1-0 to the Arsenal - away wins like they used to be

'WE want our Arsenal back' has been a popular chant from the travelling Gooners this season, and over the previous five days that is exactly what we have got.

Monday night at Reading we saw the free-flowing, Arsene Wenger Arsenal at it's very best. Flaky at the back, sure, but incisive and inventive going forward.

Wigan, on the the hand, saw us back to the days of George Graham. Solid and pragmatic, grinding out a 1-0 away victory. The sort of victory, in fact, that success is built on.

Both performances were impressive in their own right and showed that this team has more about it then perhaps they have been given credit for.

Of course it was only Reading and Wigan. Two sides in the bottom three and games we should be expecting to win. But in a league where everyone is capable of beating everyone else, two away wins at opposite ends of the country inside a week is pretty impressive stuff.

Anyone on Saturday who was expecting another Reading was always going to be disappointed. Wigan had been struggling with defensive injuries and were never going to allow us as much space and freedom as Reading had afforded us. We needed to work for this one. Grind it out.

Yes, we had one or two things go our way. Arouna Kone should have given Roberto Martinez' side the lead midway through the first half when he raced past the otherwise immaculate Per Mertersaker but fired wide of the target.

Then there was the penalty. My initial reaction was that it was a foul. Theo tricked Bousejour into the challenge and he was caught. Yes it was soft, but a foul is a foul and Mikel Arteta duly converted from the spot.

Having waited 330 minutes to see an away goal in the Premier League this season, Emerson and I were not about to complain about this one that was for sure! Plus, of course, when the goal is a penalty you get two celebrations for the price of one - the first when the referee points to the spot and the second when the ball actually hits the net.



Arteta slots home the winner to give us something to cheer at last

The banter with the Wigan fans to our left was great. They started it with a rendition of 'Robin van Persie, he left 'cause you're s**t.' But we responded with possibly THE chant of the season - 'Titus Bramble, he left 'cause you're s**t!' Hilarious.

But instead of going on to dominate as we had at Reading, for some reason we decided to sit back after that and the substitutions showed our intentions.

The Ox, who had been impressive down the right, was replaced by Ramsey, Podolski was replaced by Coquelin and Cazorla, who had had little influence on proceedings, was replaced by Laurent Koscielny. I wouldn't mind betting all these decisions were made by a certain Mr. Stevie Bould either.

They put us under pressure in the closing stages but that old Graham spirit shone through. Thomas Vermealen and Metersaker were outstanding, while Coquelin and Arteta gave them the necessary protection in the closing stages. 1-0 to the Arsenal. Got a ring to it, eh?

The win lifted us up to third place, thanks to Spurs failing to beat Stoke later in the day, so a club that was in crisis a couple of weeks ago is now looking in fine shape.

Of course I will not get too carried away. Improvements are needed, reinforcements are needed, but in the circumstances we should be fairly happy with our lot going into Christmas.

A title challenge in 2013 looks out of the question, although we did pull back a similar gap in 1998, but this is a work in progress. With the 'Young Guns' tied to long term deals, and Theo expected to sign his soon, this group can only grow and I wouldn't be at all surprised if we do indeed get our Arsenal back before too long.

Just don't expect it to be the class of 2004. More like 1994, but that will do for me. 5-2 wins are great of course, but it is the 1-0's that win you silverwear.

Michu at the double as Arsenal suffer shocking home defeat

ARSENAL 0 SWANSEA CITY 2
By Ricky Butler at the Emirates

Two goals in the final two minutes from leading scorer Miguel Michu gave Swansea a shock win at The Emirates on Saturday.

The Spaniard twice capitalised on Arsenal defensive errors in the closing stages to pile more pressure on beleaguered Gunners boss Arsene Wenger.


The Frenchman had spoken in the build up to the game about the need to win their home matches but his side rarely looked like scoring against a resolute Swans defence.

In contrast, Michael Laudrup's men should have been in front long before the end. Carl Jenkinson did well to block an early effort from Ashley Williams while Angel Rangel was twice kept at bay by Wojciech Szczesny before the break.

Nathan Dyer then broke from half way and would surely have opened the scoring had it not been for a great last-ditch challenge from Thomas Vermaelen.

Arsenal created very little in a first half display lacking any fluency. Jack Wilshere showed his frustration by berating Gervinho and Lukas Podolski for a lack of movement in front of him and the nearest they came to a breakthrough was a Santi Cazorla header which landed safely in the arms of Swans goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel.


Wenger's side came out at the start of the second half with more tempo to their play, but they still struggled to create anything tangible.

Twice Cazorla fired straight at Tremmell while the Spaniard then claimed a penalty after he appeared to be brought down by fellow countryman Chico Flores, but referee Mark Clatenberg was unimpressed.

Wenger threw on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Oliver Giroud and Tomas Rosicky - his first appearance of an injury hit season - for Gervinho, Podolski and Wilshere but it was the Swans who continued to create the better chances.

Szczesny saved well again from Rangel and substitute Dwight Tiendalli before Michu struck two minutes from time.

Vermaelen and Per Mertersacker were both attracted to Luke Moore leaving Michu with a clean run on goal which he never looked like missing.

With the Emirates still in shock, the Spaniard then capitalised on a mistake by the otherwise impressive Jenkinson in stoppage time to seal a famous Swansea victory - his 10th Premier League goal of the season.

"It was not a good performance," said Wenger at the final whistle. "I felt Swansea deserved to win. We were very jaded physically after two tough away games and today we were not at the races at all.

"We were guilty at 0-0 with two minutes to go. When you can't win it is important not to lose. We were not cautious enough defensively to keep a 0-0," he continued.

"We tried very hard in the second half to get into the game but we were not sharp enough to create many openings.

"We need to get the balance right in our offensive game. We had many attacking players on the pitch but we didn't create enough chances and we will work on that.

"The fans are right to boo. You cannot be happy when you don't win the games. We need to win our home matches but what we produced today was not convincing enough to keep our fans happy."

Swans manager Laudrup was delighted with his side's performance. He said: "It is a fantastic result and a great performance. It was easy to be motivated against one of the big teams.

"We have had a very good week with seven points from three games. It has been absolutely outstanding.

"We could play with no pressure. All the pressure was on Arsenal because they needed to win today.

"I felt we played very well. We created five or six big chances but when we did not take them I felt Arsenal would maybe get the winning goal. Fortunately it did not go like that and we scored two good goals.

"Michu is a great finisher and a great worker but in this team right now everyone is playing at a very high level which is great to see."

ARSENAL - Szczesny 8, Jenkinson 7, Mertersaker 6, Vermaelen 5, Gibbs 5, Arteta 6, Wilshere 5 (Rosicky), Cazorla 7, Walcott 6, Gervinho 4 (Oxlade-Chamberlain 6), Podolski 5 (Giroud 5).

SWANSEA CITY - Tremmell 6, Rangel 7, Yeoung 7, Chico 6, Davies 7, De Guzman 8(Tiendalli 6), Britton 7, Shechter 6 (Moore 6), Williams 7, Dyer 8, Michu 9.

REFEREE; M. Clatenburg

STAR MAN; Michu (Swansea) - Two superb late finishes capped a fine all-round display.

ATTENDANCE; 60,098

Villa away, another trip ruined by the match

ASTON VILLA 0 ARSENAL 0

I AM starting to think Emerson and I are becoming a curse on away games this season. This trip to Villa Park was our third of the season following on from excursions to Stoke in August (0-0) and Norwich last month (0-1), and once again we failed to see the team score.

I don’t know why we thought this would be any different. With Villa struggling at the wrong end of the table, this had Norwich written all over it. But the joy of travelling to away games is the hope you will witness something special, like a Reading, so we tackled the M6 full of optimism.

Villa Park, one of the best grounds in the country

Wenger blamed our lacklustre performance on tiredness following the midweek Champions League win over Montpellier, but how many more years do we have to suffer sub-standard performances in the Premier League due to our labours in a competition we are never going to win?

I am beginning to wonder if we would actually be better off not qualifying for it at all and just concentrating on the things that really matter. I mean it hasn’t done Liverpool any harm has it?

