Desperate Wenger signings are not enough

Just when you thought Arsene Wenger would seize the opportunity to go out and prove all the doubters wrong… he panicked.

With 60 million pounds banked from the sales of star men Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal fans were desperate for Wenger to go out and make a big splash in the market on players capable of replacing the gaping hole left by the exits of such star men.

What they got was nowhere near enough to fill the void.

South Korean forward Park Chu-Young arrived from Monaco on Monday for £3million – just for the record Monaco were relegated last season with the forward managing a whopping 12 goals last season. Wenger is taking a punt and hoping he gets some return on a minimal investment.

And if that was thoroughly underwhelming for Arsenal fans they must be totally unimpressed by Wenger’s last day desperation punts.

The first signing of the day was Andre Santos. A 28-year old Brazilian left wing-back from Fenerbache who has spent only two seasons playing European football, albeit in Turkey, where he managed 50 appearances and ten goals in two seasons. Either he is a dead ball specialist, his recent penalty in the Copa America for Brazil suggest he isn’t, or he spends a lot of time in the opponents half, which his recent displays for Brazil suggests he does. Arsenal fans primary gripe with Clichy was that he was out of position a lot. If I was them I wouldn’t be holding my breath on Santos being an improvement in that department.

Wenger’s best bit of business of the day was signing a much needed centre back. Per Mertesacker arrived from Werder Bremen after years of on and off rumours about Arsenal’s interest in the 75-capped German international. There have been questions in the past about his pace and mobility but he has improved with experience as seen in last summer’s World Cup and at 6 foot 6 will provide a much needed presence at the centre of Arsenal’s defence. Congratulations Arsene – you signed a decent centre half. At last.

With the clock ticking and still no replacements for Nasri or Fabregas the last minute desperation kicked in. Out of nowhere Arsenal were in for Mikel Arteta and within 6-hours he had signed a 4 year deal. The Everton midfielder was a hot property a few seasons ago but his career has been blighted by injuries and his productivity has tailed off as a result. In his seven seasons at Everton, the Spaniard averaged 24 appearances per season which surely is a massive red flag. Wenger’s side will be looking to play well over 50 league and cup games this season for it to be a success so signing a player who has managed over 30 games once (35 in 06/07) for a fee around £10 million pounds is very much a gamble. And that isn’t even taking into account the fact that he probably is not good enough for the level Arsenal are striving to reach anyway.

A few weeks back, reports suggested Wenger had missed out on signing Spanish winger Juan Mata because he failed to meet a clause in his contract in time. Last week Chelsea signed Mata for £25 million – a touch over the price Manchester City paid for Nasri – and yesterday they found it within their hearts to lend Arsenal Yossi Benayoun for the season, the man who Mata effectively replaced at Stamford Bridge. Benayoun has been a bit part player everywhere he has been – used as an effective squad player and making a lot of substitute appearances – well until he signed for Chelsea at least. Wenger has broken his usual mould by signing the 31 – year old on loan and it strikes of desperation. 

Chelsea’s willingness to lend Arsenal players indicates how far the Gunners stock has fallen and the lack of threat the other title challengers feel Arsenal now pose. Chu-Young, Santos, Arteta and Benayoun were not the names on any Arsenal fans lips when they lost Fabregas and Nasri and rightly so. 

They emphasise the fact that Arsenal have gone from being title contenders last February to Champions league also rans and the rash nature of Wenger’s signings show he has gone from being a thoughtful, considered manager in the transfer market to one panicking and rushing through deals for players with major risks attached. 

Wenger is gambling with the future of a club he spent so many years building and it remains to be seen if he has done enough to cover the losses the club have experienced this summer.

Joey Barton - Where will he end up?

The news that Joey Barton is being allowed to leave Newcastle on a free transfer is typical of a club with a history of crazy transfer dealings, but in reality it is just another part of the long running soap opera that is the midfielder’s life.

Barton was Newcastle's Player of the Year
last season.

His qualities on the pitch are much greater than those many perceive he has as a person, emphasised by the fact that the Magpies didn't win a game without him last season and the club are clearly taking a risk in letting the midfielder leave.

But the board have clearly had enough of his off the field antics which is not all that surprising given most football fans across England have long been divided on Barton.

Many people find him a repulsive human being and will never forget his past indiscretions. He spent time in jail for a alcohol fuelled assault on a man in Liverpool which saw him punch his victim twenty times. Many will have witnessed this often petulant and spiteful thuggery on the pitch, some of which saw him reprimanded (the punch on Morten Gamst Pedersen for one) and others he got away with (personally I remember seeing him do a similar thing to Craig Gardner at Villa Park the year Newcastle went down).

In recent years he has apparently turned a corner, becoming a key figure in Newcastle's promotion back to the Premiership and also being the clubs best player for most of last season. That is a fact not lost on Barton himself, who through his new found favourite medium of Twitter, declared himself "the best English midfielder in the Premiership" on current form, as well as lambasting the selection of Gareth Barry in the England side.

And now he has officially been made available for transfer, let’s take a look at his potential Premiership destinations.


Where he won't be going:

Chelsea - They don't need him and he isn't good enough for what they need.
Wigan - Barton does not need them and they couldn't afford him, although he would undoubtedly improve their team.
Swansea, Norwich, West Brom, QPR - None bar QPR could afford his wages, but he would be an improvement and provide Premiership experience in their respective battles for survival. However, Barton is unlikely to be in favour of a move to another side battling for relegation. If he has any ambition he will want to push for a move to a club with European football.
Blackburn - Venky's would undoubtedly love to cease the chance to sign him on a free and hail him a "world class signing", but Blackburn is not a big enough stage for the egotistical Barton.
Wolves - Barton's Twitter antics mean working for archaic Mick McCarthy is impossible.
Man City - His previous spell at Manchester City well and truly burnt Barton's bridges there. He isn't good enough anyway.
Fulham - It just doesn't sound right. "Joey Barton signs for Fulham". They are too much of a nice club.
Bolton - They could use someone of his talent's, but Owen Coyle has just gone out and signed Nigel Reo-Coker and the club are unlikely to be able to afford both's wages.

Unlikely destinations
Sunderland - They have done their business already and lining Barton up alongside Lee Catermole would be a recipe for disaster. Wouldn't be surprised though as he would surely love to stick one to the Newcastle board.
Aston Villa - While their midfield could certainly use his dynamism, Alex McLeish has said he won’t be buying any more players as Randy Lerner is looking to reduce the wage bill. However, the fact it is a free transfer means it’s not impossible.
Manchester United - United do need a centre midfielder and the free transfer means it is an interesting possibility, but I seriously doubt Alex Ferguson would want to take on someone with the baggage he brings. Although his Twitter antics would mean he fit right in with Rio and Rooney.
Liverpool - The red half of Merseyside has been muted as a potential destination for Barton, but they have spent big on Henderson and Adam already this summer. They also already have Gerrard and Lucas to play centre midfield. It's not entirely ruled out though.
Arsenal - While this has been widely muted, I would personally be amazed if Arsene Wenger signed Barton. Moving away from the fact he is English, his character issues make him an unlikely signing for Wenger who has a history of moving on players who become a disruptive influence in the dressing room and he certainly wouldn't stand for some of Barton's antics. It would however be refreshing if Wenger took a chance on a player who has been plying his trade in the Premiership.

