Premier League: Technology is there - use it.

Tennis uses it, cricket uses it, rugby uses it, but why does football continue to ignore it?

 The video evidence is clear; Manchester United striker Robin Van Persie looks over his shoulder sees Yohan Cabaye and clearly swings an arm out in an arc which is not a natural movement when running.

The Dutchman’s arm is raised and makes contact with his opponent. There is no debate here, unlike when a player is jumping for the ball. His arm, simply, should not be where it is. You cannot blame Howard Webb for missing the incident, it happened away from the ball and at pace.

The incident was caught on the TV cameras and it has been replayed in slow motion and zoomed in, but of course Webb cannot utilise this technology during play. But the FA can. They can sit down on Monday and watch this footage and if it has not been dealt with by the match referee they can hand out the necessary misconduct charge and punishment.

But there is a clear flaw in this process. The FA asks the referee that was in charge of the game to look at the incident and say whether he missed a red-card offence. In this case, Webb, one of England’s best referees who had a red card overturned the week before, has said there was not one.

The flaw is that it should not be up to him. There should be a disciplinary panel at the FA who decides on matters such as this without needing to involve the referee. He has done his job when he completed the game.

You can understand the doubt that was in Webb’s mind. His last red-card was overturned and it would be easier to say that he was not 100% sure and therefore it would go no further. You can imagine the backlash from managers if their players start getting misconduct charges against them 2 days after the game!

An independent panel needs to be set-up. This should include a former player, manager and referee who have all had experience in the game and can review all incidents like these in a consistent and impartial manner.

On the field there is a degree of inconsistency in that one referee’s opinion can vary from another’s. If each incident is looked at by the same panel these inconsistencies will no longer be there.

The other incident over the weekend that should then be looked at by the panel and that is the alleged stamp by Stoke defender Robert Huth on Liverpool striker Luiz Suarez.

The referee Lee Mason appears to believe from the video evidence that the incident does not suggest a clear red-card offence. I would however ask him that if it was a Stoke player on the floor would Huth have been able to avoid him? I think so.

One of the worst things for a referee to do is admit that he missed something. Asking them to look at it a second time will make them feel that they have missed something, yet the one thing they are trying to do is see everything.

The biggest benefit of a panel is that they would not have the same fears of being compromised as some referees do if asked to review. If the players know it was not the referee’s choice then the incident will not follow them every time they come across the players involved and their club.

The panel would be completely impartial, the consistency would be there and they could also offer a solution to the current issue of diving which has been in the headlines almost every week this season.

Detecting diving, especially at the speed the modern game is played is almost impossible. But slowed down video replays clearly highlight this cheating. Once this has been seen then an appropriate punishment can be given and we might see players stop trying to deceive the referees.

 But until the day comes when the FA change their current system, referees will consistently continue to make the headlines for incidents that they only get to see once.

Finally…

On a brighter note, what a fantastic decision by Darren Cann in the Newcastle v Manchester United match. Cann was directly in line with the goal line and correctly judge that the whole of the ball was not over the whole of the line and proved why he is England’s best assistant referee. 

32 from 10 balls: Butler destroys South Africa as England level series

Jos Buttler dispatches Wayne Parnell for 32 runs 

in one over

Craig Kieswetter and Jos Butler ensured that England rounded off a difficult summer in winning style with a 28-run win over South Africa to draw the Twenty 20 Series 1-1.

The hard-hitting wicket-keeper scored 52 off 32 deliveries and Buttler smashed 32 off just 10 deliveries as England posted an emphatic 118-5 at Edgbaston in a match cut to 11 overs per side due to rain.

England were heading for a par-score from 11 overs midway through their innings however three sixes from Kieswetter pushed the run rate up, before Buttler arrived at the crease and took the game away from South Africa.

Between the pair they hit six sixes with one Wayne Parnell over going for 32 runs.

Intelligent bowling on a slow pitch from England ensured that South Africa never looked likely to reach their target and with regular wickets falling, including the golden wicket of Hashim Amla, as they were restricted to 90-5.

The win not only sees England jump above South Africa to 1st place in the International Cricket Councils rankings, but also sends them to Sri-Lanka in confident mode as they try to defend their World Twenty20 title.

England Twenty20 World Cup Fixtures

Friday 21st September

Afghanistan v England, Colombo RPS, 15.00

Sunday 23rd September

England v India, Colombo RPS, 15.00

Euro 2012 kicks off in style. but not for Spanish referee.

Day one of the 2012 European Championships kicked off yesterday with a hectic opening game between co-hosts Poland and 2004 winners Greece.

Dubbed the ‘dull group’, the opening fixture turned out to be anything but. There were 2 goals, 2 red cards and a missed penalty all in the tournaments opening 90 minutes.

However it was the Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo who took centre stage. The 41 year-old was entrusted with the opening game by UEFA but it did not go all to plan.

Carballo has steered clear from controversy in recent years and has recently emerged as one of the best and most consistent referees in Spain; however controversy was very much on the agenda yesterday.

Robert Lewandowski headed Poland into the lead after 17 minutes but it was the sending off of Sokratis Papastathopoulos that grabbed the headlines.

Papastatholpous picked up his first yellow card, also the first of the tournament, but replays show that he made a fair aerial challenge for the ball. A free-kick would have been seen as harsh, but to add insult to the awarding of a free-kick the referee produced a yellow card.

The Spanish official then delivered a huge blow to the Greeks when he brandished a second yellow card followed by a red to Papastathopoulos. The defender was stunned and took his time to leave the field, but hopefully UEFA will not deal with this separately.

The defender was judged to have held back striker Obraniak yet he appeared to have already been on his way down as he slipped while trying to escape his marker. Obstruction, or pulling back an opponent, is nowadays always punishable with a yellow card, but if you are not 100% sure then the benefit of the doubt should be with the offender. Or you can go on the belief that not every free-kick needs a yellow card.

Luckily for the Greek defender and the Spanish referee the punishment from UEFA will only be a one match ban.

Carbello, who took charge of the 2011 Europa League final, did get the other big decision right. Poland, and Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny brought down Salpindidis in the area when clean through on goal. The penalty was awarded and the goalkeeper was given his marching orders.

One out of the two decisions were spot-on, but a referee is always remembered for the big decisions he gets wrong, not the ones he gets right.

Carbello should expect to get another game from UEFA in this tournament, his first major international tournament, but I would imagine any dream of refereeing the final will have to wait for four more years.   

Premier League set for gripping finale

Premier League set for gripping finale: But what can still happen?

As the last day of the English Premier League season draws near, there is still a lot to be decided at the top and bottom of the table. With the league title and Champions League qualification places still to be decided as well as the last relegation place to be filled there is still much to play for. It all comes down to 3pm tomorrow and the biggest 90 minutes in the history of Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers to name just two teams.

