Doubling The Amount Of Teams In The Champions' League Is Complete Nonsense

Champions' League could be extended
from 32 teams to 64.

Michel Platini has had more than his fair share of utterly bonkers ideas since assuming the throne of UEFA President in 2007. His latest, however, seems to have been dressed, by many, in a frilly frock and branded a masterstroke.

I am, of course, talking about Mr Platini’s rather bizarre suggestion that the participating members in the Champions’ League could be doubled when the final decision is made in 2014.

Not only would this dilute the quality of teams involved, but that would potentially mean SEVEN English teams being put through to Europe’s elite competition, at the expense of the Europa League, which would be scrapped.

This all comes amid the equally ludicrous reports the Europe’s top teams would form a break-away tournament, completely separate from anything organised by UEFA.

You’ve probably already gathered that I am utterly opposed to the idea, although I can see why the likes of Liverpool, Everton and Tottenham would all be looking on excitedly. It would certainly increase their chances of a glitzy away day in Barcelona or Milan.

But the thing I’ve always struggled with, even in the Champions’ League’s current format, is the fact that it is, essentially, something of a fraud. At least, it certainly is not what it says on the tin.

How can a side who has finished fourth in the Premier League rightfully justify their place amongst Europe’s elite, or as we’re led to believe – champions?

Call me old fashioned, but I think I preferred the format of the competition back in the days it was known as the European Cup. Fourth place wouldn’t have got anywhere near it!

In my books, the winners of the FA Cup, and dare I even say, the Carling Cup are far more deserving of a place in Europe’s top club competition. They’ve won something. They are, indeed, champions.

Now compare that to what Michel Platini has in mind – seventh place being eligible for a position in the Champions’ League.

Well, if someone finishes seventh and gets a place in the Champions’ league ahead of a true champion, then maybe there is something inherently wrong with the game we love.

Team GB Football: What Should Happen Next?

Wise heads: Ryan Giggs and Craig Bellamy

It is widely accepted that Great Britain’s first foray into Olympic football for more than half a century will be their last for a long time, so it is little wonder that Stuart Pearce’s men have been keen to make a big impact.

But what if this was not the last time a team was assembled from the four countries that make up Great Britain? What if there was a future for Team GB football?

As Pearce himself has said: "We've got a fantastic opportunity to sow a seed and say 'can this happen more often?'”

Following the disappointment of the European Championships with England, it has been refreshing to see this alternative outfit representing us on the international stage.

The greatest delight has been in seeing the likes of Ryan Giggs and Craig Bellamy, both in their 30’s, finally getting to compete in a major tournament. The travesty is, with Wales they never got the chance.

“It's just great to be involved in this,” Bellamy admitted. “We're representing four countries and it's a proud occasion.”

Both Giggs and Bellamy have been instrumental in guiding the predominately youthful squad to the top of their group at these Olympic Games, with each scoring in the opening two matches.

Their experience and, it must be said, sheer quality has stood out, and as the team steadily begins to gel, there is a real feeling of excitement as to what could be achieved.

Any decision to take this team beyond this one competition is sure to meet a fair amount of opposition, though.

Most notable is the fact that, of Great Britain’s four countries, only two are represented, with English players dominating the team sheet. Scottish and Northern Irish fans would hardly be warm to the idea of replacing their national teams with a bunch of Englishmen.

It’s not hard to see why there are no players from those countries involved, of course.

Voted for by fans, Northern Ireland’s greatest ever XI would struggle to beat the current England side, despite having the likes of George Best and Pat Jennings amongst their ranks, while Scotland suddenly seemed to stop producing top-level international footballers in the 80’s.

And whilst they are represented in the current squad, Welsh footballers are hardly any better. The likes of Aaron Ramsey, Joe Allen and Neil Taylor are talented, but you would still struggle to fit them into the current English senior team.

Then there is the small, but quite apparently significant issue of national anthems. We’ve already seen resistance to ‘God Save the Queen’ from the Welsh contingent in the three games that have already been played.

Such a situation surely could not be viable in the long term. There would have to be an alternative, but changes to national anthems supersede the responsibilities of football associations.

Those issues aside, however, what an interesting prospect a permanent Team GB would be.

For non-Olympic tournaments, the under-23 rule would not exist, so the likes of Bellamy and Giggs would be picked on their own merit, rather than to fulfil an ‘obligation’.

Add to that some of the stars of the Premier League who we have not seen at the Olympics – Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart, and Steven Gerrard – Gareth Bale, even.

