The events of the 18th and 19th of October 2008 could still have an impact upon the future of football in this country. On Saturday the 18th, Aston Villa entertained Portsmouth.

The game was relatively uneventful until it entered its final period. With both sides tied at 0-0, someone in the crowd chucked a coin which struck the linesman on the head.

The fact that a fan is potentially able to blind an official, manager, or player at a football match where children are in attendance is a disgrace. It is events such as these that could force the top dogs of the beautiful game to consider whether it would be worthwhile introducing Italian-style barriers which would separate the crowd from the pitch.

It would surely be terrible for English football if this happened. If people want to see a screen in front of the players, they will stay at home and watch the match on TV. Many people still choose to stand at Premiership games despite the all-seater stadiums but the introduction of barriers obstructing a clear view of the action may simply put people off attending matches.

However, with disgusting behaviour by some parts of the crowd being displayed during matches, the FA and UEFA may need no excuse to introduce a crowd separation barrier between the stand and the pitch.

The events of Sunday the 19th of October did not help the situation. The Sheffield derby saw United and Wednesday compete in an eventful game. Although the fans appeared to keep their coins in their pockets during this game, a player on the pitch did not behave so well.

Sheffield Wednesday winger, Jermaine Johnson, was substituted in the second half. He decided subsequently to vent his frustration on a water bottle, which was sent flying into a section of fans. This could have done serious damage to one of many unsuspecting fans.

Pitch invasions also provide another argument for introducing barriers. Sunderland famously beat Newcastle recently and after the game, large sections of fans invaded the pitch. This kind of behaviour does not help the club or the reputation of the nation and could be avoided.

In Italy, clubs have put up ice-hockey style glass barriers which separate the crowd from the pitch. It is obviously much harder to throw a coin at an official or kick a water bottle at the fans if there is a barrier.

Fans, players, and officials could all argue that there is a real need for crowd separation barriers. If the world of football is not careful, a major injury will soon be seen and the repercussions of this could be extreme.

Jose Mourinho, who became a legend among Chelsea fans during his time in charge of the club, has angered the Stamford Bridge faithful by labelling Didier Drogba “a diver”. In an outrageous interview with a football website, the manager of Inter Milan also criticised the behaviour of Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Liverpool’s Fernando Torres, and Arsenal’s Robin van Persie.

He revealed that he no longer feels under any pressure to “defend” the Chelsea players and can now speak the truth about their behaviour.

Mourinho’s comments completely contradict his previous statements made whilst in charge of Chelsea. He consistently defended Drogba after the striker was accused various times of diving and cheating.

Indeed, Mourinho compared the Ivorian striker to a soldier and stated that he had so much faith in the player that he would “go to every war” with him. The manner in which he has now changed his mind so radically is frankly embarrassing and will not do anything to improve his profile in either the UK or Italy, where he is having a tough time fitting in.

Amusingly, he completed the interview by claiming to be fundamentally opposed to diving but then hinted that he habitually encourages his players to fall to the ground if they are fouled in the box.

The Internazionale boss spoke of his “hate” of the practice of diving but then commented that he does not like players who stay on their feet if they are fouled whilst in the penalty area. According to Mourinho, it is much better to “go down”, in order to encourage the referee to make a decision. In his world, though, this is not cheating. Indeed, Mourinho believes this attitude to be “fair”.

Jose Mourinho’s arrogance angered some during his stay in England but it appealed to others, including many members of the British press. However, so far, the Italians have not been impressed by the attitude of the Portuguese coach.

Last month, Mourinho’s Inter Milan side, who are currently sitting at the top of the Italian league, controversially beat Catania at the San Siro in a key match in the Serie A campaign. His arrogance was evident both before and after the match when he stated that his team were “better” than the opposition and deserved to win by a margin of three or four goals.

Such comments may have gone unnoticed in England but the director of Catania, Pietro Lo Monaco, launched a scathing verbal attack on Mourinho. He expressed his belief that the manager has no respect for “his adversaries” or “the host nation”.

The director continued to state that Mourinho should leave the country at the end of the season and summed up his feelings by commenting that the boss should be “smacked in the mouth”.

One thing remains clear: Mourinho has certainly not been getting his own way since his arrival in Italy. Perhaps his recent astonishing attack on Didier Drogba and other Premier League stars is the Portuguese coach’s sad way of venting his frustration.

Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo has reiterated his commitment to the club, stating that it is in his “body and soul”.

He believes that he made the right decision to stay at the club during the summer rather than choosing to join Real Madrid. He has expressed a desire to show “respect” towards the club’s officials, his team mates and the United fans, who do not want to hear about Ronaldo considering other clubs.

The possibility of the Manchester United winger moving to Spain dominated the back pages of the newspapers over the summer. However, the player, who is still just 23 years of age, is under contract at United for another four years.

Ronaldo’s comments have come following a statement released by Real Madrid last week. The Spanish club stated that their interest in the winger, which was once so strong, has now subsided. They do not want to fall out with the Manchester club, since they are “one of the biggest clubs in the world” and they wish to maintain “a good relationship”.

Real Madrid believe that United have made it clear that they wish to keep hold of Ronaldo and officials at the Spanish club have no desire to “disturb” the English club, especially at this point in the season.

Ronaldo’s form for United this season has not quite reached the spectacular heights seen throughout the club’s last Premier League campaign. He seems to have lost some of the confidence which frustrated so many in the English league last season.

His body language has changed dramatically since the speculation concerning a possible move away from United and fans of the club are hoping that he can rediscover the special quality which helped the team win the League last year.

So just 63 hours or so after Harry Redknapp told Sam Matterface on Sky Sports News that he was leaving Portsmouth for Spurs, Tony Adams sat in front of a packed Press Conference at Fratton Park after signing a two and a half year deal to step up and take the top job at the South Coast club.

Big Tone appointment came as no big surprise despite other candidates being interested in the job. The club decided to stay in-house and give it to the man that was being groomed to takeover eventually when Harry walked away. Little did we know that the time that happened would come around just so quickly.

He answered the question well and seemed well up for the job. He spoke to mentor and close friend Arsene Wenger last night before accepting the job and told the Arsenal manager that he was 'coming to get him'. Wenger told Adams, 'welcome to hell'.

The appointment was swift and not seen as a big surprise. Big Sam was the other name heavily touted but that wouldn't have been a progressive step forward. The club decided to not rock the boat and keep the group of players largely happy as the support in the camp was for Adams to get the job.

Adams' reign starts with a trip to league leaders Liverpool tomorrow night at a place that hasn't been a happy hunting ground for Portsmouth in recent years. Only a last minute Lomana Lua-Lua goal back in the 04/05 season grabbed them a point in the Premiership era. Although they did draw at Anfield in the FA Cup before beating the club at Fratton in the previous season.

I think it would be safe to say that these are interesting times down on Portsea Island.

This weekend saw Liverpool record a shock victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The win brought an end to the London team’s magnificent 86-game unbeaten home run in the Premier League and saw the Reds move three points clear at the top of the league.

The match finished 1-0, with the decisive goal coming in just the tenth minute. Xabi Alonso’s somewhat weak shot took a deflection and Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech was unable to change direction following an initial dive to the left.

Chelsea sprung to life following Liverpool’s goal and should have gone into the half-time break level. However, the Reds defended well and continued to frustrate the London side. The second half saw Chelsea enjoy long spells of possession but they lacked the cutting edge that had previously been so impressive in matches, including the fixture against Middlesbrough.

Ashley Cole had the chance to level the match in the second half but he failed to connect properly with his attempt. Xabi Alonso could have increased Liverpool’s lead but the post saved Chelsea and allowed them to continue fighting until the last minute.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez was quick to point out the potential significance of the result. He believes that the victory has sent a “massive message” to the other teams in the title race. Benitez was proud of the character of his team and was happy to see them sitting at the top of the table.

However, Liverpool’s problem in the Premier League has always been inconsistency. They have frustrated their fans by failing to win against weaker sides and, if they really are going to challenge for the title this year, this pattern needs to change.

Liverpool failed to beat Stoke following their impressive victory over Manchester United earlier this season. They are now desperate to beat Portsmouth, who have been destabilised by the departure of Harry Redknapp on Wednesday.

Another problem facing Liverpool in their attempt to win the title is inexperience. The team is not familiar with sitting at the top of the league and sustaining a real challenge throughout the long Premier League season. However, Benitez is confident that “the players know what to do”. He raved about the performance of his players after the match and revealed that Liverpool have managed to develop a winning mentality.

However, it is possible that Benitez, and the Liverpool fans, are getting carried away. Despite their defeat, Chelsea have been extremely impressive this season in the Premier League.

They have been very unlucky with injuries and sorely missed Didier Drogba in the Liverpool match. Essien and Ballack have also left gaping holes in the Chelsea side. However, these players will return and Chelsea will bounce back from this defeat.

Furthermore, let’s not forget about Manchester United and Arsenal. Both teams have suffered some shocking results this season but, despite United’s draw with Everton this weekend, they appear to be hitting form belatedly. Liverpool’s win against Chelsea was impressive but they will need to do more if they are going to convince the football world that they are genuine title contenders.

This week saw the Football Association make a potentially worrying announcement for English football fans when it stated that it will force Jamaica to pay a controversial £135,000 debt.

Jamaica were apparently led to believe that the FA would write off the debt, which has its roots in June 2006. England played Jamaica in a friendly match during the summer of that year and the FA is angry that it is still awaiting money apparently owed on tickets.

The president of the Jamaican FA, Captain Horace Burrell, insists that the FA agreed to ignore the debt provided that Jamaica opened a youth training centre.

However, the FA has revealed that such an agreement would have to be signed off by the official board and, so far, this has not been done. As such, the debt remains and the pressure will continue to build until the payment is made.

