football. Arsenals 6-3 win at Anfield would have been enough to put them through after a 3-0 defeat at home, and if they can do it, PSV can, but it wasnt to be, not that Koeman can be blamed, he was after all right, they did have no chance. More than anything because Liverpool are in the form of the season at the moment and they are not going to give up their last chance at a trophy that easily.
So really, overall an excellent week for English football and really sticks it to Guilleme Balague who said that the Spanish League is still the best in the World. Lets hope Totenham go through in the UEFA Cup, on Thursday, Englands last hope there.

Charlton versus Reading match report

2007-04-11T21:41:00.000+01:00

As promised, here is my match report from the Charlton v Reading game... have a read, let me know what you think...

NO HAIR RAISER!
Nervy affair causes Pardew to reflect on some “Grey Matters”
By James Warner

“This job is reflected in our hair colour” – wise words from one grey haired Alan Pardew after his side failed to capitalise on fellow relegation strugglers having dropped points. His side had the chance to pull clear of Sheffield United who now have, what could prove to be, a very valuable game in hand, but they showed promise throughout the game without never looking like scoring, they had the build up, most of it coming from counter-attacking movements, but they could not find the clinical finish.
This really was a crunch tie for both these teams, Reading wanting to push for Europe in their first ever season in the top flight and for Charlton, battling to avoid the drop.
The Charlton fans seemed up for the game even before the teams set to the field with cries of “We are staying up” echoing around a packed Valley. They have been Charlton’s twelfth man through out this campaign and even when things where looking beyond repair, they kept their team going. The term is used a lot but they really have been superb.
Right from the word go the players looked to be responding in kind to the fans support, winning an early corner, from which Talal El Karkouri was inches from tucking away, the ball smashing the crossbar and rebounding agonisingly close to the goal line.
The players had previously been on the back foot for the first few minutes but this was a spur for the next ten minutes of Charlton pressure, in which Darren Bent nearly found Ambrose after a break was made by the other Bent, Marcus. With Reading clearly on the back foot, Coppell looked disjointed.
He must have scared the players into a reaction because by this time Reading where swinging the pendulum right back the other way, and by the time Alex Song received and early booking, Charlton where looking rattled. Reading came close with a dazzling run by their speedy Korean, Seol, forcing Scott Carson into a decent save. By the time the half time whistle went, you could almost feel the frustrating outcome of this game as if it had already happened, Graham Poll not helping matters, giving needless free kicks, and slowing down the tempo and flow of the game.
As the second half kicked of, Charlton fans where not at their usual selves, becoming drowned out by a newly awaken set of Reading fans in the corner of the Jimmy Seed stand.
The increasing frustration was beginning to tell on the players as Song was pulled up for one or two niggling fouls. He had to be careful. Alan Pardew had to do something but with two substitutes already having been used, and a player about to be sent off for persistent fouling, he replaced Alex Song with Matt Holland. This seemed to lift the fans spirits a bit and the players too, tackles flying around and players committing themselves to the job in hand. Souleymane Diawara was having an absolute stormer at the back for Charlton and that didn’t change as he continued to make last ditch tackles and clearances.
Twenty minutes to go and at last some action, Darren Bent down the Charlton right, tries to win a corner from Bikey, only to have the ball rebound and hit him in the face and go behind for a goal kick. The game was really starting to become a bore. And it really did seem like it was going to be a famous bore-draw. Or rather not so famous.
The game sprung to life again with a fierce effort from Nicky Shorey which saw Carson scrambling across his goaline, followed by a chorus of “Shorey for England” from the Reading fans. Then a minute or two later, Hunt was found unmarked at the back post, but the Irishman failed to capitalise, summing up an evening of missed or even uncreated chances for both sides.
The frustration began to tell on all the fans faces as both teams seemed to be settling for the draw, one last chance to snatch the points perhaps, as Luke Young comes bursting down the right flank, only Zheng in the box but he managed to find him with an inch perfect cross, only for the China captain to blow his moment of glory with a tame effort straight into the hands of Marcus Hahnemann. I could see looks of disappointment on the faces of every Chinaman in the ground.
Towards the end El Karkouri suffered a rare rush of blood to his usual cool and collected head, as the Moroccan shoved Shane Long in the box, causing rushes of blood elsewhere with Charlton hearts in mouths. Graham Poll, unusually, giving nothing on this occasion.
In the end, both sides will probably settle for a point though in truth, three would have been better all round. If Charlton’s season ends like this, Pardew will have no hair left to turn a different colour. Not exactly what you would call “hair raising”.
On the other hand it was another well earned point on the way to Charltons Premiership survival.

©James Warner 2007

Welcome

2007-04-10T22:53:00.000+01:00

Hello, Welcome to my blogging page. My name is James Warner and i would like to hope i can become a Sports journalist in the future, this is kind of why i have decided to set this up now. I have already written one match report which i will post on here in 1 or 2 days time for everyone to have a look at. My mum works for the PA (Press Association) which may help me to add various contacts and it was suggested to me that i have a go at blogging, so i thought, why not?

A bit more about me, i live in Ramsgate kent but am from nearer south London and i spend most of or a lot of my free time at football matches. I have to admit that i probrably should cut back a bit but why? I enjoy it.

The weekend just gone was another football packed few days, starting with my first visist to manchester and the City of Manchester Stadium or what is now known as Eastlands. Of course this was to see Charlton play, a game which had nil-nil written all over it and i knew it, nearly everyone knew it but we were all determined not to show it. We had some belief, not much mind you. Of course, it did disappoint, with the highlight of the game coming when a Manchester City fan had to be woken up after the final whistle, which just about summed up the whole day, boring tiresome and not really worth it. The only other time i was smiling was when a steward kept repeatedly saying "could you take your seats pleeeeease?" in a highly amusing Manc accent, only for Charlton fans to reply "stand up if you love Charlton" or "if your staying up", or "yeh o'corse mate, where'd you wan' it takin'?"

The next day was not a very succesfull but eventfull day. Being woken by my phone and a friend on the other end asking me if i wanted to go and invade the pitch at Dagenham and Redbridge, and so being the hooligan that i am i of course obliged and we made our way up to Dagenham. We worked out that we would be around 20mins late after kick off but this was not the case, due to unforseen train hiccups (bloody London transport) and an unlicenced taxi driver trying his hardest to charge us 20 quid for a 10 minute drive, we turned up at the ground 15 minutes before the end, then we discover that the game was a sell out, well who would have thought it, the first time Dagenham are going to get promoted to the football league, a sell out??? NEVER!!! I could have killed my mate. We found a side gate and slipped in but nothing much happened until the final whistle. Then i found myself covered in champaigne and being bundled left, right and centre as we invaded the pitch. Good fun it was.

Monday and another football match, a good game, Charlton v Reading, but obviously after the weekend i'd had i could have put my house (if i had one) on it being nil-nil! How could i not see it?? Oh well. There's always next time, as they say. The highlight has got to be after the game when i ran into Alex Song, and Souleymane Diawara! Got their autographs and then saw the Reading team bus leave, minus Steve Coppel who left on his own in his Bentley.

Match report of this game will follow shortly...