Can see these happening:
Spurs - Harry Redknapp loves a bargain and is always looking to improve his squad. Barton would provide a bit of fight to their midfield and his forward thinking style of play would fit the Spurs way. He would also get a chance to prove himself to be the player he claims to be as Spurs will once again be battling to make it into the top four.
Stoke - This may be a surprise, but Stoke have proven that they are shrewd in the transfer market in the past and this move makes sense. Barton would improve their central midfield options dramatically and Stoke fans would also appreciate his combative style of play. European football also makes them an attractive option for Barton to showcase the ability he believes he has.
Everton - A move back to Merseyside has long been muted with Barton and while Liverpool would be the more glamorous option, their signings this summer make them a less likely destination. David Moyes has no transfer money to spend so will see this as a great chance to improve his midfield without having to sell one of his better players. While Everton fans may remember his short dropping antics of a few seasons ago, they would appreciate his style of play and he would definitely be an improvement on playing Phil Neville and John Heitinga in centre midfield. 

Is one more signing enough for Villa?

With the somewhat shocking news revealed by Talksport’s Ian Danter last night that Villa are only going to make one more signing after capturing Shay Given, where does that leave the squad? Time to investigate further.

‘Keepers
Shay Given
Brad Guzan
Andy Marshall

Brad Friedel’s departure left a gaping hole in the Villa rearguard, but credit must be given to Alex McLeish who has gone out and plugged the gap with an arguably even better keeper in Shay Given. A refreshing policy for Villa fans, a manager who fills obvious voids, after years of waiting for Martin O’Neill to sign a recognised full back.

Defenders
Stephen Warnock
Ciaran Clark
Richard Dunne
James Collins
Carlos Cuellar
Luke Young
Habib Beye
Eric Lichaj
Nathan Baker

In fairness, Villa look set at the back. There is a solid balance of experienced campaigners and up and coming youngsters with some premiership experience to back them up. While the departure of Carlos Cuellar is possible and Habib Beye’s exit would be popular amongst Villa supporters, you would feel confident if they went in to the season with these options at the back. The core of one of the best defences in the league two years ago is still there and McLeish will get them organised further which can only improve the teams defence this season.

Midfielders
Marc Albrighton
Stephen Ireland
Jean Makoun
Stilian Petrov
Fabian Delph
Barry Bannan
Chris Herd

This is where the problems start. The departures of Ashley Young, Stewart Downing and Nigel Reo-Coker leave a massive dent in midfield options. Charles N’Zogbia is likely to join when the clubs stop bickering over an extra million pounds, and will be an exciting replacement Downing on the left. However, Alex McLeish clearly believes Stephen Ireland can finally justify his salary and apparent 8 million price tag which remains to be seen. He flattered to deceive in his fleeting performances at the start of the season and Villa’s midfield looked lightweight at best with him at the heart. It will take some great man management by McLeish to get the best out of the enigmatic Irishman, but he has clearly been told he has to do so. Ireland clearly has talent but the club will definitely be relying on youngsters Barry Bannan and Fabian Delph to build on the promising signs each showed at times last year. Delph needs to get stronger in the gym to help him become the player his natural talent demands and avoid the niggling injuries which constantly blight his development. Bannan will likely be a very good Premiership player but it is unlikely that he will be able to step in and replace Young’s creativity. McLeish will also need to develop a system to stop his team being overrun in midfield, and I expect a lot of 4-5-1 away from home. That may not be a bad thing though, as their performance against Arsenal on the last away of the season suggested.

Strikers
Darren Bent
Gabriel Agbonlahor
Emile Heskey
Nathan Delfouneso

Villa should be fine up front. Bent was an instant success and looks set to be the club’s first 20-goal a season striker for many years if he can stay injury free. McLeish knows all about Agbonlahor’s undoubted goalscoring talent, as he constantly put his former Birmingham City side to the sword during his reign. If he stays fit and can form a partnership with Bent, the club should have no problem scoring goals. Both staying fit will also mean Emile Heskey doesn’t get on the pitch, which will further boost Villa’s goal threat. Delfouneso has time on his side, but he has said himself he needs to make a greater contribution to the side next season.

Overall

The Villa boards policy of not buying to replace both Young and Downing is risky, but the numbers and talent is there in the squad to do so from within. Alex McLeish should still be able to get the team into the top half and Europa League football is not out of the question. He may have to get the team differently to the 4-2-3-1 often seen under Houllier, but the current squad plus N’Zogbia would be good enough. Villa should also take the cup competitions more seriously under McLeish which means another trip to Wembley is also possible.
While some may see Randy Lerner as being thrifty with his money, he is in fact putting faith in his manager to make use of the squad he has, not fall out with players or farm them out on loan, and believes the club's young players are good enough to provide squad depth. I'm with him. What say you?

Does Roman Abramovich know what he is doing?

Betting is suspended. Rumours are rife. It’s official. Roman Abramovich is contemplating spending £13,000,000 to re-employ a new manager.

33-year old Andres Villas-Boas worked for the club under Jose Mourinho and was heralded for his thorough game preparation, which has clearly been carried over to Porto where he won the league and UEFA cup during his first season in charge.

But if the young Porto manager's impending appointment as the new Chelsea boss raises few questions on a footballing level more serious questions do need to be asked about the Russian billionaire’s business acumen.

He has a history of iffy managerial appointments on a financial level. He managed to fall out with Jose Mourinho, the best manager in Chelsea history, because of his refusal to fund further transfers, and replaced him with Avram Grant. Genius.  He then used his millions to employ Luis Felipe Scolari on a bumper salary, the highest in the world at the time, only to sack him after six months. He then failed to convince Guus Hiddink to stay and let him take over the Turkish national side after he won Chelsea the FA Cup. Carlo Ancelotti came, won the league and cup in his first season and was duly sacked this summer for failing to do the same again.

And it is not just in the managerial department where Abramovich has shown a lack of patience and often ludicrous abuse of his wealth.

He paid £50million for Fernando Torres, £30.8million for Andriy Shevchenko, a whopping £21million for Shaun Wright-Phillips, as well as stumping up £18 million for Yuri Zhirkov. Shevchenko then left the club on a free, Wright-Phillips at a loss of £13 million and Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho gave the club five seasons service for a loss of £13 million pounds, not including wages. The losses of the other two are yet to be felt.

Abramovich now wants to spend a figure around £13million to employ a manager who would probably still be working at the club had he managed to stay on side with Jose Mourinho.

In his reign in power, Abramovich’s millions have so far provided the club with three league wins, three FA Cup wins and two league cups.