Indeed, if he can get back to full-fitness, how brilliant would it be to see Darren Fletcher playing competitive tournament football?

These are opportunities that, in modern football, such gifted players have had to miss out on.

Perhaps, in years to come, a Great Britain football team would have more chance of winning silverware than England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Just a handful of additional star players would make a huge difference.

A lot of work would need to be done to get such an idea pushed through, and even if it was discussed, it would most likely be on a possibility basis rather than probability.

It’s just a thought. But then again, wouldn’t that have been how the campaign to bring the Olympics to London this year began?

Adel Taarabt's New Deal Marks a Changing of the Tide at QPR, Big Things May Just Be Around the Corner

Adel Taarabt: "This is my club. I feel at home"

Barely a year has passed since Adel Taarabt was being linked with a big money move to the super-rich French club, Paris St Germain.

Following Queen's Park Rangers' promotion to the Premier League, it seemed almost certain that the Moroccan international would be leaving.

Yet this week he has committed his future to the West London club by signing a new long-term contract.

Naturally, the more cynical football fans will say he has been tempted to stay because of the money; Rangers now backed by Air Asia tycoon, Tony Fernandes.

Indeed, in modern football, it is not something you can rule out all together – and besides, it probably was a factor, even if it was not the main reason for Taarabt staying.

“This is my club and it's given me the opportunity to show what I can do and trusted me,” Taarabt said, in the sort of PR fuelled manner that is sure to get the doubters on his side. “I feel at home here.

“Now I can focus on my future. I want to take the club as far as I can.”

And he's probably not the only one thinking that way at Queen's Park Rangers now. This is a new era – the sort that their fans could not possibly have dreamed of four or five seasons ago.

"These are exciting times, and my goodness, there hardly seems a more worthy group of people than the QPR fans."

For years they looked on as the poor relations of West London football, as just across the tracks Chelsea were glorying in title after title thanks to big Russian money, and Fulham were defying the odds en route to the UEFA Cup final under Roy Hodgson.

How quickly things can change.

Many were quick to criticise Fernandes for the sacking of Neil Warnock last season, with some arguing that his highly public image might even mean he was interfering with team selection and the likes.

But perhaps his decision has been proven justified. Warnock was unable to land another Premier League position, and in Mark Hughes they appointed an extremely gifted manager with an awful lot to give.

QPR managed to avoid relegation at the end of last season, and this summer has been one of rebuilding, with big names arriving at the club.

The arrival of Park Ji-Sung from Manchester United is possibly the most exciting. The South Korean will offer more than just Eastern marketing opportunities – he will add steel to the midfield, as well as that touch of class that saw him make over 130 appearances for Manchester United.

He is joined by the loan arrival of Fabio from Old Trafford, a player who many have tipped to be the best left back in the world in years to come.

In Robert Green, Andy Johnson and Ryan Nelson, they've added real Premier League quality and experience. Yet there is bound to be more to come.

The only worry surrounding this meteoric rise is it has desperate similarities to Portsmouth during those heady days under Harry Redknapp.

That is not to say that QPR will end up in the same situation – the goings on in the board room are much more transparent, and Fernandes seems like the sort of businessman who really has his head screwed on.

Big names are arriving, for sure, but ridiculous transfer fees are not being thrown around recklessly. The R's are taking a far more considered approach to things.

But there must be a certain word of warning.

These are exciting times, and my goodness, there hardly seems a more worthy group of people than the QPR fans. For years they have had to settle for mediocrity, uncertainty and second best.

Now let's wait and see what the next chapter in this fascinating story is.

Chambers Arrival is Great, But Ipswich Need More of the Same

Luke Chambers: finally a Town player

It was in danger of becoming a 'transfer saga', as it is known in football. No, in fact, it probably was that already.

Luke Chambers arrival at Ipswich on Monday could not have come soon enough for Ipswich supporters, with a worrying sense of deja-vu lurking as negotiations continued to grow more and more drawn out.

Paul Jewell insisted that there was nothing to worry about, that the transfer would be concluded in its own good time.

The trouble is, similar sound-bites have come out of Portman Road in the past. After replacing Roy Keane as manager, Jewell very nearly made Charlie Austin his first signing at the club.

Indeed, the former Swindon hot-shot was in Ipswich to complete a medical, fees had been agreed and everything else just appeared to be a formality. Then, out of the blue, he had a change of heart and joined Burnley.

Throughout the Jewell tenure there have been similar stories of near misses in the transfer market, and for the supporters it was growing more an more frustrating.