Tiredness or not, we seemed to think we just had to turn up, play our football and we would win. But unfortunately that is rarely the case for us these days.

I couldn’t help feel, however, that if Theo had been fit we would have won without too many problems. He is fast becoming our most important player, giving us that extra bit of pace and quality in the final third. Fingers crossed he signs that new contract then.

Theo Walcott, may have made the difference

But this was not to be our day. We occasionally looked good, stringing together some neat passing moves, but we rarely looked like scoring. Although the substitutions brought cries of ‘You don’t know what you’re doing’ aimed at Wenger from the away end, it was two of his replacements who nearly combined to give us the points at the death.

Arshavin’s lovely cross from the left would have left Gervinho with a tap in even he couldn’t miss had it not been for the last-ditch intervention of Clark.

I would love nothing more than to see the little Russian to get a run in the side. Technically he is still probably our most gifted player and a run of games may bring back his missing confidence.

Next up came the chant of ‘We want our Arsenal back’ from the increasingly frustrated away section. But just what is ‘our Arsenal?’ Is it the Arsenal I first fell in love with in early 1980’s? You know the one with players like John Hawley, Lee Chapman and Brian Sparrow in the team? And if so do we really want that back? I know I don’t.

Anyway as Emerson and I set off back down the M6, we reflected on another goalless away trip. His opinion was that Mertersaker, Ramsey and Szczesny had all played well and that Villa Park is a very nice ground. I found it hard to disagree.

Emerson enjoying another 0-0 draw!

Oddly the only three away games where we have failed to score this season are the only three we have travelled to. Our next scheduled trip is for the Capital One cup tie at Bradford in a couple of weeks, then Wigan just before Christmas. If we don’t score in either of those two, we will get the message.

Kicking it out or making it worse?

IT is difficult for a white, British male to write about racism in football without being accused of being racist. But to hell with it, I am going to anyway.

I could mention the fact that I grew up in a very ethnically diverse area on the East London/Essex border in the 1970's and that many of my friends were non-white. I could mention the fact that my mother was born in Burma and that I have often been mistaken for a 'foreigner' myself. But none of that matters.

No. I am just a normal white guy who is getting sick and tired of people like Rio Ferdinand moaning about how badly they are treated. Do me a favour.

Let's get one thing clear. This is not 1979. Things have moved on. These days, black players have never had it so good. The so-called discrimination they face is nothing compared to the shocking scenes that greeted players like John Barnes and Cyrille Regis, 30 years ago.

To you or I, Ferdinand is just a footballer. He is no different to Wayne Rooney or Ji Song Park. Yet he always refers to himself as a black footballer, as though that makes him different. He is bringing race and colour into it, no one else.

Now he wants to form a breakaway black-only players union. The current union looks after all footballers whatever their colour, creed or religion, yet Ferdinand wants one that excludes everyone except black players. Does that seem right?

Football, and society in general, has worked hard to break down the divides that existed 30 years ago. Equality was the aim and it has been achieved.

But that is not enough for guys like Rio. He wants to take things further. He wants to create new divides. He wants black players to have special rights over and above those of his white colleagues.

So now the FA, in their infinite wisdom, have announced plans to use 'positive discrimination' to ensure we increase the number of black managers and coaches over the next three years. That's right, they are not considering giving all potential new managers extra training to ensure we produce better coaches. No. They just want to raise the number of black coaches to appease Ferdinand. Genius.

This will lead to a situation where a stronger white candidate will be overlooked for a weaker black candidate just so the club do not appear racist. Rotas will be made so a certain number of black candidates have to be considered for each job, and if they are not successful...well you join the dots.

Since when has it been racist to employ the best candidate for the job? Forcing clubs to employ a black manager, however, is.

I would go further and question if there is really is a serious problem with the number of black managers currently in the game anyway. What percentage of white players go into management when they retire? I do not have the figures to hand but it can only be a very small number when you look at the jobs available compared to the number of players who retire every year.

Also, most club chairmen prefer to select a manager with experience. It appears only the same few managers jump from club to club. They get sacked somewhere and then appear somewhere else within weeks.

Therefore the bigger problem is a lack of opportunity for all new, young managers, regardless of their colour. It is a tough profession to get into, especially when clubs are under so much pressure to have instant success. Is that not the issue we should be looking at?

The other point worth remembering is that it is only over the past 20 years or so that the number of black players has significantly increased. Many have only recently finished playing, and many are still playing or working in the media, so it will take a few years for them to gain the necessary qualifications and experience at Academy level.

Therefore it stands to reason that over the next 10 years there will be natural increase in the number of black managers without any need for any of this 'positive discrimination.' Actually I will stop using that term. What makes it positive? It is simply favouring one group over another, the very definition of prejudice.

Anyway, I digress.

The fact is, Ferdinand is putting the fight against racism back 20 years. He is creating problems that do not exist and making people think about race again when they had stopped doing so.

There was a time when you knew the number of black of players at every club. They stood out because they were so rare. Unique. Now you don't even notice. They are as much a part of football as over-priced tickets and Chicken Balti pies.

Yet the minute a high-profile black player claims discrimination, it is never questioned. It must be right as they said so. So now players like Ferdinand set the agenda and no one can say anything against them for fear of being labelled racist.

Of course there are still isolated incidents. The odd moron who thinks they are clever. (Step forward John Terry) But these incidents are occurring less and less. We need to keep working, educating, and ensuring the guilty are punished sufficiently, of course, but lets not kid ourselves the problems are as bad as some would have us believe.

Kick It Out, and campaigns like it, are doing a good job when we don't need to think about them. They are tackling the problems without us even noticing. Drawing attention to it, as Ferdinand has done, will only do more harm than good.

It's lucky for Arsenal when the year ends in 6

FANS of a certain North London club like to remind everyone that it is lucky for them when the year ends in 1.

Of course, we should all be thankfully we are not successful for just one year every decade, but there does appear to be a year that is significant for Arsenal.

It all started right at the very beginning - 1886 - the year the club was formed, and it does seem that when the year ends in a 6, something significant happens.

1896 - just ten years after the club was formed, international honours came their way for the first time when defender Caesar Llewellyn-Jenkyns was capped by Wales. The year also saw Arsenal suffer their record league defeat, 0-8 at the hands of Loughbrough Town on 12 December.

1906 - saw the club reach the FA Cup semi final for the first time. Just two years after promotion to the top flight, Arsenal fought their way through to the last four, only to lose 2-0 to Newcastle United at Stoke.

1926 - saw the club finish runners-up in Division One, the highest position a London club had ever finished. It was Herbert Chapman's first season in charge and also the first season of the new offside law. Chapman's old club, Huddersfield Town, won the title that season, the second of their hat-trick of successes.

1936 - saw Arsenal win the FA Cup for the second time. A goal from Ted Drake, who had been injured for much of the season, was just enough to give them victory over second division Sheffield United, a sixth trophy in seven seasons for the club.

1956 - saw the death of manager Tom Whittaker. He was the last link to the great Herbert Chapman sides of the 1930's and it was no surprise that his death coincided with a decline in the clubs fortunes. From the league title success in 1953 until lifting the FAIRS Cup in 1970, the club won nothing.

1966 - was a great year for English football, of course, but it also saw Bertie Mee installed as Arsenal manager. Like Whittaker before him, he had been physiotherapist at the club before being given the job as manager, and he transformed their fortunes. He was the mastermind behind that FAIRS Cup success in 1970 and the Double that followed a year later - only the second time that particular feat had been achieved in the 20th Century. But Mee was unable to rebuild that side and ten years after he took over, he resigned.

1976 - saw Terry Neill become the new manager. Although he had played for the club back in 1960's, he had been manager of Spurs when he returned to Highbury in the summer of 1976. He was the youngest manager in the club's history and built possibly the greatest Arsenal side never to win the league. They did become the first side for over 100 years to reach 3 consecutive FA Cup finals, but won just one, in 1979 against Manchester United. His side also reached the final of the European Cup Winners Cup in 1980, losing on penalties to Valencia. The departures of Liam Brady and Frank Stapleton over the next two years saw the club struggle to maintain that success and Neill was sacked in 1983.

