This blog was written before last nights Champions League game where Gallas played.

When was the last time you saw a truly seasoned pro grace the hallowed turf of the Emirates Stadium? A true professional with years of experience, someone who has been there, done that, and played at some of the finest stadiums across the world?

I personally remember it like it was yesterday – it was the 30th of May 2008 when Bruce Springsteen played at the Emirates with his legendary E Street Band.

This is perhaps a sad indictment of the situation at Arsenal at the moment. There is some real quality flowing through the team at Arsenal but the team is a young one with no real talisman figure able to lead and encourage the youngsters when times are tough. This, inevitably, leads me to the case of William Gallas and his astonishing outburst at his fellow team mates.

Perhaps I am in the minority when I say I feel a little sorry for the guy. The job of a captain is to rally the troops, to have a good old shout if necessary at anyone who is not pulling their weight, and occasionally ruffle a few feathers for the good of the team. The difference with Gallas is that he chose to do this in an interview with a magazine rather than in the dressing room.

It has been rumoured that he is not a particularly respected figure amongst his colleagues. Think back to your school days. I’m sure you all had a teacher who tried to maintain some sense of order but just couldn’t quite get the balance right. I can think of a prime example of one of my old teachers.

I used to sit there feeling quite sorry for her as she tried shouting and it didn’t work, she tried the arm around the shoulder and that didn’t work, she tried sweets as a reward for good behaviour...and that didn’t work either. Basically, anything the poor woman tried wouldn’t work because a bunch of kids failed to respect the authority of someone older and more experienced (ironically this teacher was French too.)

I can appreciate what William was trying to do but I think he became carried away and what was intended as a gee-up for his team turned into a personal attack on some of his team mates. William Gallas is a highly successful footballer both at club and international level.

He has done an awful lot more in his career than some of his current team mates thus far and I guess he felt he wasn’t getting the respect he deserved. Equally, he didn’t know how to go about getting this respect.

William Gallas’ tenure as Arsenal captain has been under question ever since his childish strop which was thrown after Arsenal conceded a penalty in the closing minutes of their match against Birmingham City last season.

What was going through his head at that moment still remains a mystery but ever since that game, many a pundit and fan has wondered out loud whether William has the right temperament to lead a team.

Perhaps Arsene Wenger should have offered the captaincy to another member of his squad at the beginning of the year when the eyes of the world weren’t on him and his team but then this leads to another question – who should get it?

The excellent Piers Morgan made a brilliant point in his column in the Mail on Sunday this week. Look back to Arsenal’s glory years, when they were double winners, European Cup finalists, and expected to be in all the major finals each season. The team had real winners in it, players who had played together for years and who had substantial experience in the game.

Lee Dixon, Ray Parlour, Patrick Vieira, and Dennis Bergkamp were all players who had been there and done that and they formed an Arsenal team which the opposition were simply scared to play against. Conversely, the Arsenal side of today is a very young team.

As a member of the 30+ club, Gallas is in the minority when set against the rest of the squad. A lot has been made about the lack of big money signings at Arsenal. Much has also been made of the fact that this is not through lack of funds and Arsene Wenger is rumoured to have a good £30 million to spend.

So, if Arsenal are reluctant to fork out on a couple of real stars who have achieved a little more in the game, then the fans of the Gunners are going to have to be patient in their search for success. It will take a good few years for the current crop of players to build up their experience and challenge for honours. The loss of Gilberto and Lehmann took the average age of the squad down by quite a few years and this kind of experience has just not been replaced.

So, what now for William Gallas? He will stay...for now. I would imagine that he will leave at the end of the season, possibly even in the January transfer window. For him to be banished to the reserves right now and made an Arsenal outcast would just focus the world’s gaze even more firmly on Arsenal and Arsene Wenger is far more clever than that.

For Gallas’ own good as well as the rest of the team, he has been relieved of his duties as captain. He has been allowed to resume training with the first team and has even been recalled to the squad to play Dynamo Kiev. However, no matter how much effort is now made between Gallas and his team mates, the damage has been done. Rather than clear the air, Gallas has kicked up a mound of dirt which has muddied the air even further.

Only the players know what really goes on behind the scenes but this outburst has been damaging for Arsenal’s season and team spirit and it is with great curiosity that I wait to see how the fans react to Gallas when he returns to the line up.

Once the furore has died down and the season has come to an end, I think a club, most likely one located on the continent, will come in for Gallas and the waves and applause he offers to the Arsenal fans on the lap of honour after their last game of the season against Stoke will also serve as a means of saying goodbye.

TalkFootball is proud to announce that we are fully backing the StandUpSitDown campaign.

As a supporter who has been to hundreds of football games in my time I have to say that standing up in the best way forward. I have been known to stand up at games and well, let's be honest, in my area of the Fratton End in Portsmouth it was an unofficial standing area and there was no problems. People knew if you bought a ticket in this area then you had to stand.

Even on away trips I can't remember too many games where we sat down throughout the match. The only games I remember are the Wembley Cup games last season and I was just never comfortable sitting through them. The fact that I had a stinking cold and probably had my balance impaired at the semi-final should be ignored.

I remember a cup game at Portman Road a few years back where we were in the front row so had to sit and it just wasn't the same. The away stand at Ipswich isn't behind a goal so that is another part of the season that game wasn't too great.

Standing behind a goal is how I like watching football matches. It does help with an atmosphere as well as keeping warm. Also if you are standing for the whole game then isn't that safer than just standing at moments of excitement which is deemed as acceptable by the police?

Since moving to Aldershot I have wandered down the Rec to see the local side on a few occasions. I enjoyed standing on the East Bank and watching a game. The only problems with standing areas are if there are too many people in them but if you had a standing area and only a certain amount had access to these areas then surely they would be safe?

Last weekend at Fratton Park the club had brought in the police who used police cameras to film the Fratton End with respect to catching out those who were standing. Whilst the health & safety rules of the ground stating that it is illegal to stand during games, they are well in their rights to ban anyone who constantly flouts these rules. However morally they are now starting to walk a fine line as treating people who like to stand up at football grounds as criminals is taking things a bit too far in my opinion.

If the government listen to the people then they will realise that this is actually an issue of some significance. Yes Hillsborough is still fresh in everyone's minds but it wasn't the fact that it wasn't all seater that caused that tragedy.

Safe standing areas would help bring football back to the common man who enjoys standing at a football game. Is it too much to ask to stand at a football game and not have the police after you? If it is then I really question societies priorities.

So four games, zero goals, three points – that is your so called Big Four after this weekend's results.

Chelsea and Liverpool had home games against weak opposition but failed to break them down. Newcastle did play well and probably fully deserved their point. Shay Given was inspired and you can see why there is a whole host of talk about Harry Redknapp wanting to take him to White Hart Lane in January.

Liverpool were without Steven Gerrard and were quite frankly without much of a clue on Saturday. Fulham are a decent side but when you are a team with title aspirations then you have to beat the likes of the cottagers at home. Fulham certainly were well worth the point and they even had real chances to steal all three.

Manchester United went into the late game on Setanta Sports knowing that they could make some real progress after the top two's slip-ups. Aston Villa are a good side and we all know this. I saw most of the game but my kitchen was flooding at the time due to a washing machine failure I wasn't able to sit and watch it.

It was a pretty even game from what I saw but it did have the one controversial incident. Gabby Agbonlahor fresh of his England performance in the week skinned Vidic on the left flank only to be hauled back for about ten to fifteen yards before falling over in the box.

Was in a penalty? Probably not – the tugging started outside the area but the bigger question was whether it was a clear goal scoring opportunity or not. Whilst it wasn't in the centre of goal he was clean through running at Van der Sar and no-one was stopping him. I think he was a red and Vidic should've gone (although saying that I do have Vidic in my fantasy team so that wouldn't of been good). United got away with one and it was a key decision that Chris Foy got wrong.

Last up in the big four are Arsenal – who have slipped out of the top four following their defeat to Manchester City on Saturday. Arsenal might not be a club in crisis but they are about as close as you can get for a club in the big four. William Gallas' rather frank interview didn't help things and a disjointed performance at the City of Manchester Stadium just piled on the pressure.