The FA is aware that the Jamaican Football Association has been experiencing financial difficulties for several years and this is apparently the reason why the issue has not been raised sooner.

A spokesman for the FA has reiterated the fact that no official agreement concerning a potential training facility was ever made and, as such, the “outstanding debt” needs to be paid.

This news is potentially worrying for fans of football across the country because it could harm England’s 2018 World Cup bid. Burrell is a close friend of Jack Warner, who works as a vice-president for Fifa. Both countries must be hoping, for very different reasons, that the dispute is resolved as quickly as possible.

Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo could face a two-match touchline ban following his confrontation with the match officials after Saturday's draw with Aberdeen.

The match referee Steve Conroy has told the Scottish Football Association he will file a report on the incident.

Laszlo confronted the fourth official at the final whistle after his side were denied a late penalty.

In a time when we're looking for the players to respect the officials in matches, isn't it about time the managers led by example? Especially after the way Csaba Laszlo lost the plot following Hearts' draw with Aberdeen on Saturday.

It was a hissy fit of the spectacular kind after fourth official John McKendrick wouldn't let him on to the pitch to shake hands with his players. Hmmm. I wasn't convinced and I don't think the SFA will be either.

As for the incident that caused Laszlo's anger, it was a penalty decision by Steve Conroy that soon wasn't after he changed his mind and having seen the footage, it was an excellent, but brave call. Especially when you see that Michael Stewart dived clearly.

Of course, the Tynecastle pitch may have seemed like a swimming pool, but there was no need to dive on it like one.

Not many referees will have the kahunas to change their mind after making such a big decision, but I think Conroy deserves praise for doing so, especially recognising the reaction of the Aberdeen players.

As for Laszlo, whatever his feelings on the matter, he can't go around shoving the officials, or Aberdeen coach Sandy Clark, who tried to diffuse the situation and the beaks will throw the book at him.

Laszlo has been a breath of fresh air and seems to be quite popular with the media so far and that sort of spirit is the kind of thing that perhaps Hearts have been missing for quite some time now.

However venting it in that way at the officials is not acceptable and the Hungarian will soon feel the wrath of the SFA over it.

Hopefully the lacklustre Hearts players can take something from their manager...

Ok, so this weekend didn’t go particularly well from our point of view then – unless of course you appreciate the more challenging aspects in life, like seeing how many times you can bang your head off a wall before you pass out, or how many vodka’s do much the same job.

Queens Park Rangers Football Club have sacked manager, Iain Dowie, in a decision which didn't exactly shock many in the world of football.

Dowie, who used to play as a striker for Southampton, was only in charge for 15 games and his record was not altogether bad. He managed to lead the west London club to eight wins, three draws, and four defeats. The club are currently sitting in ninth place in the Championship, just three places away from a play-off position.

QPR are also in the fourth round of the League Cup and are due to play Manchester United in the next round. However, this form obviously failed to impress the club’s board, who released a curt statement announcing that they had terminated the manager’s contract with immediate effect.

Iain Dowie took charge of the club following Luigi de Canio’s departure in May and, although he was not an immediate hit with the fans, his appeal had started to increase in recent months. The manager has had a hard time in the world of football following his exit from Crystal Palace.

He left Charlton at the end of 2006 following just 12 games in charge and also experienced a short stint with Coventry earlier this year. He was sacked by the board at Coventry and left the club fighting relegation.

The club are now under the guidance of Gareth Ainsworth, who has been appointed as caretaker manager for the short-term. They managed to put the instability behind them temporarily today, holding Reading to a draw.

So I have had around 36 hours to reflect on the goings on of Saturday night and the early hours of Sunday morning. What exactly went on and what exactly does it mean for both clubs involved?

We'll start off with what it means for the club getting Harry Redknapp. First and foremost they are getting an excellent manager who will keep them in the Premiership without a shadow of doubt. Juande Ramos just didn't work and the whole Director of Football idea just never worked.

They now have a manager with a proven track record in the market as well as someone who can attract top quality players. Redknapp has never worked with a serious budget before but still managed to attract the likes of Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Lassana Diarra to a club like Portsmouth.

No disrespect to Portsmouth, I am myself a Pompey fan but these types of players would not come to the club if it wasn't for the manager. Whether they'll stay at Pompey is another question that I'll try and answer later in the piece.

Spurs have good quality and should with a bit of belief and confidence make their way up to mid-table this season. In the window they'll have to find a striker or two who can score goals and that will be Harry's major concern. Also at the back they look a bit lightweight with the lack of Ledley King who only seems to be able to play once a week.

Will he raid his old club for players? You'd bet your bottom dollar that he'll be after the likes of David James, Glen Johnson, Lassana Diarra, Niko Krancjar, Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch when January rolls around. He might even get one or two of them too but they'll be at vastly inflated fees. It is more likely that he'll have to scour the market and find players from other sources.

For Portsmouth though there are two schools of thought. Those who think that the club is about to curl up and die and those who think that the club will be alright. I'm in the latter of the two camps.

Harry did a fantastic job at Portsmouth, there can be no denying that but one man doesn't make a club. A new manager will come in and whose to say that he won't be better than Redknapp? How would Pompey fans react if Guus Hiddink walked through the door like he would've done if Redknapp hadn't changed his mind on taking the Toon job in January?

Personally I'd be rather happy to have a World Class manager in charge and feel the players at the club would be happy working under a man who had won things at the very highest level. Hiddink teams have also traditionally been very pleasing on the eye and that would go down well at Fratton Park.

Redknapp has stated that the club needed the £5million that Spurs offered for him and let's be honest about it – that is rubbish. He wanted the job and has tried to leave the club before until changing his mind. The man believed that he deserved a crack at what he saw was a big club and when Spurs came knocking for the second time in a year, this time Harry was itching to go.

I will always be grateful to him for taking my club to the best moments that I have ever witnessed in my lifetime. However he repeatedly stated that Portsmouth would be his last club and that was a lie. He wasn't forced out, he wanted to leave to stroke that massive ego of his and get a job where he'd have stupid amounts of money to spend.

Do I think it'd be hilarious if Spurs went down? Of course I do. Do I want them to go down? Yes I do. Does any Pompey fan I know want them to stay up? No I don't. So I think that sums it up for me. I think Spurs will stay up. I hope they don't. I hope Pompey will be fine and I think they will be.

Portsmouth have sold manager Harry Redknapp to Tottenham Hotspur for a staggering £5million fee.

So here I am quietly enjoying my Saturday evening. I’m watching a college football game from Texas and kicking back, a typical Neil M Saturday night, nothing to see here but then I get a phone call and everything changed.

Several minutes earlier I’d been informed that Juande Ramos and everyone else had been sacked at Spurs. A total clear-out which seemed to indicate that a deal to replace him was in place, but little did I know that it would be the manager of my club who was on his way to White Hart Lane.

Ten minutes or so later and the phone was red hot – considering it was midnight then you wouldn’t expect many people to be awake but this is breaking news. It was confirmed that Spurs had approached Portsmouth and they had accepted the huge offer to release him from his contract to take the Spurs job.

I am obviously gutted at this moment in time but we shall see who takes over. I know that back in January we had sown up a top manager to replace Redknapp, who looked like he was on his way to Newcastle. It will be interesting to see if the same man is still on our radar.

For Spurs it is a tremendous appointment. Redknapp will keep Spurs up with ease as he’ll get the best out of players. I know Spurs have no decent strikers but he’ll bring in enough quality in January to easily see Tottenham safe. The question is who will he raid from Portsmouth and that is a question without an answer for quite a while yet.

The Newcastle United midfielder, Joey Barton, has spoken out about his fears over his future in football. The footballer, who is 26 years of age, is preparing to return to Newcastle’s first team after being banned for six games.

The ban was handed to Barton after he was found guilty of assaulting Ousmane Dabo whilst he was still a Manchester City player in 2007. However, this ban has been the least of the midfielders problems this year, as he has also spent a total of 74 days in prison after being found guilty of assault and affray.

This season has been a disappointing one for Newcastle United so far and Barton’s plight has simply increased their misery. However, they will be hoping to record a precious Premier League victory over Sunderland this weekend and Barton has revealed his desperation to start playing regular first team football again.

The midfielder has played for the club just once this season, as a substitute, but made an appearance for the Newcastle reserves earlier this week. He is now hopeful that manager, Joe Kinnear, will name him in the line-up for Saturday’s match at the Stadium of Light.

Barton realises that the world of football is getting fed up with his bad behaviour and recognises that this is his last chance. He believes he has learned from his previous mistakes and is “thankful” to have been given a final chance to prove himself at the highest level.

The midfielder has spoken about the “hell” of going to prison and his disappointment at the reception he received upon arrival back at St. James’ Park. A large section of the crowd decided to boo the player when he returned to first team action following his extended stay in prison.

To be fair to the fans, Barton’s performances for Newcastle United have never been up to the standard seen during his time at Manchester City.

However, he is now keen to repay the faith shown towards him by the club as a whole and he is beginning to feel "good about the future”. Barton is all too aware that he cannot take back the mistakes he has already made but is keen to make amends and repay his debts to various people in the world of football.

After being plagued by drinking problems, the player has not drunk alcohol for almost a year and is currently receiving support from the Sporting Chance clinic. This clinic was set up by ex-Arsenal star, Tony Adams, to provide recovery programmes for sportsmen and women suffering from addictions.

Several famous Premier League players have previously received help from the Sporting Chance clinic, including West Ham’s Matthew Etherington, ex-England star, Paul Gascoigne, and former Chelsea striker, Adrian Mutu.

Several of these players, including Matthew Etherington, who is currently an essential part of Gianfranco Zola’s West Ham United first team, have made successful comebacks from addiction problems.

Barton believes that he can do the same and has even spoken of his desire to become a “shining beacon for kids” who are currently in trouble.