1986 - saw one of the most significant appointments in the club's history. Double-winner George Graham took over as manager that summer, after a successful spell at Millwall, and he would lead the club to six trophies in eight seasons. After lifting the League Cup in his first season - the first time the club had won that particular trophy - Graham's side became Champions for the first time since 1971, two years later. He went on to lead the club to a further title in 1991 - losing just one game in the process - an FA and League Cup double in 1993 - the first time this had ever been achieved - and a Cup Winners Cup success a year later. But with the team in decline and allegations over financial irregularities, Graham was sacked in 1995.

1996 - saw an ever bigger appointment for the club as Arsene Wenger arrived from Grampus Eight. No one had really heard him until then, but he soon made his mark, leading the club to the double in his first full season and changing everything. He brought success not seen at the club since the 1930's, with another Double in 2002, an FA Cup success in 2003 - the first time the club had ever retained the trophy - an unbeaten title in 2004 and another FA Cup win in 2005. With seven trophies in nine seasons, Wenger overtook Graham as the most successful manager in the club's history.

2006 - was the start of a new era for the club. 120 years after it was formed, Arsenal moved into a new stadium, just 500 yards from their old Highbury home. The year also saw the club reach it's first ever Champions League final, going down 2-1 to Barcelona having played the last 70 minutes with only ten men.

So I wonder what will happen in 2016? History tends to suggest it will something significant for the club. A successful new manager, a trophy success, or maybe something else? The good thing is we only have four years to wait...

A tale of two sixes

MANCHESTER CITY 1 ARSENAL 1
By Ricky Butler at The Etihad

WITH so much attacking talent on display, it was somewhat ironic that it took goals from two central defenders, both wearing the No. 6 shirt, to illuminate this Titanic battle at the Etihad on Sunday.

Joleon Lescott's towering first half header gave defending champions City a lead they barely deserved, but Laurent Koscienly earned Arsene Wenger's new-look side a point with a thumping late equaliser.

Both sides began the day unbeaten in the Barclays Premier League, although they had suffered contrasting results in the Champions League in midweek. While City were throwing away a lead in Madrid, Arsenal were coming from behind to win in Montpellier.

And it was the Gunners who set the early tempo, playing a neat, passing game reminiscent of the great Wenger sides of the past.

They should been in front inside twenty minutes when a lovely move carved open the City defence. Abu Diaby, looking like a young Patrick Vieira, found Santi Cazorla in the centre circle. He in turn fed the ball on to Aaron Ramsey, making his first start of the season, who spotted the run of Gervinho inside full back Gael Clichy.

The Ivorian, with three goals in the last week, had only Joe Hart to beat, but his first touch was heavy and the chance was gone.

Lukas Podolski then missed an even better opportunity as Arsenal continued to dominate. Carl Jenkinson robbed Lescott out on the right before pulling the ball back to the German international 12 yards out. Having scored in his previous three matches for the club, you would have expected a better finish from him then the wild drive he produced.

Yet for all their dominance, Arsenal found themselves behind at the break. Kieran Gibbs gave away a needless corner and David Silva's inch-perfect delivery was met with a towering header by Lescott.

Coming as it did in the final stages of the first half, it had more than a passing resemblance to the goal from Vincent Kompany against Manchester United in April that had all but sealed the title for City.

But despite their surprise advantage, City manager Roberto Mancini made a change at the break, replacing debutante Scott Sinclair with Jack Rodwell and changing the shape of his team to counteract the threat of Cazorla.

And it worked as Arsenal were far less effective as an attacking force in the second period. Yet they showed a resilience so often lacking to draw level with less than 10 minutes remaining.

A fierce drive from the outstanding Cazorla was pushed over the top by Hart, but when City failed to clear the corner from the Spaniard, the ball dropped to Koscielny to smash into the top corner from eight yards.

The French defender almost turned from hero to zero in a matter of moments, however, as his mistake nearly gifted City a winner. After Mannone had performed heroics to keep out Kompany's overhead acrobatics, Koscielny presented the ball straight to Sergio Aguero six yards out. But the little Argentinian somehow dragged his shot wide of the far post.

Arsenal had an even better chance to win it in stoppage time, and again it fell to Gervinho. He created space for a shot on the edge of the City area with skill and speed, but with just Hart to beat he lashed his effort into Row Z and it finished 1-1.

"I am pleased because a point was the minimum we deserved today," said Wenger.

"I am pleased also with the quality of our performance and our spirit. I am also a bit frustrated because I feel there was room to do more. We had early chances and very late chances.

"But overall I hope this will reinforce our belief and confidence and reassure us about our potential in this league."

City boss Mancini was less happy. he said: "I think we need to improve our defending at set-pieces because this has been a problem for us this season.

"We can do better and we need to work on this area. We are finding it hard not to concede at the moment and we are probably two points worse off than we should be so far this season.

"I'm frustrated and the players are frustrated but we will get things right, I'm sure.

"We didn't play very well today and we were getting a little overrun in the first half."

After a break from league action this midweek with the start of their Capital One Cup campaign, both sides return with tough games next weekend. Arsenal are at home to leaders Chelsea while City travel to London to face a resurgent Fulham.

MANCHESTER CITY - Hart 7, Zabaleta 6, Lescott 6, Kompany 7, Clichy 6, Toure 7, Garcia 5, Sinclair 5 (Rodwell 46 5), Silva 6, Dzeko 5 (Tevez 68 5), Aguero 5 (Balotelli 85 5).
Subs unused - Pantilimon, Kolarov, Nastasic, Barry.

ARSENAL- Mannone 6, Jenkinson 7, Mertesaker 7, Koscienly 7, Gibbs 6, Arteta 7, CAZORLA 8, Diaby 7 (Giroud 71 6), Ramsey 7, Gervinho 6 (Coquelin 90), Podolski 7 (Walcott 72 6).
Subs unused - Martinez, Djourou, Santos, Oxlade-Chamberlain.

REFEREE; M. Dean 8

ATTENDANCE: 47,318

Theo Walcott - The Marmite player

THEO WALCOTT. You either love him or hate him. Some say he doesn't have a football brain, others say he has no end product. Personally I think he is one of the most under-rated players in the Premier League.

The problems seem to stem from the fact that when he joined Arsenal as a 16 year old, back in January 2006, many expected him to become the new Theirry Henry. But Arsene Wenger did not want to rush him. In fact he did not play for the first team for the remainder of that season.

Despite this, however, Sven Goran Eriksson selected him for the England squad for that summer's World Cup in Germany. While there is no doubt it was a great experience for the young man, many neutral observers believed he should not have gone. Already the guns were out for him.

Walcott made his Arsenal debut as a substitute in the clubs first ever Premier League match in the new Emirates Stadium on the opening day of the 2006-07 season. Losing 1-0 to Aston Villa, Theo made an instant impression with his searing pace and played a major role in Gilberto Silva's late equaliser.

But Wenger was keen to bring him on slowly. He started just 13 games in all competitions that season, but played a big part in the club's run to the Carling Cup final, where they faced Chelsea. Despite struggling with a shoulder injury, Walcott scored his first Arsenal goal at the Millennium Stadium, although Chelsea were to come back and win 2-1.

Despite being bought as a striker initially, Wenger preferred to play him in a right-sided role where he felt his pace would be more effective. But that seems to be where the criticism has come from. It took Walcott time to adjust to the new position, and while his pace enabled him to get into some very good positions, he all-too-often made the wrong choices with his final delivery.

It was around this time that Alan Hansen said those famous words on Match Of The Day. Walcott had no football brain. That was it. It stuck. Whenever Theo's name was mentioned in any football conversation, that phrase would always be mentioned. Even Arsenal fans, it seemed, where jumping on the bandwagon.

I admit, he was frustrating at times. Injuries were not helping his cause, and he was unable to hold down a regular place in the side. He did not score his first Premier League goals until March 2008, going on to score a brace at Birmingham in the now infamous Eduardo match. But his second goal that day, a marvellous solo effort, showed he not only had a football brain but could finish too.