But wiith the prospect of financial fair play rules being introduced by UEFA as of next season, the way he goes about sustaining that success needs to change. The squad currently contains a lot of senior players who at times last season showed their age, note the struggles over the christmas period. Abramovich will need to learn to kerb his excessive and ridiculous spending to ensure Chelsea are not the first club to be expelled from European competition. UEFA would love to make an example of an English club and if Abramovich carries on he could be the first victim.

Questions must be asked of the Russian if he continues with his recent lunacy. Initial plans to make the club self-sufficient are nowhere near fruition, and if the deal for Villas-Boas goes through Abramovich will again prove himself to have a distinct lack of understanding of football financing.

Deluded Villa fans need a reality check

“There’s a circus in the town, in the town” is a traditional match day anti-Birmingham City song at Villa Park.

But the current managerial situation and todays events at the club are threatening to make Villa fans and not Birmingham the punch line.

Reports of 500 strong protests and anti-Birmingham City chanting outside Villa Park are surfacing on Twitter as a section of the Aston Villa support succeed in demonstrating their complete lack of understanding of the game of football.

Protesting against the apparently imminent appointment of FORMER Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish as Villa manager, the fans are merely showing a complete misunderstanding of Villa’s status in English football and also shows medieval attitudes are still rife in football.

This protest is less about Alex McLeish ability as manager and is purely about the superiority complex that Aston Villa fans have over other clubs in the West Midlands and stems from pure disdain for Birmingham City. It also illustrates massive short sightedness on the part of the Villa Park faithful.

Fan reaction has already supposedly forced Randy Lerner’s hand in not interviewing
Steve McLaren, whose services Nottingham Forest are now lucky enough to have, and if Lerner crumbles to the fans again and doesn’t appoint McLeish they will have succeeded in depriving the club of another top quality young(ish) manager.

Lerner needs to remain strong and trust his instincts to take the opportunity to appoint the fiery Scot following his shock resignation from Birmingham City.

Yes, McLeish was manager of Birmingham City and yes, he got them twice. On paper, neither of those are typically glowing endorsements when Aston Villa are searching for a new manager and fan concern would be justified if this was all McLeish’s managerial career had amounted to so far.

But the Scot also took Birmingham to their highest ever league finish in 2009/10 before guiding them to Carling Cup final victory and their first trophy in nearly 50 years last season; unfortunately for him, a disastrous run of injuries and loss of form which saw his side relegated in the last moments of the final day of the season.

However, perspective needs to be bought here. McLeish took over a sinking ship mid-way through the season with at Birmingham and relegation was inevitable, but he was able to rebuild and bring them back to the Premiership at the first time of asking. There are many people to blame for their failures last season, McLeish included, but for Villa fans to kick up such a stink about his impending arrival at the club is ridiculous when it is purely based on him managing a club from three miles down the road.

McLeish’s name is not synonymous with Birmingham City. This is not like Manchester United pursuing Kenny Dalglish. This is not Sol Campbell signing for Arsenal. Villa fans need to get over themselves and not force a manager who could stabilise the clubs for years to come away from the club before he gets his foot in the door.

It is time for decisive leadership from Lerner. Appoint the man you want and McLeish is the best available candidate. He wants the job and Villa are clearly interested.

It is time for Randy to end the circus and get back to trying to make Aston Villa a force with McLeish at the helm.

No Young, No Martinez. No hope?

If Aston Villa fans genuinely believed that they support a big club then today's events must have left them seriously questioning their judgement.

Whether or not Villa ever got the chance to speak to him remains up for debate, with both clubs offering different tales as ever, but the fact the Roberto Martinez was unwilling to even discuss taking over from Gerard Houllier as Villa manager says very little for the club's status in English football.

While Villa fans may have been typically unenthusiastic about the prospect of the Spaniard taking over, my personal feeling is he would have been a breath of fresh air and would have rejuvinated a club which for so many years has been working so hard but getting so little. A bit of Spanish flair would have done wonders for the playing staff and fans.

And where do Villa go from here? We are back where we started with Mark Hughes at the top of the betting for the job. The Villa board are either biding their time in waiting until July 1st when he is officially free to join another club, he doesn't want the job or Villa simply are not interested. Who knows. Hughes would be a big name, but whether he would breathe life into a tired club remains to be seen.

Steve McLaren's name continues to be muted, but a simple look at Aston Villa message boards suggests he would not be a popular appointment. But then again, as previously mentioned, Villa fans tend to be pessimistic on any appointment and even Martin O'Neill was criticised during his reign which now seems so long ago. McLaren is determined to restore his reputation in English football and Villa too need a lot of work to justify their fans lofty expectations; McLaren's determination could be a perfect appointment. However, Lerner appears downbeat on that possibility, or with McLaren being a free agend he would surely have already made an offer.

And with all this uncertainty, it is unsurprising that Ashley Young appears to have finally made his decision to join Manchester United. Good luck to him. He has given four years to the club, which has been its most successful in recent years and like Martinez could have been, Young was a breath of fresh air in his time at the club. He will go on to justify the price tag at United after finally being given a chance to shine in an England shirt. It is a shame for Villa that he will not continue to build his partnership with Darren Bent, but with all the aforementioned managerial uncertainty and dismal season last year, who can blame him for joining the second best side in Europe.

But Villa fans should keep the faith. There are two months before pre-season friendlies begin and Lerner will rightly take his time in getting the next appointment right. Young's exit will signal a more prominent role in the team for Marc Albrighton, who was outstanding in flashes last season, and whoever the new manager is will undoubtedly bring in fresh talent.

Just who that man is, remains to be seen.

Work experience article - "European success would be proudest moment in Leicester's history."

Leicester's Katie Long believes European success would be the proudest moment in the club's history.

The English champions take on domestic rivals Slough today in the semi-final of the European Cup in Holland.

The domestic season finished in April so the team have been training hard since in preparation for today's game.

Long said: "It's been difficult because not everyone can always be at training because of international commitments in London.

"With the quality of players here, international commitments come with that. But we have dealt with it all season, so it is nothing new.

"We played a practice game against Wales Under-21s and won 2-0, but there is still room for improvement.

"We've had some really good training sessions and everyone was able to attend, which has put us in good shape.

"We also played against England Under-21s, which was our final game before heading out to Holland."

On board the plane to Holland yesterday were the likes of Long, Crista Cullen, Lauren Turner, Hannah MacLeod and Chloe Rogers.

Long, a long-term injury absentee, should be available for the clash against Slough, while Leicester coach Chris Mayer is hoping Crista Cullen recovers from an ankle injury.

Long believes if their hard work pays off and they are successful in Holland, it will dramatically raise the profile of the sport in Leicester.

She said: "In Leicester, football and rugby get the headlines so it would be good for people to recognise we are up there with them.

"We are trying to raise the profile of a woman's sport, especially ahead of the Olympics next year. It would be great if we got some recognition.

"It would be fantastic and a proud moment for the club if we can do it because it's the pinnacle of club hockey.

"In 2007 we got so close to winning, but now we have got perhaps our best squad ever.