When 5pm ticks around on Sunday one of the most captivating Premier League seasons in the competitions 20-year history will come to a close. There are still plenty of ‘if’s’ and just as many ‘but’s’ to be decided before then.

So what can still happen?

The Premier League title

It has been, as expected, a two-horse race for most of this season. At one stage it seemed that the title was heading to City, then momentum swung back United’s way who opened up an 8 point gap, but now with one game to go it is the blue half of Manchester who have one hand firmly on the trophy.

The biggest swing in momentum was when Manchester United lost 1-0 to their noisy neighbours less than a fortnight ago with many pundits believing that Sir Alex Ferguson got his game plan wrong with his ultra-defensive tactics. United’s last real chance of getting their hands back on the trophy was when City played high-flying Newcastle United however City brushed them aside with no serious problems.

However United were undone by their own poor form. With just five games of the season left they let slip an eight-point lead. It is looking ever likely that City will be crowned champions tomorrow afternoon to claim their first league title in 44 years. Both sides go into tomorrow’s game level on points (86) but City lead their rivals by eight goals on goal difference: 63 to United’s 55.

The Outcomes

Roberto Mancni’s side know that a win will guarantee the title – unless the unlikely chance of United winning by a margin of 9 or more goals happens.

If United Slip up, City will finish on top by matching their rivals result – a draw is enough if United do not win. The title will also be heading to the blue half of Manchester if both teams lose their final game.

The only way Ferguson and United will be celebrating on Sunday evening is if United win at Sunderland and City fail to win, or if United draw and City Lose.

Likeliest Outcome: Manchester City win the league

The Relegation Fight

Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have announced Stale Solbakken will take charge next season, and Blackburn Rovers have already been relegated. One of either Bolton Wanderers or Queens Park Rangers will join them.

Going into tomorrow Bolton are in 18^th place on 35 points and QPR have two more points on 37. Rangers also have a better goal difference at -22 to Bolton’s -31. The London club are of course playing the league leaders at The Etihad Stadium and have a dismal away record this season, whereas City have dropped just two points from their 18 home games this season.

Bolton therefore need to make sure they take all three points against 14^th-placed Stoke at the Britannia Stadium, to stand a chance of playing another season in the top division in August. But it will be a very tough task considering Stoke have lost just four times at home all season.

The Outcomes

Should Bolton win then Owen Coyle’s side will probably stay up, on the basis that City will defeat QPR. If QPR win they will be safe, and if they draw both they and Bolton will draw level on 38 points. This would mean the Londoners retain their Premier League status by virtue of their better goal difference.

Likeliest Outcome: Neither side to win. QPR stay up.

The Champions League

Chelsea currently hold the key to the European qualification places. They can no longer finish higher than sixth, but their presence in the Champions League final complicates the race for European places in the league.

If Chelsea win the Champions League they will take part in next year’s competition as holders – but this will mean that whoever finishes fourth in the Premier League will not qualify for Europe’s elite competition.

If this is the case then the top three teams, and Chelsea, will all enter the Champions League at the group stage, whereas the fourth-placed team will take part in the Europa League entering at the group stages.

But, if Chelsea lose in the final, the top four teams will qualify for next seasons Champions League as normal. The top three teams will enter in the group stage with the fourth-placed team entering in the play-off round. The Blues as FA Cup winners, would enter the Europa League at the group stage.

Regardless of Chelsea winning in Munich, the team that finishes fifth will enter the Europa League in the play-off round, while Carling Cup winners Liverpool will join in the third qualifying round.

But back to basics. With City and United assured of their place in the Champions League next season, going into tomorrow it is North London’s biggest rivals Arsenal and Tottenham who currently hold the ever important third and fourth spot. However Newcastle United could quite easily spoil the party.

Arsenal go into the final day on 67 points, Spurs are one behind and Newcastle are just a further point back. But Newcastle face the difficult task of travelling to Goodison Park. If they defeat Everton, and Arsenal lose at West Brom and Spurs slip up against Fulham at White Hart Lane then Alan Pardew’s men could finish 3^rd. it is still all to play for.

Likeliest Outcome:  Arsenal 3^rd, Tottenham 4^th.

The Europa League

Chelsea and Liverpool, as winners of the FA Cup and League Cup respectively, have already booked their places in Europe’s second biggest club competition. The team that finishes fifth out of Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle (see above) in the Premier League will earn the right to play in the Europa League.

But, should Chelsea beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League Final next Saturday, then that would mean they are re-entered into the completion to defend their trophy next season. If this is the outcome than whoever finishes fourth would be demoted from the Champions League to join whoever finishes fifth, in the Europa League.

Just to make things a bit more confusing, should an English team be in the top two of Uefa’s Play Fair League then they will have a chance of being drawn out of a pot and winning a ticket to play in the Europa League.

Likeliest Outcome: Anybody’s guess!

Football Has No Place At The Olympics

I do not know about you, but I just cannot get excited for football at the Olympics. 

The draws were made yesterday for the group stages but the same nerves and excitement were not there as when the draw is made for the World Cup or European Championships. Waiting impatiently for England to be drawn out of the hat, fingers crossed tightly hoping to avoid the big guns; Brazil, France, Argentina, Italy and all the rest. 

It just was not there. 

At first I thought the obvious. Maybe it was because England are not competing, instead a Great Britain team is competing (or England plus Gareth Bale.) But then I realised that was not the answer. 

The answer is that football should not be in the Olympics. 

Sports people are united by the Olympics. The summer event is the pinnacle of their career; it is what they strive for. The dream of winning a gold medal in their specific field is what they train and build towards for four years. Many competitors have been dreaming of the Olympics since they were young children. They grew up seeking a gold medal. For them there is nothing bigger than the Olympics. 

That is the problem with football in regards to the Olympics. The World Cup is the pinnacle of a footballer's career; it is the accolade that every professional footballer dreams of winning. This is the same as golf, which is joining the Olympics in four years’ time, it has majors. These majors are what golf players want to win - not gold medals. Tennis is also the same with its four grand slams. 

It just cannot be right that footballer's and tennis players are taking a look around the Olympic village and treating it like a bit of fun. It is almost an insult to the athletes. 

And I have no doubt if you ask any footballer if they would rather be at the Olympics or in Poland and the Ukraine this summer for the European Championships, it will always be the latter. It is just not right. The Olympics are not a priority for them. 

Yes, in athletics, there is a European Championship at the end of June, but it is really for those people who won't make the Olympics. No athlete would swap the Olympics for a European Championship. 

You can understand quite easily why Arsene Wenger of Arsenal and Manchester United's Alex Ferguson have been very dismissive of Olympic football. 

I follow football and tennis throughout the year, and I know some good players have competed in both sports at the Olympics over the years. But when it is the Olympics I do not watch it and I do not try to find out how they are getting on. 

