My Apology to Liverpool Fans

Yes, I believe now is the time for me to face up to facts and issue an apology to all the Liverpool fans out there.

When Fergie walked away at the end of last season, an uprising of Reds fans from Merseyside began to crow about how the domination of Manchester United was over, and how suddenly, despite lying in seventh, they could now win the title.

It was laughable and I lambasted them on my Facebook account by insisting that there were at least another five teams that were better than them. How wrong was I?

This season has seen Brendan Rodgers lead an astonishing transformation at Anfield. His belief in the youth set up at Melwood, coupled with his commitment to play concise, disciplined and entertaining football has seen Liverpool rise from mediocrity, to stake their place as front runners to win the title.

The transformation didn't begin in August though, like many would perhaps think. No, Rodgers, who seems to make a habit of proving people wrong (in particular the great Sir Alex Ferguson, started his club’s transformation in the January transfer window last year..

Fergie once echoed the words that there was no real value in the window, that it was almost impossible to get the best players and, in many senses, insinuated that it was mainly a portal for clubs who were in trouble to panic buy.

But Rodgers bucked this trend with the signing of Daniel Sturridge, a player who had previously been at Manchester City and Chelsea and not got the game time or backing of their respective managers, for whatever reason, that he was about to get at Liverpool.

Ferguson again offered his vision on the transfer, labelling it as a 'huge risk' and, whereas this has caused offence among many Liverpool fans as well as a stick for them to now beat him with, Fergie was right.

Taking risks is what has served Ferguson so well over the past 20 years and is, in many ways, what makes a winner.

The ‘Class of 92’ are the biggest example of this. ‘You can not win anything with kids’ are the immortal words sounded out by Anfield legend, and Match of the Day pundit, Alan Hansen.

It was a huge gamble by the Manchester United manager yet he was repaid for his faith back then in 1996 and prospered from it for many years afterwards.

With his former clubs, Sturridge was a player deemed to have an attitude problem, someone who was difficult to manage and on his way with failing to fulfill his true potential.

Rodgers, who worked at Chelsea in the past, obviously knew of his temperament but realised there was something in the lad if he was given the backing and faith. 

He knew it would be a gamble, but winners take risks in order to get to the top and so Rodgers hedged his bets with the signing, and what a signing he has been.

Not only has he introduced a second source for an unbelievable amount of goals over the 13 months he has been at the club, but he has also brought the best out of his strike partner, Luis Suarez, and even helped revitalise the captain, Steven Gerrard, who even the staunchest of Liverpool supporters could admit, had started to wane a little as he moves further into the twilight of his career

This brings me to the controversial Uruguayan or Liverpool’s Eric Cantona as I like to refer to him.

At the end of last season he was hated by everyone and problematically for Liverpool, he had got himself suspended for ten games for biting an opponent, which would mean he would miss the first six games of the 2013/14 season.

Don’t get me wrong, there is never a way I can like Suarez and the personality he carries with him, but since his return he has turned a corner in terms of his discipline and you can only admire his ability and performance, which have seen Liverpool rise as contenders to more than just a European qualification spot.

Of course this again is largely attributable to the manager and his risk taking. All summer Suarez was lined up for moves away to various big clubs who are already playing in Europe’s elite competition. A temptation which brought about a transfer request and a desire to leave the club.

But Rodgers was not about to let Suarez leave Liverpool without at least attempting to repay the club and the fans for sticking by him through his worst times.

He even had the strength to make Suarez, the club’s star player, train on his own as punishment for making a fuss about a potential move away, which could have torn the harmony at the club in two.

Through all of this though, Rodgers had faith though that he and his captain could get through to Suarez and make him see that they were on the brink of something special. Within a matter of weeks he had signed a new contract and the rest is on course to be a big addition to the clubs already impressive history.

The Suarez gamble has paid off and the Uruguayan has been in sensational form for the most part of the season, forming a formidable partnership with Sturridge and spearheading Liverpool’s return to the Champions League in style.