Whether Joey Barton can ever overcome his demons to such an extent that he becomes a role model for younger generations remains to be seen but he will be hoping to start the long road to recovery this weekend with a good performance against Sunderland.

As much as I love Arsenal and the young side we have this season, yesterday’s match leaves a bitter taste ahead of the future. With the exception of Denilson, in midfield(with Diaby’s return), when we went forward and when we had to put it in, we were impeccable. But, and it’s a big but, back there question marks have to be raised.

AC Milan have surprised football fans all over the world by announcing that they intend to sign David Beckham on loan in January. The 33-year-old, who is still a regular for England under Fabio Capello, is currently playing for Major League Soccer side, Los Angeles Galaxy.

However, the MLS season is due to end this weekend and the midfielder has previously spoken about his desire to be regularly involved in competitive action. He is desperate to keep playing at a high level, so that Capello will still consider him seriously for the national team.

After being appointed coach of the national team, Capello made it very clear that he would only ever select players who are not only showing good form at club level but playing regular competitive football as well.

Beckham, who has previously excelled at both Manchester United and Real Madrid, needs only two more caps to become England’s most-capped outfield player. Bobby Moore holds the current record but it is one that the midfielder is intent on taking.

The vice-president of AC Milan, Adriano Galliani, revealed on Wednesday morning that the England star will stay on loan at the club for several months at the beginning of next year. The next MLS season will start in April, so the loan will only be short-term. Prior to moving to Italy, Beckham will play for LA Galaxy in exhibition matches in Australia and New Zealand.

Adriano Galliani also stated that Beckham is not the only one to be getting something out of the deal. He believes that the player is “something different and intriguing” but was also quick to point out that the “ultra-competitive” nature of the Italian squad will prove beneficial to Beckham’s ambition of staying involved with England.

The coach of AC Milan, Carlo Ancelotti, has also spoken of his delight and “pleasure” at the move. Like Galliani, he was keen to point out the positive aspects of the loan for the club, who are set to benefit from Beckham’s athleticism and professionalism.

The loan is expected to be officially confirmed on Friday but, if it does go through as expected, the midfielder will be able to play in both Serie A and the Uefa Cup.

David Beckham will not be the first English player to join the club. Ray Wilkins, the former Chelsea player and current assistant coach, played in England’s midfield during his career. He spent nearly three seasons with AC Milan in the mid-1980s and has been quick to applaud Beckham’s decision to join the Italian giants.

Wilkins believes that the midfielder will be able to “maintain the correct fitness level” necessary to win a place in the England team. Furthermore, he thinks that the professional nature of the Italian club, which contains world-class players including Ronaldinho and Kaka, will help to keep Beckham at his technical best.

The current Blackburn manager, Paul Ince, has echoed the words of Wilkins. Ince, who also played for the national side, enjoyed a spell with Inter Milan during his career.

He believes that Beckham’s quality is still undeniable despite his age and previous controversial decision to move to MLS. Ince was also keen to remind the public about the importance of the player’s “inspirational” leadership skills.

Thaksin Shinawatra, the ex-owner of Manchester City Football Club, has been sentenced to two years in prison after being found guilty of corruption by the Thai Supreme Court. He has been punished for offences committed during his spell as Prime Minister of Thailand.

He has been found guilty of violating conflict of interest rules after helping his wife, Pojaman, purchase land from a state agency at a reduced price. The 59-year-old was removed from his position two years ago and has been investigated by the Thai authorities ever since. Graft investigators were appointed following a military coup in 2006 and they have been actively looking into claims of corruption.

Worryingly for Shinawatra, this ruling is only the first in a series of corruption charges being brought against him and his political associates. His wife was found guilty earlier this year and was handed a prison sentence of three years.

The couple returned to their home country from the UK in February of this year to face up to the charges but they came back in August, stating that they were being treated unfairly by the Thai authorities.

Shinawatra, who is currently the honorary president of Manchester City after the Abu Dhabi United Group announced their takeover of the club, has denied accusations that he tried to seek asylum in the UK.

He publicly stated that the case against him has been unfairly motivated by political factors and revealed that he has “long anticipated that it would turn out this way”.

I am a football fan. I have travelled all over the country following my team and have never been in any trouble. There has been trouble around me but I've always managed to stay clear of it like the majority of fans. However there are times when trouble just runs up and finds you and in the instance of Cliff Auger he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He was walking back to his car after the Chelsea v QPR FA Cup Match in January with his two sons and two of their mates. One of their mates needed the loo so dashed into a pub to use the facilities and then the pub was under lock-down due to some trouble. The dad approached a police officer and asked if his sons mate could be allowed to leave as he had responsibility for the kid, which is fair enough I think we can all agree.

What happened next was a Police Dog was seemingly released and sunk his teeth into his sons leg. Auger then did what every dad would do and kicked the dog to get him to release his grip. It worked and the dog then turned and went for him. The parent then curled up into a ball to save himself from getting bitten anywhere too bad but instead of the dogs handler coming and saving him, the police turned on the Chelsea fan and beat him senseless. They punctured his lung and broken four ribs.

He was arrested for kicking the dog and also for using threatening behaviour. The latter charge was dismissed after a two day trial but he was found guilty of the former. The judge decided that the case didn't warrant a conditional discharge because he thought that the parent should've stood back and watched his son getting bitten by a dog.

How crazy is that? I mean honestly. The evidence against him was flimsy at best as all the police stories contradicted one another but that didn't matter when all is said and done. A parent protecting his dog from being attacked by a dog clearly deserved a £500 fine and a criminal record. The police officers who beat him to a pulp though and allowed a dog to bite an innocent boy though had no case to answer.

It disgusts me when I read this type of thing. There is little doubt that if anyone was in the wrong then it was the police but they are above the law. They cover for each other and are quite happy to club an innocent man if they fancy it. They will sleep fine at night even though they know they've acted inappropriately.

I know the vast majority of the police do a great job in what is very difficult circumstances. It just seems that when they get into a situation where they know they can get away with a beating then they'll do it and give an innocent guy a right clobbering to get him back for all the guilty people that have slipped through their fingers.

Those officers involved will probably to used by the Met this weekend at some sporting event in the capital and they might do exactly the same again. They won't think twice of it. I myself have seen a dog go for a little boy who couldn't of been more than five and his granddad smacked the dog on the nose with his matchday programme right in front of me. The Police dog handler shouted at his dog and apologised to the man and boy straight away. This is what should've happened in this situation but common sense clearly didn't prevail.

I hope the Chelsea fans who travelled to Middlesbrough managed to raise the money they were looking for to cover his fine and costs. What scares me is that sometimes you can be totally innocent (and yes he was – I don't give two hoots that he kicked the dog – he did what every single person would do in that situation) and yet end up in the cells and walk out of court tainted by society as a criminal.

England legend, David Beckham, and former England winger, John Barnes, have announced that they wish to join the country’s bid to host the Football World Cup in 2018. They will become vice-presidents of the newly-formed executive board that has a lot of work to do prior to the final vote, due to be made by FIFA in 2011.

John Barnes, who has recently been made manager of the Jamaican national team, admits that England need to try hard if they are to be successful in their bid. However, despite his new appointment as boss of the country in which he was born, Barnes remains fully committed to the England cause.

Likewise, David Beckham has spoken of his wish to “do everything possible" to bring the tournament to England. Beckham played an instrumental role in bringing the Olympic Games to London, acting as the public face for the country’s 2012 bid, and it is hoped that he can do the same for the World Cup bid.

John Barnes will be primarily used to further the profile of the bid in regions such as the Caribbean and Africa, whilst David Beckham will travel to the Far East to spread the word of England’s plans. Beckham is a popular figure in the Far East following trips made with Manchester United and Real Madrid, so this is a clever move from England 2018 Ltd, the company behind the World Cup bid.

The company will shortly announce further vice-presidents to add support to the executive board and it is hoped that other big names in the world of football will join Barnes and Beckham.

Although England failed to win their bid for the 2006 World Cup, which was hosted by Germany, the vice-president of Fifa has backed their bid for the 2018 tournament. Jack Warner believes that every other bid will fade into insignificance when viewed alongside England’s attempt.

England have not hosted the World Cup since 1966, the year in which they won the competition, and Warner believes that it is simply unacceptable for “any country of England’s football pedigree” to go without hosting a world cup for nearly 50 years.

The vice-president has also backed the appointment of David Beckham as the public face for England’s bid. He believes that Beckham’s universal appeal is comparable to the appeal of Pele and that his involvement will “bring a legitimacy to the bid”.

Further encouraging words for England’s bid have previously been spoken by the president of Fifa, Sepp Blatter. The president has spoken publicly about the fantastic “technical infrastructure”, organisational skills, and impressive, safe stadiums that the country can boast in its bid. He even followed these comments by saying that England is an example to the rest of the world.

David Beckham is currently helping the English national side in their quest to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, which will be hosted by South Africa. The 2014 tournament will be played in Brazil and hopefully, if Barnes and Beckham get their way, the subsequent tournament will be played on home soil.

This weekend saw the publication of the shortlist for the prestigious 2008 European Footballer of the Year award. The list of nominees was released by France Football magazine and includes three English footballers: Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, and Wayne Rooney.

They have been nominated along with eight other players from the Premier League, including the Manchester United star, Cristiano Ronaldo, who is the favourite to be handed the Ballon d’Or. Ronaldo’s team mates, Edwin van der Sar and Nemanja Vidic, have also been nominated.

These three players, alongside Wayne Rooney, were instrumental in securing the Champions League for their club in May of this year. Chelsea, who reached the final of the tournament and were unlucky to be beaten by United, have two other players in the shortlist alongside Frank Lampard.

Combative midfielder, Michael Ballack, and star striker, Didier Drogba, were important parts of the team that finished second in the Premiership last season and reached the final of the Carling Cup. Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor and Liverpool’s Fernando Torres scored numerous goals between them last season and have been rewarded for their efforts with nominations for the award.