People will get excited that Rafael Nadal is playing at the Olympics as they may not be able to get tickets to Wimbledon. I understand that, who wouldn't want to see one of the best ever tennis players. David Beckham may well be in the Great Britain football side as one of the three over twenty-three players. It may be the last time to see Beckham play on an international stage, for many it might be the first time they have seen him play in the flesh - I cannot fault people for buying the tickets. 

It just does not do anything for me personally. 

Also I cannot take the players seriously. They are there for the wrong reasons. They want to be part of the Olympics because of what it means to everybody else, not because it means something special to them. I am sure many would rather be on their summer holidays. The Olympics is not such a meaningful occasion for them as it is to the majority of others competing in other sports such as rowing or cycling. 

I am glad that football will act only as a sideshow to the main event. The highlight of the Olympics will, and always has been, the athletics. And this is exactly how it should be. They are the real stars of the show, and it belongs to them. 

The only reason that the International Olympic Committee continues to give football a place in the games is the money that it makes. Football is the sport of the world and it is watched by billions around the world. Therefore if you give it a place in the biggest sporting event in the world people are going to pay to come and watch it. However this year football is the only sport that still has tickets available, whereas the gymnastics and athletics have all sold out. 

But at the end of the day it is not up to me. Great Britain is competing at the Olympics whether I like it or not. I believe the country will get behind the team but only because it is being hosted in England. By the time the 2016 Olympics come around I do not believe anyone will be the slightest bit interested. I just hope that if we do somehow win a medal that it does not detract from the other lesser known sports - the ones that deserve a place in football. I know many journalists will rather write about the football as it is a sport they cover every week of every year not just every 4 years. It is a sport they know about. It is much easier to write about Wayne Rooney then an athlete in the shot-put who they have never heard of before. 

For me I shall be watching the athletics, cycling and rowing. The sports that for me make the Olympics the Olympics. 

World Snooker Championship Preview

After a marathon season the World Snooker Championship 2012 is finally here (well tomorrow anyway.) The best 32 players will battle it out over the next 17 days to lift the most prestigious crown in the game.

'The most open championship for years'

For me this is the standard way to 'big' up the event and I am all for anything that does that. But do they have have a good point this time around. As I look down the list of past winners there are only a couple of exceptions, most notably Shaun Murphy and Joe Johnson, it has always been a player with a winners pedigree that lifts the trophy at the end of 17 long and gruelling days and I don't seen any reason why that will not be the case again this season.

The expansion of the tour and the number of events that players are playing in over the last 12 months, there is an ever-expanding group of players with such a pedigree. Mark Allen is the latest and most notable addition to this list - he finally ended his wait for a ranking title a few weeks ago after knocking on the door for what seemed like an age and he is a big player in the championship now. Stuart Bingham is another player who also broke into the winners club when he won the Australian Open at the beginning of the season.

More noticeably there are a group of competitors who have broken there way back into the winners circle after a lengthy period of time away. The obvious two being Stephen Lee and Peter Ebdon. Ronnie O'Sullivan also returned to winning ways, all the more important as his top 16 ranking was hanging in the balance, with a long overdue win in the German Masters. This was his first main ranking tournament win for three seasons. All three now come into calculations for the World Championship title.

We then have the usual solid group that are there or thereabouts every year. Ding Junhui, Neil Roberton, World Numer One Mark Selby and to some extent now, Judd Trump. These are the new group of players who are constantly winning events.

On the fringes of this group are the sleeping giants with big tournaments under their belts but haven't found the right formula to win a main event this season. Surprisingly John Higgins is in this group, but being the current holder and the most suited player to longer framed matches he will be in the final 4 at the very least. Joining him in this group are the well-tuned Stephen Maguire, Shaun Murphy, Mark Williams, Matthew Stevens, Ali Carter and Graeme Dott. Three of them have already won the world title.

Stephen Hendry and Ken Doherty are sitting in the 'veterans' club this year hoping for one more tilt at a world title, and a fairytale ending to their illustrious careers.

We then move on to the players that are capable of beating anyone on their day and all have the experience to battle through the 17 days and finally lift the much coveted title of World Snooker Champion. In this group are Marco Fu, Ryan Day, Dominic Dale, Martin Gould, Joe Perry, Barry Hawkins and Mark Davis. There are also those with points to prove such as Andrew Higginson and Dave Gilbert who have both had narrow defeats against strong opponents on their only Crucible appearances to date.

Add to all the above the new kids on the block, whose leader this year is without doubt, Belgium's revelation Luca Brecel. He has able assistants with him including the ever-improving Welshman Jamie Jones and Chinese duo Liu Chuang and Cao Yupeng. Let us not forget Liang Wenbo who has finally found his form returning and you can see how hard it has become to predict a winner.

So all in all I have managed to name all 32 players that will be competing for the trophy over the next 17 days. In the past the same 5 or 6 names come up as potential winners, Graeme Dott and Shaun Murphy aside, it is usually from this group that the champion emerges. However this year could be different. I still expect John Higgins and Mark Williams to be there towards the end, O'Sullivan also if he turns up in the right frame of mind. But look out for Judd Trump again, Andrew Higginson, Ryan Day and also the youngsters.

To be honest, look out for all of them, on their day and with a bit of luck, anyone can win it!

Best ever Premier League save: Peter Schmeichel

With every great goal and game, there has to be a great save.

In my opinion Peter Schmeichel's save in keeping out Liverpool's Don Hutchinson in 1993 has to be the very best.

The Liverpool midfielder was 10 yards out and could not have caught his shot any sweeter but Schmeichel threw himself to his left to parry the ball behind.

If it does not win the Premier League 20 Seasons Award Best Save, I would be very surprised.

Liverpool v Manchester United

1992/93

Premier League

The save in mention is in the video along with the rest of the contenders for the award. 

Best ever Premier League goal: Dennis Bergkamp

In my opinion the greatest player to play in the Premier League and this has to be his best ever goal.

 Arsenal v Newcastle United

 2001/2002

 Premier League

Chelsea v Tottenham: It took just seconds to see how bad a mistake Martin Atkinson made

Football fans all over the world would have been wondering how Martin Atkinson gave Chelsea their second goal.

There is no getting away from it, it was a dreadful decision. Replays, which were available for us all to see within seconds, proved what a terrible judgement call it was from Atkinson as the ball clearly did not cross the line.

Most unusual was that Atkinson gave the decision himself. A goal/no goal decision is usually left solely to the assistant referee who would have been looking straight along the goal line, appeared to be taken by Atkinson alone.

It's ironic that he has been invited to Euro 2012 - as a goal-line assistant.

You can usually tell from the reactions of a player if you have possibly made an unbelievable error, when you have the reaction of a whole team like Tottenham yesterday, you know you have made an unbelievable error. Aaron Lennon, Scott Parker and Kyle Walker all showed their clear frustration at the decision.