As I said I could never like the man, but his 'Cantona’esque' turnaround has to be admired and yes, every club would love a player of that ability in their squad, perhaps minus his controversial antics.

In truth the entire Liverpool story this season has been based on gambles and risk. Take Raheem Sterling for example, a young lad who couldn't stop letting his personal life effect his professional.

The manager sat him down and told him to go away and sort himself out if he wanted to be a part of Liverpool football club, knowing he could have potentially pushed away one of the brightest young talents in European football.

Yet Sterling has come back with the perfect response and this has transformed his performances on the pitch. Gone, is the lad who has potential but doesn't look strong enough to fulfill it and now, week in week, week out, he is the star man, creating and scoring goals from nothing and running defenders ragged.

There is no way I would have put him on the plane to Brazil six months ago, but now I would gladly let him fly it.

Jordan Henderson is another player who looked finished not so long back. Liverpool fans wondered why they had wasted their money on such an abject performer, but Rodgers again showed faith in the man.

At Sunderland, Henderson looked the real deal and obviously his manager now must have remembered this and realised that, with the right amount of nurturing, there was a top player ready to shine.

Stats show that he has been the best midfielder in the Premiership this season, not bad for someone who has probably been one of the worst for the previous two and again he will surely go to Brazil this summer as a potential starter, rather than staying at home wondering what could have been.

There are success stories throughout the Liverpool squad, all with similar background stories and all with the same common denominator and that is Brendan Rodgers and a crazy thing called belief.

If you ask United fans why we have been so successful over the past 20 years, they will tell you one name, Sir Alex Ferguson. The same respect should be applied when Liverpool fans look back over this past 12 months, with Brendan Rodgers.

He has galvanised a squad that had been strained first of all by the lack of motivational ability shown by Roy Hodgson and then perhaps the dated approach from an out of touch Kenny Dalglish.

That said the latter does deserve credit for getting that winning feeling back at Anfield with the trophy he delivered during his tenure and perhaps providing the launchpad for Rodgers to take the club on to bigger and better things.

Rodgers breathed new life into the players and they have responded by being unplayable for the best part of this season but it is not just the players he has effected in this way, it is the supporters as well.

I remember going to watch Liverpool play at Bolton a few years ago (my mate is an avid Bolton fan) and I was expecting a deafening atmosphere, created largely, with all due respect to Bolton fans, by the away support.

This was not the case, well not until they grabbed a late winner and I remember walking away from that game thinking what was up with the Liverpool support because having heard so much about their 12th man and seeing it at big occasions on the TV, it was always one thing you were forced to admire about the club.

I concluded that they had to be subdued by a lack of belief in the football they were watching. It wasn't what they had gone through three decades of watching and did not give them any hope of challenging, even for a Champions League spot.

But since the Rodgers revolution has kicked in, this couldn't be more different. They are now seeing football being played the way they have been generously treated to for many years. 

There is flair and discipline, the basics are done right and instead of sitting back and accepting their fate in games, this Liverpool team are making their own, like the teams of old.

It has given them an extra volume and the ability to believe again and when you believe in something you will give it that little bit more in vociferous support. .

To conclude Liverpool for 20 years have suffered the indignity of watching their biggest rivals win everything while they have been limited to short term gains, peaking with their Champions League success in 2005.

That must have been hard, none more so for their captain and talisman, Steven Gerrard. After years of trying, and millions of potentially good but often disappointing signings, they have finally built a team capable of competing and barring an unlikely capitulation in the final three matches, the great man will no longer be known as the greatest ever captain to never win the league title.

So to Liverpool fans I apologise for writing you off and salute what you have done over the last 13 months. It has breathed new life into the Premiership and given every United fan, like myself, a swift kicking while we are down.

Dust Down and Rebuild

So the Champions League dream finally came to an end for David Moyes and Manchester United.