My colleague Charlotte Cook asked 'Is it time for Wenger to call it a day?' a couple of weeks back and surely that question is still swirling. I don't think it is time but I am starting to think that it is at least a valid discussion.

So our best teams couldn't even muster a goal between them – some might scoff at the nation that this is the greatest league in the world but this league is twenty teams deep and not just four.

Maybe it is time to check for new talents that will be able to replace Terry and Rio in the middle of our defense.

Latest proof for that is the young cap, Michael Mancienne, who is absolutely brilliant with Championship top’s Wolverhampton Wanderers. Mancienne is a talented 20-year-old central defender, Chelsea player loaned to Wolves this autumn.

He had spent last two seasons playing for QPR, having a fine spell with them. The beginning of this season saw him kicking off with his parent club but coach Scolari didn’t give him the right chance.

I’m sure everyone has, at some point in their life, had a teacher or maybe a parent state the following annoying comment to them: I’m not angry...I’m just disappointed. Well, today I stated that phrase...to myself.

All week I have been trying to restrain myself. I have seen the bait dangling and with each passing day it has got closer and closer and today, I am biting.

I can’t believe it was only four years ago that Diego Maradona was in hospital after having suffered a heart attack. Having also battled drug addiction, fluctuating weight, and alcohol issues over recent years, I don’t think I would be the only one to sound a tad sceptical when presented with the news that within five years of his heart attack Maradona would be manager of the Argentina national football team.

So in an amazing turn in fortunes, a rather healthy Maradona touched down in Scotland for the friendly between Argentina and Scotland and he was up to his old tricks again. Buoyed on by the jubilant Scottish fans, Maradona unbelievably claimed that he should not be judged for cheating in the 1986 World Cup because of the doubt over one of Geoff Hurst’s goals that won England the 1966 World Cup.

England certainly didn’t cheat themselves into the World Cup history books. This was a goal that has been debated for over forty years but, whatever conclusion you reach about that ‘goal’, one thing that can never be suggested is that England cheated. The decision of the linesman was nothing to do with Geoff Hurst or any of the other players.

Diego Maradona on, quite literally, the other hand, cheated by deliberately handballing. I think the thing that has always riled the English so much is that he has gloated about it ever since. He has had no shame in the fact that he intentionally sought to win a game under dubious circumstances and it would appear that the only two nations who have been impressed by this act are the Argentinians and...the Scots.

So why do some Scottish fans express so much hate and bitterness towards the English national team? Well, the brief answer is concerned with success. England have won the World Cup, England are climbing up the world rankings, England have a wealth of incredible talent at their disposal. To put it briefly, Scotland haven’t.

I remember the 2002 World Cup very well. I was studying hard for my A Levels and trying to catch as much of the football as I could and one day I caught the most unbelievable sight on television: Scottish folk donning Brazil shirts ahead of England’s quarter-final match with the South American stars. I can completely understand the rivalry between the home nations and I think it is healthy. After all, there’s nothing like winning the bragging rights in the office the next day but a section of the Scottish fan base seems to take this rivalry to the extreme.

And so it was that Maradona was greeted like a national hero when he touched down in Scotland this week and, just like six years earlier when I saw the Scots in their Brazil shirts, this time the TV was showing shots of Maradona being greeted by hundreds of guffawing Scots – shouldn’t you have been at work lads?!

I guess it’s inevitable that people will claim that this blog entry means I am bitter. Not so – I’m just really fascinated. If Scotland put half as much energy into producing some world class talent as they did gloating over every English slip-up then I think they would be a force to be reckoned with.

Harking back to the 1998 World Cup, I remember a wave of excitement rippling around when John Collins hit the back of the net in the opening game against Brazil. Scotland went on to lose but we sat around talking about how they put up a good fight and how nice it would have been to see Scotland beat Brazil – David beating Goliath. The fact that there were Scots in Brazil shirts when England had the same fixture shows that the feeling isn’t reciprocated.

I have no doubt that there are many English fans who certainly don’t share my views. The violence we have seen at fixtures in the past proves this, but I can’t really imagine a huge contingent turning up at the airport to greet any particular player who has helped orchestrate a win against Scotland in the past.

Scotland have certainly improved as a football team over the last few years, save for the little blip that has seen the team slide down the world rankings, and I hope that the success of the team continues. When England next play Scotland I will be shouting as loudly as every other Englishman, hoping that we completely thrash the Scots and I would expect them to be desperate to give us a good beating too. However, the extreme that some Scots have taken the rivalry to is quite unique.

I had a browse through the Tartan Army message board and it was quite refreshing to read some of the comments. This one in particular caught my eye: “All this hero-worshipping of Maradona by Scotland fans is an embarrassment. The guy is a fat, little druggie cheat...hardly an inspirational role model. I was asked by a few non Scottish or English friends about it and I struggled to defend our reaction. Does it say a lot about us as a nation that we are more concerned about others than how we can better ourselves? We need to overcome this chip on our shoulder in order to become successful”.

It’s great to read something which proves that it isn’t the whole population who are so anti-England and I think that to a certain extent it has all been rather whipped up by the press. Maradona should sit back and take pride in the fact that he is one of the finest footballers ever. He doesn’t need to be so antagonistic and goading.

Not content with winning last night’s game, Diego felt the need to come out with the line: “Who is Terry Butcher”? The guy is just a wind-up merchant who now needs to recognise that he is the manager of a national team and a figure of authority. Simply put, he needs to concentrate on making sure that Argentina continue to be one of the finest teams in the world rather than trying to wind up anyone and everyone in sight.

As for the Scotland team, I am just looking forward to a great game with loads of goals (for England) when the Auld Enemy meet again.

So what did we learn from this rather 'pointless' friendly? We actually learnt quite a lot for once and coach Capello will be extremely happy with his years work.

A win in Germany is always good for the system but to do so with a make-shift side shows that spirit is extremely high in the camp. We'll start from the back:

We learnt that Scott Carson hasn't vanquished those Wembley demons and for now he isn't going to challenge David James for the #1 jersey. James will not be a spring chicken when South Africa 2010 rolls around but no-one is stepping up to take his starting spot and until Ben Foster or Joe Hart really make a claim then it'll be James who starts in the World Cup should we make it.

We also learnt that Glen Johnson is ready to make the right-back spot his own. He has been one of Portsmouth's most consistent performers over the past 18 months or so and with Wes Brown really fighting for his starting place at Old Trafford, Johnson has a real chance at nailing down that spot.

We have also learnt that Matthew Upson is a top class back-up who deserves his place in the squad. Wayne Bridge shouldn't be near the team if we are to fellow Don Fabio's idea that if you aren't really starting regularly that you shouldn't be in the squad. However we all know that Ashley Cole will start at left back.

In the midfield we saw that even Stewart Downing can play well at times. The other members of the midfield all know they are there or thereabouts but it was Downing who came into the game with several question marks. He looked lively and set up both goals with delivery from dead ball situations but his crossing in open play was yet again disappointing.

Up top Gabriel Agbonlahor looked very lively and must be in the mix for one of the four or five spaces on the plane. If you think that Wayne Rooney and Emile Heskey are locked in if fit, then you have two of three spots left. Michael Owen must surely still be in the mix whatever anyone says as his record for England in the big games is second to none. Then you have Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ashley Young, Dean Ashton, Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe all fighting over the final spot or two. Crouch would surely have the inside track due to the fact that he gives something different so there could be some very disappointed players out there.

I have been a critic of Capello and his insistence of not using Michael Owen but you simply can't argue with the results. England look like they are starting to turn it around and will now catapult themselves well into the top ten in the FIFA rankings following this impressive victory.

Can England really win the World Cup in 2010? Well let's put it this way, a few months ago I'd of said no chance but now you'd have to put us right in the mix.

Ronaldo, the former star of the Brazilian national football team, has revealed that he is considering retiring rather than continuing on his latest comeback from injury.

The striker is thirty-two years of age and has been plagued by injuries during recent months. He has been a marginal figure in the world of football since leaving Real Madrid and his contract at Italian giants, AC Milan, ran out at the end of June this year.

Since the summer, Ronaldo has been training with Brazilian team, Flamengo, in an attempt to make a successful comeback from a knee injury sustained whilst playing for AC Milan earlier this year.