He ended the 2007-08 season with 7 goals in just 20 starts, but injuries hampered his progress over the next two years. He was in the headlines again at the start of the 2008-09 season with a hat-trick for England in a World Cup qualifier in Croatia, but the critics were soon on his back again. Not even 21, yet it appeared young Theo was not fulfilling his early potential.

The 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons were frustrating for Walcott. Injuries restricted him to just 42 starts and he struggled to find consistency in his game. At times he looked unplayable. At others like a kid out of his depth. Many Arsenal fans had long since lost patience with him. But not me.

I could not understand Wenger's reluctance to play him through the middle, in a central striker's role. With Robin van Persie constantly injured, and Emmanuel Adebayor off to Manchester City, I felt the time was right to give Theo a run up front. He had shown a calmness in front of goal and I could see a 25-30 goal-a-season striker in him. But Wenger insisted on playing him wide.

He slowly began to adapt to that role, however, and by 2010 he had matured into the player I always knew he could be. Unfortunately the critics refused to see it. He actually had a very good 2010-11 season, scoring 13 goals in just 25 starts, and creating numerous others, but still people were on his back.

I remember an incident outside the ground at Blackpool in April 2011 when it was announced over the PA that Theo would be on the bench. Many fans around me were pleased, saying that was where he deserved to be. I was shocked by their reaction. He had scored a hat-trick against them in the reverse fixture at The Emirates in August and their defence could clearly not cope with his pace.

Then, with us about to throw away a 2-0 lead, Walcott emerged from the bench to create the killer third goal for van Persie. That is what he can do and that is why he should be starting. But it seemed I was a lone voice.

Last season Theo reached new heights. He finally established himself as a regular in the side, the injuries finally over, and he worked in tandem with van Persie. In fact Theo assisted in nearly a third of Robin's goals last season, a fact recognised on numerous occasions by the Dutchman himself. No end product?? No football brain?? No chance.

But it seemed most of his critics were closer to home. Theo had a poor first half in the game against Tottenham at The Emirates in February and was booed by a section of his own fans at half time. But Wenger stuck with him and it paid off in spectacular fashion as he scored twice in the second half to seal a famous 5-2 victory.

That may well be looked on as the turning point in his career. He ended the season in good form until a hamstring injury saw him miss three matches. But his importance to the team was evident when he was brought on a half time in the final match at WBA, even though he was not 100% fit, and helped us to the 3-2 win we needed to qualify for the Champions League.

He then became England's secret weapon in the Euros this summer. His performance from the bench against Sweden turned the game and the whole Country was calling for him to start the subsequent matches. He didn't and we went out.

So this could now be a crucial season in Walcott's career. Into the final year of his contract at Arsenal, he is stalling over a new deal. Perhaps he feels he is ready for a new challenge. Perhaps he feels he is never going to get the chance to play up front under Wenger. Perhaps he feels the club lack ambition after the recent sales of Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and now his mate van Persie.

They say you only truly appreciate something when it's gone, well maybe that is only way the Arsenal fans will fully appreciate just what a fine player Theo Walcott is.

Thankfully it appears he is now staying with us, until January at least. Hopefully he will now get the chance to play in his proper position and save us a fortune in the transfer market by replacing the goals of van Persie.

I know he can do it. I see 25 goals in him this season if he is played up front. Personally I would play him alongside Oliver Giroud, feeding off the big man. With Lukas Podolski on the left, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right and Santi Cazorla playing just behind, we will certainly create the chances for him.

So I urge the fans to get off his back. You haven't seen the best of him yet. He has been a striker playing wide. Perhaps now we will get to see the real Theo Walcott. Perhaps you will realise you liked Marmite all along.

An away trip to Stoke. Warning, this is not for the faint-hearted

STOKE away. Hardly a trip to set the pulses racing is it? But after four years back in the Premier League I decided it was about time I finally visited the Britannia.

My last visit to Stoke was for a League Cup tie in 1996. Arsene Wenger had only just arrived as manager and a late Ian Wright goal gave us a 1-1 draw at their old Victoria Ground. It was knocked down soon after but I'm pretty sure it would not have taken much to demolish it. It was pretty much falling apart that night as I recall.

Despite the new stadium, and Stoke's return to the top flight in 2008, I had always managed to resist the temptation to go back. Maybe it was the football, or lack of football, on offer. Maybe it was Tony Pulis.

Ah Tony Pulis. If Stoke are the football equivalent of the Anti-Christ then Pulis is Satan himself. The man is stuck in a 1980's time warp. From his Wimbledon 'Crazy Gang' long ball tactics to his shell-suit and baseball cap, last seen worn by Harry Enfield in his 'Scousers' sketch from 1988. Calm down, calm down.

Pulis, right, mixes with some of the Stoke fans

Pele once described football as the beautiful game and if that is true then Stoke are clearly the ugly sister. Yet the club, its manager and the neanderthals who fill the stadium, seem well suited to each other.

Some of these guys clearly do not get out much. The look on their faces as they performed their ridiculous 'Wenger' routine told you all you needed to know. The lights are on but no one is home.

The radio on the drive up informed us that the Britannia is the loudest stadium in the country. Yet the only time they made any noise was when they sang Delilah. Once. Just after kick off.

Ah Delilah. I know there is a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why they sing a song about a man who kills his unfaithful wife made famous by Tom Jones in the 1960's (a Stoke fan once explained it to me), but I really don't care. It is just wrong on so many levels.

As it happens this trip very nearly did not happen for me at all. Having actually made the plunge to buy tickets for Emerson and me, mainly as it was the first away game of the season, I tore my ankle ligaments playing football the day before.

By Saturday night I could not walk let alone drive. The chances of me getting to Stoke and then standing for the entire 90 minutes were virtually zero.

I awoke on Sunday morning still in pain but Emerson convinced me we should go.

"You'll only be sitting in the car and then you can always sit down in the ground if it's too sore," he said.

Of course the fact that we were meeting his two older brothers, Rees and Ryan, at the station meant I was under even more pressure to go so I decided to strap the ankle up and bite the bullet.

As it turned out the drive up was pretty stress-free and did not cause too much pain so we arrived in the village of the damned at 12.30pm, an hour before kick off.

The plan was to park at Stoke station, meet Rees and Ryan and get the bus to the ground. However, by the time I had parked the car and hobbled over the road to the station they had already been herded onto the bus by the local constabulary. Perhaps someone should tell them it is not actually still the 1980's and football fans do not have to be treated like animals anymore. But then this is Stoke. Safety first and all that.

Anyway, as the buses would not be back for 25 minutes and would then take another 15 to get to the ground, we were advised to get a cab. A bargain at £7.80. Cheers, Guv'nor.

We arrived at the away end at 1.15pm and the atmosphere was building nicely. I had warned Emerson that there would be songs about Robin van Persie but he wasn't worried.

"I hate him now," he said. "He is just a dimming logger."

Just to clarify, that is Emerson's phrase for a someone he dislikes. Adebayor is a dimming logger, as is Samir Nasri and anyone who plays for Chelsea and Man. United.

As it turned out the songs were not as bad as I was expecting. A few about his rape allegations, one about Lukas Podolski replacing him, and that was about it.

More exciting for me was the chance to see our three new signings, although I was disappointed that Gervinho had been selected over Theo. Gervinho should never be selected over Theo. Never.

Despite our poor record at the Britannia I was convinced we would win. Emerson went for a 2-0, but swiftly changed it to 2-1 when he saw Vito Mannone was in goal.

"He's not very good is he?" he said.

I went for a rather more optimistic 4-2. The team appeared to have good shape and I felt Arteta and Cazorla would be too much for them in midfield, but I was convinced we would concede. We always do here. And Mannone was in goal.

Emerson looking happy before kick off.

As expected the neanderthal home fans to our left gave Wenger a 'friendly' reception while we tried our best to boo Pulis. At least I did. Very loudly.

So far so good then. My ankle was holding up well and the pain killers had kicked it. The sun was out, we were wearing our lovely new purple away kit and Emerson was happily singing all the songs.

But then the game started. The thing that shocked me most was Stoke's lack of ambition. I have rarely seen a home team waste so much time, and do so little to actually win the game. It was a blessing that their early 'goal' was rightly disallowed for offside as them going 1-0 up would have killed the game then and there.