Some football pundits have been quick to pick up on notable absentees from the shortlist. Ex-Arsenal striker and legend of the Premier League, Thierry Henry, has missed out on a place on the list following a relatively disappointing season with Barcelona.

Ronaldinho, who won the award in 2005 but was forced into moving to AC Milan following a disappointing spell at Barcelona, has also been left out. Indeed, only three players from the Italian league, Serie A, have been named in the shortlist: Kaka, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Gianluigi Buffon.

This statistic is particularly embarrassing for the Italians when viewed alongside the 11 players from the Premier League and the 11 players from Spain’s La Liga.

Although Ronaldo is the strong favourite to be crowned the European Footballer of the Year, with Lionel Messi and Kaka both in with an outside chance, Wayne Rooney’s recent form may make things interesting in the run-up to the ceremony.

The striker believes that he is in the best form of his life after making a poor start to the season. He failed to score a goal during Manchester United’s first six games but has now scored eight goals in his last six performances for both club and country.

Rooney scored during United’s match against West Brom at the weekend and later revealed that he is “really pleased” with his form. The striker was extremely impressive during England’s match against Belarus last week, scoring twice. One of the goals was world-class and he was praised by the British media after the match.

Rooney believes that extra effort put in whilst training recently is what lies behind this “good run of goals”. The Manchester United star will celebrate his birthday at the end of this week, happy in the knowledge that he is enjoying such scintillating form. Worryingly for fans of Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool, Sir Alex Ferguson believes that Rooney has not yet reached his peak.

Liverpool Reserves lost for the third league match in succession after letting a two-goal lead slip against Everton on Tuesday.

Goals from Jordy Brouwer and Gerardo Bruna in a frantic second half were overturned in dramatic style as Everton fought back through a James Vaughan brace and Lee Molyneux free kick to win the mini-Merseyside derby, played in Warrington.

After a first half void of chances the Reds took the lead on 55 minutes when Jay Spearing’s weak effort was fumbled by Carlo Nash and forced home by Brouwer. The lead was doubled in spectacular fashion ten minutes later, when Bruna lashed in a free kick from close to the corner flag.

Vaughan headed in from close range for the visitors to halve the deficit with just over 20 minutes remaining. Molyneux curled home a superb free kick for the equaliser just three minutes later. Then with ten minutes to go, Anichebe played in Vaughan who got to the ball before an unconvincing Bouzanis to get his second to snatch a dramatic win.

Player Review:

Dean Bouzanis (GK): Restored to the side continuing Ablett’s goalkeeper rotation policy; Bouzanis had a disappointing night, in particular for his part in Everton’s third. 4/10

Stephen Darby (RB): After being booked early on after a late tackle Darby remained as committed to the challenge as ever but was missing as Everton’s goals flew in. 6/10

Mikel San Jose (CB): The Spaniard was having a fine game until the fight back began and was left wanting, like the rest of Liverpool’s back line as the Toffees left them stunned. 5/10

Robert Huth (CB): Like his central defensive partner, Huth was keeping Anichebe and Vaughan quiet until the late collapse. 6/10

Emiliano Insua (LB): Insua’s performance was much improved from recent weeks but, like Darby on the opposite side, was missing as the visitors turned the game around. 6/10

Gerardo Bruna (RM): sub 80. Despite his quality free kick, Bruna was generally guilty of overplaying at times instead of laying the ball off when well placed. 6/10

Jay Spearing (CM): It was another all-action performance from the Scouser who was at the centre of all the Reds’ good play. 8/10

Damien Plessis (CM): As the apparent link between Liverpool’s back four and the midfield, Plessis should be disappointed in being missing for Everton’s comeback and it was another ineffective and off-key showing for a player who has been on the verge of a first team run. 5/10

Francisco Duran (LM): Showed quality touches and range of passing but unsurprisingly, after his year-long layoff, looked off the pace at times. 8/10

Dani Pacheco (ST): Like Bruna, Pacheco often tried to do too much on the ball with unnecessary touches. Almost made it 3-3 in the dying seconds with mesmeric skill and has much more to offer in the future. 6/10

Jordy Brouwer (ST): The Dutchman seemingly has no chance of making a first team push but certainly knows where the goal is at this level. He had a quiet game but that’s two in two for him this season. 7/10

SUB Ryan Flynn (RM): on 80. The Scot had no real impact on the game, not helped by coming on when the Everton comeback was in full flight. N/A

Unused Subs: Peter Gulacsi, Martin Kelly, Steven Irwin, Daniel Ayala.

Their next match is against Manchester City on November 3.

League Tables:

Written by Michael McGuinness

FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, has expressed his anger at the growing trend of selling important Premier League clubs to foreign billionaires who have little or no interest in the development of professional football.

He has asked UEFA bosses to protect the economic potential of football by controlling investment and regulating the majority share holders of all European clubs.

Blatter frequently makes headlines with his outlandish comments (suggesting that female footballers should wear tighter shorts is one such example) but his latest proposal appears to have won the backing of both the European Committee for Culture and Sport and British fans who are unhappy with their favourite clubs being sold.

Unfortunately, Blatter is powerless to influence any active market without the might of the European Union firmly in his corner, and so his plans are unlikely to dethrone the financial Goliaths behind the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United.

The former Prime minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra, bore the brunt of Blatter’s discontent: “he goes back to his country and sells his club like you would sell a shirt.

You get people turning up with banker’s guarantees who are not interested in football and then they lose interest in the clubs and leave. What happens to the clubs then?” Blatter is hoping to stop European football clubs becoming trophies and playthings of the rich and famous.

Many of the clubs in the Premier League can survive on the sale of broadcasting rights to television companies, transfer funds, and gate receipts. A six or seven figure gift from the local billionaire is a luxury that few clubs actually need.

The plan is an addendum to Blatter’s controversial “6+5 system” whereby clubs must begin matches with a maximum of five foreign players, and whilst the scheme is designed to prevent billionaires from buying star players in bulk, critics have voiced concerns about the ‘culling’ of foreign players.

Under the new plans, many Premier League clubs may find themselves in the position of getting rid of players with little or no chance of staging a successful reconstruction within the space of a season.

The era of the rich owner has also had major implications for football management. Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, famously upset ex-manager José Mourinho by encouraging him to purchase and play Andriy Shevchenko.

Kevin Keegan voiced similar concerns during his final days at Newcastle United: "It's my opinion that a manager must have the right to manage and that clubs should not impose upon any manager a player that he does not want."

Sepp Blatter wants to plug the gap between rich clubs and the minnows of the lower leagues before the Champions League becomes the sole domain of three or four clubs from each European country.

Premiership clubs are owned by nationals from seven different countries including Iceland (West Ham), America (Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Manchester United), and Egypt (Fulham) and their combined wealth totals hundreds of billions of pounds. Ultimately, more needs to be done to stop Premier League clubs becoming virtually invincible.

Written by Chris Illingworth

What is going on with England? Have they suddenly remembered that they are a decent side who can actually play decent football? It sure looks like it after a good display in Belarus last night.

England have twelve points from a possible twelve and are on course to qualify for the World cup Finals in 2010 and the players couldn't be happier. Wayne Rooney was delighted afterwards exclaiming that England could go through the qualifiers without losing and then go on to lift the FIFA World Cup Trophy in South Africa.

That all seems a very long way away as England didn't even qualify for the last major tournament but confidence is high amongst the squad. Rooney seems to be the big difference as he looks like the player we all know he can be. Big Emile Heskey seems to be doing his job and Theo Walcott has everyone buzzing.

The only real disappointment last night was the goal that was conceded was down to just flat out comical defending. Both Theo Walcott and Wes Brown can have some blame assigned to them but that is nitpicking when all is said and done as it was a good solid result which means England have beaten Croatia and Belarus away from home so far in this qualifying campaign.

Don Fabio must be doing something right and whilst he has received quite a lot of stick from the press, he seems to be answering all the questions with aplomb. Life is good for England fans and the players and next up is a friendly in Germany which they'll be desperate to win to keep the positive momentum flowing through their veins.

Scottish football fans were shocked this week by Kris Boyd’s announcement that he will not play for the national team whilst it is under the control of George Burley. Boyd issued the following statement at the weekend: “I will not be playing for George Burley again, but I hope to be back in a Scotland jersey again one day”.

The Scotland manager spoke publicly about Boyd’s form, a move which angered the Rangers striker who was controversially left on the bench during Saturday’s match against Norway. When Scottish star, James McFadden, was taken off the pitch, he was replaced by Wolverhampton Wanderers striker, Chris Iwelumo. The boss defended this decision by stating that the striker still needs to prove himself at club level before becoming a regular at international level.

In all fairness, Iwelumo has been in impressive form of late, scoring eight goals in six games for his club. However, the standard of football played by the Rangers team, one of the best sides in Scotland, is better than that seen at Championship level. As such, a player who plays even intermittently for the Scottish team is likely to be more skilful than one competing every week in the Championship.

Boyd’s anger is therefore understandable but his reaction seems extreme, particularly given the timing of his decision. Scotland are at, in Burley’s words, “a crucial time" in their World Cup campaign. The loss of Kris Boyd for the remaining Group 9 World Cup qualifying matches is serious, even if he has not been involved in the first team recently.

Boyd’s announcement is also particularly disappointing given the recent news concerning Lee McCulloch. The Rangers midfielder retired from international competition last month and although the Scottish Football Association has been quick to deny that the decision was partly a result of a rift between player and manager, these rumours have not subsided. The loss of another important player in the form of Kris Boyd will simply rub salt in these wounds.

The striker also informed the chief executive of the Scottish Football Association, Gordon Smith, of his decision. Smith has since spoken of his sadness at the timing of the news and his belief that the decision may have been made on an impulse.