A brave effort in Munich, which produced a 20 second, or so, glimpse of hope, was all United could offer, as Bayern Munich showed their true class, with a 15 minute master class on how to finish off opponents when it matters.

I will be honest, I have been left scratching my head at times this season. The scratching started towards the conclusion of last year’s triumphant Fergie swan song, as I asked myself, why would the club appoint a manager whose only trophy was the Division 2 title from over a decade ago, to replace the most decorated manager in the history of the English game?

It continued throughout the transfer window when a club that was once the peak of a player’s career to play for, became more unattractive than a coalition government and by the end of it we ended up with an expensive disappointment, much like the coalition government.

As the season has passed, it is surprising as a United fan, I have much hair left, as month over month, more disappointment has followed and more questions have been asked about whether or not David Moyes really is the man for the job.

All of this has culminated with a Champions League quarter final, where we were expected to get drubbed into oblivion, where the beleaguered manager finally seemed to stand up and stand tall against the growing discontentment and the furore reigning from supporters and the press who like me sit behind keyboards.

In truth Moyes was not my number one choice and at times there has been mornings where I have woken up and hoped to see the headline ‘Moyes leaves by mutual consent’, but throughout I have remained in vocal support for the team when they have played and found the stunt to fly a plane across the ground embarrassing and completely detrimental to the team’s hopes of revival.

Now the season is over and we have just the Community Shield to show for it. Perhaps we are blessed to have won that. What went from being a bright new era for both the club and Moyes, has become a nightmarish season, full of battered pride and emotional heartache.

But this is football, and that is what many a supporter has had to endure over the past 20 years while we have dominated the English game. We have no right to complain or chastise any of the other emerging clubs because our own success has finally caught up with us.

Now is the time the club, the players, the fans who have been so gifted with success show their true mettle and support and get behind the new era, however difficult it may be.

There were a lot of positives to be taken from our European Cup run this season, not least that we showed great determination and heart to turn round the 2-0 deficit against Olympiakos, which, let’s face it, would not have happened if this result occurred earlier in the year and we capped that off with a show of heart and resolution against a side in Bayern Munich, that have been proven to be unplayable when there is something on the line.

The key now for Moyes is to dust himself and his squad down, forget about all that has gone before and start rebuilding immediately.

That means there should be no room for sentiment with those who are set to depart, not until the final games at least and that night in Bayern should, unless injuries dictate otherwise be the last starts for Vidic, Evra, Rio, Giggs and the likes.

Yes, they represent a golden era for the club and yes, there is homage to be repaid for their efforts, but the club has to move on and to start doing it now would go a long way to avoiding the sort of terrible start to next season that David Moyes can’t afford.

Realistically the manager and his board need to identify their targets in the transfer market immediately and work on bringing them a step closer to the club. They don’t have the guarantee of European football to offer and a reliance on the club’s illustrious history may not be enough to attract the very best players, so the next option is commitment to the player.

They need to go out to their identified targets and make them feel that a club of this size really wants them. Look at Daniel Sturridge as an example. He had a place in the squad of a champions league team guaranteed and Liverpool managed to lure him away because they offered to make him a star attraction and show faith in what he can do, something neither Manchester City nor Chelsea did when they had him at the club.

Some players need that feeling of importance and if the results are as good as what we have seen with Sturridge then surely it is of benefit to go out there and do the same.

Moyes can no longer sit behind his board officials while they bungle the transfers either. He needs to be proactive within himself and go and meet players and sell himself and his ideology over to the players.

Whereas players like Sturridge need love, others need guidance and a leader and Moyes must become that character.

In terms of youth, now is the time to bring them into the squad. Players like Januzaj, James Wilson, Jesse Lingard, Nicky Powell would all benefit from runs in the team. We know what Carrick, Rooney and the like can do, but Moyes can effectively play the rest of the season out as a trial now due to the weight of expectation being lifted.