"A number us have been lucky enough to win medals with England, but to replicate that with the club would be brilliant because there are a number of us who have been here years and years without doing so."

It is not just the players who Long wants success for.

She said: "About 30 of our parents and family who were there in the last round have paid to come out and support us again, and it's great for them to experience it too.

"We just hope to get the win."

Leicester won 3-0 at Slough and drew 0-0 at home during the domestic season, so they go into the match as slight favourites.

If they get through to Sunday's final, Leicester will meet either Den Bosch or Larensche, who play in an all-Dutch semi-final.

Messi Magic not enough to quell sour taste

El Clasico? El farce more like.

The game billed as one of the ties of the decade descended into a complete circus last night, and unfortunately will not be remembered for ringmaster Lionel Messi being at his effervescent best.

His timing and finish for the first goal was inch perfect, and the way he ran through the middle of the Madrid defence for the second goal was as impressive a finish as you will ever see.

However, from the moment reserve Barcelona keeper Jose Manuel Pinto was sent off following a half-time brawl it was clear that football would not be the talking point on Wednesday night.

When midfielder for the night Pepe was given a straight red card for an innocuous looking raised boot on full-back Daniel Alves, the chaos insued.

Mourinho was ejected from his managerial position, sort of, for his protests. He had to watch the rest of the game from a caged area adjacent to the dugout which in itself was no punishment whatsoever.

Pepe’s red card was undoubtedly the wrong decision as Mourinho had vehemently argued, but German referee Wolfgang Stark was done absolutely no favours by Alves.

The Brazilian spent thirty seconds prone on the floor before being carried off on a stretcher, only to jump up once on the sidelines and gesticulate impatiently to be allowed back onto the field of play once the game had resumed 10 vs. 11.

Messi himself was then guilty of similar playacting in getting Sergio Ramos banned for the second leg for a similarly soft foul.

The post-game interviews were contentious at best but in my eyes the Madrid camp has a point. Mourinho and co. are well within their rights to bring to the fore of peoples attentions the fact that Barcelona players for all their brilliance would not be out of place in a wrestling ring, such is the extent of their play acting.

Mourinho has been called a sore-loser, amongst other more controversial things, and many may disapprove of his outburst but what should not be criticised are his tactics in attempting to beat the mighty Barcelona.

Many have perceived Mourinho’s on-field tactics, including playing centre-half Pepe in centre midfield and backing off Barcelona whenever they had possession, to be negative. Real Madrid fans may not like it, but Mourinho has had more success in beating Barcelona in recent years than any other manager and contrasting styles are what makes football great.

If Stoke City win the FA Cup final against Manchester City, they will do so on the back of a solid, strong defensive performance against a far superior Manchester City side in terms of attacking talents. And if that happens, Tony Pulis will be hailed a genius.

And had Mourinho managed to guide his side to victory last night, he would have been a hero in Madrid.

It is important to point out that a strong rear-guard action and being physical in
tackles is not cheating. Rolling around on the floor holding your face when no contact has been made with you by an opponent, is.

People will rightly hail Messi as genius. He is the jewel in the Barcelona crown and undoubtedly the best player in the world. He has carried his side to a probable rematch with Manchester United at Wembley in May.

But, we will never know if he would have had the opportunity to do so had Pepe not been wrongly sent-off. We do know that the gaping hole in front of the Madrid back four would not have been there for his second goal, which has effectively ended the tie.

For all their technical skill and Messi’s undoubted brilliance, Barcelona are also the master conmen.

And if defensive tactics are not allowed to be used against them because referees are being conned in every tackle, it is unlikely we will see them beaten any time soon.

Why England won’t win the Cricket World Cup
By Matt Rumble

England may have just set what looks on paper a dominant 327-8 score against cricket minnows Ireland, but there are clear flaws in the teams batting line up.
Kevin Pietersen looked in good touch, but again got in and got out, failing to turn a good score into a great one and getting himself out with a poorly executed, boredom induced reverse sweep for 58.
England’s lower order then again failed to capitalise on the strong foundations set by Jonathan Trott’s 92 and Ian Bell who again reached the 80s.
However, the rest of the side once again showed an inability to finish an innings with any distinction. And it is England’s middle-order which is holding back the side.
We saw against India that a failure to finish an innings cost the side an impressive victory over tournament favourites India, and today against Ireland, Paul Collingwood, Matt Prior and Michael Yardy failed to impress against a distinctly average Irish bowling attack.
Without the spark of Eoin Morgan, who is missing the tournament with a thumb injury, England appear have no-one capable of either guiding the team to victory when chasing, or scoring the quick runs required in the last ten overs to turn a good score into a great one when setting a total.
Collingwood again proved himself to be out of touch with the bat, and is lucky that his fielding and bowling are valuable assets to the side. That being said, his position batting at number five must be under severe threat.
Ravi Bopara was drafted in to replace Morgan, but was unconvincing against Netherlands and he has not since been given the chance to play and show if he has the ability to score quick runs in a fashion which would fill the void left by Morgan’s injury.
If England are going to progress deep into the knockout stages, they need to find a solution to this problem or they will inevitably fall to a side like South Africa or Australia who have batsmen capable of scoring big scores in no time with a class that is lacking from England’s middle order.

FA incompetence makes a mockery of English Football

The Football Association have today proven themselves to be an organisation riddled with incompetence from the top down.

Their unremitting stance and refusal to retrospectively punish England starlet Wayne Rooney for his nasty elbow on James McCarthy also strikes of a complete misplacement of priorities.

Time and again, we hear the line “the referee’s decision is final” from the FA when they are faced with dealing with a difficult situation retrospectively.
Only a few weeks ago they saw fit to fine former Liverpool winger Ryan Babel for posting a mock-up of Howard Webb in a Manchester United shirt, a joke for which he soon apologised.

Rooney hasn’t, and probably never will, apologise for his actions. For those who remember that far back, Ben Thatcher was given a whopping 23 game retrospective ban from the FA, despite the ref having dealt with the situation at the time by sending the player off.

While I’m not suggesting Rooney’s elbow was anywhere near that dangerous, it easily could have been. An elbow like that in the side of a players head could have easily knocked McCarthy to the ground. If anything, Rooney should be both apologising and thanking him for not going down and making a meal of the situation.

Alex Ferguson's proclamation that the media would want Rooney “electrocuted” following his antics this weekend were in as ill taste as the elbow itself.
His stance was understandable, the need to deflect negative attention from his volatile young star was at a paramount at a key stage of the season. His words may have made the FA think twice about punishing the Manchester United striker, by putting them in a situation where they could be seen to be bowing to media pressure.

But it would have been refreshing for Ferguson to while perhaps not condemn Rooney’s actions, not be so adamant of his innocence. It was clear for all to see that Rooney’s elbow smash was as vicious as it was cowardly, and struck of a man who knows he is above reprimand.

Despite Ferguson’s hyperbolic statements, Rooney should have been given a ban. The referee awarding a free-kick was not him dealing with the situation. He too, should have been banned for making such a terribly inept decision.