He stated that whilst “it’s his decision and we must always respect a player when they make that decision”, the striker may live to regret his choice, “it might have been the kind of thing that if Kris had spent a bit of time thinking about it he might have changed his mind - it’s maybe a quick reaction to how he feels”.

Whilst Smith believes that Boyd is still free to change his mind and return to the national team, whether or not the manager would allow this without a fight is debatable. Chris Iwelumo has also spoken publicly about Boyd’s decision. The Wolves striker believes that “it’s a big loss” and very “disappointing”. Furthermore, he described the Rangers striker as a “goal-machine” and “a good character to have around"

Written by Charlotte Cook

Ashley Cole has been ruled out of Wednesday night’s international match against Belarus as a result of injury problems. Whilst missing a World Cup qualifying match would be gutting for most top professionals, Cole may be breathing a sigh of relief at his enforced absence.

During last Saturday’s qualifier at Wembley, the Chelsea defender decided, wrongly in retrospect, to pass the ball across his own defensive line without paying full attention to the whereabouts of Kazakhstan’s players.

This momentary error in judgment led directly to a goal, something which had not previously looked likely for the visiting team. What followed this event has since been regarded as both shocking and deserved, depending upon which newspaper you read.

After Kazakhstan’s goal, certain sections of the Wembley crowd decided to boo Ashley Cole every time he touched the ball. The defender’s team mates were quick to spring to his defence, with Rio Ferdinand stating that those guilty of booing should feel personally “ashamed”.

Since the match, more senior figures have spoken out against the actions of the Wembley crowd, including Fabio Capello, who believes that it is imperative for the crowd to “help him and not boo him”. The FA has also been vocal in its condemnation of the booing.

A spokesman for the association stated that “it is crazy that a section of our own supporters are booing one of our own players”. The FA is also aware that booing is becoming something of a tradition at the new Wembley, with previous victims including Frank Lampard and David Bentley.

If England fans want the national team to put the horror of not qualifying for Euro 2008 behind them, they need to provide unconditional support for the players on the pitch. If a player makes a mistake, the last thing they need to hear is booing from their own fans.

This kind of behaviour is likely to instigate a vicious cycle that will prove detrimental to the overall team performance: a mistake is followed by booing, which causes lack of confidence, leading to more careless mistakes, which lead to further booing.

Some journalists have excused the behaviour of the Wembley fans by stating that Cole has become something close to a national figure of hate since his controversial move from Arsenal to Chelsea. These pundits argue that Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard would not receive this kind of treatment following a mistake on the pitch.

Whilst it may be true that Ashley Cole behaved in a selfish manner during the build-up to his move across London, when he enters the field of play in an England shirt he should be allowed to shrug off his reputation for ninety minutes and automatically receive respect as part of a larger sporting unit representing the country.

By booing any player representing England on the pitch, the fans are not just slighting the individual concerned but also the country and national identity as a whole. The Wembley crowd needs to get behind the team and stop the tradition of booing before it stops being shocking and simply becomes the norm.

Written by Charlotte Cook

When we switch on the news in the morning, few of us are surprised, in the current financial climate, to learn of a new bank in turmoil. However, when football clubs admit that they are being placed under threat by the current banking problems, some of us may be slightly more shocked. Last week, West Ham United admitted that they will need to sell players before they can even consider buying new ones once the January transfer window opens.

The reason for this unusual prospect is that the owner of the club, Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, holds shares in Landsbanki, which has recently gone into receivership.

The personal financial uncertainty that this has no doubt caused Gudmundsson has destabilised the financial status of the whole club. The vice-chairman, Ausgeir Fridgeirsson, attempted to explain the situation to the media: “it is very unlikely he will be willing to put in more money to buy players this January”.

This latest news will not be music to the ears of new West Ham boss and former Chelsea legend, Gianfranco Zola, who stated after joining the club that he fully expected to be backed financially in the January transfer window.

Indeed, he spoke enthusiastically of his certainty that the board would back him and revealed that the club’s chief executive, Scott Duxbury, had explained to him that bringing in new players in January would “not be a problem”.

In an attempt to keep the new manager happy (something which is imperative since Zola has had such an immediate impact upon the club), the West Ham board has been quick to pretend that this latest financial news is actually positive.

The vice-chairman stated that the large size of the club’s squad would easily allow the manager to chop and change during the transfer window. Furthermore, the chief executive stated that Zola was already of the belief that the “first-team squad is too large and needs to be reduced so he can effectively coach the team”.

The board have also been keen to play down rumours that Gudmundsson may need to sell the club following the collapse of Landsbanki. Rumours had been circulating since it became clear that prospective buyers had actively shown an interest in purchasing the club but Fridgeirsson insists that these offers have been thoroughly rejected: “agents have been contacting us and we have told them we are not interested”.

This latest news concerning the finances of the club will not put a smile on the faces of West Ham fans, especially when viewed in the light of other controversial matters surrounding the club at the moment.

West Ham have called for help from the Court of Arbitration for Sport in an attempt to overturn the recent tribunal decision ordering them to pay Sheffield United compensation. Sheffield United were relegated at the end of the 2006/2007 season, whilst West Ham stayed in the Premier League, largely as a result of the goals scored by Carlos Tevez.

It was recently decided that the club broke Premier League rules whilst signing the striker, thus making them partially responsible for the downfall of Sheffield United.

However, following complaints from West Ham, the Court of Arbitration for Sport is now set to hold a hearing to decide whether to hear the club’s full appeal. West Ham must hope that this appeal is ultimately successful, especially in the light of their new financial uncertainty.

Written by Charlotte Cook

Well Done England for turning down the friendly against Spain in Madrid. What occurred last time was just not on and I'm glad the FA are refusing to put their players in a similar scenario.

I'm not sure that other Spanish locations will be much better but Madrid has had its chance to watch England and it blew it!

The current banking catastrophe seems to have had some sort of impact on everyone, and now, not even football is immune to the knock-on effects of the crisis. This week, Uefa announced that football clubs with heavy debts could face exclusion from European competitions.

Whilst attending the ‘Leaders in Football’ conference at Chelsea’s home ground, Stamford Bridge, the general secretary of the organisation, David Taylor, spoke of the need for clubs to face up to their debts and take responsibility for their finances, particularly in the current climate of poor “financial stability”.

If clubs fail to do this, they could face what he ominously calls the “ultimate sanction”. Taylor tempered this worrying comment by stating that clubs would definitely be informed and given a chance to change their ways prior to the instigation of such a sanction (“there would be forms of communication, even warnings or reprimands”) but these comments will do little to ease the fears of fans of some of England’s biggest football clubs.

In order for a club to compete in European competitions, they must be provided with a licence, which is issued by the governing body of European football. Officials could now deny clubs this licence if they feel that their finances are spiralling out of control.

Taylor evidently believes that this latest move from Uefa is in the best interests of the respective club, since a poor financial state could place their future in jeopardy. Uefa has tried hard in recent months to introduce a zero-tolerance approach to financial uncertainty in football and Taylor spoke of a “working group” set up by the organisation to address the issues at hand.

There is no doubt that something needs to be done about debt in the world of football, especially when one considers the official statistics. The chairman of the Football Association, Lord Triesman, has taken an active role in addressing the problems of debt in the sport.

He has spoken in public about the option of enforcing a salary cap on Premier League clubs, in order to enable them to bring their spiralling debts under control: “a sensible form of restraint would make sense and it is not inconceivable”.

The frustrating thing is that this policy could never work across Europe, due to differing tax rates. Furthermore, Triesman recently estimated the total amount of debt among English clubs. Shockingly, his estimate came to approximately three billion pounds.

Worryingly for fans of the Premier League’s top four clubs, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool are thought to account for approximately one third of that hefty sum.

Chelsea have already attempted to defend themselves against accusations of excessive debt, stating that their one-of-a-kind “ownership structure” keeps owed money “internal […] in the form of interest free loans from the owner”.

Bruce Buck, chairman of the club, also spoke of his belief that debt is a “business tool”. However, Chelsea’s overwhelming dependence upon the wealth of owner, Roman Abramovich, has been viewed by many as an extremely risky position to be in.

Written by Charlotte Cook

A Daniel Sturridge finish condemned Reserve Champions Liverpool to their second consecutive league defeat at Eastlands on Tuesday. The Reds second-string were unable to repeat the feat of the first team days earlier, which in truth never looked like materialising.

Manager Gary Ablett made four changes from the side that lost at Sunderland, including giving trialist Medi Abalimba a start on the right wing.

City took a deserved lead on 12 minutes, with Daniel Sturridge stabbing home from close range after the Reds failed to deal with a deep free-kick. Liverpool’s best and only real chance of the match came on the half hour. Jay Spearing put David Ngog through down the right, with the Frenchman’s early shot hitting the side netting.

Liverpool were much improved after the break, dominating possession for long periods, but were unable to test City’s goalkeeper Tobias Johansen. In fact it was the hosts who should have added to their tally but for a fine save by Gulacsi and an earlier goal line clearance from Stephen Darby.