I was, however, impressed with the way the back four all stood in a line with their arms in the air appealing for offside. Good to see the Bould influence already having a positive effect. Or perhaps they had they just watched Fever Pitch on the bus journey up?

The rest of the first half saw us dominate possession but create very little. Cazorla and Arteta were both amazing and I was particularly impressed with the work rate of Giroud up front. He chased everything and constantly put their defence under pressure.

The clearest chance fell to L-Pod (as I now call him) when Wilkinson slipped inside the area but he recovered to block the German's effort with his head. It was not until I saw TV replays later that I realised it had actually hit his arm, but you are not going to get a penalty for something like that away from home. Unless you are Man. United.

The players troop off at half time

The second half was even worse, if that's possible. Begovic in the Stoke goal was taking longer and longer over each goal kick and it got to the point where the away fans behind the goal were counting the number of seconds he was taking. Around 25 was about average, and as they had somewhere in the region of 10 goal kicks that would be around four minutes to be added on at the end. Wouldn't it ironic of we scored the winner in that added period, I thought.

But I had the feeling we were not going to score even if we played until Christmas. We finally looked more threatening after Theo and The Ox replaced L-Pod and Gervinho (far too late in my opinion), but we still created very little. Giroud volleyed over from a pre-planned corner routine, while Diaby and Arteta both shot wide from good positions. It led to the inevitable chants of  'Robin van Persie, he would have scored that,' from the Day Releases to our left.

We almost nicked it at the death when Giroud shot just over from 30 yards with Begovic off his line, but while I doubt van Persie would have score that, he may well have spotted Aaron Ramsey unmarked in the centre.

Action from the second half . When I say action.

The only thing to look forward now was to see the amount of stoppage time to be added. Don't forget the four minutes just on goal kicks, and with six substitutions it had to be at least five. But no. Just three. Three! You can bet your life had Man. United been 0-0 here there would have been six or seven, but we get just three. Not even enough to cover the goal kicks. Well done referee. Well done Stoke.

On this very weekend last year we were given our money back after the 8-2 defeat at Old Trafford, but at least that was entertaining. This was just awful and I would rather have got a refund for this one. From Pulis. In person.

Okay, so the positives. Cazorla is a quality footballer and will prove to be a great addition to the squad. A midfield with him, Arteta and Wilshere fills me with excitement.

Podolski showed good touches and will score goals, while I was impressed with Giroud's work rate. And of course the defence was immense against a side that always causes us problems.

We finally met up with Rees and Ryan in the car park behind the away end. Rees had been on night shift and had come straight here without any sleep. Quite how he managed to stay awake for the entire match was beyond me. I was falling asleep in the second half and I had had a full night's kip.

After our usual post-match McDonalds we decided this could be a great season after all. The new guys look good, there is the prospect of others to follow, and we haven't looked this solid at the back since the days of the 'Famous Five.'

I'm sure that if by May we have lifted a trophy this match will be long forgotten, but for now the memory is far too fresh.

Stoke away? Never again.

New season, same old problem?

WELL the first week of the new Premier League season certainly reminded us just how great it is, right? Goals galore, great comebacks, excitement and Manchester United losing. What more could we have wished for?

But for me the bigger issue was the dreadful offside decisions that cost both Southampton and Reading the chance of a point at Manchester City and Chelsea respectively.

There is no doubt that had it been a player from the away side, the newly promoted away side I might add, as far offside as both Carlos Tevez and Fernando Torres were when they scored, the goals would not have been given. But the big clubs always seem to get these decisions, especially at home.

FIFA have been calling for the use of goal-line technology to sort out incidents that occur very rarely, but if we are going to use technology for anything - and overall I am against it - then at least lets use it for decisions that happen all the time. Like offsides for example.

The pace of the game these days means it is very difficult for the assistant referees, or linesmen in old money, to keep up with play. That does not excuse the lino in the Chelsea match, however, as it did not need a video replay to tell us that Torres was miles offside when he put Chelsea ahead against Reading.

Decisions like that, even at this early stage of the season, could prove crucial for a club like Reading, where every point is so important. They had played well at Chelsea on Wednesday evening and looked set to earn at least a point with the score at 2-2 going into the last ten minutes. But all their hard work was undone by a dreadful mistake by the assistant, and this should not be allowed to continue.

Southampton suffered a similar fate at City last Sunday. The goal from Tevez may have come early in the match, and at one point the Saints managed to turn it around to lead 2-1, but it makes it no less important. To be fair to the assistant, on this occasion the call was much tighter and at first look it was touch-and-go, but replays showed Tevez was clearly offside and once again a big club had been given the benefit of a tight call.

So perhaps herein lies the real problem. Perhaps the referees and their assistants can tell what is offside and what is not without the need for video replays. Perhaps they just have an agenda in favour of the big clubs?

I am not suggesting for one minute that the officials are 'bent' in any way, just that perhaps they are 'influenced' by the stature of the club and pressure from the fans. I have heard many former referees speak of the pressure they felt at places like Old Trafford, and of course who would want to endure the wrath of Fergie?

But I don't just blame the officials. The Premier League will do nothing about the injustices bestowed on Southampton and Reading this week. Nothing. The assistants involved will be running the line at a Premier League game this weekend. They will not be suspended. Had these decisions gone against City or Chelsea, or, heaven forbid, United, they would have been relegated to League Two, or worse, without a seconds thought. One rule for one.

So what is the answer? Well personally I would like to see the officials come out in the media and explain these decisions after the match. Let them watch replays of the incidents and explain their thinking. Was their positioning wrong? Did they just did not see it? Whatever the reasons they should have to face the consequences. A fine, a ban, extra tuition. A written apology to the club involved at the very least. But they are unaccountable.

Perhaps the officials themselves would welcome the use of video replays to help them. If so, perhaps we should try it. The money in the game is so great these days that they cannot afford to keep getting it wrong.

If Reading are relegated by one point this season, a point they should have got at Chelsea, then the consequences for them will be huge. The lino will no doubt be sunning himself somewhere next summer without a care in the World while Reading will be suffering the consequences of his mistake. Where is the justice in that?

So a potentially great start to the new season has been slightly tarnished for me. As a fan of a club in the 'Big Four,' I fully expect to see my club benefit from decisions like these throughout the season. But that does not make it okay. I would rather see my team lose fairly than win unfairly. Unless it's against United at Old Trafford or Spurs at White Hart Lane, of course. Then I just want to see us to win.

Sky are to blame for much of what is wrong with the game these days, but they could just offer the solution to one of its biggest problems. Their million different camera angles and the speed at which they can produce replays could mean these offside decisions are called right everytime. And we would all welcome that, wouldn't we?

No van Persie, no chance?

SO Arsenal are held to a goalless draw in their Premier League opener against Sunderland on Saturday and it's all down to the sale of Robin van Persie. Yes of course it is. I mean the club never drew a home game while the Dutchman was playing did they?

The late chance missed by new signing Oliver Giroud would surely have been buried by van Persie, they said. Yes, I mean he never missed any chances did he? When he was fit of course.

Yes it was a disappointing way to kick off the new season, but I prefer to look at the positives. Santi Cazorla, for example, made a very encouraging debut. In fact I would so as far as to say he looks the natural replacement for Cesc Fabregas.

Lukas Podolski and Giroud may have failed to shine but both are clearly quality players and will score goals once they have settled in. Plus, of course, the possible arrivals of Nuri Sahin and Yann M'Vila mean we have plenty of reasons to be optimistic.

Furthermore the other challengers have not exactly set the world alight either. Manchester City struggled to overcome an average Southampton side, Chelsea appeared to run out of steam after a good start at Wigan, while United lost, and looked very poor, at Everton.

So it is hardly a time for doom and gloom. I can see great potential in this side. The squad appears to have more balance now and a midfield of Arteta, Cazorla and Wilshere fills me with excitement. Meanwhile, with Steve Bould working his magic on the defensive side of the game, I can see a lot more clean sheets this season.