Continued cowardice like this from the FA only serves to undermine their respect campaign and does the image of the game no good whatsoever.

There are lessons football could learn from other sports

During the recent game between Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur, one of the most exciting players in the Premiership went on a majestic run which produced one of the goals of season so far.

Half way through Gareth Bale’s run Villa defender Carlos Cuellar had a chance to tackle him. Due to Bale’s superior skill and cumbersome defending he failed to do so and the Welsh wizard went on to show typical poise in making Rafael Van Der Vaart’s excellent match winning goal.

Sky Sports very own Andy Gray, the master of hindsight himself, implored Carlos Cuellar to “foul” Gareth Bale, in his typically sporting manner. Ignoring Gray's advice, Cuellar tried and failed to win the ball. The rest is history.

Rather than opting to scythe down Bale he tried to play within the laws of the game and personally, I would rather he tried to do that than commit an innocuous looking trip, which so often scupper counter attacks which can produce fantastic goals. I’m thinking of a certain goal by Wayne Rooney last season at The Emirates.

So often Gray will pipe up about how it is “a good foul” and “worth a yellow card” when a player is bought down by an opposing player who realises his side is in trouble. It’s cheating but we all know that professional footballers will exploit every opportunity they have to insure their side don’t concede a good goal. God forbid.

What follows usually is the game slowing down, the team who conceded the foul argue with the referee, eventually the offending player gets a yellow card and in the mean time they get eleven men behind the ball. Potential counter-attack over. No exciting end to end football. Snore snore snore.

Typically FIFA take no interest in such apparent minor issues, or any issues other than boosting Sepp Blatter’s ego for that matter, but another sport recently implemented a new law which I feel would go a long way to adding excitement to a game which is constantly slowed down by the sly fouls Gray commends.

Field Hockey, not the kind played in ice skates, introduced the 'Self-pass rule' in 2009 and fouled players are now allowed to pick themselves up and take a free kick instantly to themselves. They don’t have to pass it to a team mate, no waiting for players to get ten yards away. The ball is continuously in play and the game flows much better.

In Rugby Union, players have been able to do this for years and while they don’t always choose to, when they do the game is played at a much higher tempo and is much more exciting for spectators.

There is no farce of having to clear it with the referee or waiting for players to be ten yards away. Remember the stir caused when Thierry Henry used to take a quick free-kick and embarrass a goalkeeper. It’s perfectly within the rules now but a rare occurrence because players need to clear a quick free kick with the referee taking it.

Not the case in Hockey and as a free kick is supposed to be to the advantage of the team taking it, why should it be?

It shouldn’t be a yellow card, if the referee even bothers to give it, and an opportunity for the team committing the foul to recover from a potentially threatening situation.

FIFA are constantly belligerent in their attitude towards goal-line technology, with one of their main grievances being that they feel technology would “slow the game down too much”. At the same time they do nothing about something apparently so minor which constantly slows the game down.

Imagine the excitement if a player like Lionel Messi could just jump up and carry on dribbling the ball when he was hauled down on the edge of the box. How much more end-to-end would games be if every time someone went past Alex Song, John Obi Mikel or Lee Catermole, they didn’t just trip them up and let their side get back into position?

Fans want more goals and FIFA apparently do too. The last World Cup final was boring because of constant fouling which slowed the game down ridiculously. Spain, the best team in the world by far, nearly lost because the flow of the game was constantly interrupted.

If for once FIFA were less archaic and put a little thought into the things which mar the game week in week out, it would become an even more exciting spectacle.

This particular rule change might even be able to save make up the seconds spent checking a goal-line replay.

Levy row threatens to get ugly

11 November 2010
by Matt Rumble

SHROPSHIRE owner Jon Glews believes the Cheltenham Festival should be abandoned for a year as the row over horse racing funding continues.

It was announced yesterday that the Levy Board’s contribution to racing would decrease by a further £10 million to around £60 million for 2011.

The board, who determine how much bookmakers should contribute to Horse racing for the right to take bets on the sport, have been at loggerheads with the racing industry for a number of years over how much they should pay.

A deadline for a decision passed on 31 October, which means the government are now stepping in to arbitrate.

Glews, who has a number of horses trained at Donald McCain Jnr’s yard, believes strike action is now necessary to force bookmakers to negotiate.

“Bookmakers try and say they don’t need Horse racing but it’s a complete an utter fallacy. Horse racing is their primary product” he said.

“I would be in total support of strike action. I would abandon the Cheltenham Festival for a year. Then we would see how much they needed racing because they would lose millions of pounds.”

The owner also feels that there are a number of fundamental issues in the way that prize money is awarded.

“If you own a Chase horse they can only run once a month. All-weather horses can run once or twice a week but the prize money is about the same. Really the prize money should be four times as much in Chases.”

“If it were up to me I would abolish All-weather racing. No one is ever in attendance so it isn’t making any real money for the industry. The only people who benefit are the bookmakers as the poor standard of racing provides betting fodder for them.”

Houllier's rocky start leaves sour taste - but it had to happen.

Marc Albrighton’s unnecessary 94th minute push on Damien Duff cost Villa a much needed 3-points on the weekend but given Villa’s start under Gerard Houllier it was hardly surprising.

The Frenchman’s reign, and Villa’s season in fact, has been nothing short of chaotic.

Since Martin O’Neill’s shock abandonment and James Milner’s departure, there have been two manager’s, a catalogue of injuries, players turning down contracts left right and centre, a 6-0 defeat, late goals being conceded and even Emile Heskey scoring a last minute winner.

But while much of that was not foreseen when Houllier finally took up his post on September 22nd, one thing that was a matter of time was a dispute with Jon Carew.

The Holte End fan favourite was sent to Villa by Houllier from Lyon in a swap deal, for the enigmatic at best Milan Baros, back in 2007, which suggested a clash was probable. And alas, since Houllier’s arrival, Carew has made a spluttering of appearances which have largely consisted of him trundling around the pitch holding his back; generally looking a far cry from the man who has been Villa’s top scorer for the past three seasons.

Prior to signing for Villa, Carew was renowned for his Nicolas Anelka like inability to stay at one club for an extended period of time. That being said, his recent public outburst in response to Houllier public encouragement of him to break sweat once in a while was hardly surprising and suggests unwillingness on Carew’s part to immerse himself in the Frenchman’s new fitness and hard work based regime.

Despite apparent clear the air talks this weekend, Carew’s departure looks set in stone with him requiring a new deal at the end of the season that is unlikely to be forthcoming. That will no doubt be greeted with resentment from the Villa faithful, whom have grown to adore the Norwegian for his goal scoring and enthusiastic goal celebrations, but Carew is a player who could only ever take Villa so far and Houllier is in the right here.

Martin O’Neill was a master of getting the best out of players like Carew, who flourished under a relaxed training schedule and a style of play which suited his lack of mobility. However, as seen in the two Wembley appearances and three sixth placed finishes, that was only ever going to get Villa so far.