He was out of action for nine months after rupturing a tendon in his knee. His time spent training with Flamengo has paid off and the striker made his first appearance since his injury during a charity match held earlier this week in Morocco.

However, whilst this news may seem positive, the fact remains that Ronaldo decided against joining Italian club, Siena, at the beginning of this month and he has admitted that he may simply decide to quit the game rather than trying to rediscover the form which proved so scintillating at clubs including Barcelona and Real Madrid. Ronaldo revealed that he is not sure if he “will continue to play” and he remains “in no hurry to make a decision”.

Whilst Ronaldo did make a comeback to match action in Morocco, the striker was quick to downplay the significance of it, since exhibition matches are a far cry from “professional football”.

The debate as to whether he should retire is certainly not one-sided though. Ronaldo revealed that football is still his “life” and he was thrilled to return to the pitch.

Chelsea may be all about the big bucks but they also know that they have an important place in the community. Along with Adidas they have funded and built four blue pitches that are located in the London Boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham and Wandsworth.

Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack speak about what is going on with them. Ballack is on the way back from injury and hopes to be match fit within the next couple of weeks and Lampard is dead chuffed to of reached the 100 league goals landmark.

The two of them also discuss their ultimate five-a-side team and Ballack goes for an aggressive no goalkeeper strategy!

Listen to the gaffer speak about his thoughts of the season so far and how optimistic he is that this year will be the one that Chelsea climb back on top of the domestic pile and reach those European nights.

Over the weekend we saw a couple of incidents where players stood in front of the goalkeeper at a corner kick. At Ewood Park the subsequent goal stood but at the Reebok the goal was disallowed. Everyone has an opinion but some people think that there was some bias involved in giving that opinion.

Regular watchers of Sky Sports will know that there seems to be an unofficial ban on Alan Parry calling Liverpool matches. The question is whether this is because they see that he can't call games involving his team or is just luck that he hasn't commentated on the team on the channel for nearly three years. This ban doesn't spread to Ian Darke who is a Portsmouth fan and gets Pompey games.

Anyway on Saturday whilst us in the UK were listening to the up and coming Bill Leslie alongside Andy Gray for the commentary, on the world feed Alan Parry was alongside Nigel Winterburn. Now this shouldn't of been much of a story but the gaffer over at EPLtalk wrote an article where he basically tore Parry apart for saying that the goal that was disallowed was incorrectly chalked off.

He claimed that he was so concious in not being biased for Liverpool that he was doing the exact opposite. Now I have seen the goal on numerous occasions and saw it live. I thought it was a goal then and I still think that it is now. I do have an anti-Liverpool bias but I also have a pair of eyes and know the laws of the game.

It says nowhere in the laws of the game that any player has to move out of the way of another. Standing your ground is perfectly acceptable. If Reina wants to come for the ball then he has to go around the attacker standing in front of him – that is just the way it is. If anything it was a foul by Reina on Nolan when he shoved him with two stiff arms in the back – which is a blatant penalty.

However Rob Styles was the official and as per usual the decision seemed to favour the bigger team. Whilst I have no doubts whatsoever as to his integrity, when he makes contentious decisions they do seem to fall on the side of the bigger clubs.

Anyway back to Alan Parry and his calling of the goal. There wasn't much wrong with it and Chris Kamara also said the goal should've stood as did Andy Gray. Dion Dublin thought it was a foul as Nolan had no intention of going for the ball himself so clearly it is one that is debatable. So to call out Alan Parry for his call of the goal is overly harsh.

Parry is a top commentator and is underused by Sky Sports. To see him alongside Andy Gray on Super Sunday was a pleasant surprise and hopefully both Parry and Darke can re-emerge as regular commentators on big games and leapfrog Rob Hawthorne and Bill Leslie.

When a team goes to the Emirates Stadium and asserts its dominance for ninety minutes, scoring two fine goals and giving nothing away at the other end, it is all too easy to become carried away.

On Saturday, Aston Villa taught Arsenal a harsh lesson on their home turf and, after the match, fans of the north London side could have little to complain about.

Villa dominated the match from start to finish and, if an alien had been sitting at the Emirates, munching on a cucumber sandwich and admiring the padding on the seats, it would have assumed that the team in the top four of the Premier League, the team who went a whole season unbeaten, and the team that have won numerous trophies whilst under the control of a gifted foreign manager, was the one bearing the name of Aston Villa.

However, this alien would, of course, be wrong. Aston Villa were truly majestic during the match on Saturday. This said, the growing amount of speculation concerning whether or not the team will be able to break in to the top four this season is simply laughable. The slightly more realistic football fan who believes such an event will occur next season, or the one after, is also deluding himself.

Let me put it simply: Aston Villa will not break in to the top four this season, or the next one, or the one after that. There are several straightforward reasons lying behind this assertion. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, there is the issue of money.

Randy Lerner has not exactly been tight-fisted when it comes to releasing funds for the manager to spend. Furthermore, Martin O’Neill has spent wisely in the transfer market and has also retained a focus upon mixing youth with experience (Arsene Wenger could certainly learn a thing or two from the Villa manager).

However, the financial gap between Villa and the top four is still huge and, if a key player or two becomes injured over the festive period, will Lerner be able to release enough money for the manager to purchase a top-quality player during the January transfer window?

The answer remains shrouded in doubt. Until Villa can replace a quality player with another quality player, and replicate this pattern throughout their team, they have no hope of breaking in to the top four.

Furthermore, let’s assume for a moment that Villa do improve their financial edge drastically. For example, they could undergo the financial transformation seen at Manchester City this summer. However, sudden financial transformations do not usually result in immediate success.

Manchester City’s recent run of form highlights this fact. Oh, and before you raise the point, Chelsea were already striving for Premier League success prior to the arrival of Roman Abramovich, which is why the team was able to achieve the potential already inherent within it, following the sudden and dramatic cash injection.

Villa’s other problems include the inability to pick up points whilst playing badly, especially against poorer teams. Chelsea became masters of this during their successful back-to-back Premier League campaigns and any team in the top four needs to become accustomed to doing so.

There is no doubt that the team spirit is intact and the players obviously want to get good results for their manager, who has been a breath of fresh air since taking over at Villa.

However, Villa fans should start accepting that they stand a good chance of winning the mini-league which exists below the top four but as for breaking the domination of Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool? No chance.

Trying to make any kind of accurate prediction about the outcome of the Premier League title race during the middle of November is difficult and rather foolish. However, at the moment, speculations can certainly be made. After all, the league table does not lie.

A quick glance shows Chelsea sitting pretty at the top, with a vastly superior goal difference to Liverpool, who sit in second place with the same points total. Arsenal sit in third place, six points behind the leader, whilst Manchester United are two points behind the North London team.

It is true that Manchester United have a game in hand but, let’s assume for a second that this game was played and all three points were collected, the league table would still show the team sitting in third place, five points behind Chelsea and Liverpool and with an inferior goal difference (which we all know can be worth an extra point towards the end of the season).

To put it simply, it is far too early to rule Manchester United out of the title race. However, if Ferguson wants to lead his team to another title, he will need to improve his tactics, and quickly. They say that you learn the most about the big teams during clashes with minor teams. As such, Arsenal’s defeat at the hands of Stoke told us all we needed to know about their temperament and resilience.

Similarly, United’s narrow victory over Hull at home revealed uncharacteristic defensive frailties that worried both the club’s fans and the manager. Matches between clubs occupying the top four positions in the Premier League are, on the other hand, often tense, boring affairs that reveal little or nothing about the team’s aspirations and long-term prospects.

However, last weekend’s match between Arsenal and Manchester United was an exception to this rule. Certain weak points in the United team were all too clear last Saturday. Gary Neville proved to be a liability in the right-back position, particularly when faced with the pace and skills of Samir Nasri, who scored for the North London club.

Neville, a legend for both United and England, has not often looked like a liability during a game of football but the Arsenal players simply taunted the aging defender at times.