It's not the first time Atkinson has been at the centre of a goal-line technology debate. Just five weeks ago he refused to award a goal to QPRs Clint Hill against Bolton after claims he had scored. Again video replays, available in seconds, showed it was a clear goal.

With goals, referees usually use the defence of poor viewing angles for missing such incidents, but for some unexplainable reason yesterday, Atkinson did not. He made a bold decision, arguably a match changing decision, and got it wrong.

But what people must remember, and as Harry Redknapp said himself, he made it honestly. He did not plan to make that big decision, the incident happened, he made a big call but unfortunately for Atkinson it was completely wrong.

'To miss something is understandable, but to see something that did not happen is unacceptable.'

That is something that all referees are told. They can not see everything, it's just impossible. But the worst thing they can do is start seeing things that did not happen.

Mistakes like this creep up now and again and will continue to appear until goal-line technology is introduced. As far as most, referees even more so, it can not come quickly enough. Unfortunately for Atkinson it did not come quickly enough.

This, that and the other: Newcastle beat Liverpool in a highly controversial match

A big win for Newcastle as they continue their push for European football and even more impressively for a place in next years Champions League. Although no disrespect to Newcastle if they do make it into the Champions League then it backs up the latest debate that English football is currently struggling.

Newcastle's win against Liverpool was the sixth league game out of their previous seven that Liverpool have lost.  This is form that is going to see Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool's most celebrated player, start to fear for his job. Even if he will not admit this.

There were however some major talking points throughout the game and of course they all put the attention on the match referee, Martin Atkinson. So lets run through them.

Andy Carroll dive: Blatant. Went round the keeper who clearly did not not touch the Liverpool striker. In my opinion dives like this should be punished with a red card, not a yellow. If Martin Atkinson had not seen this was a dive, he would have red-carded the Newcastle goalkeeper and awarded Liverpool a penalty. It would have completely changed the game. Why should the attacker be allowed to get away with this? It is clear and blatant cheating.

Liverpool penalty appeal: No doubt a penalty and a red card for Danny Simpson. After Andy Carroll knocks the ball towards goal, Simpson clearly and deliberately moves his arm towards the ball to stop it crossing the line. He knew what he was doing and denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, which we all know is punishable with a red-card. However it was impossible for Martin Atkinson the referee to see this. But if he had, it would have been a very different game.

Pepe Reina red card: Unsure. After James Perch tripped Pepe Reina, the goalkeeper reacted badly by running at Perch and barging him. He then lowered his head towards the opposition player. It appeared to make contact with the Newcastle man, but the second camera angle shows there was no contact. Perch's reaction was awful, just as bad as Andy Carroll's dive. However Reina should know better.

Newcastle second goal: Offside. As Denba Ba plays the ball through, Papiss Cisse is clearly in an offside position. Hatem Ben Arfa tries to play the ball; if he had then Cisse would have been onside as it would be a different phase of play. But he does not touch it, therefore it is still the same phase of play and Ba is therefore offside.

Overall it was a mixed afternoon for the officials. But the result only continues to show Liverpool's frailties. However they are in an FA Cup Semi-Final and they have won the League Cup. This should just about save Dalglish for one more season.

Euro2012: Will England fail again?

Put your hand up if you still think English players are amongst the best in the world.

Quite a few of you. Well you all have a bit more faith then I do.


With 51 days to go until the European Championships 2012 kick-off in Poland and Ukraine, I offer my opinion on why England continually fail at major tournaments and why I have do doubt they will fail again.

There was a time when I was like all of you. I believed that the England team was bursting at the seams with countless numbers of world-class players waiting to be propelled onto football's biggest scene. Player's that could match the legends that have appeared in the French, Brazilian and Italian national teams over the years.  I always saw a team that could with the World Cup, the European Championship and become the number one side in the world. A team that could add to the solitary World Cup win of 1966. (Did that actually happen?) I have to ask myself the question.

I have watched England since France 1998 and followed them in every tournament since - apart from the one they failed to make in 2008! (Failures like this should be unheard of.) With each failure I say to myself, next time. Next time we will come good, next time we shall win.

But of course the next time comes and go. 14 years since I started following England, 46 years since that World Cup win, now just weeks before the next big tournament, or failure, it seems the right time to give up.

I always looked at the likes of Campbell, Ferdinand, Scholes, Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard, Owen and Rooney and believe that the constant dreams of England finally performing on the biggest stage would come true. But as always I was left feeling the usual anti-climax.

Why is this? Why do we constantly fail?

I would offer the simple reason that we have a severe lack of world-class player's. However no-one ever settles for that reason. So let's look at the development of our youngsters.

Young English talent from the about the age of eight or nine are brainwashed that passion and belief will bring them success. This has never been true. Learning the basics of football and building on skills is often put to one side, or in some cases completely forgotten about. Also at this age it is also not unusual for boys and girls to be playing football on full-size pitches that to be honest most of us would struggle to run about on. They are taught to run everywhere quickly even for tackling. The focus is not on the ball but the player. It makes it look like Paul Scholes can tackle.

At an early age young English talent are not taught close ball skill, or to pass and move like many foreign countries. This is something that the Spanish and Brazilians show perfectly. Fitness work also seems to be second-best compared to countries such as Germany and Holland  - you do not see players of Emily Heskey's build in other teams.

There are a few players that are hand-picked from the poor-grass roots set-up in England are are put into a professional club. However only a few of these are then good enough to make the transition successfully enough to make the international stage. These are usually the ones who are picked by the prefessional clubs that follow a 'European' model.

Away from skills and fitness English youngsters learning the game see on the TV from a very early age that anger and belligerence are acceptable (for example Wayne Rooney's behaviour on and of the field or the Chelsea team surrounding referees.) This behaviour which is often mirrored by parents on a Sunday morning who happilly and loudly abuse the officials.

Let's also look at the players that currently make up the England team to see if the problem is there.

The team is made up of mainly 'experienced' players, those who have appeared in multiple matches at international level for several years or more. Apart from the most recent friendlies it is very rare that any youth breaks into the team. Capello, unlike those before him, made it clear that it was his intention to pick players based on form instead of experience, but this was clearly never the case.

Yes Capello does hold the highest win percentage of any England manager. But there is no denying that he controlled and managed a group of desperate, last chance saloon players who are, or nearly are, on their last legs.

Did I say last chance saloon? The 2010 World Cup should have been their last chance, however there is no doubt in my mind that whoever takes over for the European Championships this year and in to the future will continue to play the same players.

Whoever takes over will inherit a group of players with egos that are difficult to control, especially as The FA are not paying their wages.  Many managers have tried to control these egos, and until the World Cup 2010 Capello seemed to be doing so but as always the egos proved too big for the team. I don't think it is entirely possible unless we start all over again. The current players do not feel the need to preform on an international level. Player's retire early, such as Paul Scholes. Why? Club football is simply more important.