Houllier may have ruffled a few feathers and has set about an overhaul of the side that fans may not like, but it was required if Villa were ever going to progress. Players like Carew and Stephen Ireland may not prosper in a system where hard work is as important as natural ability, but the new regime has seen a massive improvement in players like Emile Heskey and Stewart Downing who failed to prosper under O’Neill, whilst the emergence of Barry Bannan, Ciaran Clark and Marc Albrighton has been a breath of fresh air.

And while results are currently bad, Villa’s second half performance at Fulham was more than promising. Villa were vibrant going forward, their front six included four products of the club’s academy and two England internationals, and rather than sitting back and asking for trouble as happened on so many occasions away from home under O’Neill when holding narrow leads, they took the game to Mark Hughes’s men.

An Albrighton error aside, Vila would have come away with an impressive victory, and pundits would have been hailing Houllier’s ability to maintain a footballing philosophy despite a plethora of injuries which could have easily persuaded him to have settled for a point.

Villa didn’t. They dominated the play, had an abundance of chances, and Barry Bannan and Ciaran Clark bossed the midfield in a way which Stilian Petrov never has.

No long balls and no sloppy concession of possession in a league where you get punished. If that’s how we play without Carew then, thanks for the memories John.

One too many Favre returns? Vikings hopes hang in the balance.

When Brett Favre was lying in bed after being battered by the New Orleans Saints defensive line in last seasons NFC Championship game he must have surely thought his Hall of Fame career was finally over.

Last season would have gone down as a glorious failure. Favre, ranked second overall in average rating in 2009, had led his new Vikings all the way to the Championship game with a seasonal performance which was statistically his best ever.

But in New Orleans in January, Favre was left battered and bruised both emotionally and physically, the 40-year old requiring medical attention on numerous occasions during the Viking's narrow defeat to the eventual Superbowl winning Saints.

No-one could have blamed Favre for calling it a day at that point and hanging his pads for the last time.

But, alas, Favre being Favre decided that enough was not enough (will it ever be?) and came back for one more push at the Superbowl. Right now, you have to question the future Hall of Famer's judgement.

His QB Rating is also down at 59%, as a pose to last seasons incredible 107.2. He has gone from second in last season's regular season Quarterback charts, to 30th, having already thrown four interceptions in two games. Favre threw only seven in the entire 2009 regular season.

Everyone knows that Favre has been erratic at points throughout his career. Big interceptions have blighted his time in the NFL, heck he has thrown more than any Quarterback in NFL history, but last season's performances suggested he had finally found a place where the onus wasn't entirely on him to go and force throws and win the game for his club. With Adrian Petersen at his side, and the Vikings mean defence watching his back, the seven interceptions in 2009 suggested he had become the ultimate game manager.

0-2 suggests otherwise.

In typical circumstances, a team reaching the Championship game with a talented side would be expected to push on in the next campaign. However, an aging Quarterback and the injury to his favoured target Sidney Rice have seen the Vikings manage only 19 points in their opening two games and so far at least, take a step backwards.

Most importantly for Vikings fans though, Favre's poor start means their season is already at a cross roads. Early defeats, to the Saints in the season opener and last Sundays shock home defeat to the resurgent Dolphins, have left them at 0-2 and two games behind divisional rivals the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers.

But all hope is not lost. The 0-2 Detroit Lions visit Mall of America Field this weekend, providing the ideal opportunity for Favre to get his form back. Add to that the Packers visit to Solider Field on Monday and the Vikings could quite easily be only one game off one of their Divisional rivals come Monday night.

A defeat to the Lions would be a massive shock, even given Favre's poor start, but a good performance is vital because the Jets, Cowboys, Packers and Patriots come next for the Vikings. An unconvincing display would lead to serious question marks about Favre's ability to take the team any further than he did last season.

If that is the case, it will surely be Favre's last season and definitely leave a stain on a career could have ended so impressively had he called it a day last summer.

Give it a rest Arsene.

We all know that the ideals of our democratic society entitle people to speak their mind about whatever they see fit.

And we are also well aware that peoples opinions are widely contrasting which sparks the debates the football supporters thrive on.

But seriously, Arsene Wenger talks complete and utter garbage from time to time.

Is the man seriously suggesting that the latest foreign import to break through from his youth team, Emmanuel Frimpong, should be considered for the England national side?

This is the same man who thought Manuel Almunia, you know that really English human being, was the solution to our goalkeeping woes (even if he was English, he wouldn't be good enough Arsene).

Frimpong may well turn out to be good at his job, but personally, if he played for England I would be appauled. The man was born in Ghana for crying out loud. Don't insult our intelligence with such tripe as 'they are good players and they are available for England as well'.

I know we live in a multi-cultural society, but what would be the point in having International football tournaments if teams were made up of player's who's pet-dog's-cousin was born in a particular country?

Modern club football thrives on doing this and rightly so, clubs have no obligation to represent the nation in which they compete but Wenger seems to not understand there is a difference between that and international football.

One of the beauties in the past about International tournaments was the ability of a nation such as Cameroon, Denmark or Croatia to turn up with a great side and turn over one of the big boys and go down as national heroes.

If Arsene had his way, which we know from history that basically centres around whatever is best for Arsenal, the richest countries would become superteams comprising of players of all nationalities who had come through the ranks at top flight clubs from such a young age that they qualify to play for that country.

Nations such as Frimpong's Ghana would be left with the scraps from whatever the big boys like Germany and England don't want, and we would never see the scenes of elation which the World Cup bought to their country.

For a man who prides his sides on beautiful football, cries at every injustice aganst his side and condemns those who don't play fair, Wenger doesn't half like to exploit every possible regulation to his own personal gain.

For one, he wouldn't have to worry about the new Premiership squad regulations if players like Frimpong were considered English.

The worrying part is, Wenger's image is already happening. Germany's squad in this previous World Cup bought to the attention the worrying trend for future international football. Fair enough, a lot of their players were actually born in Germany, but a number also weren't.

Happily, Capello for all his faults has so far resisted the temptation to litter our squad with the foreign 'stars' like Manuel Almunia and Charles N'Zogbia, but it's worrying for the future if we continue to see other nations develop their squads the way the traditionally proud German's have and managers like Wenger continue to champion their own corner for personal gain.

It would also offer absolutely no hope to any young English aspiring international footballers who saw the national side littered with refugees and foreign imports.

It's bad enough that none of them get signed by the top clubs, but don't lets kill the dream of representing your country at Wembley.

Thanks but no thanks Arsene, you keep Frimpong and we'll let Wilshere become the star of ENGLISH football.

Here we go again

It's struck again.

The illness thats eroding all that was once good about professional football has reared its ugly head once more.

If ever you needed evidence that capitalist American values have replaced that English desire to test yourself and strive to overcome your rivals has reached the roots of English football, this is it.

James Milner can and has been described in a lot of ways. A talented footballer who can play a number of positions. A model professional, always willing to meet and greet after games, England international and finally "very ambitious".