He also needs to make his mind up about what he wants to do with his attackers. In Mata and Kagawa he has two forward thinking number ten players who play superbly together behind a front man

Get that partnership right and next season United will be difficult to stop, but the real question is, who should play in front of them.

Well, we know he has tied Rooney down with a new, highly lucrative deal, but he was missing in Munich as he was against Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea and as he has been in previous ‘big games’ for which he is supposed to be the player who can make the difference.

On the other hand Van Persie has been missing for other reasons, most notably his injuries. He is also not getting any younger and this may be why Moyes favours Rooney.

To be honest, maybe both of them should be moved on. Their inability to connect with each other has, at sometimes this season, been crippling to United and both at some point have had their attitudes and desire to play for the club questioned.

To me if there is any question, then they don’t belong at the club and I know there will be a lot of people who say Rooney has carried the side but only when he got his own way in regards to his salary, access to club plans and potentially the captaincy next season.

Personally, I think Hernandez should be given his time from now until the end of the season. His attitude can’t be questioned, despite being sat on the bench longer than a player of his quality should be.

He is always ready for action and almost always scores when he comes on so it would be interesting to see how he would fair in front of Mata and Kagawa. Judging from the Newcastle game, the answer would be very well.

We all know that there are huge issues with United’s midfield. Nani doesn't want to be there and shouldn't, Valencia is inconsistent, Fletcher is still recovering from his illness and Cleverly has no place in a top 8 premier league side, which leaves Carrick and Fellaini.

Neither of them have been particularly good this season. Carrick has somewhat drowned in a midfield of mediocrity and Fellaini, has failed to live up to the minimal hype he brought from his Everton career.

Moyes would do well to cut his losses with the big Belgium this summer and accept that he isn’t good enough to fit into the role but what should he do with an aging Carrick.

If rumours are to be believed, Toni Kroos is heavily on the club’s radar and reportedly displaying interest in joining the red devils. This could end up compromising Carrick’s position, especially if another defensive midfielder is brought in as part of the mass overhaul.

Do you keep Carrick and rotate him through the squad or is the time right to cash in and bid farewell to a player that, certainly over the last two years, has been a great servant and played some great stuff.

I would have to say the latter. I am not sure whether it has been because of the nature of this season, but Carrick has become far more negative as the season has rolled on in terms of his play.

He has never been one to roam forward and score goals but what I am talking about was best displayed at the Emirates where with minutes to go and United on the front foot moving forward he elected to pass backwards and accept a draw.

We used to be the kings of taking chances and scoring late winners and now it is as if we can’t even be bothered having a go. This isn't just down to Carrick of course, but sometimes a player just has his day and I think with Michael Carrick, this is the case.

Notwithstanding the obvious Midfield conundrum, however, I believe our biggest concern has to be in defence.

Vidic has been a real leader in his eight years and there aren't enough words to describe his value to the club.

Personally, I would have liked Moyes to offer him at least another year, but sadly this isn’t happening and as things stand that sees us relying on Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones in the centre back department.

All three have played at times this season and for me the most established is definitely Jonny Evans but that has to come from the fact that he has had more game time alongside the guidance of either Vidic or Ferdinand when they were still at the peak of their powers.

This season Jones has gone from useful and versatile, to clumsy and out of position and Chris Smalling has struggled, largely to the fact Moyes keeps picking him at right back, but when he does play in the middle his lapses of concentration have given him the tag of being slightly dodgy and unreliable.

The frailties in the middle are further backed up by the erratic on the flanks. At times Rafael seems to forget he is a defender whereas Evra this season has seemingly decided he is not a defender at all.

Moyes needs to look at his defence and invest heavily in either the development of what he has got or in new talent to replace the likes of Rio, Vidic and Evra.

Luke Shaw has been rumoured and if signed would be a great addition but a centre back who can lead from the back, such as a Chiellini or a Kompany style figure is what the club really needs.

The final thing Moyes really needs to take a long, and perhaps harder look at, is his coaching team.