Player Review:

With two defeats out of their first three league games, which of the Liverpool Reserve side are standing out despite a poor run of form? (Now with ratings out of ten):

Peter Gulacsi (GK): The Hungarian had a decent game between the sticks, making three good saves and could do nothing about the only goal of the game. 8/10

Stephen Darby (RB): Solid performance as ever from the reserve team captain. Darby may find himself in Rafa Benitez’s thoughts in the coming weeks with Degen and Skrtel injured and Arbeloa already on four yellow cards in the league. 7/10

Mikel San Jose (CB): Almost gifted Sturridge and City a second with a naïve back-header yet improved on his disappointing performance at Sunderland. 6/10

Martin Kelly (CB): Playing in his preferred position, Kelly was largely comfortable and gave a good case of his credentials with the likes of Daniel Ayala and Robert Huth previously preferred at centre back. 6/10

Emiliano Insua (LB): For whatever reason, Insua appears to be a shadow of the player he looked like becoming after some impressive outings for the first team in pre-season and the back end of the last campaign. He gave away a silly free-kick which led to the goal and struggled against City’s right winger Vladimir Weiss. 4/10

Medi Abalimba (RM): (off 62) With it not being the easiest of fixtures for a trialist to come and impress in, Abalimba certainly fitted in with the rest of Liverpool’s lightweight attacking options and was always on the periphery of the game. 5/10

Jay Spearing (CM): Despite his tireless running, probing passing and driving runs, Spearing’s commitment led to very little on another difficult night. 7/10

Damien Plessis (CM): Plessis seems to be suffering from the same problem as Insua, where they seem to believe there is nothing they can do to fully break into the first team and look like they have given up. 5/10

Vincent Weijl (LM): Weijl showed moments of brilliance with his skill on the left in the first half, but looked leggy and faded the more the game wore on. 5/10

Dani Pacheco (ST): The little Spaniard struggled against a physically-dominant City back line like the rest of Liverpool’s lightweight attack. 5/10

David Ngog (ST): (off 46) Ngog had Liverpool’s only decent chance of the match and was replaced at half time. Ngog struggled in most aspects of his game against a sturdy defence, struggling to hold the ball up and even make the simplest of passes. 4/10

Gerardo Bruna (ST): (on 46) His influence – albeit largely ineffective – brought about some of the best football in the match and helped link Liverpool’s midfield and attack well. 6/10

Francisco Duran (RM): (on 62) After two cruciate knee ligament injuries, Duran was making a competitive comeback after more than a year on the sidelines. He found it difficult to pick up the pace of the game but showed glimpses of quality to justify the Reds sticking by him despite his injury problems. 6/10

Their next match is against Everton on October 14.

League Tables:

Written by Michael McGuinness

Ten years ago English football enjoyed something special. Special moments come around reasonably regularly in football, the great moments come around less frequently. However, if you're prepared to stick with the game and go through the consistently disappointing you will be rewarded with a memory - be it an unexpected win, an eye-opening goal or a visionary pass. In 1998 however, it was the emergence of Michael Owen.

Owen came to notoriety on the international stage at the World Cup hosted in France. He travelled with England as a supposed squad player but it wasn't until after his introduction that Glenn Hoddle's side started to look anything other than ordinary. Sadly, a decade later, we look upon the latest England squad with more than a tinge of nostalgic sadness.

It may be too early to start talking about 'what might have been' and to write the playing obituary of Owen would be madness after the Indian summer of David Beckham's career. But, Fabio Capello has laid down a marker now. His team are starting to show a semblance of shape, a plan. A plan that looks like it doesn't contain the man who is 10 goals short of becoming England's all time leading goalscorer before he's 30 years old.

Owen has been unfortunate. His career has been blighted by injury, particularly where the national team are concerned. His departure from the 2006 World Cup, a sad forlorn figure crawling desperately from the side of the pitch said it all. England had no chance without him. Sven put all his eggs in the Owen & Beckham basket and once they were broken we were finished.

Owen was the figurehead, the man who got the goals, particularly the important ones - the ones that really mattered against Argentina, Brazil and Portugal. He was once, for a period, England's one and only and judging by his club form at times the national team was his one and only too. A risk too far for Fabio it seems, unwilling to even hold a basket of them - eggs are far too fragile for the Italian. His recipe doesn't contain them.

I personally remember that goal vividly. The second round match against the old enemy, Argentina had started like a whirlwind and England were giving as good as they got. Owen epitomised the eager optimism of the nation at that time as he danced through an unusually forgiving series of Argentinian non-tackles, seizing upon an accurately driven Beckham through ball and then singularly reverse-shooting the ball into the opposing corner of the net.

That goal started an England career that looked destined to never-end. The reality was different though. Despite further unforgettable goals in big games - the opener against Brazil in Japan 2002 and a toe-past Ricardo in the European Championship two years later, Owen finds himself needing to start again. Reputation counts for nothing nowadays.

A series of ill-judged moves at club level wont have helped Owen. Maybe he had no choice, maybe he sought such financial security he felt it necessary, but the moves - firstly to Real Madrid following Beckham, then the return to England at Newcastle have seen his stock plummet. It's no secret that Owen is available - his delay over signing a new contract at the disaster ridden club make this apparent. However the big four aren't making a move for him.

The modern day managers, in the era of inter-changeable teams and high work rate have no need for a goal poacher it would appear. How sad that the day has come, mainly for the likes of Owen but partly for the game. A game that the past would not recognise.

By and large, a footballer can now play in various positions around the pitch and often need to be flexible enough to change mid-game. Even Alan Shearer played on the wing before he retired from International football - Owen (despite a foray into midfield briefly under Kevin Keegan) doesn't offer such flexibility. Being an expert, a genius in his own right is, it would seem, to his detriment.

Playing in a struggling team can harm a players national aspirations. He isn't the first player from a bottom three club not to gain a place when it is warranted (debatable). He wont be the last either. Goals have come for him this year, but they have also come for Rooney (the new golden boy), Defoe (still with so much to prove) and Crouch (the improbable with such a good record statistically he warrants his place without question). Heskey is a different kettle of fish altogether - the link man, who Owen himself could barely do without - why should it be any different for Rooney?

England were stunning in Zagreb and no-one deserves to be dropped, but there will be a viewer on Saturday who, with every passing England game will muse ever more so over what will be, what might be and what might've been. Michael Owen was once a certainty to overtake Bobby Charlton's goalscoring record for England, now that is merely a possibility. Soon he will be an outside bet as England may well go from strength to strength without him.

Managers of the national team have long understood the fans thirst for nostalgia, favourites have rarely been dropped from notoriety without some recourse. Taylor and McClaren learnt this the hard way, Eriksson and Venables backed their high profile men unwaveringly. Capello has no time for sentiment. Winning football matches is his regime and ten years on the unthinkable is emerging - England will take to the field and leave out a talisman. Michael Owen, a decade of memories, a lot of convincing left to do.

Written by Rod Brazier

Rod just e-mailed in a piece because he was interested in having his work published. If you are an aspiring writer then by all means get in touch with me via the 'Contact Us' link at the bottom of the page and I'll be happy to give you any feedback on your work and possibly put in live on the TalkFootball Blog.

Well well, the group phase of the UEFA Cup has been drawn today in Switzerland and there have been some tasty ties thrown up for our English sides.

Villa could be paying a visit to picturesque Prague, Tottenham could be taking a Winter trip to Moscow, Man City could be mingling with the Parisian's and Pompey could, could be heading to Milan. I say that they could because the draw for the group stage doesn't provide an immediate answer to the destinations of any tie brought out the hat.

Tuesday morning's draw was completed a lightning pace but it will take a little longer to determine whether our boys will be playing at home or away and against whom these games will be played.

Currently, each side plays each other in their group once but another draw has to be made to determine whether they will be at home or away.

The new UEFA Europa League which will come into effect next year will clear things up no end.

From 2009-2010 the final 48 teams will be place into 12 groups of four teams and each team will play home and away, much like the current Champions League system.

Fans of Portsmouth et al must be wishing that this campaign was 'Europa's' inaugural season, it would certainly reduce the amount of sweating Pompey fans will be doing over whether they or their Milanese counterparts will be splashing out on a European trip. I for one believe that a good punt for this season's competition would be Villa, you might have your own dark horses though so check out the latest betting

The UEFA Cup has long lived in the shadows of the Champions League but looking at the teams in this years' competition things could be about to change.

The likes of Milan, Valencia, Sevilla, Stuttgart, Ajax and Feyenoord gracing the competition means that a lot of football fans are beginning to sit up and acknowledge the tournaments credentials.

UEFA have been chipping and changing the competition frequently down the years, folding in the Cup Winners' Cup and Intertoto Cup into the tournament. From next season though I feel that the Europa League, with its neat, efficient platform will finally give the competition – whatever it's name – a position alongside the Champions League which the competing sides can be proud of.

Written by John Ford

For the next hour or so I'll be blogging live on the UEFA Cup draw. Tottenham Hotspur are seeded and are in Pot 1 and will miss all the other big clubs. Manchester City are in Pot 3 whereas both Aston Villa and Portsmouth are in Pot 4. English teams cannot face each other in the group stages.

11:07: We are slowly moving towards the start of the draw. There are so many dull and boring either/ors out there so the poor guy has to talk about how the draw works for ages. As a completely unbiased Portsmouth fan - I want to play AC Milan in my group.

11:09: Schalke 04 are out first - they have a beautiful stadium. I wouldn't mind going there at some point this season either.

11:10: Tottenham Hotspur are in Group D. AC Milan are in Group E.

11:11: Hamburg, CSKA Moscow and Benfica look like the weakest top seeds.

11:13: Spurs will face Spartak Moscow at some point. For some unknown reason Spurs weren't allowed to face a Dutch side - can anyone tell me why?

11:16: Manchester City out first in Pot 3. They'll face Schalke and PSG.

11:17: AC Milan, Heerenveen, Braga all in Group E - I'd fancy that for Pompey. Udinese join in with Spurs' group.

11:19: Actually trips to Prague and Amsterdam could also be mouth-watering. Group E or F is what I want.

11:20: Real Santander join Group A and Manchester City and Portsmouth go into AC Milan's group!

11:22: Aston Villa get those Group F games. The fans will be desperate for Slavia Prague and Ajax Amsterdam away - I'm sure of it.

11:24: Manchester City's group is all set - and Steve McClaren is involved with his FC Twente. Portsmouth get Wolfsburg to round off their group.

11:25: Zilina join in Aston Villa's group. Just waiting on Spurs last opponents now and NEC Nijmegen are that team.