And now add Mercenary to the list.

Ambition to succeed is one thing, but out right greed is another and it is all the more prevalent these days. And it only gets you so far. Ask Gareth Barry.

He is a prime example of all the potential red flags a move to Manchester City comes with. As are Roque Santa Cruz, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Wayne Bridge and Joleon Lescott.

All, were bought in for bumper fees under the pretence of future greatness and are now back ups to someone more expensive yet equally unproven.

And the same will happen to Mr. Milner when city don't win the league next season.

Where is the true ambition in that?

Does Milner really want to jump on a bandwagon to play 25 games next season, before being cast aside next summer when Mancini or whoever is buying the players at City gets wooed by an agent for a player with a fancy name and overhyped reputation.

Does it seriously make that much difference if you earn 100 grand a week or 70? It's not like Villa didn't put a massive offer on the table. There must be a point you reach where it really makes no difference whatsoever?

And so if its not about money, what is it about City?

They splashed the cash last year and finished fifth. Wow. A mighty one spot higher than Milner's Villa. The players City have burnt their money on this summer are remote improvements on what they already have.

He has no deep-rooted association with them, no real motivation for joining, what have they ever done for him?

Milner filled the void at the heart of the Villa side with consumate ease last season, become a regular England international and had the chance to become a true great without moving clubs.

With his progression as a footballer, he would have driven that young team on in their pursuit of reaching the next level.

Now that heart has been ripped out. And for what?

The opportunity to be part of a squad of strangers with no bond or reason to be at City other than money? I bet he is so excited.

Teams win titles and trophies, look at Spain. Lots of teams had great players in the last World Cup, but they are a great team.

Winning trophies as part of a great team used to be the focal point of a professional footballers ambition. Now, unfortunately, it seems it's all about ambition to have the largest bank balance.

Money Money Money. Silly season begins.

It goes without saying World Cup year would see astronomical transfer fees exchange hands and players crop up from all over the globe to(encouraged by their agents) cash in on a few good performances.

This year’s rumour mill has been in full flow for a good few months now, and some silly clubs have already fallen into the trap of believing a players hype before any real substance materialises.

The clever, real, clubs jumped in early and took proven quality pre-tournament. David Villa finally got his move to one of Europe's elite clubs for a fee which, given the way he's rescued Spain time and again on route to the semi-final, looks like a snip.

Their Spanish counterparts, Real Madrid, took a typically different approach to the transfer market, waiting till a few games into the tournament to agree a fee for Argentina’s Angel Di Maria. The winger managed to start a number of games for Argentina during their traditional ‘flatter to deceive’ World Cup campaign, but in reality, twenty million pounds looks a lot of money.

Speaking of a lot of money, as you would expect, Man City represented the extreme other end of the spectrum and have been the first to dive right in and offer stupid money to players who have proven absolutely nothing.

They actually started the summer very sensibly. German defender Jerome Boateng has been as efficient as you would like from a full back and looked a much more thoughtful purchase than some of their previous purchases. It didn’t last long though.

While David Silva assisted Valencia to their best of the rest 3rd place finish in Spain last year, his one undistinguished performance against Switzerland in Spain’s opening game defeat has earned him a seat on the bench for the rest of the tournament. It remains to be seen whether the City’s biggest fee of the summer was money well spent, with Silva still needing to adapt to combative English midfields.

A word of note to any City fans expecting miracles. I’m sure Real Madrid, who have watched Silva week in week out for the last three seasons, would have had more than a fleeting interest and signed him instead of the even more unproven Di Maria to run their midfield next season.

And another thing

City raised more questions with another of their summer captures. Don't get me wrong, Yaya Toure is a better player than Nigel De Jong and Gareth Barry, but is he really worth the reported £220,000 a week they've given him to anchor their midfield?

Is £220,000 a week really a justifiable amount of money to pay someone who spent most of last season injured, and plays primarily as a destroyer in midfielder? I’m sure Lee Cattermole would have come for a snip of the price. If they had to offer someone of Toure’s stature in the game that much to come to Eastlands it doesn’t say a lot for their aspirations to sign players from the many echelon above Toure’s level.

All of this brings me on to the main point. What is the football industry coming to when Yaya Toure would rather go to play for City in the UEFA Cup, than sign for a massive club like say Arsenal or Manchester United who desperately need a player in his position, purely because of the wages on offer. When did footballers become so greedy, that they’d leave Barcelona for a club in a completely different football stratosphere for financial reasons?

Toure, rightly or wrongly, already has more money than 95% of the planet will ever have. But why is money that important to someone already set for life aged 27, that they would sacrifice a career at perhaps the greatest football institution in the world on the basis that an Arab Billionaire wanted to double his already astronomical salary.

I can’t wait until he announces in true Robbie Keane style, that he has supported City since he was a boy.

Money shouldn’t matter at this point in his career, playing for FC Barcelona or Manchester City is a no contest.

Which brings me to Joe Cole. The man who ‘wanted to be appreciated by Chelsea’, which in lamens terms means he wanted his last big pay day, needs to take a look in the mirror. Why churn out such rubbish when negotiating a move. If it’s really about money, take a leaf out of American sports stars and admit as much. Any working person can appreciate that given the opportunity to earn more money elsewhere, they probably would.

How refreshing would it be though, if Cole really did want to be appreciated as he says, he went and signed for his boyhood club West Ham on a £5,000 a week salary, reversed their demising fortunes and went down in east end folklore. That would be earn him true appreciation from the fans at Upton Park.

Something tells me his desire to be ‘appreciated’ means something completely different than the traditional sense of appreciation.

Why Bobby Zamora deserves a chance to go to the World Cup

The chorus of groans and sarcastic commentary when Emile Heskey is introduced at Villa Park on a match day has become somewhat a ritual for Aston Villa supporters.

For fans across the country, Heskey’s penultimate appearance for England at Wembley cemented the argument for him not going to the big dance in South Africa this summer. He simply does not score enough goals.

Despite that, his place in the squad during Fabio Capello’s reign has been bullet proof. Even now when qualification for South Africa is sealed and the time for experimentation is well under way. That decision has come at huge detriment to arguably the most in form and most improved English striker in the Premiership.

Bobby Zamora performs the same target man role for Fulham as Heskey fulfils for England. Unlike Heskey though, Zamora has been banging the goals in this year in Europe and domestically. His twenty-one goals in forty-four games this campaign would be enough to justify Heskey’s place in the squad for sure. Hell, most strikers would be delighted with that. (For the record, Heskey has twenty-two since the start of the 06/07 season.)

To add to the raw statistics, Zamora has scored vital home and away goals against German Champions Wolfsburg, a goal against mighty Juventus and a long range strike against defending Europa League champions Shakhtar before that.

That hasn’t gone unnoticed in some fields. Even the temperamental Dutch goal machine himself, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, has been impressed. This week he joined the “Zamora for England” bandwagon which has been building down at Craven Cottage ever since he scored a crucial goal against defending Premiership Champions Manchester United in November.