It is simple his buddies from Everton are completely out of their depth, much like the manager himself. When Ferguson talked about a great foundation being left for his successor it is clear to see now that he was talking about playing personnel, but the structure of coaches he left in place for Moyes to utilise and get the best out of.

Moyes dismantled it within weeks and like any great structure, when you remove the glue that is holding it together, the planks, or in this case some of the players, that remain will simply fold. Then when you try to rebuild it using second rate equipment it will continue collapsing until it is in a state of disrepair.

That is the perfect way to sum up the way things are currently working at the club. A formerly great structure that was stripped of its foundations and collapsed and currently the rebuild is being performed by cowboy builders who are not qualified for the job.

Suarez Ban is Right, FA Inconsistency is Wrong

Lets get one thing straight. It is not the length of this ban that it is wrong it is the FA bans that have preceded it that are the major problem. I am a United fan so I am going to try and put this across as unbiased as possible.

There is no doubt Luis Suarez is an incredible footballer and will be a huge loss to Liverpool over the next 10 games. I personally don't think that he should be thrown out of the game as some have suggested but helped with the clear issues he has with containing his anger. In fairness he isn't the only player with anger issues. As many people are quick to point out United have had Cantona, Keane and to some extent Rooney who have committed acts of aggression that have shocked football.

The problem here is that Suarez is a repeat offender. He has already been banned once before for biting an opponent and seemingly has not learn from his mistake. Therefore this ban has to be harsher in order to really drive the point home.

But I do understand Liverpool fans' frustrations. When you see other players like Defoe getting off for the same offence with a yellow card, it can be a bitter pill to swallow and would leave you feeling hard done by.

Then there is the racism bans. These are what have really escalated the issue. They should have been longer in my opinion for both Suarez and John Terry and I do think the FA have been corrupt in their handling of Terry's case as he should have at least served the same suspension as Suarez did for what essentially is the exact same offence.

For years now the FA have been bungling up their disciplinary processes and I can even see why Pepe Reina launched his tirade against them for having double standards. It is true that the FA have appealed against bans that are correct against Wayne Rooney just so that he can play in a major tournament.

There seems to be a huge problem with football's governing bodies. Whether it is Sepp Blatter at FIFA and his suggestions of settling arguments that have involved racism with handshakes or the FA and their complete inability to get things right on any issue.

One thing that certainly needs removing in my opinion is this ridiculous 'if the referee has seen it and acknowledged it we can't act on it' stance that they take. Sergio Aguero produced one of the most disgusting tackles I have seen on a football pitch for a long time yet has not received a ban and there are other instances where the FA have decided to play dumb to obvious punishable offences.

Eden Hazards kicking of a ball boy is another example. Admittedly there was minimal contact and some would argue the ball boy deserved it but in all honesty there should have been further sanctions for the offence.

The truth is the FA's inconsistency has provided the fuel Liverpool FC's fans need to complain about the ban on Suarez. If they handed out these sort of bans on a more consistent basis then few could complain when a repeat offender receives such a high ban. The buck stops with the powers that be and until they get their act together this sort of outrage will continue to rumble on.

The light at the end of the tunnel for Liverpool is by taking  the example of Cantona. He used to play on a similar edge as Suarez before the infamous kung fu kick. He was sensational to watch but at times a real liability when it came to ill discipline. When he returned from his 8 month ban he was by far a better player and at times single handedly dragged us to the league and cup double in 1995/1996. 

The only way to really punish a footballer of Suarez's or Cantona's stature and ability is to take away the one thing that means the most to them and that is not £200,000 of their money, which has gone to a fantastic cause by the way, but the right to play football, the game they love, for a sustained period of time. As Suarez has said already, he is destroyed by the ban so hopefully this will sway him from committing similar offences in the future through fear of ever losing time on the football pitch again.