Problems do not just exist in the England national set-up though. Raymond Domenech failed completely to control his players when he was in charge of France, their egos were all far too big for the team. Age may also play a part. Both the England and France squads were old when they caused problems, however Joachim Loews young Germany squad are giving him no problems at all.

There needs to be a balance. However England can never quite find that balance.

The alternative view seems to be that the presence of foreign talent in the English Premier League leaves very little room for English players to play at the highest level. I do not agree with this, the view is absurd. If English talent was good enough it would get into England's top sides. It is that simple. Frank Lampard, John Terry and Ashley Cole all appear in the Chelsea side as regulars and Wayne Rooney is in fantastic form for Manchester United. Both sides have won the league with these players in the team. But arguable the next 'generation' of English talent is not talented enough. They are not nurtured enough from a young age to make the jump to Premier League standard like our international counterparts are.

Why is is that these players, with a mix from other clubs such as Liverpool and Tottenham, fail to perform on the international stage? They can not be said to have 'failed to break through' after all they are playing for the biggest teams in the country, so with this it can not be said that they do not have the experience at the highest level. Is their a behaviour that is drilled into them at club level that once these restraints are moved they fail to play football as it should be played. I find this difficult to believe.

For those that watch the Premier League every week you will see much of the same style that England have played with other the years - inflexible, aggressive and with a focus on tackling the man instead of playing the ball. And lets not forget the long ball! Those few teams in the Premier League who try to be different, try to play like other European clubs are often kicked off the field. Something which is tolerated in England, but not across the continent.

This does pose a problem though. There is no getting away from the fact that English teams are among the elite in European competitions. Apart from this current season, English teams have dominated the Champions League for some time. Incidentally these are the same English teams who have a large number of foreign players. The same English teams who try to play a less traditional English style.

So what is the answer?

I don't have one, so sorry if you were expecting one. If change is so happen then The FA and The Premier League need to work together and not against each other. Otherwise we will be dreaming of more glory like 1966 for many more years to come!

Good luck to whoever takes over as England manager, but I don't think it will help them much.

Footballs greatest ever player......

Lionel Messi is the best ever? It has been debated and argued since his remarkable goals against Bayern Leverkusen in the Champions League this season. Messi quite delightfully and effortlessly strolled through their defence as if it was not there. He scored his goals with a magnificent variety of shots, chips and lobs. Two came with his left foot and one with his right. In the process he once again opened the debate of who is footballs greatest ever player, and at the same time put forward another strong case in his favour. He emphasized in the process that the playing field is not level in physical terms, but that does not stop him.

For Messi is small, yet his boyish build is of a big benefit to him. It has no impact on him at all. In fact it helps. He is still too quick, too skilled and just too good for even the most powerful defenders.

Messi became the first player to score 5 goals in a Champions League game. He also has one quadruple (v Arsenal), one hat-trick (v Viktoria Plzen) and nine braces in the competition. With 49 goals in 64 games, Messi is the fourth top scorer in the history of the Champions League (since 1992-93), behind Raul (71), Ruud Van Nistelrooy (56) and Thierry Henry (50). Messi has scored 12 goals this season in the Champions League, which equals the best total in a Champions League campaign (since 1992-93). The others to reach that tally were Van Nistellrooy (2002-03) and Messi himself (2010-11). He has scored twice as many goals as any other player in the Champions League this season and since his goal in the 2009 final, Messi has scored 33 goals in 30 Champions League starts.

Messi continues to make an excellent case for himself, and he is only 24 years of age.

But the best-ever? Arguably not for the criteria that is often put forward. However comparisons are subjective. Times have changed, football has changed. Different eras. Different styles of football. Players get too much protection from referees. Ultimately, the game is easier. However, comparisons are subjective. Winning a World Cup, why should this have to be on the list? Messi played for Argentina in South Africa and was admittedly disappointing. He was lively enough in the early games, but was not able to save Argentina from a thrashing at the hands of Germany.

Messi insisted he was satisfied with his form and refused to blame Diego Maradona, a star in the Argentina side that were triumphant at the Mexican World Cup of 1986. Maradona was a star, but is an erratic and explosive team manager who was blamed in some quarters for keeping Messi out on the wing rather than spear-heading the attack as he does so profitably for Barcelona. There was an element of envy in such tactics, there is no doubt about it. Surely though a player should be judged on his appearances he gives week in and week out. Not how he performs over a handful of games every four years. George Best was the best of his generation, but he never played at a World Cup.

Should the World Cup be the ultimate criterion just at the Olympics are said to be in Athletics? If so, then what becomes of the other great Argentinian, Alfredo Di Stefano, who never appeared in one? He played his club football with Real Madrid, whom he inspired to the first five ever European Cups. He was playing 'Total Football' long before anyone else had ever dreamt of it. He was a tireless and influential box to box player who single handedly carried Madrid for many years. However he never kicked a football in a World Cup Game.

Pele.

Pele did play in the World Cup and without doubt played better on the world stage then anyone before or after him. He was just 17 years of age when he took the world by storm in Sweden at the 1958 World Cup and was the same 12 years later in Mexico 1970. On both occasions he led Brazil to World Cup Glory. He scored twice against Sweden in the 58 Final in Stockholm to win the trophy. Unrivalled skill, power, invention, genius. technique and flair.

Who could match him?

Not even Maradona. Even with that amazing solo burst against England and then against Belgium in Mexico City in the 1986 World Cup. He was jointly awarded the honour of Fifa's Player of the Century with Pele and earned 91 caps for his country, finding the net on 34 occasions. The World Cup winning captain finished his career with 292 goals in 583 club and country appearances.

Lets not forget Johan Cruyff. The Dutch winger won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974 - a record jointly held with Michel Platini, Marcco van Basten and Lionel Messi. The Netherlands never lost a match in the 33 games in which he scored. In total he scored 324 foals in 568 games for both club and country, but he never lifted a World Cup.

In terms of current players, lets not forget Cristiano Ronaldo. He is the most expensive player in football history after moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid for 80 million pounds in 2009. At 27, he has won the Champions League and already has 88 caps and 32 goals for Portugal. At club level he has 183 goals in 309 club appearances. Other awards include the European Golden Shoe and Premier League Golden Boot. His 53 strikes in one season for Real Madrid is also a club record.

And the already mentioned George Best. He won the 1968 European Cup with Manchester United along with winning the European Footballer of the Year in the same season. Best also grabbed two English league titles (1965, 1967). He won 37 caps for Northern Ireland and scored 214 goals in 616 appearances before retiring in 1983.

Other Candidates: Eusebio (Portugal), Franz Beckenbauer (Germany), Michel Platini (France), Zinedine Zidane (France).

So, let us be happy with saying that Messi is, at this moment, the finest footballer on the planet. As for in the history of the game, the debate will rage for years.