“Zamora is an effective striker, he's very important for the team. He holds the ball, he's a team player, works hard and he's an all round striker” he said.
"He can score and he's got more skills I think than you could imagine.”

Many would consider that a glowing endorsement from a man who has over three hundred career goals to his name for some of the world’s biggest clubs. But alas, the man who matters, Fabio Capello, has remained unimpressed.
Maybe he’s right to hold that opinion. Sure, Zamora is having the season of his life and could be considered a flash in the pan.

It’s true that very rarely on the World Cup stage does a striker such as Zamora burst onto the scene and make an earth shattering impression. That role is reserved for the likes of Pelé and Owen.
Sure, Zamora has a tendency to falter in the Premiership in fixtures away at the big boys.

But, and it’s a big but, Fulham are notoriously poor away from home. Maybe that’s not Bobby’s fault.
And maybe, just maybe, given the chance of playing with our nation’s greatest players, he would fill a void England are desperately searching for someone to fill and act as a foil for the irrepressible Wayne Rooney. He at least deserves a chance against Mexico or Japan to try and prove himself.

You never know, he might even manage to score a few goals while he’s at it.

Darren Byfield Interview

Meet …..

Darren Byfield

The 33 year old former Aston Villa, Rotherham, Gillingham, Milwall striker now enjoying his second experience as a Walsall talisman tells me about playing along side a global superstar, scoring in the play off final and his toughest ever opponent.

Growing up as an Aston Villa fan, I remember hearing about Darren Byfield as a star of the future. But coming through at Villa the same time as future England international Darius Vassell did not exactly do him any favours. Even though his time as a professional at Villa Park was brief, it still did not prevent him from briefly being part of one of the most unlikely strike partnerships in history.

“The best player I ever played with was Brazil’s Ronaldo” he said remarkably.

“While I was coming through the ranks at Aston Villa, the Brazil national team used the facilities at Villa. They had a practice match amongst themselves and three of the youth lads – me, Lee Hendrie and a lad called Ben Petty – were picked to join in. I played up front with Ronaldo. What a talent he was back then” he stated.

Somewhat an understatement to describe one of the greatest players the game the world has ever seen. But there were other influences on Byfield as a young player.

“I’m an Arsenal fan, so it’s between Thierry Henry and Ian Wright. As a striker, you always look up to players who play in y our position. Henry and Wrighty were two of the best forwards every to pull on an Arsenal shirt.”

Like his two heroes, Byfield has scored one or two important goals over the course of his career. The most notable of which was a play-off final winner in his first spell at Walsall against Reading, which got Walsall promoted to the old first division.

“What a day that was. Got to be my favourite ever goal” he announced proudly.
That first spell at Walsall was not always so plain sailing, as is proven by one of his tougher days at the office when another future England international was at the caused him a headache.

“In my first spell at Walsall, we played West Ham United. Rio Ferdinand was with them then and he was immense. It’s the only time in my whole career that I’ve thought during a game ‘I’m not going to get past you’. He was class” he said emphatically.

Since those earlier days, Byfield’s career has taken him to places such as Gillingham, Milwall and Rotherham with mixed personal and club success, but despite that he maintains an admirable passion for a game where the stars on the pitch live in a different world to those who adore them in the stands.

“You can’t beat playing football for a living. Simple” he said passionately. “Match days are special, preparing for a game and then playing in front of fans, that’s a special feeling.”

And while he maintains that desire, it’s clear that Byfield will go on scoring goals for a long time to come.

Time for heroes.

When Villa and Arsenal last met, the pre-game talk centred around which of the two clubs was more likely to make the Champions League spots come the end of the season.

As it transpired, the two sides were seperated primarily by the supreme skill of Cesc Fabregas, and further by a naive Villa side who chased a game when going a goal down.

Since then, Arsenal have raced clear of the midlands club and after last weeks game against Bolton, they sat at the top of the league.

Villa on the other hand have stagnated. Defeat to Arsenal was confounded by a heart breaking injury time defeat to Fernando Torres (playing for Liverpool at the time) and the home league 0-0 against West Ham which followed suggested the wheels may have come off for Villa.

The defeat to Arsenal and Liverpool cemented the difference between the pretenders from the Midlands and the two established top four clubs. That being simply Fabregas and Torres.

Both are world class players, amongst the top ten players in the world. Villa can match both sides all over the pitch, but as of yet none of the current side have proved themselves capable of controlling a game against the big four clubs.

Villa's three victories over the established order this season have come by virtue of resolute team performances rather than at the hands of a world class player.

Martin O'Neill has developed a flair for hyperbole when it comes to describing his young guns. Ashley Young was labelled 'world-class' and James Milner has been constantly referred to as 'magnificent' this season.

But is either capable of doing what Fabregas or Torres did to Villa?

The concensus suggests not. Milner has failed to impact any game so far this season against the top sides. No goals and no assists. Whilst a recent shift to the centre of midfield has reaped dividends against the lower sides, he is yet to be tested against a Fabregas or Lampard.

Young on the other hand, created the winner against United and showed great poise to slot the winning penalty away at Anfield. But yet, questions remain about whether he is clinical enough to influence the games against the top four.

For me, the difference in this game may lie with Gabriel Agbonlahor. Twice last season against Gallas he caused him problems, scoring a goal by out pacing him, and winning a penalty from the same situation. Ironically, Agbonlahor is often maligned at Villa Park for his lack of work ethic, and yet he has done the most to prove he is capable of providing a touch of quality against the big teams.

Arsenal on the other hand will be hoping the defeat at Stoke does not knock what has been a good recent run. Win tonight, and they will have pulled fifteen points ahead of Villa since they last met and could go back to the top of the league.

Despite that good run, Arsenal have shown a vulnerability in recent weeks. Against Bolton, they found themselves 2-1 down when a controversial equaliser got them back in the game.

Arsene Wenger is as prone to self-preservation as any manager. Much like O'Neill's ego boosting hyperbole, Wenger does his upmost to protect and inspire his players. But he went to far last week.

Gallas' clear foul on Mark Davies, which resulted in the player leaving on crutches, was brushed aside by Wenger. His defiant claims he would 'show you all the fouls we had over the last two games' don't mean that Gallas' foul is acceptable. What Wenger said basically implies that he has no problem with dirty play as long as its in favour of his side.

Clearly Bolton are a physical side, but that does not make Gallas' horror show right. Wenger should know as well as anyone the effects of a mistimed lunge, I'm sure he didn't take the same stance when Martin Taylor's mistimed tackle broke Eduardo's ankle.

That aside, tonight promises to be a good game and a test for Arsenal. Villa have lost twice at home all season and are tough to break down but injuries could conspire against them tonight.

Carew and Warnock are definitely out, with Richard Dunne and Stilian Petrov potentially joining them on the sidelines. Those potential absentees make it even more important for Villa that someone produces a Fabregas-esque moment if they are to get the win.

All the talk has been about James Milner in recent weeks. Lets see if their is a world class player in the Villa ranks.