As for the FA, well one of the things that I think will help their public image regarding their disciplinary process in the future is the release of guidelines which show what offences constitute what length of ban. Racism in my opinion, and this is at the very harsh end because I truly detest it, should be a life ban. If a fan racially abuses a player at a game, they would be banned for life from attending games. I don't see how you can enforce  that and not issue the same punishment for the player regardless of who that player is or who he plays for.

Welsh Experience the Key to England Annihilation

Yesterday came and went in the blink of an eye for the English rugby team. What promised to be a glorious indication of Stuart Lancaster's progress as the head coach, ended up being a nightmare and a shot in the arm for the realist.

When it all boils down to it, Wales were by far and beyond the better team. There has been some arguments that England's number one fan Steve Walsh, reffed the men in white out of the game but in truth this is only a veil for the battered pride of the once impregnable England front row. And what about the domination in the backline? There is no way you can put that down to the man in the middle.

Truth be told there were two defining differences between the English and the Welsh yesterday. The first being motivation. It was all too clear from the word go that the home side were fired up for this game. Don't forget, after a humbling defeat against the Irish, they had a point to prove as a unit.

When they lost that day, and throughout their awful run through the winter, we heard how it was down to the injuries and that things would be different when their star players returned. For Wales they had to beat the English just to prove this point alone.

Secondly, and probably the biggest difference between the two sides is experience. Since the final whistle was blown I have seen a lot of Welsh people miss the point with the English effort by calling the useless and soft. Bragging rights can and always will cloud the brain and provide disorientated judgments.

The fact of the matter is England are still a young and developing rugby side, whereas a full strength Wales team are a side who have got into the habit of winning big games in the Northern Hemisphere. That experience told in what was a comprehensive and at times dazzling display of Welsh dominance that England could not compete with.

So what should be the conclusions that are taken this tournament? Forget who should go on the Lions tour, those questions will answer themselves nearer the time. For Wales the conclusion is that they are at this time, and by some distance, the best side in the northern hemisphere. The challenge for Howley and the imminently returning Gatland is now to move forward with this and progress on the World scene.

When they next match up against New Zealand, Australia and South Africa next they must be looking to win and affirm their place at the top table of the game. If they don't it will be the biggest waste of potential the sport has seen since New Zealand throughout the 90's and early 2000's.

For England the conclusion is not as bleak as our welsh friends are writing it to be. The positives are that we won 4 on the bounce without perhaps ever really playing that well. Yesterdays defeat must be treated as a lesson. The sort of lesson that even Sir Clive Woodward had to overcome on his way to leading his side to World Cup glory.

They are starting to formulate a skeleton to work around and as they play more games against top quality opposition, more results like the win over New Zealand in the autumn will follow.

But we must do something about our struggling back three. Ashton has to be dropped for him to rekindle his form, Wade and Varndell need opportunities to assess whether or not they can produce their club form at international level.

More importantly, England need to remember that the whole point of Lancaster's mission is to build for 2015. With two years to go, we are progressing, getting stronger and learning lessons both good and harsh. All of this will put us in good stead moving forward and next year England should be targeting revenge and the ending of their Welsh hoodoo and in due course the taking of the Six Nations crown.

These mission statements alone show the difference. Wales are chasing progress to catch the South Africans, Australians and New Zealanders, whilst England are chasing the Welsh. It will be interesting to see, this time next year, who has achieved their objectives.

What's Happening at Arsenal?

As a Manchester United fan I can't help look at what is going on with Arsenal and think what has happened?  Just 10 years ago this summer, Arsene Wenger was gearing his side up to go a full league season unbeaten, now there is an air of uncertainty over his future and the club looks at times to be in complete disarray.

Part of me is relieved at this, as it has removed a potential challenger to the throne of Premier League champions leaving us only to deal with our noisy neighbours. But part of me sympathises and misses the intense rivalry that a fixture against the Gunners would bring.

In 2006 they were Champions League finalists and known throughout Europe as being one to avoid in the draw. Their slick style of football used to tear defences to shreds and they were spearheaded by arguably the greatest striker to play in the modern day Premiership, Thierry Henry.