Fingers were starting to be pointed. Some blamed the manager, many blamed the chief executive, Simon Clegg. An idiotic minority even argued the problem lied with Marcus Evans – the media and hospitality tycoon who had rescued the club from possible administration just a few seasons before.

So it was little wonder, then, that a few were getting restless when former Forest skipper, Chambers was allowed to head back to the East Midlands and consider his options after passing a medical last week.

Nevertheless, Jewell was proven right, and Chambers signed on the dotted line parallel to much excitement from Town fans who were well aware of his ability at this level.

Yet the harsh reality of the matter is that Ipswich remain a fair way short of what will be required to compete at the top end of the Championship next season.

A few more players in the Chambers mould would go down quite nicely, and there would be a great deal of optimism around the place to go with it.

The fact is, in time like this, clubs need to act fast.

Positive, as you would expect from a new signing, Chambers praised the quality of the players he would be linking up with, but even he was quick to admit the squad was still a little thin on the ground.

“You look at the squad we’ve got, it’s not the biggest squad,” he admitted, “but I think some of the players we’ve got here are of [the] top level.”

A goalkeeper now has to be the top priority for Jewell, with the Town boss keeping his cards close to his chest regarding who that might be.

The club have already lost out to Brighton in their attempts to lure former Manchester United keeper, Tomasz Kuzsczak.

As things stand, the Blues only have one registered goalkeeper on their books in Arran Lee-Barrett; a solid, dependable sort, but arguably not the man help Ipswich into the play-offs.

Almost typically, Swiss international goalkeeper, Eldin Jakupović was snatched from Town's grasp by Hull City this week, despite having been on trial.

The fact is, in time like this, clubs need to act fast.

More defensive cover surely has to be another of the areas Jewell will be looking at. With Chambers arrival taking the number of senior central defenders at the club to three, surely at least one more will be required.

For quite a few seasons now there have been concerns over the standard of the defence going into the new campaign, so the sooner that is sorted out, the better.

Questions will undoubtedly be raised as to whether Daryl Murphy will return to the club on a permanent basis next season, too.

The Irishman impressed in a wide midfield role towards the back end of the last campaign, and with the ability to play up front, such a player would certainly be useful.

In fact, the wide areas are among those most in need of strengthening ahead of the new season. Often Town were criticised for a lack of pace last time around, so perhaps that will come into Jewell's thinking.

And finally, a striker. With Jason Scotland and Michael Chopra the two senior players vying for that position, there is definitely a solid foundation to build on there. However, it was a lack of variety in that department last season that often proved to be the team's downfall, so a couple more solid goalscorers certainly would not go amiss.

Overall, though, the squad is coming together. In the second part of last season, things did look much better, which is always encouraging for the upcoming season.

With a strong core to the team now in place it is about building on what the club already have, and making the most of it.

Of course, it remains essential that no more players can be allowed to slip through the net.

Call them negative, but fair play to Spain, they sure know how to win tournaments

Master tactician: del Bosque silenced critics

Winning any football competition involves playing to your strengths and gaining the tactical upper hand over your opponent. Simply being the best, does not always guarantee success.

Spain might just be the best international football team there has ever been, yet Euro 2012 has been the biggest proof yet that even they have to go into their shell somewhat to emerge victorious.

Their tiki-taka style has been much criticised from all corners of the media, as well as by coaches – none bigger than one of passing football's biggest advocates, Arsene Wenger.

“Throughout their years of success, they have tried to keep the same philosophy, which is based around wanting to have the ball,” Wenger said before their cup final meeting with Italy.

“However, they have betrayed their philosophy and turned it into something more negative. Originally they wanted possession in order to attack and win the game; now it seems to be first and foremost a way not to lose.”

Strong words, especially considering Wenger's Arsenal side have often been slated in the press for their over-playing and lack of cutting edge.

But the way Vicente del Bosque has adopted a formation that includes no recognised striker is unique, but hugely frustrating.

Spain played with the kind of verve and precision that was more in alignment with the early years of their footballing dominance, humiliating one of the tournament's most impressive units

Regardless, how can you criticise the Spanish for the way they play? After all, they have just won their third consecutive tournament on the bounce, and frighteningly for everybody else, seem to be quite comfortable when it comes to major finals now.

The last side to win an international tournament other than Spain, ironically was Italy in 2006, but on Sunday night they were comprehensively out-played.