So the Groupings with English teams are as follows:

Group A

Schalke 04
PSG
Manchester City
Racing Santander
FC Twente

Group D

Tottenham Hotspur
Spartak Moscow
Udinese
Dinamo Zagreb
NEC Nijmegen

Group E

AC Milan
Heerenveen
Braga
Portsmouth
VfB Wolfsburg

Group F

Hamburg
Ajax
Slavia Prague
Aston Villa
MSK Zilina

12:11: Still waiting for the fixture news...

As regular readers of this blog will know - I have a man crush on Michael Owen and think that his omission from the England squad is a disgrace. Luckily I'm not the only one as one of our writers agrees - here's what Charlotte Cook has to say on the matter.

This weekend saw the announcement of Fabio Capello’s 23-man squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Belarus. The squad contains few surprises, with Steven Gerrard returning at Jimmy Bullard’s expense, and the impressive Shaun Wright-Phillips taking the place of Tottenham’s frustrating new signing, David Bentley.

Furthermore, Emile Heskey and Theo Walcott, who shone in the World Cup qualifier against Croatia, both managed to retain their places in the squad. However, one particular omission may have caused some eyebrows to be raised. Michael Owen, who has played in all of Newcastle’s matches since returning from illness after the World Cup qualifiers in September, has been overlooked by Capello.

The striker has scored a total of five goals for his club since the start of the season and has been one of the few Newcastle players to impress on any level recently. Whilst he may not be the player who once lit up the 1998 World Cup with a majestic goal against Argentina, this particular omission seems particularly unfair.

After all, David Beckham, who has arguably not been at his best for years now, has once again been included in Capello’s squad. Beckham will probably not play a major part in the World Cup qualifiers but the England boss may well give him a token substitute appearance to keep the fans happy.

If the ageing LA Galaxy midfielder is allowed a place in the squad, why on earth has Capello overlooked Michael Owen, a player who was (until recently) one of the first names on any England team sheet? The Newcastle striker has only played once for the national side since Capello took over the England job and even this appearance was as a substitute. However, the simple facts and statistics are undeniable: along with his impressive goal-scoring form at club level this season, Owen’s international record of 40 goals in just 89 appearances speaks for itself.

The only person who seems to disagree with this is, unfortunately, the England boss, who believes that “it’s not enough to score goals”. Indeed, perhaps the most frustrating factor behind Owen’s omission from the latest England squad is the seemingly confused and vague reasons given by Capello.

When pressured by the press to give reasons for leaving the striker out of the squad, Capello appeared confused, asking “is he in good form now?” He followed this worrying question by claiming “goals are very important but not only goals”.

This begs the question as to what Capello is looking for from his strikers. After all, Michael Owen has always been an out-and-out striker and a great poacher of instinctive goals. This has been good enough for the manager’s predecessors but it would seem that the new boss is looking for something different.

It is true to say that Owen’s credentials as a motivator are questionable, especially when viewed in the light of Newcastle’s form this season, but with players such as John Terry and Steven Gerrard in the team, England are not lacking inspiration on the pitch. Owen’s omission is certainly a bold step by Capello but one which may not ultimately work in his favour.

Yet more funny stuff from the legend that is Joe Kinnear. I know we all love Jose and he gave the press a load of material but Kinnear is just funny.

This is his rant as read aloud by a computer voice - it is certainly worth eight minutes of anybodies time!

Oh look at me – super efficient this week as I’m writing this on Sunday night. A weekend with six games on the Sunday is always a bit wrong but we saw some cracking games. So here are ten things that I know are true following the weekends games.

I know that Manchester United didn’t even have to get out of second gear on Saturday night as they cruised past Blackburn at Ewood Park. Wayne Rooney was immense and I think he needs a big season after a couple of slightly disappointing campaigns. United look strong and I think they’ll be in the hunt come the final day of the season.

I know that Arsenal fans better look towards Europe if they are going to lift any silverware this season. I love Arsenal and when they are on there is no-one else I’d rather be watching on a football field. However they just don’t have the consistency to stage a sustained assault on domestic glory. They can win the Champions League though.

I know that Portsmouth may just have the best strike partnership in the Premier League and I know that is quite a statement. Adebayor and Van Persie are great and Torres and Keane could be special too. Both United and Chelsea don’t play 4-4-2 so they don’t have a strike pairing but in Crouch and Defoe, Portsmouth have a little and large combination that screams goals. When Niko Krancjar returns from injury they might get even better and that is a scary proposition for the league.

I know that Spurs can’t beat Hull City at home. I didn’t know that last week and deep down I genuinely thought Spurs would wake up and smash Hull by three or four. However they failed to perform yet again and with each week that passes the more I start to think that Spurs could actually go down.

I know that Joe Kinnear’s 52 swear rant wasn’t good for his image but that it did help his team. He was trying to create a siege mentality and with his team down 2-0 at Everton you wouldn’t expect to get anything out of the game. Yet when all is said and done you would say that the Toon were the more likely to win. They showed a bit of fight and that is what they’ll need.

I know that Stoke City without Rory Delap and the long throw weapon will go down. I wasn’t down at the Park today but I spoke to several of my friends who were and they tell me that they were worse than the Leeds team we hammered 6-1 a few years back.

I know that I wish I’d been able to watch the Manchester City v Liverpool game. From all the reports it was an absolute cracker and I look forward to MOTD2 later on tonight. That was a game that was clearly a mouth-watering clash so how was it not picked by Sky or Setanta for live coverage?

I know that Everton’s psyche is damaged and they are not the team of the 2007/2008 season. 2-0 up against Newcastle should be it but they were lucky to hold on and get a point. Four games at home and only a point – things aren’t rosy down at Goodison Park.

I know that having four players in the England squad makes me a very proud Portsmouth fan. David James, Glen Johnson, Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch are all well worthy of being in the squad and congratulations to them all. They’ll all (well not so much Jamo) but the other three have been absolutely awesome this year and Jamo is class so I’d have him in goal above anyone else.

And finally…

I know that Fabio really really doesn’t rate Michael Owen. That makes me sad.

When I first started reading this I just couldn't believe my eyes. Joe Kinnear the new Newcastle manager decided to crush a couple of journalists by calling them bad words in a Press Conference like no other.

Read the full transcript for yourself and make up your own mind as to who is in the wrong:

JK Which one is Simon Bird [Daily Mirror's north-east football writer]?

SB Me.

JK You're a ****.

SB Thank you.

JK Which one is Hickman [Niall, football writer for the Express]? You are out of order. Absolutely ******* out of order. If you do it again, I am telling you you can **** off and go to another ground. I will not come and stand for that ******* ****. No ******* way, lies. ****, you're saying I turned up and they [Newcastle's players] ****** off.

SB No Joe, have you read it, it doesn't actually say that. Have you read it?

JK I've ******* read it, I've read it.

SB It doesn't say that. Have you read it?

JK You are trying to ******* undermine my position already.

SB Have you read it, it doesn't say that. I knew you knew they were having a day off.

JK Fuck off. Fuck off. It's your last ******* chance.

SB You read the copy? It doesn't say that you didn't know.

JK What about the headline, you think that's a good headline?

SB I didn't write the headline, you read the copy.

JK You are negative ********, the pair of you.

SB So if I get a new job next week would I take the first day off? No I wouldn't. If I get a new job should I call my boss and tell him I am taking the first day off?

JK It is none of your fucking business. What the **** are you going to do? You ain't got the balls to be a ******* manager. ******* day off. Do I want your opinion. Do I have to listen to you?

SB No, you can listen to who you want.

JK I had a 24-hour meeting with the entire staff.

SB Joe, you are only here six weeks, you could have done that on Sunday, or Saturday night.

JK No, no, no. I didn't want to do it. I had some other things to do.

SB What? More important things?

JK What are you? My personal secretary? **** off.

SB You could have done the meeting Saturday night or Sunday. You could have had them watching videos, you could have organised them.

JK I was meeting the ******* chairman the owner, everyone else. Talking about things.

SB It is a valid point that was made in there. A valid point.

JK I can't trust any of you.

Niall Hickman Joe, no one could believe that on your first day at your new club, the first-team players were not in. No one could believe it in town. Your first day in the office.

JK My first day was with the coaches. I made the decision that I wanted to get as much information out of them.

NH But why Monday, no one could believe it?

JK I'm not going to tell you anything. I don't understand where you are coming from. You are delighted that Newcastle are getting beat and are in the state they are? Delighted, are you?

NH Certainly not. No one wants to see them get beaten, why would we?

JK I have done it before. It is going to my ******* lawyers. So are about three others. If they can find something in it that is a court case it is going to court. I am not ******* about. I don't talk to ******* anybody. It is raking up stories. You are ******* so ******* slimy you are raking up players that I got rid of. Players that I had fallen out with. You are not asking Robbie Earle, because he is sensible. You are not asking Warren Barton? No. Because he is ******* sensible. Anyone who had played for me for 10 years at any level ... [but] you will find some **** that ...

Other journalist How long is your contract for Joe?

JK None of your business.

SB Well it is actually, because we cover the club. The club say you are here to the end of October, then you say six to eight games which would take it to the end of November. We are trying to clarify these issues. We are getting no straight answers from anyone. How long are you here for. It is a dead simple question. And you don't know ...

JK I was told the length of contract. Then I was told that possibly the club could be sold in that time. That is as far as I know. That's it finished. I don't know anything else. But I have been ridiculed. He's trying to ******* hide, he's trying to do this or that.

There follows an exchange regarding the circumstances under which Kinnear had met the owner Mike Ashley and executive director (football) Dennis Wise.

Steve Brenner (football writer for the Sun) We are all grown men and can come in here and sit around and talk about football, but coming in here and calling people *****?

JK Why? Because I am annoyed. I am not accepting that. If it is libellous, it is going to where I want it to go.