This, however, was not the team’s biggest problem. Why on earth Ferguson decided against playing a 4-3-3 formation during the game is a mystery. United were simply incapable of matching Arsenal in the midfield area and Cristiano Ronaldo was denied the freedom of movement which made him so potent during the last two seasons. Speaking of Ronaldo, after seeing that he was having a negligible impact on the game, why did Ferguson not switch his position on the pitch?

These tactical problems are not easily solved and they hint at deeper problems at United than can be fixed overnight. If United do want to challenge seriously for the Premier League this season, Ferguson will need to sort out the problems exposed at the Emirates Stadium last weekend.

Fans of the club will hope that the manager can at least make a start on the issues before they come up against a Stoke team complete with the effective weapon of Rory Delap’s long throw tomorrow afternoon.

Over the last few years we have heard more about Lilly Savage than we have about Lilleshall. Why is this? Well, principally because the school of excellence, which gave us household names such as Scott Parker, Jermaine Defoe, Joe Cole and Michael Owen, shut down over eight years ago.

As more and more money floods into the English game, success is required immediately. Clubs don’t have time to spend months and years nurturing a young British talent so instead they take their cheque books to foreign shores and fork out for someone who can make an instant impact. What is the consequence of this?

The 18 year old midfielder who has been slogging it out in the youth teams for the past however many years is called into the manager’s office at the end of the season and told he is being let go. What is the chairman going to say to the manager if the player he spent £15 million on is sitting on the bench whilst a kid cuts his teeth in the first team?

Perhaps it’s time for a little personal anecdote. What do Danny Shittu and Michael Turner have in common? Both were let go by my team, Charlton Athletic, as players who were never going to make the breakthrough and dislodge foreign players such as Mark Fish and Herman Hreidarsson.

To a lesser extent, at the weekend I saw Charlie McDonald scoring for Brentford. He too was let go as he was never going to oust players like Jonathan Johansson or Sean Bartlett for the strikers’ positions at Charlton. I have no doubt that there’s an abundance of fans all over the country asking the same question as I am about their youngsters: “Why did we let him go?” The answer is all down to immediacy.

These players have come good, but too late. Charlton couldn’t have stuck an inexperienced 18 year old Michael Turner into a relegation battle – it could have shattered his confidence. No, it was easier to go with the experienced foreigners but a few years down the line when they have either retired or jumped the sinking ship, what do you have - a team, relegated, shipping goals left, right and centre looking on as one of their former “rejects” excels in arguably the best league in the world.

It’s all very well that clubs are keeping their training/YTS schemes ‘in-house’ for want of a better phrase, but I truly believe there needs to be an independent training camp, run for the FA by some of the best former players ever to play professional football, where aspiring pros can be sent.

They should live on campus and train every day as if they were players reporting for international duty and they should stay there for half a season, maybe a whole season and then when they return to their clubs they will have a far more rounded view of the game. It’s the same in any aspect of working life. Even if you go somewhere and don’t learn something new, you may just learn to look at things from a different perspective and that can only be healthy for the game.

It could even work the other way: the FA could have a scouting system that brings the finest young talent from Sunday league into an independent training school and then the players are sent out on ‘work placements’ to clubs over the course of a season. When the season is over the club can take an opportunity to buy the player from the FA. Where would the money go? Straight back into the scouting system!

There is just so much money in the game now. Let’s take Chelsea as an example. They spent over £30 million on Andrei Shevchenko, who is undoubtedly a striker of world class proportions. But as Peter Kenyon was counting the number of noughts on the cheque, Andrei was knocking 30 years of age.

Despite his world class pedigree he failed to shine in the Premiership and is now back in Italy but just imagine how far that money would have gone if it had been invested in the Chelsea youth scheme. If, from that money, they had produced just one John Terry and just one quality striker, they would have got more than their money's worth but no, Andrei didn’t work out, Roman shrugged it off as £30 million isn’t too much to a chap like him, and they went and bought Nicolas Anelka for a mere £15 million as a replacement.

Just look at what can be achieved with a positive YTS scheme. I vividly remember, just as I was becoming genuinely interested in football, that Alex Ferguson made the ridiculous decision to play a bunch of “kids” like a couple of brothers by the name of Neville, Paul someone and a greasy haired nobody called David Beckham.

A pounding from Aston Villa had everyone crowing about how Sir Alex had lost the plot. Ten years later and that bunch of English nobodies had won virtually every honour in the game. I hate to say it but over the last decade Manchester United have shown the rest of England how it should be done.

Yes they have foreign players who have contributed more than their fair share towards the team’s success but all the while there has been an English spine running through that team. But even United though are starting to fall into the trap that so many others have. From the great days of producing players such as Butt, Beckham, Scholes, Giggs and er… Chadwick, even United have started to fall into the trap of just splashing the cash in the search for immediate success.

Perhaps you could argue that that particular bunch of players was a one-off and that it will be a long time, if ever, that we see such success from so many home-grown players. A lot has been made of Arsenal’s destruction of Wigan in the Carling Cup earlier this week and some of those players have the potential to star for England for many years to come but we mustn’t overlook the fact that there were still a number of foreign players in that team and, although it is something he does very well, Arsene Wenger seems to pluck out the finest young foreign talent and nurture it rather than focusing purely on the English.

Sir Trevor Brooking is a wise man and what he has said today needs to be acted upon. He himself works for the FA so it’s about time that they sat up and took notice, pulled their fingers out and started working to preserve the future of English football.

We all know where it starts – on the local green on a Sunday morning so let’s get the finest young players out there, let’s nurture them, turn them into the next David Beckham, the next Wayne Rooney and then let’s, as a country, celebrate the success of our national team way into the 21st century.

I awoke this morning to see Chelsea’s Didier Drogba hitting the headlines after throwing a coin into the crowd at Stamford Bridge last night. (Incidentally, if you’re reading this Didier and fancy throwing a bit more cash around, bear me in mind – I’m skint!)

Call me a cynic but I think I can foresee how this case will turn out. Both the FA and the Met Police have promised to investigate, as have Chelsea. Drogba will get fined, warned about his future conduct and the police will decide not to take action. But before I go on, let's not forget Mr J Carragher who was treated to a red card, a three game ban and a police investigation for... throwing a coin into the crowd. I await Didier’s punishment with interest.

We have seen it all before but there seems to be a lack of consistency in terms of handing out punishments. So do you get away with things because you are on a football pitch, are you given a fair and just punishment... or are you made an example of?

This was quite a timely news piece for me as yesterday I was walking through Kent’s flagship town – Maidstone. Now as I walked through its decaying shopping centre I came across a blast from the past and did a cartoon-style double take at the suited gent strolling purposefully through the centre, and there was a reason for this. Back in 1998 this man became a legend that would last a... er... lunchtime.

Paul Alcock is his name and ten years ago Paulo Di Canio pushed more than his luck after Alcock had waved his red card in the fiery Italian’s face. Well, no one could believe their luck! It was a story that promised to fill countless column inches for months. It gave the FA something to do and they went for an 11 game ban and a £10,000 fine.

Paolo was made an example of, had his name dragged through the mud and his family hounded. He then went on to make the headlines for the right reasons with an incredible display of sportsmanship in a fixture between West Ham and Everton when he chose to catch the ball instead of planting it into the back of an open net so the injured Everton goalkeeper could receive treatment.

For me, one of my most memorable moments of following football came at Selhurst Park in 1995, which I'm sure needs no more explanation. Some dodgepot Crystal Palace fan decided to leg it down a few flights of stairs to yell abuse at Eric Cantona as he was being led away following his dismissal. In a moment of incredible athleticism, the Frenchman vaulted the hoardings and launched a, in my opinion, rather deserved ‘kung-fu’ kick at the idiot who had gone out of his way to taunt and aggravate Cantona.

For his troubles, Cantona ended up in the dock and was given a prison sentence, of which he only served about a day. Provocation or not, fast forward to any given Saturday night. You are out with your friends and someone starts shouting abuse at you across the street. In front of countless witnesses you go and kung-fu kick the guy, the police see, you get arrested etc; my thinking is that you would spend quite a bit more time in prison and that, as someone with a criminal record, you would have a little more trouble getting a job in future.