Naturally, the main worry before the game was that Italy with their traditionally conservative style of play, and Spain with their supposedly 'negative' tiki-taka would result in a boring 0-0 draw where neither side dared to cross the halfway line.

In the end, we were all surprised. Spain played with the kind of verve and precision that was more in alignment with the early years of their footballing dominance, humiliating one of the tournament's most impressive units with a 4-0 hammering.

Even so, leading striker, Fernando Torres was forced to watch proceedings from the bench to begin with.

Perhaps then, the 4-6-0 formation is more a means to an end, than a permanent solution. Spain are that good right now, that they can score goals – even with their number nine on the bench.

One argument might be that it is their way of phasing out midfield-master, Xavi over the next few years.

The Barcelona ace is now the wrong side of 30, as is Real Madrid's Xabi Alonso, so blooding the promising midfielders that Spain have coming through, looks to be the master plan.

When Xavi and Alonso eventually do hang up their international boots, the likes of Cesc Fabregas, David Silva and Juan Mata will all be capable of seamlessly taking their place – not forgetting Andres Iniesta, now aged 28.

What it does mean, however, is the rest of the footballing world need to take note and beware. Spain are far from being done yet.

In a tournament of shocks, don't be surprised if Balotelli and co win it

Super Mario: Brace helped his side to final

This was Germany's year. A golden age for their national team, with some of the brightest young footballing talent on the planet. Winning Euro 2012 was written in the stars for them, everything else would just be a formality. Or so we thought...

There have been shocks in this year's European Championships – Greece advancing to the knock-out stages at the expense of Russia, the Netherlands imploding spectacularly and Sweden defeating the Group D favourites, France. But how many people genuinely expected Italy to make it to the final?

For starters, they were drawn in one of the toughest looking groups, having Spain and Croatia for company. With an ageing team, many doubted their chances of even making it to the quarter-finals.

Indeed, draws against both the Spanish and the Croats left them on the brink of crashing out early on. It was only last minute drama in the the game between those two sides that meant Italy would advance.

Then came 'plucky' England, as the media constantly refer to them as. After winning Group D against the odds, Roy Hodgson's men suddenly found themselves as favourites against a side who had supposedly struggled for form of late.

In truth, though, only one team deserved to win that game in the end, and there was certainly no sense of injustice when Alessandro Diamanti calmly slotted home the winning penalty.

You didn't have to be an expert to realise that the star man in that game was a certain Andrea Pirlo. Now aged 33, but with hardly a hair out of place, the deep-lying midfielder was coolness personified, controlling the game with almost metronomic rhythm, precision and grace.

So then, you would have thought the ever efficient Germans might notice that stopping him would be the key to their successful progression to the final. Close him down quickly and stick Sami Khedira to him like a limpet.

Strangely, they didn't, so it was little surprise that the Italians made light work of their much hyped opponents. Whether it was a reckless lack of respect or a just a serious error of judgement is open to debate, but the facts are clear, Italy will contest the final – not Germany.

Aside from Pirlo, the Italians were thankful for another master performance on the night from none other than Mario Balotelli. Popularly referred to as Super Mario, both of his goals were taken with the sort of devastating incision that would leave anyone thinking he genuinely had just stepped straight out of a video game.

"...with hardly a hair out of place, the deep-lying midfielder was coolness personified, controlling the game with almost metronomic rhythm, precision and grace..."

Spain will have to take note. For all their tiki-taka football is much heralded, and at times supremely beautiful, it is also painfully negative.

For much of the tournament they have played a bizarre sort of 4-6-0 formation which has seen talented goalscorers like Fernando Torres and Fernando Llorente left to watch from the sidelines. It was little wonder that they only reached the final by beating Portugal on penalties after a dire, goalless 120 minutes of football.

Don't get me wrong, the Spanish have played great football over the past four or five years, but with that has come a certain arrogance. Suddenly, they are trying to reinvent the beautiful game; as if they are too good for corners, set-pieces and, God forbid, strikers.

When Italy go head to head with Spain on Sunday, there can only be one winner. For the sake of football, please let it be the Azzuri.

Egotistical, Disrespectful, Conceited Chelsea 'Stars' To Blame For Villas-Boas' Sacking

There is a well known saying that 'respect should be earned, not given in life.' It is utterly absurd. Why someone might think that they can start off on such a negative footing with any new person they meet, seems simply ludicrous.

Respect is something that every person deserves the right to be given from the very start, particularly when you do not know them very well, but with the reserved right to be taken away if abused or taken advantage of.