Now they are being made to look like rank amateurs by a team that in all honesty are a great side but perennial underachievers. There is a growing unrest with the supporters and some are even calling for the once untouchable Arsene Wenger to be sacked.

But this is the problem with modern football. Everyone has an opinion but very few are grateful for what they have. When the now legendary Sir Alex Ferguson first took the hot seat at Old Trafford, things started grimly  and after 3 years unrest grew among supporters who were fed up of watching their bitter rivals Liverpool win everything.

His head was called for and at one game a banner was unfurled at Old Trafford saying "Three years of excuses and it's still crap...ta-ra Fergie.". Yet the United board, to their credit decided to back the man they brought in from Aberdeen and now they can look back with pride at their decision.

In Wenger's case he messed things up from day one by having an immediate and highly successful impact on a club that up until that point had been labelled boring and had gone 6 seasons without even competing for a league title. Admittedly they enjoyed domestic cup successes in 1993 and captured the Cup Winners Cup in 1994 but lets face it for a club of Arsenal's stature if they are not competing in the league then they are underachieving.

The point I am trying to make is Wenger didn't have the slow and fruitless start to his Arsenal reign that Ferguson did at United. He gave the fans what they wanted there and then and then continued to sustain it with top 2 finishes for the following seasons before building a team that couldn't be beaten in the 2003/04 season.

Fast forward to now and he is facing an eighth season without a trophy. Is it time to sack Wenger? Well I would argue no. Things have changed behind the scenes at Arsenal drastically. David Dein who continually backed Wenger throughout the glory years is no longer there and now they have the same frustrating thing as Liverpool and so many other clubs have had, an American on their board.

Financially he has had money to spend but only on the basis he cashes in on his prize assets first to make room. It is evident that Wenger was in the process of building another invincible team but for this policy. Had he been able to hold on to his talent his team could well have looked like this Szczęsny, Clichy, Vermaelen,Sagna, Fabregas, Wilshere, Song, Walcott, Cazorla, Van Persie and Podolski with Diaby et al in reserve. The majority of these players have now moved on or are rotting in a squad that is consistently having to be reinforced by youth instead of the top talent thanks to the boards restrictions on what Wenger can do in the market.

Now the board are promising fresh cash to spend in the summer. Anyone who suggests Wenger is not the man to spend it should remember that over the years he has signed Viera, Henry, Anelka, Overmars, Petit, Van Persie, Walcott, Fabregas and the rest. Who's to say that now he finally has the financial backing of his board without having to sell his best players, that Wenger can't rebuild and go again. 

So now is the time to go out there and get behind the manager who gave you endless success through the latter part of the 90's and early 00's instead of booing him. Repay the manager for all he has done in the past and give him next season to reward you for your loyalty. If he flops next season, then enough should surely be enough.

The Fall of England's Greatest

Over the past couple of days/weeks/months/years it has been pointed out to me more and more that I like to talk, share my opinions and have a good rant about everything that is anything. So much more so that I have taken it upon myself to put my thoughts down into words and start a blog.

With that said it was strange then that I found it difficult to come up with my first topic when it came to starting to actually write my blog. There is plenty going on in the world at the moment, what with Richard III being found in a car park in Leicestershire and Peter Odemwingie refusing to leave a car park in West London last week and all that is going on in the fight to allow equal marriage.

But I guess the thing that really caught my eye this week and really provoked my thoughts was the re-emergence of everyone's favourite football hero Paul Gascoigne.

Less than a week on from one of our other national treasures announcing that he would be donating his undoubtedly over generous salary to a children's charity, Gascoigne or 'Gazza' as he is affectionately known to the nation has reared his head once more in his never-ending battle with the booze.

Now before I get started here don't get me wrong I sympathise greatly with the guy when it comes to his deterioration. I remember growing up as a youngster and watching this incredibly gifted, bleach blonde haired genius score, what is to me one of my favourite England goals, behind a last minute free kick scored by the previously alluded to David Beckham, to secure a memorable win against the Scots at Euro 96.