But where will the goals come from, I hear you ask? Well, Podolski, Giroud, Gervinho, Theo Walcott and Cazorla all have double figures in them so I feel the goals will be more evenly spread this season. The Golden Boot may not be finding its way back to The Emirates come May but a real trophy might well be.

The seven year itch may be about to be scratched. I have not felt this optimistic about the clubs chances of success since the days of Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp. The other challengers do not scare me and, as long as we can stay in contention through the early weeks, I can see us getting stronger and stronger as the season progresses.

But the whole balance of the team does seem more suited to the Champions League. Chelsea proved last season that you do not have to be the best team to win it, just play to your strengths and have a bit of luck along the way. We can do that.

Failing that, of course, is the FA Cup. By January I believe this team will be flying and no one will fancy getting drawn against us. No one. Three major trophies to go for and we have a great chance in all of them.

Nah, who am I kidding? We have just lost the greatest striker in the World to one of our biggest rivals. And that is following on from the loss of Fabregas and Samir Nasri last year. The club is in decline, a selling club, and Saturday's 0-0 draw with a dire Sunderland side is the reality of where we are at.

The critics cannot all be wrong, can they? Wenger has clearly lost the plot and without van Persie we are doomed to another season of failure. Aren't we??

Super Saturday proves The Olympics has been a resounding success

CAN THERE ever have been a better night for British sport than the one we witnessed in The Olympic Stadium on Saturday?

3 gold medals in less time than it took the Team GB football side to crash out on penalties to South Korea in Cardiff. Amazing.

The first gold, won by Jessica Ennis in the Heptathlon just after 9pm, was the most predictable. Her performances in the earlier six events meant it was a foregone conclusion she would get the result she needed in the 800 metres.

Ennis did not need to win the race. In fact she only had to finish at least 13 seconds behind her nearest rival. She could have walked around the track and still come away with the gold. But that is not in her nature. Despite slipping down to third coming into the home straight, she pushed herself again to clinch the gold in style.

Meanwhile, the final of the Long Jump was taking place simultaneously, and we had a chance of two medals. Greg Rutherford led early on and, inspired by Ennis winning the 800 metres moments earlier, landed a jump of 8.31m in the fourth round to increase his advantage.

By now the Men’s 10,000 metres final had started, with Mo Farrah one of the favourites to take the gold. As the athletes ran past on the track behind them, Rutherford’s nearest rivals failed to match his distance and we had a second gold medal, just twenty minutes after the first.

The 10,000 metres was now becoming a very tactical race, with the Kenyans determined to make it as difficult for Farrah as possible. But the Brit went in front at the start of the final lap and pulled away from his rivals on the home straight to make a hat-trick of gold medals just before 9.50pm.

Coming on top of a great day elsewhere, where Team GB had picked up a gold in rowing and two in cycling, it was a great way to round off a remarkable day for British sport.

You almost had to feel sorry for the finalists in the Women’s 100 metres, which started just after Farrah had crossed the line. Usually this is one of blue-riband events but this time it felt very much like an anti-climax. The night had been all about the Brits.

The euphoria continued on Sunday, as Ben Ainsley won a 4^th Olympic gold in the Sailing Finn before Andy Murray demolished Roger Federer in the Tennis final at Wimbledon to land a gold of his own. He later picked up a silver with Laura Robson in the Mixed Doubles to make it another great day for Team GB.

It seems hard to believe now that the award of the Games in 2005 was greeted with so much scepticism. There is no doubt it has been a massive success, however, more so than Lord Coe could ever have imagined.

Yes, the cost of hosting such a major event has been mentioned many times, especially in these times of austerity, but there can be little doubt now it has been money well spent.

The whole thing has been superbly organised, the atmosphere inside the well designed venues has been terrific and the Team GB athletes, in so many different events, have proved to be the best we have ever had.

With blanket coverage on the BBC, it has also given us the chance to watch some sports we would not otherwise have had the opportunity to see. Handball, in particular, has proved very popular and it would be no surprise to see it really take off after The Games are over.

And of course the good news is we still have another week to go…

Hopes high for Daggers ahead of the new season

AFTER the struggles of last season, where they propped up the nPower League Two table for long periods, the Daggers will be confident of a more successful campaign this time.

Having released experienced players in the form of captain Mark Arber, Jon Nurse, Peter Gain and Damien McCrory - all of whom played a big part in the clubs play-off triumph at Wembley in 2010 - manager John Still is looking to rebuild his squad.

Although having one of smallest budgets in the league, Still has secured the signing of former Arsenal defender Gavin Hoyte on a 2 year deal. The 22 year old right back, who has enjoyed loan spells with AFC Wimbledon, Lincoln City, Watford and Brighton and Hove Albion, is the brother of Middlesbrough full back Justin Hoyte - who also began is career at Arsenal - and looks to be great addition to the squad.

Meanwhile, several of the younger members of the squad have been offered extended contracts. Promising midfielder Billy Bingham has signed a new 3 year deal and Still has great faith in the 21 year old, who made 30 appearances last season, scoring twice.

"Although he has been here a while he has suffered with injuries, but has returned to pre-season looking fit and sharp, so we are hoping he can really push on," Still said.

Another youngster tied in to a long-term deal is striker Dwight Gayle. Signed last summer, Gayle was sent straight out on loan to Bishops Stortford, where he scored 42 goals in all competitions for the Blue Square North side.

"He got a good year's experience at Bishops Stortford," said Still. "I am hoping he can follow in the footsteps of the likes of Paul Benson, Tresor Kandol, Ben Strevens and be a fantastic forward for us. He has all the attributes."

Abu Ogogo is another to be offered a new contract while also being named as club captain, while striker Brian Woodall, who had a great season, has been rewarded with a new 3 year deal.

Another striker, Sam Williams, who missed most of last season with a knee injury, will be expected to play a major role this time, and his partnership with Josh Scott up front will be vital to the success of the team.

Scott himself has suffered terrible injury problems over the last couple of years - missing virtually the whole of the 2010-11 season - but he is back now and ready for the challenges ahead.

In midfield Matt Saunders, who was signed on a free transfer in February, has also had his fair share of injuries, but everyone at the club has high hopes for him after impressing in the few appearances he was able to make last season.

Expectations for the Essex club are usually low, but I think they could cause a surprise or two this season. If the young players - like Woodall and left back Femi Ilesanmi - continue to develop as they have been, and the team recaptures the form it showed at the end of the last campaign, I can see them challenging for a place in the play-offs.

Still came in for some unnecessary stick from the fans last season but he proved once again to be the right man for the job. Let's hope the club can be rewarded for the loyalty they showed him with another trip to Wembley in May.

Racism in football? Fact or fiction??

DID YOU watch 'Is Football Racist?' the other night? What did you make of it? Do you think we still have racial problems in the game, or is it just another case of mountains out of molehills?

Personally I think the racial issues in football are nowhere near as bad as Clark Carlisle was making out. As he said himself, he has never been subjected to any racism, despite being in the game for 17 years, and most of the players he spoke to had hardly encountered any either.

Northampton striker Ade Akinfenwa told of a team-mate who once called an opossing player a 'black c**t' during a game, but apologised for it straight after the match. Hardly a major issue then. Things are sometimes said in the heat of the moment. Of course that does not make it right, but it is easy for something to slip out in these high-pressure situations. I doubt the player in question is actually a racist, and Akinfenwa certainly did not appear to have a problem with him. He accepted the apology and moved on.

Then we had Stan Collymore. It appears the worst he has suffered has been a few remarks on Twitter. Hardly surprising when you see some of the rubbish he comes out with, both on social media and the radio. While I am not condoning bringing race into it, we should remember this is a man with a very questionable past, so for him to get on his high-horse about a few comments on Twitter really does lack a lot of creditability.

Funnily enough the most harrowing story in the programme was that of Carlisle's father. He spoke of the racial abuse he suffered as a young man, both on the pitch as a semi-professional player and on the terraces as a fan. He said that was one of the reasons he never took his son to matches. Very sad. But this was back in the 1970's. Things were very different then.

He lost a lot of sympathy from me, however, when he looked to blame his failure on making it as a professional on his colour. Really?? I don't recall it standing in the way of Viv Anderson or Cyril Regis, for example, or later John Barnes. My guess is Mr. Carlisle was just not quite good enough.