So why shouldn’t Drogba have thrown that coin back into the crowd? My dad always said “fight fire with fire”; perhaps this is why he got chucked out of the fire brigade... but I digress. The idiot that threw the coin first was in a no-lose situation. He could commit the act without any fear of any reprisal because there would only ever be one loser: Drogba.

Didier is now the bad guy, his temperament is being called into question, the FA and Met Police are investigating, and the only person who is going to get away scot-free is the prat that threw the coin in the first place. People in the crowd think that they are in a safehouse and have carte blanche to commit such deeds because they think the players can’t touch them.

Well good on Jamie Carragher when he confronted the Luton fan who abused him during a Cup game. Good on Eric Cantona for springing a surprise on Matthew Simmons. Would these guys have been so brave as to challenge the footballers in the street? No is the answer.

I think that, in terms of what players do to each other on the pitch, they are more or less untouchable. Roy Keane tried to maim Alf Inge Haaland, Ian Hume is currently in hospital with a fractured skull and internal bleeding, Kevin Muscat badly injured *insert name of your choice here* yet criminal charges are rarely brought. (Although good on Charlton’s Matty Holmes for bringing a lawsuit against Muscat for a career-ending challenge.) How much trouble would I be in if this afternoon I entertained myself by breaking someone’s leg, elbowing someone in the face and then maybe, after a little rest, popping off to stamp on someone’s knee?

There needs to be a level of consistency in terms of what happens to players who misbehave on the pitch. Full on assaults can take place on a football pitch and people attempt to justify this by talking about the extreme pressure the players are under for those 90 minutes. Not good enough.

It’s not FA action we need on these occasions – it’s police action. A fine doesn’t hurt if you are on “Premiership wages”. It seems that the players are just hit in the pocket, given a trial by media and maybe made a bit of an example of.

So whilst some poor Met officer sits at his desk this morning pointlessly looking into someone throwing a bit of spare change around and the FA sit up in their ivory towers pontificating about another “serious incident”, let’s not only spare a thought for people like Ian Hume, lying in his hospital bed, but also wonder when on earth there is going to be any consistency when dishing out the punishments.

Robbie Keane’s two goals against West Brom in Liverpool’s 3-0 win over the relegation threatened club were his first league goals since joining the club, but the goals were no-more than a reminder that Keane’s short time at Anfield has been nothing more than a failure after 16 games at the club.

These two goals against what was a poor West Brom side, reminds us all of how Keane has stooped so low to impress, when while at Tottenham he was at the top of his game every week. In fact his consistent form was the reason for Liverpool’s punt on the 28-year old.

Since his move to Merseyside, Keane has scored just four goals, two in both the Champions League and the Premier League.

Main striker Fernando Torres has been out injured for almost the entire season and with this Keane had the perfect chance to stake a claim for his place in a side that clearly has no role for him.

However he failed during this period. No coincidence that all his goals came while Torres was out. With the formation Liverpool play, 4-2-3-1 with Torres up front with Dirk Kuyt, Albert Riera and Steven Gerrard playing behind the Spaniard.

The only place he fits in is on the bench and to be honest with this side’s success already this season you can’t see him changing that front line.

Even the usually ridged Kuyt has stepped up to the plate from right-midfield. Four goals came from him while Torres was out, the same as Keane but from a deeper position.

If he can do it why can’t Keane?

I understand that there is a certain amount of bedding in time for a player, you can’t be expected to click straight into the side just like that and Keane has shown in the past that he needs some bedding in time.

But for me it doesn’t show any sign of improving. Keane has always played with a target man type of player, Niall Quinn or Les Ferdinand spring to mind as players that suit Keane. Torres even if Benitez did adapt the formation to accommodate Keane would still isolate the Irishman.

Either one of the front men would be influential, not both and I know who I’d rather have on the end of the chances.

It comes down to whether Benitez really needed to spend £19m on Keane. For me no-doubt his price tag he is worth every penny, but he’s simply gone to the wrong club. There are to many players who ruin their careers by going to big clubs and not getting consistent first team football. Keane is running a risk of becoming this very same player.

Only time will tell on how Keane develops, yes we’re only in November but if it goes to form we could see the fans less keen by May.

The problem of deciding how to represent Great Britain at the 2012 London Olympics in the football event has been debated intensely during recent months. The latest individual to offer an opinion is David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party.

Cameron believes that the best option would be to organise a home nations' tournament. A play-off would decide which of the national teams in the United Kingdom should represent Great Britain in London in just three years’ time.

David Cameron has been vocal in his support for the formation of a Great Britain football team. This need is particularly important given that the Olympics are going to be held on home turf and should be an occasion of national pride.

Cameron proposed a “home tournament”, with the winner going “forward” to represent Great Britain. However, he revealed that even if his idea was rejected, a “representative team” was needed at the Olympic Games.

Cameron’s proposal is unlikely to convince those opposed to the idea of a representative team. All of the football governing bodies currently operating in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales have spoken of their opposition to the idea. This is as a result of their worries that their futures as separate, independent entities could be jeopardised.

Alex Salmond, the Scottish First Minister, believes that risking “the future of Scottish international football” so that an under-21 tournament can be seen at the Olympic Games is “simply daft” and unfeasible.

The president of the Irish Football Association has been even harsher in his condemnation of Cameron’s proposal. Raymond Kennedy believes that Cameron’s idea has shown the nation that he is simply “out of touch” with current opinion in the world of football.

Furthermore, Kennedy thinks that there is already “enough football” to concentrate on without the prospect of inclusion in the 2012 London Olympic Games. Kennedy thinks that there is no “need to have football as an Olympic sport” and his stance on this is unlikely to change in the future.

The reaction from Wales to the news of Cameron’s proposal has been mixed. Plaid Cymru’s parliamentary leader, Elfyn Llwyd, expressed support for the idea. He can see “nothing wrong” with the idea of a knock-out tournament but revealed his preference for Wales to be represented “on its own”. However, until some form of secure representation on a separate basis has been achieved, the proposal interests the Welsh MP.

However, Albert Owen, another Welsh MP, believes that the idea would not work, although he thinks that representation will be possible at some point in the future. Owen believes that such an event would allow people to be “proud to be Welsh and proud to be British”.

Concerns such as these have prevented the formation of a team for over forty years now, as Britain has remained anxious that the formation of a representative team could impact upon the status of individual nations in the eyes of Fifa. 1960 was the last time that Great Britain fielded a football team and many individuals, including David Cameron, are keen for this to change by 2012.

Gordon Brown also believes that some kind of deal has to be made so that both men and women can represent Britain in the football event at the Olympic Games.

This blog seems rather full of Arsenal stories at the minute but they just in the news a lot. Last night we witnessed yet another display in front of the live TV cameras of the Arsenal youth set up and once again no-one will of come away unimpressed by what Arsenal have going on below first team level.

Wigan put out a first team as they travelled down to the Emirates hoping to put the Arsenal kids to the sword. Arsene Wenger has long been a proponent of using this competition to blood his youngsters and although they have yet to win the competition under his tutelage, they are the only reason to watch this tournament in the early stages and even when the big boys start taking it seriously, the Arsenal kids are still by far the most compelling story.

Last night we saw an XI with three players who could turn out to be stars in this league and the rest of them could become very good players. We'll start with the one they paid big money for over the summer. Aaron Ramsey came from Cardiff with a big reputation and Wenger is playing it very much like he did with Walcott. Exposing him infrequently from the bench for the first team and blooding him more in Europe and in the Carling Cup. He has all the ability in the world but I have him down as only the third best prospect out of the bunch.

At two there is the Mexican striker Carlos Vela. At 19 he is one of the older members of the squad and is already a full international having already bagged four for his country. He is a natural finisher who has excellent instincts and at £125k (rising to £550k should he play 50 times for the first team) he has to be seen as potentially one of the bargains of the decade. Arsene Wenger's scouting network must be praised for unearthing him but we still have one more to go.

At #1 is Jack Wilshere. He is only 16 years of age but he has the footballing world at his feet. He is ahead of Wayne Rooney at the same age as an all-around player and could go on to marshal the Arsenal midfield with Cesc Fabregas for years to come. This kid has it all, his vision and range of passing is quite simply sublime. I spoke to a couple of people last night who seem to think this kid is overhyped but I disagree. He is the best English prospect in the league and it isn't even close in my book.