Referee Dean got Tyne-Wear derby spot-on

The laws of the game do not state that the referee should take into account the time of an incident or that the game is a local derby.

They do however say that the game is refereed based on the opinion of the referee in the decisions he makes.

This is exactly what Mike Dean did. He applied the law perfectly for 90 minutes and whilst leaving the field of play.

Lee Cattermoles first minute lunge on Cheik Toite could have easily been a red card. But thankfully for the sake of the game referee Mike Dean gave Cattermole a stern talking to and rightly issued the yellow card.

The next 30 minutes saw five cards issued and a penalty correctly awarded for a blatant shirt pull by Mike Williamson.

However it would be a great help to the game if more referees were bold enough to give more penalties for blatant infringements inside the penalty area. Although admittedly not all of them are quite as obvious as today's.

Dean had no option but to show the red card to Stephane Sessegnon for swinging his arm although contact was quite minimal. The reaction from the Newcastle man was highly embarrassing and hopefully he will be quite disappointed when he sees a replay.

Mike Dean also awarded Newcastle a clear penalty for a foul on Shola Ameobi which will be one of the easiest decisions he makes this season.

The sending off of Lee Cattermole was also spot-on. He followed the officials almost the whole length of the pitch debating numerous decisions and I shall leave it to the lip-readers to work out what he said just before he was given the red card.

A strong and physical game which you would expect from the two teams, although along with their managers lost their heads at times. However referee Mike Dean kept his for the whole 90 minutes and produced a fantastic display and reminded many that there is still a very high standard of refereeing in the Premier League.

Even Match of the Day gave him 9.5/10!

England need a manager sooner rather than later

Since the departure of Fabio Capello England are once again back to square one. They have started that well known trip of going round in circles with no-one in sight to take control.

It reminds me of the stage we were at with a certain 'Wally with the brolly.' When Sven-Goran Eriksson stepped down The Football Association appointed his assistant which turned out to be an unforgivable mistake.

They can not afford to do the same again. It was the correct call to let Stuart Pearce take charge against Holland, but he can not stay in the long run, not even as a stand-in for the European Championships in the summer. His CV just does not have enough experience or success on it.

On reflection, it wasn't a bad performance against Holland but we should not read too much into the result. Pearce was brave to select the squad that he did and it certainly opens up more possibilities for the summer.

There is no denying that Holland played the game as a friendly. There is no point pretending that England played really well against world-class opposition, because they did not. Holland played at a walking pace for 90% of the game, and when they did step-up the pace they easily exposed the very fragile English defence.

Admittedly England were missing a handful of key players - John Terry, Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard. Three players who can change a game, pull off that match winning moment and more importantly three players who the rest of the team can rally behind.

As for the players that were on the field. Ashley Young picked up from where he left off for England, he was by far the best player on the field and since his injury return he is getting back to his best. Adam Johnson looked threatening every time he picked up the ball, has a really eye for the game and looks more and more at home in the England team with every cap.

Off the field, the recurring message from The FA is that there is no rush to appoint a new coach. Personally I would like to know what their plan is as I'm not convinced they have one. Waiting until the end of the English season and then appointing Harry Redknapp or another candidate is not the right way to go, but it seems to be the option that The FA is taking. Whoever takes the job needs longer than two weeks to sort things out. Turning the fortunes of England is not going to happen with a short term fix. It's going to take a lot of time and a lot of planning.

Many people are taking a different view on the situation. They believe that the European Championships are not the main issue here, but that we should be looking 2 years down the line to the World Cup 2014. However this is wrong, I am pretty sure that people have been saying this since 1966!

My own view is that the powers that be need to bite the bullet and come up with some kind of arrangement with Tottenham that enables Harry Redknapp to take charge as soon as possible.

From leadership off the field to leadership on it, England need someone to take control. I am not sure why Stuart Pearce took Jo Hart into the press conference with him when he had no intention of giving him the armband. Hart had to face the question, 'are you going to be captain?' I imagine he had no idea. Naming the captain on match day is not the way to go, if there is no long-term leadership off the pitch then we at least need someone on it.

On the whole, we may be 4th or 5th favourite for the tournament, but instead off constantly looking two years down the line, and when that comes around looking two years down the line again, The FA need to act now and give us the best chance of being competitive in the summer.

Sir Alex Ferguson's best eleven?

Listening to a fantastic interview with Sir Alex Ferguson on Radio 5 Live recently, it prompted me to come up with what I feel is Sir Alex Ferguson's best ever eleven during his time at Manchester United.

Goalkeeper: Peter Schmeichel, 1991-1999, 292 appearances
Signed for just 530,000, Alex Ferguson once described him as the 'buy of the century' and I don't think that many will disagree with this statement. He is by far the best goalkeeper Man United have had in modern history and will go down as one of the greatest keepers to ever grace the game. His presence and influence in the penalty area is unrivalled and it took united 6 seasons to finally replace the big gloves that were left behind on his departure, surely there is no bigger compliment for a goalkeeper. 


Defender Left: Denis Irwin, 1990-2002, 368 appearances, goals
Without doubt the most underrated defender to ever play in the modern game and the best right-footed left-back ever. Fantastic free-kicks and penalties which gained the club numerous points over the years. Ahead of his time for a Premier League full-back and was always a constant threat down the left with Ryan Giggs. He had creativity, composure and was scarily consistent. His performances against Europe's best in the treble winning season ensure his reputation as a Manchester United great.  


Defender Right: Gary Neville, 1992-2011, 400 appearances, 5 goals
One word comes to mind for Gary Neville, reliable. He was without doubt one of United's most consistent performers for two decades at Old Trafford. In his prime he was always the first man on the team sheet for both club and country. Defensively sound, and never shyed away from his attacking duties, he was often further up the field than Beckham or Ronaldo and created numerous goals for the United forwards. 

Defender Centre: Jaap Stam, 79 appearances, 1 goal
Beats Gary Pallister and Rio Ferdinand on the basis that Ferguson admits that allowing him to leave in 2001 was one of the few mistakes he has made at Old Trafford. Admittedly he was only at the club for three seasons, but won the title in each of those seasons, in addition to the Champions League in 1999. Strong in the tackle, excellent reader of the game and had the much needed natural pace. 

Defender Centre: Nemanja Vidic, 2006-present, 167 appearances, 14 goals
Struggled when he first signed for the club but has gone on to be one of the worlds best defenders. He has the strength to match any opponent and is the talisman of the United defence. Any time he is not available United look very vulnerable to conceding goals. 

Midfielder Right: Christiano Ronaldo, 2003-2009, 292 appearances, 182 goals
Quite simply one of the best, if not the best, player to ever play for Manchester United. Signed from Sporting after a pre-season friendly as a winger with a bit of pace, and nurtured into the Premier Leagues best player in 2009. Ronaldo improved as a player every year he was at the club which culminated in the 42 goals he scored in the 2007-2008 European double winning season. In total Ronaldo scored 182 goals in 292 appearances which is an incredible achievement especially for someone who is technically a winger. He is without doubt the most exciting player Ferguson has ever signed at Old Trafford and the Premier Leagues loss was definitely La Liga's gain. Beckham would be the obvious choice for many and his efforts at the club deserve mention. But Ronaldo was crowned the world's best player during his time at the club. Just edges it. 