In fact it was Barnes who was up next. I remember watching him play for Watford back in the early 1980's and thinking what a fabulous player he was. I was on the North Bank when he tore Arsenal apart in 1982 and I left that game thinking I just seen the greatest player ever. He was the new Pele.

But Barnes was one of the first black players I can remember getting racially abused at football. We all recall the banana throwing incidents at Liverpool, but I also remember an England match where he was abused by his own fans. Monkey chants every time he got the ball and some refusing to celebrate the goals he had scored. Unbelievable. Maybe Collymore should remember that before he starts playing the victim...

I guess it is unsurprising that Barnes now appears to have a chip on his shoulder. I always saw him as a trail-blazer for black players in this country but he ruined it all by trying to blame his colour on his lack of managerial opportunities. I recall him doing a terrible job at both Celtic and Tranmere Rovers so that is more likely to be the reason he has not been flooded with offers since. The same goes for Paul Ince.

So I don't buy into the argument that club chairmen are racist. Every chairman wants the best man for the job regardless of their colour. Yes, there has been a lack of black managers and coaches in the game but I think that is more to do with culture. Most black players seem to go into the media when they finish playing. Mark Bright, Ian Wright, Leroy Rosenior, Garth Crooks, Collymore etc. Perhaps coaching does not appeal to them in the same way it does to white players?

So, in conclusion, much progress has been made over the last 30 years or so and black players are no longer disadvantaged in the game. There are more black players now than ever before so it is inevitable the number of black coaches will eventually increase as they come to the end of their playing careers. But I still do not think we will see a massive change. If you look at some of the black players currently reaching the end of their careers, how many appear to be management material? Ashley Cole? Rio Ferdinand? I don't think so. That is not racism, it is simply that they are not cut out for a career in management.

Yet they expect to be considered for these jobs simply because of their colour. Positive discrimination I believe it is called. Or just discrimination as I call it. The best man for the job should get it, be they black, white or green. And most black managers have just not been good enough. In fact, with very few exceptions, you could argue that most white managers are not good enough either. I mean most of them get sacked, don't they? Is that racism too?

Carlisle is an intelligent guy. He is very good role model for all young lads looking to make a career in football. He has been given an important role within the game and is proof that colour will not hold you back if you do not allow it to.

So instead of the likes of Ince and Barnes blaming 'inverted racisim' on their woes, perhaps they should take a look at themselves. Go away and improve your management skills. Do not expect to be given a job simply because of your colour.

Instead of Collymore complaining about a few Tweets, he should understand it is him people do not like, not his colour. The more you look to blame your colour on your failings, the more you create racist feelings.

Of course racism exists in society. I think it always will. And it is not just blacks who are victims of it either, let's not forget that. But if the programme proved anything at all it is that racism is not a major problem in football in 2012. Suarez and Terry incidents apart ,we really have very little to be ashamed of.

So is football racist? I would say not, but what do you think??

The King is dead, long live the King

SO VAN Persie is not going to sign a new contract. Are you surprised? I know I'm not. He is 28 years old and been at Arsenal for 8 seasons. In that time he has won just one major trophy - the FA Cup in 2005. Surely a player of his ability deserves to have won more?

With big names like Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri long gone, the club has remained as far away as ever from the big prizes in recent years. Van Persie has decided he has seen enough. He wants to finish his career with a flourish and he feels he will not be able to do that at Arsenal.

But lets not kid ourselves. No player is bigger than the club. Others, far better than the Dutchman, have left before and the club has survived. Moreover, van Persie has spent more than half his 8 years at the club on the treatment table anyway.

It has only been in the last 18 months that he has finally remained injury-free, a spell that has seen him reach new levels of genius. 48 Premier League goals in 56 matches since January 2011 tells its own story. But if he does leave now I, for one, will not shed a tear.

As soon as a player no longer wants to play for you, you have to get rid of him. We will get good money for him too, although we are unlikely to re-invest that in the team. We never do. But at least we will be able to post a healthy profit again next year.

Before the Euros I thought the future success of the club rested with van Persie staying, but I think I may have got it wrong. I believe we will now move forward even stronger. Being known as 'RvP and the other 10' was not good for the club as a whole and others will now have to step up and take responsibility.

The arrival of Lukas Podolski and Oliver Giroud means we now have two very good forward players, while maybe this could be a good time to finally play Theo Walcott in a more central position. A front two of Giroud and Walcott, with Podolski just behind, could actually make us an even more potent attacking force.

I would therefore like to see any money from the RvP sale used on the defensive area of the team. A central defender and a holding midfielder - Matt Hummels and Yann M'Vila for example - are the sort of players we need to challenge for the title this season.

So the King may be about to leave, but long live the King. We should not forget the magical moments van Persie gave us, especially in the last season and a half, but we need to look to the future now. And what a glorious future it could be.

We still have a very good squad of players - with the bonus of a fit-again Jack Wilshere to come back in as well - so I am convinced we will be celebrating a Premier League or Champions League triumph next May. And how will Robin feel then??

Wimbledon. Can the second week live up to the drama of the first?

WHAT AN incredible first week of Wimbledon that was. From Rafa Nadal's surprise early exit to late-night matches under the roof on Centre Court, it has certainly been a week that will live long in the memory.

Nadal was beaten in five amazing sets by little known Czech Lukas Rosol on Thursday evening, before six-time Champion Roger Federer was taken all the way by Frenchman Julien Benneteau the following night - finally coming through 6-1 in the fifth.

Meanwhile, Andy Murray made it a third night of late drama when he finally over-came Cypriot Marcos Baghdadis at 23.02 on Saturday night, the latest ever finish at the All-England Club.

On top of the drama on court there was the return of the old debate over equal prize money for men and women off it. Frenchman Gilles Simon claimed, after his second round exit to Xavier Mallise, that women do not deserve equal money as their matches only last half as long as the men. He also claimed the men's game is more exciting.

Maria Sharopova, favourite to lift the women's title, countered by claiming her matches attract more attention than his, but her argument was rather let down by the clash between current Champion Petra Kvitova and Varvara Lepchenko the following day, which lasted barely 53 minutes.

Nadal was not the only former Champion to suffer an early exit, however, as Venus Williams crashed out in straight sets to Russian Elena Vesnina in the first round. Sister Serena, meanwhile, ensured a Williams did make it through to the second week after squeezing past Zheng Jie, 9-7 in the final set.

Defending men's Champion Novak Djorkovic has eased through the first week and is now favourite to retain his title, although in this Jubilee year can Murray finally end the 76 year wait for a British Men's Champion?

His biggest hurdle in reaching the final, apart from his suspect temperament, are Jo-Wilfred Tsonga and David Ferrer, who beat him in the French Open last month. But history may be on his side as the last British Champion, Virginia Wade, also lifted the title in a Jubilee year - 1977.

So we have much to look forward to as the second week kicks off this afternoon, weather permitting of course.

Lies, damn lies and possession statistics

POSSESSION STATISTICS. Apparently they are the new way of deciding who is the better team. Not goals scored, no. Possession stats.

Five-hundred square passes have now become more important than 2-3 forward passes that actually lead to a goal-scoring opportunity.

Sepp Blatter wants to find a new way of deciding drawn matches; well maybe he should consider possession stats? The result would be the same. Spain would still win.

England was considered to be not good enough at the Euros because their possession stats were so poor. Despite this, however, no one managed to beat them. No one. Not even finalists Italy.

They may have had only 38% of the ball and had the least shots on target of all the quarter-finalists, yet they scored as many goals as the others. Surely this proves how effective they were with the ball when they had it?

It has been said that 4-4-2 is out-dated and that the 4-3-3 - or 4-5-1 as it is generally played - is the way forward. Really? If you have the right players, 4-4-2 can still be very effective.

You may not be in possession of the ball as much - and you will have to work harder - but if you are fit, keep your shape, close down the space and make good use of your set-pieces, you can beat anyone. It worked well enough for England in the opening matches until they appeared to run out of steam later in the tournament.