He won the Man of the Match award last night but was too young to pick up the Champagne. He set up the first with a quite wonderful through ball which Jay Simpson poked home. The second was set up by Vela with Simpson yet again the recipient of the assist. Vela himself grabbed the third after being put through by Ramsey and that as they say is that.

A 3-0 scoreline that quite frankly flattered the away side. Wigan keeper Chris Kirkland had been in imperious form despite playing with a bad back picked up after his first save of the night. He must've been in the shake-up for the MotM award had they not gone for Wilshere. Wigan will of left The Emirates knowing that they were given a footballing lesson by a bunch of kids but not by any bunch of kids – a bunch of kids who could turn out to be part of the team of the decade when the onesies (is that what we are calling the next decade?) comes about.

Newcastle United Football Club is becoming increasingly concerned that their troubled midfielder Joey Barton is receiving unfair treatment at the hands of fans and match officials. The player has impressed since his return to the pitch after a prison sentence and lengthy ban but it has not all been plain sailing for the 26-year-old.

The team’s win against Aston Villa was marred by a bizarre episode during the first half. Barton appeared to poke Villa’s Gabriel Agbonlahor but the referee failed to notice at the time. Today, the Football Association has revealed that it will wait for the referee’s report before taking potential action against the player. Barton also picked up a yellow card later in the match for a challenge on Luke Young.

Chris Hughton, a coach at Newcastle, believes that Joey Barton is being unfairly treated by match officials. He expressed his concern that any incident regarding Joey is going to be blown up twice as much as it’s going to be with any other player. Hughton said that he did not even notice the incident with Agbonlahor and Martin O’Neill, the manager of Aston Villa, was similarly keen to downplay the first-half incident.

Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear has previously spoken of his sympathy for Barton, who has been taunted by fans since his return. Sunderland fans threw bottles at the player and did all they could to make the midfielder react angrily. However, Barton managed to keep his cool and has performed well during subsequent matches for the club.

Well it seems as though the FA are disappointed with the response to the 'Respect' campaign that they have been promoting since before the start of the season. They are unhappy with the amount of times a manager has had a go at an official either publicly through the media or face to face at the end or during a game.

Surely they saw this coming? As fans we want managers to give their opinions post match and not bottle it up for a report to send to the FA. Like anyone thinks they read them and actually make decisions because of their opinions. The same referees get the same games no matter what happens. The only time a referee gets a demotion is if there is a very public incident and the media are all over it.

Look at Stuart Attwell who has now had two clunkers this season. If the media hadn't of been all over it then he probably wouldn't have spent a fair amount of time on fourth official duties. Mark Halsey got pilloried for sending off John Terry at the City of Manchester Stadium in an incident which could've easily gone either way, but because he sent off the England captain and the media didn't like this, Halsey spent three sets of Premier League games without an appointment in the middle.

The media are the driving force behind refereeing appointment no matter what Keith Hackett or anyone else says. If the media deem that an official has dropped a clanger then the perceived public outcry will lead to that official sitting on the sidelines and not getting the big games.

FA director of governance Jonathan Hall said, We accept that it can be very frustrating for managers when an incorrect decision is taken, but no referee does so deliberately, just as players and managers do not deliberately make mistakes.

It is easy to support officials when a decision goes your way, the real test is the ability to show understanding when a call goes against you.

There are already various official channels for managers to provide their views on refereeing performances and managers are actively encouraged to use these channels rather than criticising referees through the media.

It sounds so idealistic doesn't it? However the real world isn't a utopia so we just have to deal with it. Officials at the top level get paid a very good salary and put themselves in a position to be held publicly accountable for their actions. If a referee makes a genuine mistake then I think most of us can deal with that but sometimes there are instances when they seem to just lose the plot.

Managers and players are accountable to criticism in the media so why shouldn't the officials? They are part of the game whether we like it or not and if they deal with the media, players and managers with respect then they will get it back. Officials never come out and explain their decisions any more despite always being given the option to by the waiting media.

I don't know if this is Keith Hackett's policy but if it is it needs to be scraped and quick. Let your men come out and explain to the media what you saw and why they made the decision they did. Even if they come out and say that they've seen it on TV since and know they've got it wrong then people would accept that. Not dealing with the media makes their jobs a lot harder as they have no right to reply.

To get respect you need to show respect and where we are in terms of top flight officials at the moment is they don't show respect. The fans, players and managers do not know why decisions are being made and it is hard to defend someone when they don't even have the ability to defend themselves. So my suggestion is allow referees to man up and tell the media what they are thinking and I think we'll very quickly see things change and more respect flowing both ways.

So the demise of Arsenal and Arsene Wenger may have been a bit premature. A thoroughly enjoyable early kick-off on Saturday saw the club beat Manchester United at The Emirates to keep them just about in the title race.

For a week or more Wenger had been quite publicly questioned by the media and even on this site. However he sent out his side in the same fashion as he always does. They went out and passed the ball and attacked United.

They didn't have either Adebayor (injured) or Van Persie (suspended) available so they had to go with the vastly overrated Bendtner up top on his own with a five-man midfield. Theo Walcott and Samir Nasri played out wide and were both full of running getting up to support Bendtner whenever they could as well as getting back to help cover Neville and Evra.

Manchester United made no surprises in their line-up which saw seven changes from the team that started the Champions League game at Celtic. They came down to the Emirates having lost at Anfield and drawn at Stamford Bridge in their visits to the other so-called 'Big 4' clubs this season. A win at Arsenal though would pretty much put them out of the title race even at this stage of the season.

Wenger knew this and had his back very much against the wall. Arsenal were 2/1 to win the game at home which is the longest they've ever been in the Premiership era in a home game against United. They came out all guns blazing as they passed and moved with pace and precision. The away side were dangerous on the break and the game opened up and would become a fantastic advert for the Premier League.

Arsenal would take the lead when Samir Nasri's shot deflected off the knee of Gary Neville and past a helpless Edwin van der Sar. United should've been ahead when some beautiful build-up play led to Wayne Rooney having a free shot from around the penalty spot only to put it high wide and handsome.

The other major incidents of the half were when Michael Carrick scythed down Abou Diaby when he was going through to have a shot on goal. The referee gave nothing when it was a clear foul and there would've been a debate over whether it was a yellow or a red. The other came right on the half when Gael Chichy seemed to handball a Wayne Rooney cross. The appeal was muted and stiffled but it really did look like a spot kick.

It would be that man Nasri who would double the lead as Cesc Febregas found him twenty yards out and the Frenchman rifled it past the United keeper. Theo Walcott's role in the goal cannot be understated as his run dragged Vidic away and left a gaping hole in the centre of defence.

Rafael cameon for Gary Neville – who was absolutely awful by the way – I think we can safely say his best days are behind him and that he can't hack it at the very top level any more. The young Brazilian dragged one back with a rasping left foot drive into the corner of the net. It was game on and Arsenal had been here before not ten days earlier when Spurs hauled them back.

This time surely Arsenal would sit back but no they attacked and went for a third. You've got to hand it them, they only know one way and that will always play football to score goals. This time however they held on and banked the three points and Arsene Wenger can breathe slightly easier. It was vintage Arsenal and they showed why I think they'll win the Champions League this season. If Arsene can keep this group of players together then they can rule for a decade.

I got e-mailed this about a group of fans who are trying to buy a football club - we've seen this before - but what we've not seen is that they are trying to use the social networking site Facebook to seal the deal. If you are interested then please read the following Press Release.

Leigh Genesis Football Club could be the first football club to be bought by a group set-up on the social networking site Facebook. Fans of the club, which has recently lost its key financial backer, are being asked to sign-up and pledge to share the annual running costs and key decisions in exchange for the club.

Organisers of the bid have signed up over 700 pledges since it was founded on Friday 30th October 2008. The organizers hope to raise sufficient money to operate the team in its current division and are looking to attract at least 1000 shareholders, with the help of 'Supporters Direct' In addition to the senior squad the club operates two other teams and over 12 teams in the juniors section.

Although no formal approach has yet been made, the clubs staff and directors are in discussions with the group and have indicated that they are likely to accept the offer subject to conditions.