Yet the horrid notion of new individuals having to 'earn respect' when thrown into the unmerciful lion's den that is Chelsea football club, was plainly exposed at the weekend, after Roman Abramovich finally brought down the guillotine on manager Andre Villas-Boas.

Aged just 34, the Portuguese is just making his first tentative steps into the world of management, despite possessing a hugely impressive CV from his time in charge of Porto.

It was nothing short of disgraceful that Abramovich decided to finally call time on his short-lived reign as Chelsea manager, therefore.

Villas-Boas often talked about the 'project' he was running at Stamford Bridge, bringing in a number of young and exciting players, whilst also promoting members of the youth set-up to his first team squad.

"A radical clearing of the decks is in order, but the question of who has the guts to do it remains unanswered."

In turn, it seemed perfectly acceptable among supporters that some of the more senior players at the club, such as Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and John Terry, would begin to find their first team chances increasingly limited.

In an article today, the former Chelsea defender, Alex claimed that Villas-Boas never showed Frank Lampard the 'respect' he deserved, having spent 10 years at the club.

Of course, it would be impossible to comment on what goes on behind closed doors, but what seems so patently obvious is that actually, the person with the lack of respect in that particular relationship is none other than Frank Lampard.

Just a few weeks ago he publicly announced that he was confused at Villas-Boas' decision not to include him in his starting line-ups, and spoke of how he had grown 'frustrated' with what the manager was doing.

Well unfortunately, Mr Lampard, aged 33, you are no longer the centre of attention at Chelsea, and it is about time you and your colleagues began to show some of that respect you seem to be demanding to your managers.

Just looking at the list of recent Chelsea bosses is like reading a who's who of the best coaches of the last ten years, all with an impressive accumulation of honours between them. Yet not one of them seems to have been shown even the slightest ounce of respect by Messrs Lampard, Drogba and Terry.

You could tell that Villas-Boas, who cost Chelsea £13m in compensation and that again in wages, was overseeing a transitional period at the club that would soon see them rising to the top of English football once more. The disrespectful Roman Abramovich, like all his players, of course, was unable to see that and once again chose the short-term solution.

Whilst such conceited players with their egotistical disregard for managers continue to inhabit Chelsea Football Club, their demise will continue. Of course, the same offenders seem to be responsible for England's lack of success in recent times. A radical clearing of the decks is in order, but the question of who has the guts to do it remains unanswered.

Speaking as a pundit for ITV's coverage of the Birmingham versus Chelsea game last night, Roy Keane commented on the Tom-foolery of players like Lampard during the warm-up.

“It's childish... they've just let their manager down,” Keane said. “They should be focusing on trying to win a game of football here tonight. All that carry on reflects what mood must be in the camp. I keep going on about pride, they've let their manager down badly and yet they're carrying on like that in the warm-up.”

Keane often comes out with some controversial comments, but on this occasion, hardly a truer word could have been said.

It is an embarrassing state of affairs at Chelsea. The players and owner continue to make the same mistakes and quite frankly it seems impossible to see why any good manager would ever want to be associated with that club.

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What ever happened to World Cup star Odonkor?

It seems to happen all too often; a highly promising player bursts onto the scene, the media hypes them up to be the next global superstar, and all the big clubs come sniffing around like hounds to a fox. And then, all of a sudden, they slip off the radar.

There are numerous examples of players in English football's lower leagues, who could well have been so much more successful than they eventually were.

But sometimes, and arguably the most devastating for all involved, a player gets his big move, before seeing injuries tear their dreams to shreds. Of course, the next thing to happen, is that player gets forgotten about, and in the end, their talent was never done justice.

I am referring to one player in particular here. The German midfielder, David Odonkor was expected to go on to become one of the top, top players in the game.

Funnily enough, it was only due to a chance game of FIFA one day that I noticed the pacey winger in squad of Real Betis. At first I was not quite sure where I knew his name from, but as soon as I looked it up, everything came flooding back.

Odonkor began his career with Borussia Dortmund in his homeland. Playing for the club's second team as a 17-year-old, he impressed coaches with his pace and ability on the right wing. Indeed, he was heralded as one of the brightest prospects in the German game.

Having made almost 50 appearances at that level, he was given his chance in the first team at the Westfalenstadion. The step up certainly did not faze him, and he went onto play a further 75 games for the club.

It was that form in the German Bundesliga that attracted the attention of Jürgen Klinsmann, the coach of the national team. Odonkor had been playing in the under-21's, and making a big impression, but would surely have been thrilled when he heard that it was not the Euro 2006 under-21 championships that he would be going to, but instead, the World Cup.