Newcastle press officer What has been said in here is off the record and doesn't go outside.

Journalist Well, is that what Joe thinks?

JK Write what you like. Makes no difference to me. Don't affect me I assure you. It'll be the last time I see you anyway. Won't affect me. See how we go at Everton and Chrissy [Chris Hughton, assistant manager] can do it, someone else can do it. Don't trust any of yous. I will pick two local papers and speak to them and the rest can **** off. I ain't coming up here to have the **** taken out of me. I have a million pages of **** that has been written about me. I'm ridiculed for no reason. I'm defenceless. I can't get a point in, I can't say nothing, I can't do nothing, but I ain't going to be negative. Then, half of you, most of you are trying to get into the players. I'm not going to tell you what the players think of you, so then you try and get into them in some way or another, so I've got a split camp or something like that, something like that. It's ongoing. It just doesn't stop.

Journalist It's only been a week.

JK Exactly. It feels more like a year.

Journalist It's early days for you to be like this.

JK No, I'm clearing the air. And this is the last time I'm going to speak to you. You want to know why, I'm telling you. This is the last time. You can do what you like.

Journalist But this isn't going to do you or us any good.

JK I'll speak to the supporters. I'm going to tell them what the story is. I'm going to tell them. I don't think they'll interpret it any different, I don't think they'll mix it up, I don't think they'll miss out things. I mean, one of them last week said to me ... I was talking about in that press conference where you were there, I said something like "Well, that's a load of *******..."

Journalist "******** to that" is what you said.

JK ******** to that. And what goes after that?

Journalist That was it.

JK No it wasn't, no it wasn't. What was after it? I don't know if it was your paper, but what went after it?

Journalist I don't know.

JK It even had the cheek to say "******** to Newcastle".

Journalist I didn't write that.

JK That was my first ******* day. What does that tell you? What does that tell you?

Journalist Where was that? Which paper said that?

JK I've got it. I can't remember. It was one of the Sundays, not a Saturday. It was a Sunday.

Journalist But you didn't say that to the Sundays, you said that to us. That was during the Monday press conference.

JK I'll bring it in and show it to you. Why would I want to say that?

Journalist Are you saying that someone has reported you saying "******* to Newcastle?"

JK Yes. Lovely.

Journalist I don't know who's reported that.

JK I'll tell you what, I'll bring it in.

Journalist That's obviously going to damage you. That's not a good thing. But I don't think someone's done that. We have to have some sort of relationship with you.

JK So have I. But I haven't come in here for you lot to take the **** out of me. And if I'm not flavour of the month for you, it don't ******* bother me. I've got a job to do. And I'm going to do it to the best of my ability. I'm not going to spend any more time listening to any **** or reading any ****. Stick to the truth and the facts. And don't twist anything.

Journalist You know, you know the game ...

JK Of course I know, but I don't have to like it.

Journalist Today we'll print the absolute truth, that you think we're *****, we can all **** off and we're slimy. Is that fair enough?

JK Do it. Fine. ******* print it. Am I going to worry about it? Put in also that it'll be the last time I see you. Put that in as well. Good. Do it.

Much, much later after long discussions over whether Kinnear had promised Alan Shearer and Kevin Keegan would be returning to the club

Press officer Let's get on to football. Let's have an agreement that everything said so far, if anyone has got their tapes on, it's wiped off and we're not discussing it.

Journalist But that's what Joe has said he thinks of us.

Press officer I'm saying don't push it. Let's accept what's been said and try and move on.

Journalist: Move on to not doing any more press conferences?

PO: No, to doing something now.

Journalist: What, one press conference only?

(Silence)

Journalist: Any knocks?

PO: Come on, let's go football.

Journalist: What are your plans for training in the next three days? How's the training going?

JK It's going very well. No problems at all.

Journalist Enjoyed getting back in the swing of things?

JK Absolutely. I've loved every moment of it.

When this European adventure started I wasn't feeling the nerves. Last night they were in full swing as I had to sit through Portsmouth's adventure in Portugal in the full knowledge that whatever happened I had to keep it down as all three housemates were in bed. Cue a very frantic and emotional roller coaster played out in (near) silence.

I started upstairs thinking that my room would be the best place to watch the game. Big radiator, small room, cold day, it was good on paper. The downstairs housemate was due up for work early so I knew she was already in bed at kick-off so my room upstairs was the less intrusive.

Pompey started off like a rabbit in the headlights facing the bright lights of a Bugatti Veyron. The Portuguese side were full of running, full of confidence whereas Pompey were full of lead and panic. The 3-5-2 system wasn't working in any way, shape or form as Guimaraes were coming forward in wave after wave of attack.

It was no shock when they scored to reduce their deficit in half. Distin left his man and went for a ball that Sol Campbell was already challenging for. Unsurprisingly neither of them won the ball and it went through to the impressive Brazilian Douglas who chested/handled the ball before firing in unerringly past David James. It was game on.

Pompey tried to rally but they were still sitting far too deep. All three midfielders weren't leaving their own half of the field. Armand Traore and Glen Johnson were more like full-backs than wing-backs and you could just sense the inevitable coming.

It finally came from a free kick given away by Diarra. The Frenchman had lost the ball in a rare foray into Guimaraes half on the field when he tried to take on one too many players. After losing the ball he went and gave away a soft free kick but it was a mile and a yard away from goal. No immediate danger here folks.

Thirty seconds later and it was 2-2 on aggregate. Joao Alves plundered a daisy cutter of a free kick from a full 40 yards only to see it go through a couple of players' legs and end up nestling in the corner of David James' net. Portsmouth were well and truly on the brink and something needed to be changed at half time.

Just before the interval the two housemates who reside upstairs were talking and the landing and suddenly they heard a string of expletives coming from my room. One was heard to say 'I'm guessing there's a football match on Neil?' I didn't dignify the question with an answer as I was to busy seething at our lack of any positive points.

At the half the old mobile was getting a caning with texts and calls. The general consensus was clearly that the system wasn't working and that we needed to change to 4-4-2 and try to get at them. So when there were no personnel changes for the second 45 and the 3-5-2 was still in place my heart sunk a little bit.

By now I'd moved downstairs as they were going to bed upstairs and I knew that I needed to be as far away from women attempting to sleep as possible. I don't think me yelling and screaming profanities would go down well as we got late into the night, during the day and for standard time evening games I get a pass but I think when the clock strikes 11 and beyond that my grace period would swiftly evaporate.

So downstairs with the living room door shut for what was the first time in months and the volume turned down I settled down to watch another 45 minutes of football. Considering I'm usually asleep by half ten (Yes I know – a 25 year-old male whose usually fast asleep by half ten – pretty sad) but we were past my bedtime and the fear of another 30 mins of Extra Time filled my body. I know that after the way the first half had gone that deep down I would've gladly taken another 30 mins but I was cream crackered and emotionally drained.

The second half saw Pompey's players play with what seemed was a rocket up the jacksy. The wing-backs played further up the pitch, Traore played as a left winger pretty much and Johnson has quite an engine on him. Both of them had the beating of their respective full-backs seemingly at will but the final ball was lacking. Guimaraes looked done – they had no energy left and were out of their feet. The longer this game went on then the more it favoured the away side.

The fans started to sense this and the Pompey Chimes were ringing about the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques as they tried to sing the boys home. They were unable to do so in the 90 minutes so we went for another 30 and I started stalking up and down the living room.

My friend James and I were both in agreement that Traore had nothing left to give and had to come off. Belhadj was ready to come on but he didn't as there were still no changes. Guimaraes started well and Joao Alves forced a fine European campaign saving save from David James. Just a minute or so later and the home side had the ball in the net but the assistant had also put his flag up.

Pompey had an escape and I felt we were going to go on and win. Then ecstasy was coming as Glen Johnson skinned his man for the umpteenth time but this time he found the final ball as well. The England right back stood up the perfect ball to the far post and Peter Crouch rose to head home and put Portsmouth ahead on accurate.

There was a beautiful camera angle showing Harry Redknapp head fresh air just as Crouch put the ball in. I did the exact same thing as I rose from my sofa and then managed to strangle my yells as I remember the sleepers who I live with. Guimaraes were done and they were never going to score twice to win this contest.

I could enjoy the second period of Extra Time safe in the knowledge that we were going through. Peter Crouch put the icing on the cake when he slammed in his second and put Pompey level on the night. This kept up Lassana Diarra's impressive record of never having been on the losing team in a cup-tie since he moved to English football. It also sent the Pompey fans home happy.

I eventually got to bed just before one with a beaming smile on my face. Following Portsmouth has never been easy but last night was very nerve-wracking and has probably prematurely aged me by several years. When it is time for the next hair cut I suspect I will hear comments of grey hairs but that is what following a football club does for you.

Whatever happens I will always be Portsmouth no matter how many grey hairs or heart palpitations they give me – and boy do they!

It was the second game of the season in the Champions League for both Arsenal and Manchester United last night and both teams came through with flying colours.

Arsenal bounced back from the Hull City debacle at the weekend to tear Porto apart at the Emirates. A truly wonderful display from Arsenal who when they are on are the most beautiful club side I have ever seen. Two goals each from the two front men Van Persie and Adebayor sums up the scoring but it was just a great all round display.

Manchester United went to Danish Champions Aalborg and came away with three points, three goals but two injury concerns. Both Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney came off early with the former leaving the ground on crutches and set for six to eight weeks on the sidelines. Rooney's injury is still though unclear.

The England striker had put the reigning English and European Champions ahead before Dimitar Berbatov scored his first and second goals for his new club. So whilst Sir Alex Fergson will be delighted at the result and performance but the big question will be at what cost did he earn those three points?

Liverpool and Chelsea keep the English flag flying tonight with Liverpool taking on PSV at home and Chelsea travelling to Romania to take on the very interesting CFR Cluj.