Personally I would have used Andy Carroll up front with Wayne Rooney, and played two wingers in Stewart Downing and Theo Walcott. The one thing 4-3-3 - or 4-5-1 - lacks is width and that can be so effective, particularly on the counter attack.

For all their possession, Spain have only scored 3 more goals than England in the tournament - and 4 of them came against the Irish, the worst side in the competition - despite having, on average, 30% more possession per game.

Okay, so a long ball, or a well worked set-piece may not be as pleasing on the eye but it is ultimately what the game is all about. Scoring goals.

Yet the people who rave about Spain for their possession, criticise Arsenal for 'over-playing'. They should shoot more, they say, be more direct. Yet Arsenal usually dominates possession, only to fall to a sucker-punch - more-often-than-not caused by a long ball or a set-piece.

For all their possession in the Euros, Spain has been boring to watch. They have passed and passed but gone nowhere. Playing without a striker has meant they have had no outlet and just gone around in circles.

Yes, it has got them to the final but is it really the blueprint for good football? Greece were criticised for the way they played in winning the Euros in 2004 but at least they got the ball forward quickly.

I think we need to strike a balance. Yes, you need the ball but you also need to do something with it. An end product. Possession only gets you so far.

The good old 'long ball game' has been widely criticised but it was certainly effective. As the great Brain Clough once said 'It only takes a second to score a goal, young man.' He had clearly never seen Spain.

I want to see good, fast attacking play. Direct players who want to make things happen. Several side-ways or backwards passes may be good for the possession stats but they are not good for the paying spectator.

So let’s stop pretending possession is King. It isn't. Goals are. And until they change the rules of the game, the team who score the most goals will always win, whether they have 10% of the possession or 75. Playing two good forward passes will always be more effective than 20 square ones and, ultimately, more exciting to watch.

Possession statistics? You know what you can do with them...

Another tournament failure but perhaps the future will be a little brighter?

SO ENGLAND are not good enough. Well there's a surprise. Despite winning what appeared to be, on paper at least, a tough group, we should have known that when it came down to it, when it really mattered, we would come up short. Again.

But the truth is we probably got about as far as we could reasonably have hoped to with the squad we had. The only criticism you could aim at Roy Hodgson was that he was far too negative. Not losing appeared to be more important than winning, and it was that negativity that ultimately cost us the chance of reaching the last four.

Let's be honest, Italy were beatable. They arrived at the tournament on the back of a poor run of form, and it was only a nervy win over the Irish, the weakest side in the competition, that sent them into the quarter finals at the expense of Croatia.

Yet despite all this we went into the match with the same phlegmatic approach we had in our previous games. In fact the only time we have shown any real ambition under Hodgson was after going behind against Sweden.

Of course those tactics had worked well enough in the other matches but this was not the group stage. It was winner-takes-all, and over the 120 minutes we were clearly second best.

Despite this, however, I was confident we would win the shoot-out. All our previous exits on penalties had come after really good performances. The two semi finals defeats at the hands of the Germans - in 1990 and 1996 - were probably the best two displays I have ever seen from an England side.

We deserved to beat Argentina in 1998, while the two quarter final defeats to Portugal in 2004 and 2006 were both very unfortunate. Ironically our only shoot-out success had come after a drab 0-0 with Spain at Euro 96 so I felt perhaps history was on our side. But it was not to be.

Unlike previous exits, however, I was not upset or angry this time. No. Just disappointed. Disappointed we did not go for it a bit more.

You could tell by Hodgson's team selection, the same side that had laboured to victory over Ukraine, that he was content to sit back, trying to nick a goal on the break. But the longer the match went on the more we seemed to be simply holding on for penalties. Strange for a country with such poor a record in shoot-outs.

I don't buy into the fact that we defended particularly well either. Italy were afforded several good chances over the 120 minutes and with better finishing they would have won comfortably.

I also do not feel Hogdson utilised his squad particularly well. He simply stuck with the same players in every match, as though he did not trust the others. His insistence in perservering with James Milner and Ashley Young, despite neither having a good tournament, was baffling, especially as we had more dynamic alternatives on the bench. And Rooney? Well perhaps we would have been better keeping him at home...

But in all fairness to Hodgson, he only came into the job three weeks before the tournament started and did not have enough time to adequately prepare. He did the right thing by building from the back, making us organised and difficult to beat, so I have no doubt we will improve over the next couple of years.

Therefore I am not going be too critical. The team did as well as could be expected - even if the performances were not great - and there are several positives we can take from the whole experience.

Andy Carroll, Danny Welbeck, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all did their long-term prospects no harm what-so-ever, while Steven Gerrard proved himself to be a very good captain. Meanwhile, in Joe Hart we have a goalkeeper as good as any in the World.

We also have a some good players ready to burst onto the international scene. Jack Wilshere will surely be a main-stay in midfield for years to come, while others like Daniel Sturridge, Jack Rodwell and Connor Wickham offer hope for the future.

So while we looked as far away as ever from competing with the very best in Ukraine, there is at least a chink of light. Plus, in Hodgson, I believe we have the right man to take us forward. But I guess only time will tell.

Do not allow goal-line controversy to over-shadow England's success

SO England not only qualified from a group many felt we would struggle to get out of, we actually finished three points clear of France at the top.

But the euphoria of England's success has been overshadowed somewhat by the latest goal-line controversy. Having been the victims of a poor decision against Germany at the last World Cup in South Africa, England benefited from one against Ukraine this time.

Of course it is easy for Sepp Blatter to say the need for goal-line technology is now a 'necessity,' but with a fifth official standing on the goal-line, shouldn't they be spotting these things anyway? Plus, of course, he is conveniently over-looking the offside decision that was not given in the build up to the 'goal' in the first place. So perhaps Blatter would be better advised to improve the standard of his officials before he looks elsewhere?

I do not, however, agree that he is only calling for technology now it has benefited England. It has been unfortunate that two big decisions in the last two tournaments have involved our nation, but UEFA have been talking about goal-line technology for years. The more high-profile mistakes, the more likely they are to want to do something about it, whoever is on the right or wrong end of them. So lets forget any conspiracy theories.

But is technology the answer anyway? Personally I am opposed to it. Football has always been about human error, be it by players, managers, or officials. Take that away and you lose something important from the game.

The fact mistakes are made adds to the drama and makes the sport what it is. If every decision was correct then what would managers have to blame poor results on? Their own short-comings, or those of their players? Heaven forbid.

Of course it is easy to over-react when your team has suffered, but it is rarely a poor decision by the officials that proves decisive in the end. It is usually good play or a defensive mistake. Plus these things usually even themselves out eventually, as we have seen for ourselves.

The fact remains that most of these decisions are called right anyway. The first Italian goal against Ireland on Monday night, for example, was correctly given, and for every bad call there are 4 or 5 good ones.

But we should not let the controversy of John Terry's goal-line acrobatics overshadow what has been a great tournament for England thus far. A group that looked tricky on paper has been negotiated with the minimum of fuss.

We have looked solid, shown resilience and produced enough quality in the final third to suggest we could go all the way.

Winning the group has of course given us the extra bonus of avoiding World and European Champions Spain. Italy, however, will provide difficult quarter final opposition. They have a history of rising to the occasion in the big tournaments and have been solid and well organised throughout the group stage.

Without wanting to dampen your enthusiasm, it is likely to be a dour game. Both sides will sit back, looking to play on the counter attack, and Italy are past masters at that. The first goal will therefore hold the key, but I am confident it will be us going through, even it takes extra time and penalties. Yes, the Italians are even worse from 12 yards than us.

Should we get past The Azzurri we will then face the winners of the Germany Vs. Greece tie in the last four. Of course you would image that will the Germans, the only side with a 100% record in the group stage, but Greece showed they are no mugs with victory to knock out a very good Russian side last weekend.

All that, however, is for the future. So far we have achieved the minimum requirement for England at a major Championship, we have got through the group stage - only the second time we have managed it at the Euros - so we now need to show exactly what we are capable of.

But if we are to go all the way, we are going to have to make sure the ball hits the back of the net, as the next goal-line controversy will not go our way. Not if Blatter and his cronies have anything to do with it anyway.