He had been given his chance with the seniors, and was determined to build on his reputation. He was well known in Germany by this point, but the opportunity to announce himself to the world was awaiting.

While England's bright hope of the time, Theo Walcott did not play a single game in the tournament, Odonkor featured four times from the bench for his country. He even provided an assist to Oliver Neuville in the group match against Poland.

Suddenly, the world knew who David Odonkor was, and Spanish big boys, Real Betis were the most interested spectator. Despite having signed a new five-year deal with Dortmund, the opportunity to ply his trade against the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona was just too tempting.

He switched for a fee, which at the time seemed an absolute steel, of €6m (£5m), and was expected to fill the boots of Joaquín Sánchez, who had moved to Valencia for €25m (£22m) earlier in the summer.

Just days before his big move, he had been involved in a friendly for Germany against England, in what was the first full-international to be played at the new Wembley Stadium.

As the season got under-way, Odonkor could not have possibly known what hell the next few seasons would bring. After all, things were still running smoothly for him – in the September he netted his first international goal against Romania.

But it was then that things began to go awry. A knee injury saw his first season at the club go down as nothing less than a write off. He made just 13 appearance all season – an eerie number considering what it meant for his career.

In his second season at the club, he seemed to have shaken off his injury, and looked fit and raring to go. He made a bright start, but was soon sidelined again, with another knee injury. His demise had parallels with Betis', at the end of the season, following a 1-1 draw with Valladolid, the club was relegated to the Segunda Division.

With the club in the doldrums, several English clubs saw it as a chance to try and snap Odonkor up for a pittance. He made his desire to move to England clear, as Midlands duo, Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion were repeatedly linked. No move materialised, and Odonkor remained with Betis.

At the end of the 2010-11 season, Odonkor was finally released by the Spanish club, now back in La Liga. His reputation battered, he began looking for another club. That took him to Glasgow, where he went on trial with Rangers. Now, no disrespect to the Ibrox club, but had his career carried on as it was back in 2006, a move to Scotland would have been considered well below his level.

Instead, nothing came of his trial – he was not offered a deal. Deflated, he was left to search elsewhere for his chance to get back into the game.

As the transfer window slammed shut, he was one of those players left without a club. Indeed, he can still sign for someone outside of the window, due to his free agent status – but the days of World Cup glory, La Liga hope, and Bundesliga promise are long behind him.

At 27, he should now be at the peak of his career, and looking forward to an exciting future. Instead, he is just one of those sad few players left wondering if he even has one.

Transfer Deadline Day

Full Summary of Transfer Deadline Day coming up here as the window slams shut at 11pm tonight.

Follow the big stories on Twitter by clicking here.

Deals of the day

Per Mertesacker and Santos - Arsenal

Joe Cole - Lille

Scott Parker - Tottenham

Christian Poulsen - Evian

Diego Forlan - Inter Milan

Guy Demel, David Bentley and Henri Lansbury - West Ham

Shaun Maloney - Wigan

Owen Hargreaves - Manchester City

Vicente - Brighton

Jermaine Beckford - Leicester

Football has changed, and the sooner Arsene Wenger realises that, the better.

Arsene Wenger has become a victim of his own success, in many ways. The 8-2 humiliation at Old Trafford quite possibly was the beginning of the end for a man who has contributed so much, not only to Arsenal, but the entire game of football.

It really is hard to contemplate where the football club would be right now if it was not for his presence, but unfortunately, it seems that the empire he built is beginning to turn on him.

Let's get this straight, Wenger still is a fabulous coach – his philosophy of getting the ball down and playing attractive football has been a welcome addition to the English game. It has rubbed off on so many clubs, all the way down the football pyramid.

But it is not his tactical approach that has come under scrutiny – unfortunately it is his principles. Wenger still seems to have an idealistic, almost romantic view of the game. It is a view that, sadly, died out a long, long time ago. The idea of taking a gifted youngster, putting him into the first team, and moulding him into a world superstar seems to be something that is going by the wayside more and more.

Many of the top players in the Premier League no longer can say they started their careers with a top club and worked their way up – instead they have been imported in, later in their careers for extortionate sums of money.

Ryan Giggs might be one of the few, but his career began a long time ago – things have changed an incredible amount since then, and though it may still be possible to bring two or three promising youngsters through at any one time, a whole team is impossible.