Leigh Genesis was formally known as Leigh RMI and plays in the Unibond Northern Premier Division.

The previous chairman, Dominic Speakman, relinquished his position last week as Chairman and main benefactor through a dispute with the local authority over the opening of the clubs new home: at Leigh Sports Village. The brand new 10,000 all seater stadium is almost six months behind schedule, leaving the club homeless and forcing them to temporarily play in Chorley.

Andre Walker, who created the facebook group said:

"It's amazing to think that in the next few weeks a facebook group I set-up in my lounge could own a football club, but there's no reason why it shouldn't. The people of Leigh are committed to saving their club and this seemed like a good way to do it."

"We think this is the winning formula, it gives Genesis supporters a real say in how things are run, raises attendance and provides the funds to keep the club afloat."

After several days of intense speculation, the Argentinian Football Association has finally confirmed Diego Maradona as the new head coach of the national football team. Carlos Bilardo, who led Argentina to success in the 1986 World Cup, will become assistant manager.

The two men are accustomed to working with each other at the highest level, as Maradona was an instrumental part of the 1986 World Cup winning team.

Maradona was keen to speak about his excitement at joining up with Bilardo once again. The coach stated that “being alongside Carlos is an honour for me”. Furthermore, he is not taking his appointment lightly and remains adamant that he will “work every day to make Argentina have a better national team”.

The Argentinian Football Association executive committee held a meeting in Buenos Aires in order to finalise the details of Maradona’s appointment. Argentina have been without a manager since the middle of October, when Alfio Basile vacated the post.

The footballing legend has been given the official title of technical director and he will now be busy preparing his team for their trip to Scotland later this month.

Maradona’s first move after being named as coach was to appoint Javier Mascherano as captain of the national team. The reasons for this choice, according to the new coach, are simple: “he is the Argentinian player who is closest to the idea I have about the Argentinian shirt – sweat for it, sacrifice for it”.

In a moment of humour, Maradona suggested that he may have to “convince” the Liverpool midfielder to accept the honour of representing his country on the pitch.

The squad for the Scotland match, scheduled to be played at Hampden Park on the nineteenth of November, will also include Fabricio Coloccini, who has impressed at Newcastle United this season. However, notable exclusions from the squad include Esteban Cambiasso, the combative Inter Milan midfielder.

Lionel Messi, the precocious young star of the Barcelona first team, has been left out after an agreement with the Spanish club. Barcelona did not want to release the player after they agreed to let him travel to the Olympic Games in Beijing. Despite not having Messi in his team, Maradona remains confident that his side can do well in Scotland.

Although the new coach has had some experience at club level in Argentina, he remains famous for his exploits as a player. England fans will remember him from the quarter-final of the 1986 World Cup.

During this match, the player scored with a ridiculous handball and later coined the phrase the “hand of God” to describe the goal. In another moment of humour, Maradona revealed that he hoped that this episode in his playing career would make him welcome in Scotland, since “the English and the Scots get on horribly”.

Maradona’s appointment has pleased many people in Argentina, where he is a truly popular figure. However, some people remain anxious that he does not have the experience to lead Argentina to the heights of success that the country is craving. Other sections of the country’s media have voiced concerns over his personal life, which has been tainted by drug addiction and obesity.

Arsenal fans have had to put up with a lot this season. Some embarrassing defeats in the Premier League have been compounded by some on-pitch displays of petulance and immaturity.

Last weekend’s match against Stoke provided a showcase of both. A crushing 2-1 defeat at the hands of the newly promoted team was simply made worse by a ridiculous challenge from Robin van Persie on the Stoke goalkeeper, for which he was deservedly sent off.

Fans of the club have been quick to place the blame on various factors, including the inevitable issues arising from fielding a young side in England’s top league, unfair decisions from match officials and that old classic - simple bad luck.

However, only a brave few have dared to speculate about the real cause of Arsenal’s current problems, and the truth is closer to home than many people care to admit. You only need to glance over at the touchline to find your answer. Arsene Wenger needs to leave the club, and soon.

Stating this simple assertion out loud has become something akin to screaming a certain four-lettered word in public. Those who dare to voice this opinion over a couple of pints in the pub immediately find themselves lowering their gaze into the bottom of their glass amid accusations of being a ‘fake’ fan from fellow Gooners.

However, the reality is that only those who want the best for the north London club would ever dare to address the obvious problem out loud.

Nobody can doubt that Arsene Wenger is a fantastic manager and he has changed the face not only of Arsenal but of English football as well. His undoubted intelligence has allowed his team to flourish in the Premier League and, let’s not forget, go a whole season unbeaten. However, Arsenal’s squad has obvious weaknesses which have been apparent for some time now.

Arsene Wenger may think that his young team is going to come good eventually, but surely any man is foolish to turn down money offered by the club to invest in players simply on the basis of honouring some philosophical principle.

At the end of the day, Arsenal is desperately crying out for a central defender with real experience at the top level and, if they are to mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title in the near future, they need a central midfielder capable of making a successful tackle. Without these components, Arsenal’s young guns can never hope to achieve their full potential.

Of course, let’s not forget that Wenger is the man who moulded Thierry Henry into a legend in the world of football. So, why would this same man, apparently so adept at spotting and nurturing raw talent, choose to sign Mikael Silvestre?

When rumours about this transfer first appeared in the British press, disbelieving, doubtful grins spread across the faces of humoured Arsenal fans... until they realised the rumours were about to come true.

At this point, Arsenal fans were even left crying out for the return of erratic defender Philippe Senderos. We all know that the Arsenal manager has no philosophical interest in the finished article but Silvestre stopped improving and growing as a player long before his departure from Manchester United and, let’s be honest, the finished article in his case was not particularly impressive.

Arsene Wenger has outstayed his welcome at Arsenal and the club needs to make a change. Philosophical principles are all well and good but, in reality, results are what count and the club is not going to get them on a consistent basis whilst Wenger remains in charge.

Watford Football Club have parted ways with their manager, Adrian Boothroyd, following an extremely poor start to the Championship campaign.

The chairman of the club, Graham Simpson, revealed his disappointment at the decision but stated that, ultimately, he was left with no choice. Simpson released a statement saying “it is with some sadness that we have taken the decision” but “both parties feel that his tenure at the club is simply at an end”.

The chairman felt under pressure to act after a dismal run of form which has seen the club pick up just 15 points from 15 matches. Watford are now sitting in 21st position in the Championship and are only above the relegation zone on goal difference. Last Saturday saw the team lose to Blackpool despite holding the lead on three separate occasions.

Boothroyd made it clear after the match that all was not well at the club. He explicitly expressed his frustration, stating that “I’ve never been so irritated”. He blasted the overall performance of his players, revealing that “there’s some absolute howlers taking place” on the pitch.

Boothroyd appeared frustrated that his hard work on the training ground with his team came to nothing, as individual errors rendered previous match plans irrelevant. He ended his statement by revealing that he did not wish to “be in a relegation battle”.

The events of the past couple of days have brought a sad end to the reign of a manager who quickly became a firm favourite at the club. Boothroyd joined Watford in 2005 and had an immediate impact. When he joined the club, they were flirting with relegation and were dealing with the prospect of spending at least one season in League One.

However, after the young manager worked his magic, the club found itself in the Premier League playing against tough opposition. Boothroyd was truly a breath of fresh air in the Premier League, and his honesty and consistent good sense of humour made him a favourite amongst the British media.

Despite the excitement of reaching the Premier League and the manager’s unique personality, Watford were relegated immediately and have not enjoyed good form ever since. However, Boothroyd, who is still only 37 years of age, is not entirely to blame for the current situation.

Some of the club’s best players have been sold since his arrival, including Marlon King and Hameur Bouazza. Financial restraints have also had a negative impact and restricted the manager’s decisions in the transfer market.

It is not yet clear who will replace Boothroyd at Watford, who face a tough test against Swansea at the Liberty Stadium at the weekend. Gustavo Poyet, who has learnt his trade at Spurs and now feels ready to take a step up to management, is one of the names being mentioned consistently with regards to the vacant position.