Gazza had everything as a player, style, skill, a deadly eye for goal and an undeniable passion to represent his country at the sport he loved. The comparison with the late great George Best is uncanny, although for me Best is still the greatest player to have lived (If Pele says that then who are we to argue).

It's just a shame that this comparison continues further than just with his on pitch playing ability because for all the wonderful memories of great goals and match winning performances, I also remember watching Gascoigne throw it all away. And  what for? The premature and perhaps unfair end to his England career? For people to consistently use this as an excuse for what proceeded Glenn Hoddle's decision to leave him out of the squad for the World Cup in 1998, should try taking a look at someone like Rio Ferdinand.

Here we have a player who's only obvious crime to cost him his place as a regular international was the temerity to be the brother of the man racially abused by the seemingly in-disposable former England captain John Terry.

Yet Ferdinand has dealt with it, not by going off the rails, or hitting the local bars to drown his sorrows. He has stayed with his club and continued to produce exemplary performances at the very height of English football and has had to deal with some tough injury lay offs on the way. 

What is the difference? Most people will say that it is that he made the decision to join Manchester United when given the chance whereas Gazza passed that up, and therefore benefited from the leadership of Sir Alex Ferguson. But in truth that is only, if, buts or maybes.

The true difference is 'will'. Ferdinand, don't forget, was also banned for missing a drugs test for a lengthy 8 month period where it would have been easy for him to turn to the drink but again during a difficult time in his career he had the will to stay focused on what was important.

Paul Gascoigne sadly doesn't have that. He has the support of the whole nation, which Ferdinand doesn't, yet he still doesn't have the will to stay clean and sort his life out.

Now he has been bailed out by his old friend Chris Evans and a few others, most notably Ronnie Irani, Gary Lineker and Piers Morgan. Make no mistake about it these men obviously care for the man they can call a friend but surely their companionship and closeness could help him far more than sending him to the US for more rehab.

The best quote to sum up the situation with Gazza came through Gordon Taylor, Chief Executive of the Professional Footballers Association, when he was questioned by former footballer Peter Schmeichel over stepping in and helping the lost superstar.

His response was: "There isn't a player we've done more for over my time at the PFA. In fact, we've been criticised for doing as much as we have, because he has not made the improvements that some of our other members have."

That is the hard-line fact there for those who argue that this man wants to be helped. If he truly wanted it, he would have accepted it on one of the countless times he was offered it and not wasted time that could have been spent on others who needed it.

Now we are told to pray for Gazza, and we have to listen once more to those who are helping him such as Piers Morgan preach through Twitter that we should sympathise with him and get behind him when in reality our sympathy and support can be directed to far more worthwhile people in the world who suffer from terminal illnesses such as cancer, leukaemia and heart disease to name but a few, and who are not lucky enough to have their futures in their own hands.

In my case for instance I have over the past year and a half lost people close to me through the effects of a stroke and heart disease and most recently cancer. I would much rather spend my time reading about money, enthusiasm and time being spent helping people who are battling to overcome these illnesses than read about a former footballer, turned wife beater not battle alcoholism.

For me it is an insult to call alcoholism a disease. I read a far more accurate description in a tweet that summed it up perfectly when it said that it wasn't a condition you wake up with one day like cancer or heart disease. It is a dependency that grows through exposure to excess over an extended period of time.

Although I may not appreciate it as a disease, I do however appreciate the seriousness of its nature and I know of people who have both beaten it and let it beat them. There is one thing that separated those people and it is Will.

Gazza is a man who has children and a young 7 year old nephew who has in recent times signed to his beloved Newcastle United. If that can't give him purpose or motivation  to sort out his life, it doesn't matter how much money his big earning, showbiz friends throw at him. He will lose his battle and the world will look back and remember Gazza for less than what he truly was, and that was possibly the most gifted English footballer of all time.