The approach that Wenger takes to the game would not have been at all out of place thirty or forty years ago. As an Ipswich supporter myself, I am regaled with stories of the golden days when Kevin Beattie, John Wark and George Burley were at the top of their game. They all came up through the ranks at Ipswich, and went on to win some of the top honours in the game with the club.

Sadly, however, the days of winning silverware have long since slipped away from Ipswich, and are now a distant, distant memory. Indeed, so distant that fans such as myself cannot even say we were alive to witness them.

That is what, I am afraid to say, is happening to Arsenal. The difference is, Ipswich were naïve, and did not stop the rot, but the Gunners still have the chance to.

Football is losing its former identity, and has now become an almost entirely different game altogether. With the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City investing heavily with the backing of their wealthy owners, club's have to spend big to compete.

Manchester United are doing the same, and that is why they are still considered the top side in England today.

The great situation for Arsenal, is that they do have money there to spend. Wenger has admitted before that if he wanted to, he could splash out up to £40m on a player. I can understand why he does not want to – it is sickening that it should be the case.

Fan's are not interested in seeing their club saving millions of pounds – they want to see their club winning games. Winning trophies. Having large sums just sitting in the bank earning interest is not the way for it to happen.

Maybe Wenger has this impression that one day, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool will somehow implode, and his side will be left, unchallenged, to walk to straight to the Premier League title.

That may well happen – if Roman Abramovich walks away from Chelsea, they will have a serious problem. But who is to say that will happen any time soon, right?

The sooner Wenger changes his transfer policy, the more likely it is that Arsenal Football Club can return to their former glory. I have criticised them in the past, but as a football fan, you cannot help but feel a sense of sadness as to what is happening there.

If Wenger does not change his approach, one of two things will surely happen. The first is that he could lose his job. It would be an utter tragedy that the very man who has built that club from the ground to where it is now, would be pushed out of the door simply because his ethics, his principles and his morals are no longer suited to the game.

The alternative, of course, is that he keeps his job, and the club continues their demise. Robin Van Persie will leave, potential signings will be tempted to go elsewhere and even the youngsters will grow fidgety.

That cannot be allowed to happen – it does not have to happen – and Wenger needs to realise that. No one wants to push him out, but the sense of frustration in North London is growing stronger by the day.

Future looks bright for England's young pretenders

As we go into the International break, it gives us a chance to reflect on the start to this season's Premier League, and assess the current state of English football. It is so easy to dismiss England's Euro 2012 chances after the debacle in South Africa – but that is a long way behind us.

The two Manchester sides have eleven players in Fabio Capello's latest squad between them. It seems quite incredible, but I honestly believe it is good for the national team. Many of these players will be playing together week-in week-out, and will have a good understanding of one another.

Phil Jones and Tom Cleverley are two of the players who have been included, which is wonderful to see. Both were involved with the under-21's earlier in the summer, and now they are pushing for a place in the first team.

There is no doubt that their form for Manchester United has been incredible – Jones has been as solid as a rock at the back, while I am finding it hard to avoid puns on the other player's name to describe his contribution to the Reds' midfield.

It is interesting to see that Rio Ferdinand has been omitted from the squad. I don't think that will be the end of his international career, but I do certainly agree with Capello's decision to start bringing through the younger players.

Germany proved at the World Cup that it is possible to have a successful team filled with young players – Alan Hansen certainly would not have believed what he was seeing. If these players are good enough, then why not include them.

As for Manchester City, they have provided possibly the best England keeper since David Seaman – some might even argue you could go further back than that – Shilton, perhaps? The wonderful thing is that he, too, is young. As a goalkeeper, he has got ten years of international football ahead of him, at the very least.

Of course, it is not up to me who Capello puts out against Bulgaria and Wales this week, but any football follower loves to speculate about such things.

There is no question as to who starts in goal – Joe Hart is the only one of the three goalkeepers plying his trade in the Premier League this season. Robert Green probably will drift out of the England set-up over the next few years, while David Stockdale is undoubtedly a fantastic goalkeeper, and he will get his chance one day.

Micah Richards has enjoyed a fantastic start to the season in the Premier League, and would be my pick for the right-back role. Ashley Cole still remains one of the top left-backs in the game, and still is a key member of the England squad. He'd be my first choice for left back.

I'd go for a centre-back pairing of John Terry and Phil Jones. Terry is the captain of England, and a born leader. He will still be around for another couple of tournaments yet, and forms the heart of the defence. Jones will benefit from playing alongside him, and could even be a future captain himself.