Midfielder Left: Ryan Giggs, 1991-present, 899 appearances, 162 goals
Legend. To have a career of 5 years at one club is becoming rare these days, to have a one club career spanning 21 years and counting is unheard of. But that is exactly what Ryan Giggs has got. An absolute phenomenon who has reinvented his game year after year to adapt to the modern game as he loses a yard of pace each season. However this has allowed him to stay at the top of his profession and still be as influential as ever. Giggs has changed from a flying winger, remember that goal against Arsenal, into a deep-lying play-maker, which has ensured he is still winning matches and displaying brilliance even in his 22nd year. United's all-time record appearance maker and the player who best defines the Ferguson era. A new contract at the age of 38 just backs his legendary status. 


Midfielder Centre: Paul Scholes, 1994-2011 & 2012-present, 471 appearances, 103 goals
Quite simply the best English player of his generation. Ferguson pulled him out of retirement less than a year after quitting which goes to show how much faith he has in him. A brilliant passer of the ball and, in his earlier days, a superb goalscorer when arriving late from midfield. Has always been a one-club man who will finish his career at Old Trafford, for a second time. His ability has been lauded by players so much that you have to take notice. He has rightly attained legendary status at Old Trafford. 

Midfielder Centre: Roy Keane, 444 appearances, 55 goals
A British record transfer fee when Fergie parted with 3.75million for the Irish-man, and he was undoubtedly worth it. An inspirational captain, Keane was the embodiment of the drive and desire that made United so successful under Sir Alex. He was always a fully committed player who delivered the finest ever individual performance in United's history in the Champions Leagye semi-final against Juventus when he was already suspended for the final and the club's treble dream looked to be all but over. Sums him up as a true team player and was dramatically missed when he departed the club. A figurehead and a player the team would rally behind time after time. To this day, captain fantastic has never been fully replaced. 


Forward: Eric Cantona, 1992-1997, 144 appearances, 64 goals
To Man United fans he was a legend, and I don't think many neutrals could disagree. There are very few players who have ever had an aura surround their every move on a football field quite like Eric Cantona. With his arrogant attitude and the turned up collar, he looked more like a star in a Clint Eastwood film than a footballer. His unrivalled skill and charisma were matched by his unpredictability, as shown when he walked off towards the Selhurst Park dressing room in 1995. Aside from this moment of madness Cantona led United's charge back to the top of English football. His 79 goals in 175 games may not be as good as the likes of RVN, but Fergie entrusted him to bring through his fledglings in the early to mid-nineties as he transformed United into the team they are today. 

Forward: Ruud Van Nistelrooy, 2001-2006, 220 appearances, 150 goals
150 goals in 220 appearances says it all really. Any striker with a goals to game ratio like this is going to go down as a club star. RVN is the definition of 'fox in the box' 149 of his 250 goals game inside the penalty area. Except for a barren spell in the 2004-2005 season, RVN had a natural instinct for where the goal was, something all world-class strikers are born with. Still the clubs record European goalscorer with 38 strikes, a record that will no doubt stand for many years to come. 


So there is my eleven. If I had to make a squad out of all the players that have played for Sir Alex Ferguson that would be it. There have been many other great players in his time in charge and that is why there is such a long substitute bench below.

Subs bench: Edwin Van Der Sar, Rio Ferdinand, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Mark Hughes, David Beckham, Bryon Robson, Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Teddy Sheringham, Andrei Kanchelskis, David Beckham, Steve Bruce. Paul Ince. Wayne Rooney.

It could go on!

England back on form at the expense of Pakistan

After being blown away 3-0 in the Test match series, England turned the tide as they inflicted their own revenge whitewash on Pakistan in the limited overs arena. 


Being set an under-par target of 238 from 50 overs England got off to a stuttering start which was started by the early dismissal of captain Alastair cook for just 4 runs, before being reduced to 68-3 in the 16th over. However a solid century from Kevin Pieterson (130) ensured Pakistan went home without a victory on the board. 


Pakistan batted first on a wicket that should have produced a par score of at least 270. However disciplined bowling from England's attack restricted them to 237 in the final day-night game in the Dubai Stadium. 


Asad Shafiq top scored with 65 and useful knocks from Azhar Ali (58) and Misbah-ul-Haq (46) steered Pakistan to a below target 238 all out. England paceman Jade Dernbach finished with 4-45. 


Injury hit Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first a decision that was seen by many as correct. However constant wickets for England ensured that Pakistan were never going to set an imposing target. 


Experienced batsman Younis Kahn failed to recover after missing the third match and the left-handed opening batsman Imran Farhat was left out due to a groin strain picked up in Saturday's game. 


Paceman Junaid Khan, spinner Abdul Rehman and all-rounder Shoaib Malik were included in place of Farhat, Umar Gul and Aizaz Cheema.


England were forced to leave out Ravi Bopara (sore back), Graeme Swann (calf) and opted to give Stuart Broad and James Anderson a rest, a decision made easier by the unassailable 3-0 lead England had going into the game. 


Their places were taken by Jos Butler, Jade Dernbach, Tim Bresnan and Danny Briggs.


The biggest positive from the game was the second successive century scored by Kevin Pieterson, the first coming in the previous game, his first since 2008. Also the pressured situation of already being four wickets down made the knock even more impressive. 


Also the introduction of Briggs and Jos Butler into the side showed that England do have strength in depth in the form of the game that they have always struggled. 


Becoming the number one Test side in the world was a massive achievement, to become the one-day international best team would be nothing short of a miracle. This series win is just the start of the marathon, but it should give this young England side the belief that they can win in the limited overs game, and if they install some consistency they can go on to become the best. 

Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Junaid Khan, Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal, Umar Akmal, Abdul Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Azhar Ali

England: Alastair Cook (capt), Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Jos Buttler, Jade Dernbach,

Umpires: Kumara Dharmasena (SRI) and Zameer Haider (PAK)

Tv umpire: Simon Taufel (AUS)

Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)

Referee Stuart Attwell removed from Premier League refs list

Football referee Stuart Attwell has been demoted from the select group of Premier League Match Officials (PGMO) after four years which have been dogged by controversy. 


For many top flight clubs and managers in the Premier League this decision by Mike Riley, Professional Game Match Officials Limited general manager, has come just short of four years too late. 


Attwell became the youngest referee to officiate in England's top division, when aged 25, he overlooked the game at Ewood Park between Blackburn and Hull in 2008 after just one year on the national list. 


So why has he been demoted? 