Other names include Alan Pardew (who is currently under pressure at Charlton Athletic, who sit in 22nd position in the Championship), Steve Cotterill and John Ward, who was forced to part ways with Carlisle United yesterday.

Yes

Well that was a short article. Apparently I need to expand on my answer to the aforementioned question.

As I sit here watching and listening to ITV’s studio I remember just how biased they with regards to British teams and racers – read Lewis Hamilton on Sunday. It was lucky they had an experienced duo in the commentary box who gave a balanced view of the incident – that it was a very soft penalty at best.

Part of my wrath with Liverpool is how often they get these last minute decisions and lucky breaks. You could argue that maybe they deserve it because they play well and they did play well tonight. However Atletico always looked dangerous on the break. It wasn’t like it was a backs to the wall job – not by a long shot.

I’ll get on to the main incident in the final minute of injury time. Steven Gerrard was running at full pelt going for the ball with Mariano Pernia. The Scouser ran past the Madrid player and brushed his shoulder and went down like he was belly-flopping on a wet tarp.

The assistant gave the penalty and the Spanish side were less than impressed by the decision. We always go crazy when people like Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba dive and we get on the backs of what the foreigners are bringing into our game.

Steven Gerrard dived for the penalty. Yes there was minimal contact but it was never enough to produce such a flop and he will get lauded for his efforts by the press. I bet in the morning it’ll all be about Gerrard to the rescue and showing his never say die attitude. Whereas the truth is he flopped his way to earning his side a valuable point.

The Daily Mail has been forced to pay Marco Materazzi, the Italian football star, damages after the paper claimed that the player racially abused French midfielder Zinedine Zidane during the final of the 2006 World Cup.

The paper had printed false claims which stated that Materazzi, who now plays for Inter Milan, had referred to the French player as “the son of a terrorist whore” during the match.

Zidane was sent off during the final after head-butting Materazzi, and during the following few weeks the papers in the UK were rife with speculation about what had been said to provoke such a ridiculous attack.

The Daily Mail stated in their newspaper and on their website that Materazzi had been using disgusting racist language throughout the match.

It later emerged that the Italian player had made a comment about Zidane’s sister, prompting the angry reaction from the French midfielder. Materazzi revealed that “I was tugging his shirt, he said to me 'if you want my shirt so much I’ll give it to you afterwards', and I answered that I’d prefer his sister”.

The Inter Milan player was given a two-match ban by Fifa following the unfortunate incident, which tainted an otherwise intriguing match of football. Zidane was banned for three matches and handed a hefty fine.

Materazzi’s counsel, Jane Phillips, revealed that the paper had accepted that the content they printed was completely untrue and Jonathan Price, the paper’s lawyer, apologised on their behalf for any distress caused by the episode.

In recent months, sports pundits across the country have been trying to figure out the precise reasons behind Tottenham’s poor start to the Premier League campaign.

However, they can now bring an end to this search, as Daniel Levy, the chairman of the club, believes he knows the answer. Levy has laid the blame on Dimitar Berbatov, despite the fact that the striker, who now plays for Manchester United, has not been at the club for most of this season.

Levy believes that Berbatov’s attempts to push through his own transfer to the Manchester club on deadline-day of the transfer window introduced instability in the dressing room and unsettled the manager at the time, Juande Ramos.

The striker eventually left Spurs for a fee of over £30 million, but prior to his departure he was left out of key matches against teams including Sunderland and Chelsea.

At the time, Ramos declared that Berbatov was psychologically unfit to play. Levy believes that this is an example of a player using their power in an inappropriate manner, stating: “The reality is, in modern football, the players have all the power”.

Although the striker is no longer with the club, the chairman still feels anger over the situation. He has blasted the striker for treating the club in a disrespectful manner after they gave him a chance to prove himself in the Premier League.

The player had previously signed a long-term contract at Spurs and Levy held many conversations with him in an attempt to make him respect the commitment made to the club.

Yesterday we saw an episode of quite awful refereeing. Stuart Attwell – the man who had been in the middle of the Reading 'ghost goal' was again the man in charge and this time he has no-one to blame but himself.

It was only his third game since that incident after a long spell on the sidelines. It was clearly his biggest as he took charge of the East Midlands' Derby between Derby County and Nottingham Forest in front of the live SKY TV cameras. He had already harshly sent off Forest's Lewis McGugan in the 74th minute before the real drama unveiled...

We are in injury time and a Derby player crosses a ball into the Forest box - it bounces and hits a Forest player on the arm. The arm is down by his side and made no movement to the ball - it just hit it. No-one appeals and I mean no-one. The ball bobbles up to a Derby player and he heads the ball in for the winner.

However as the ball is looping into the net, the referee blows for a penalty. Terrible decision but it'll get worse for the referee.

The Forest keeper saved the penalty and pushed it out for a corner. The corner comes in and a terrific header is tipped round the post for another corner.

This corner comes in and a Derby player nuts it home and Derby win. However the referee somehow disallows the goal. There was no foul so I have no idea what he saw. No-one has any idea what he saw, no pundits, no commentators, no players and neither manager.

Forest take the free kick quickly and are 2 on 2 before the ref blows play dead as they are going through to score what would of been a winner.

Both managers agreed in the post-match interviews that the penalty wasn't a pen and the goal should've stood in the first instance and that there was no foul at the second disallowed goal.

Attwell is the youngest referee in the Select Group and had only handled five games at Championship level before being given a chance at the top level. As Derby County manager Paul Jewell said 'he's (Attwell) meant to be the best thing since sliced bread' but we all know he isn't. He got the chance because of family ties and it is now plainly clear that he just isn't ready for top level officiating.

If he gets another game in the Premiership this season then quite frankly it will be a disgrace. In all fairness the Championship probably doesn't deserve him either. You might think that I'm being overly harsh but he has had two real clunkers this season, making decisions that he really can't make.

A long time on the sidelines is what should be in his future but I suspect because of who he is and how much they have hyped him, he will be back in the middle within the fortnight.

Last week brought exciting news for Tottenham fans when the chairman of the club, Daniel Levy, announced plans to build a new stadium capable of seating up to 60,000 people.

This new ground will be located close to the club’s current home ground in North London, White Hart Lane. Leisure facilities, public space and a housing area will be constructed next to the stadium.

The stadium will be built slightly to the north of the current one and the adjoining land will be used for the other aspects of the ambitious development.

The new plans have been drawn up following a perceived high demand for tickets. The club’s season ticket waiting list contains approximately 22,000 fans. However, despite the need for expansion, Tottenham have always been adamant in their wish to remain in the local area.

Alternative sites for the new home ground were considered but it was quickly decided that their current situation was the perfect choice and land next to the site will also be appropriate for the scheme.

The leader of Haringey Council echoed Daniel Levy’s satisfaction at the club’s choice to remain in the local area. George Meehan has spoken publicly about his belief that the club brings “major economic benefits to [the] borough”.

He was also quick to praise the club for the work they have carried out in the local community through the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation. Despite the praise, Meehan provided some reassurance for local residents, stating that he would “consider” the plans very carefully before approving anything.

David Lammy, an MP from Tottenham, believes that the club is part of the community’s “life blood” and it remains important for young people living in the local area to be able to identify with a club with such strong ambition and drive.

Daniel Levy believes that the stadium will be similar to Arsenal’s new home ground, the Emirates Stadium. Like Arsenal, Tottenham will name their stadium after a sponsor, and will disregard the White Hart Lane name for good.

The chairman is not at all concerned that this will lessen the impact of the new ground in the world of football. Rather, he believes that it will become “iconic” after its construction.

This week has seen a reversal of fortune for the London club, with new manager Harry Redknapp inspiring the team to a dramatic change in form. They followed an exciting draw against Arsenal in mid-week with an inspired, albeit lucky, win over Liverpool.

Their position in the Premier League is now looking far healthier. This is just as well, since Daniel Levy was keen to stress that Redknapp will not have much cash to spend during the transfer window in January.

Levy believes that Tottenham already have players capable of scoring and that “talent” runs throughout “the rest of the squad”. The chairman believes that the club has already spent enough money recently and that there is "not very much available” for the manager to spend in the near future.

Fans of the club can only hope that the team’s good run continues and they start to work their way up the Premier League to a more familiar position.