This might be a touch controversial, but I would stick the left footed Stewart Downing on the right for England. He begun his Liverpool career fantastically, and has operated down the right for them mostly anyway. It would allow Ashley Young to start on the left, where he prefers to play too.

Tom Cleverley and Frank Lampard have to be the central pairing. Again, the younger player will benefit from playing alongside a wise old head, and Lampard will always be a key part of the national team so long as he is still featuring regularly for Chelsea.

Wayne Rooney should lead the attack. He looks to be back to his glorious best for Manchester United this season, and hopefully, coming off the back of a hat-trick, he can carry that form into the England side.

I would partner him with Andy Carroll. This is mainly because the Liverpool man looks like he really could be the future of the national team, and playing alongside Rooney could bring the best out in him. His powerful presence will trouble a lot of European teams.

For some players, however, the international break will allow some much needed recuperation, while club's will be able to sit back and assess how to improve on their starts.

There has been no lack of entertainment in the first three games of the Premier League, and hopefully that will continue. It is great to see the young players getting their chance, and when England travel to Bulgaria, we will be able to see whether it has all paid off.

Is there a need to boo your own players?

Ipswich Town’s defeat to Peterborough on Saturday was probably one of the most embarrassing moments as a Blues fan in some time. In what was quite possibly one of the worst defensive performances since the 9-0 defeat to Manchester United, Town crumbled to a 7-1 thrashing.

However, having supported them all my life, there was nothing more embarrassing than some of the chanting by a small section of the club’s fans at the game.

It was an issue that Liz Edwards, chairwoman of the Supporters Club raised a few weeks ago – and in doing so, she became the victim of verbal abuse on Saturday.

In truth, however, that was pretty harmless, with fans merely having a laugh about the comments she made – I can understand that. Albeit pretty spiteful and inconsiderate, that chant was not detrimental to the team, and is, thus, not what bothers me most.

- Read the full blog at TheBallisRound.co.uk -

Scotland Must Stay

A perpetual habit of Ipswich Town's always seems to be letting a good or promising player go each summer for relative peanuts. In recent seasons, especially, it appears to have become a worrying trend at Portman Road.

There are endless players that you could easily go into detail about, but the latest one to keep an eye on is Jason Scotland. Admittedly, the former Wigan striker did not exactly set the world alight in his first season with the club, but then again, nor did former manager, Roy Keane – he still got another half a season.

Reports this week suggest that the Blues and Swansea City have already begun negotiations which would pave the way for the Trinidadian to return to Wales, and indeed, Premier League football.

Now usually that would spark a certain degree of interest from the selling club with the potential for a big amount of money coming their way. Last season when Jon Walters went to Stoke, it seemed a mutually agreeable deal – Town picked up in excess of £3m for the player, and the Potters got their man.

This summer, in fact, Connor Wickham smashed all records with his £8.1m move to Sunderland. Sure, it was sad to see him go, but at least there was a tasty incentive for Ipswich Town fans at the end of the day.

With Scotland, however, all looks to be very different. He looks set to join a group of players such as Alan Lee, Jon Stead, and Jordan Rhodes, who despite doing what appeared to be a decent job, were unmercifully pushed out of the door.

Like those players, Jason Scotland is not a bad player – he has proven many times before that at Championship level he can score goals. Actually, a lot of goals.

When such a situation occurs, it looks a pretty safe bet that there is not going to be a lot of money involved. If Town even recoup what they paid for him it would be remarkable.

Of course, a lot of fans will argue that with the arrivals of Michael Chopra and Nathan Ellington, as well as Priskin offering an alternative option, Scotland will not exactly be the first choice at the club. Maybe too, there could soon be another arrival in the striking department with reports earlier in the week that bids had been placed for two unknown players.

The fact is, though, Scotland has been at the club for a season now. In that season, he did manage to notch 10 goals – more than any of the other strikers at the club, and only bettered by the now departed David Norris, a midfielder.

Supposing Michael Chopra was to bag 20 goals this season, Ellington a further 10 – wouldn't 10 more from Scotland be a welcome contribution?

It is also worth considering that he played much of last season as a lone striker. Early indications from this pre-season are that Paul Jewell is looking to play two up front, meaning that if Scotland were to play, there would be someone to share the work load with.

Furthermore, Jewell himself is even said to be happy with how the bulky forward is performing in pre-season so far.

It really does beg the question: how the hell could he ever be allowed to just slip out the back door?