The above game finished without incident, but this can not be said for many other games that Attwell has been in charge of. 


High profile errors. 
1. He incorrectly awarded the 'beach ball' goal between Liverpool and Sunderland in 2010. 
2. December of last year he sent off then Bolton defender Gary Cahill for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity, despite the foul taking place on the halfway line. This was overturned by the FA. 
3. He was accused of 'losing control' of a Derby/Nottingham Forest Derby in which he disallowed two Derby goals in the final stages, booked eight players, and sent off Nottingham Forests Lewis McGugan. 
4. He awarded Sunderland a free-kick inside their own half against Liverpool. A Sunderland defender knocked the ball back for his goalkeeper to take the kick, however Attwell ruled the play to be active, and allowed Torres to take the ball and score. 


And obviously he allowed the infamous ghost-goal at Reading back in 2008. 

I shall let you make your own minds up. 


Removing an official half way through the season could be deemed as harsh, however the high standards that the PGMO referees strive for in today's modern game, are not helped by such high-profile errors. 


Hopefully he will grasp the chance with both hands, gain the necessary experience, and should bounce back to become one of England's top officials as he was once tipped to be. 

Football referees, we do not do it to make friends

Every weekend up and down the country thousands of football matches are played, but just a fraction of these are played with a fully qualified official.

Official, referee; you may know them better as 'the bastard in the black,' or yellow, red, blue, or white across Europe these days. 

I'm one of those, one of those mad breeds that give up their Saturday afternoons, Sunday mornings and afternoons, and my Tuesday evenings as well.

Personally I settle for 'bastard in the black' because I've been called much worse.

The reason I write this blog is for something I heard in the past.

''Referee, is taking all the abuse not part of what you get paid for?' (Yes that was a serious question!)

This was asked by a man who must have been in his 60s, probably watching his grandchild play. I was shocked by this comment, and just gave a small smile in reply.

It made me wonder why I bother.

So why do I?

I guess its through my love and passion for the game that keeps me going.  (And knowing I'm going home with the players money, something I don't think they've all worked out yet.)

Also the fact of knowing that they will still be criticizing me in the pub that evening, but ill be too drunk on beer  (vodka and orange) actually, to give them a thought. (Obviously paid for with their money.)

Yes, I promise it is my love of the game that keeps be going.

On a more serious note, the reason I carry on going is the respect that 99 percent of players and spectators do give you, and games when it is hand-shakes all round, despite ending the game 10 v 10.

It is just a shame there's still a minority who continue to verbally and physically abuse referees.

I still remember my first game, I was like a rabbit in headlights. A lot of criticism, and it got me down. But 4 seasons, 300 games and 1 promotion later, I block it out, and worry about my performance not the players.

I just keep reminding myself I don't do it to make friends, and that I'm never wrong, I just saw it differently.

Best Test team in the world, I don't think so.

Flown in but spun out. The venue may have been a one-off but the performance and headlines that greeted the 3-0 whitewash by Pakistan could have been taken from the 80s and 90s. England's performance on the sub-continent was consistent once again, consistently poor.

From beating the Australians down-under for the first time in 24 years to retain The Ashes, to white-washing the Indians to become the number 1 Test team, England showed once again how they easily crumble under any extra pressure to prove they are the best.

To achieve the feat of being the number one team in any sport takes a lot of commitment, careful planning and the need to consistently turn out good performances. In Cricket it arguably takes longer than most other sports, from five-day Tests in a five match series, to numerous days of limited over matches which often make up a gruelling 2 or 3 month tour, it can become to take its toll on any squad. However under the guidance of coach Andy Flower and captain Andrew Strauss it seemed English cricket had finally struck gold on a balanced combination which with it came constant success.

In just under three weeks, the countries most successful sporting team went from being the cream of the crop to once again the laughing stocks of the country. England's performances showed that getting to number 1 is only half the battle. The other half, staying there, is going to need a monumental effort.

However on the sub-continent, as has happened many times, England were out-played in all areas of the game and were quite comfortably span out in a 3-0 whitewash.

The bowlers will walk out of the series with the heads held reasonably high as they once again proved that as a unit they are the best in the world, but the batsman will need to have a long and hard think about what went wrong. If the top 6 come out unchanged for England's next Test series then it will be an injustice to every English batsman there is.

So, just how did England's players actually perform.

Andrew Strauss (captain) - 150 runs at 25.00 - Bat 3/10 Captain 4/10

Contribution with the bat was poor. As an experienced opener he knows the importance of setting a platform for the whole innings and seeing off the new ball. But he failed in both respects but did save himself with a well-fought half-century in the final Test. As captain he was good but not his usual assertive self. Played two spinners in second and third test but only after learning from mistake in first test.

Alastair Cook - 159 runs at 26.50 - 4/10

Shown himself to be one of the best batsman in the world throughout 2011 and would have had high hopes of performing even better in 2012. However he let himself and the team down against Pakistan. A solid 94 in Abu Dhabi should have set up and England win but the team let him down. Overall not a good series and will be hoping to at least double his average by the end of the year.

Jonathan Trott - 161 runs at 26.83 - 3.5/10

The title of Mr Reliable may have disappeared after this series. Usually dependant to hold an innings together coming in at number 3, however he looked uncomfortable throughout the whole series and this is reflected in his average.

Kevin Pieterson - 67 runs at 11.16 - 2/10

Left-arm spin once again his undoing. England's star batsman failed to perform in every innings. An average of 11.16 at any level of the game is far from acceptable. Will be looking for better performances later in the year or his place will be under serious threat.

Ian Bell - 52 runs at 8.5 - 1.5/10

Not even a shadow of his usual self. Quite literally spun out of the game. Makes constant claims that he could become England's number 3, but after this performance he will be lucky to have a place in the England side when they travel to Sri-Lanka in March. Not knowing which way the ball is going to turn left him guessing from the first ball of his innings to the last.

Eoin Morgan - 82 runs at 13.66 - 2.5/10

Not staking a claim to become a consistent Test player. However coming in at 6 should be in a position to boost England's score with some quick fire runs. This wasn't the case as the top order consistently failed. Definitely a limited overs player. Will probably lose his place to Ravi Bopara for the Sri-Lanka series.

Matt Prior - 150 runs at 37.50 - 7/10

Kept wicket very tidily as always and showed why he is the best wicket keeper in the world. Had to come into bat in some horrible circumstances with the top 6 failing time and time again. Did make some useful knocks which once again shows he would be able to bat at 6 which leaves the option of playing 5 bowlers. England's batsman of the series but needs to turn more of his good knocks into match winning centuries.

Stuart Broad - 105 runs at 21.00, 13 wickets at 20.46 - 8/10

Definitely my man of the series for England. Pitches should not have helped him with the ball but bowled consistent line and length which made him look like he would take a wicket with every ball. Another forceful fifty which cements his role as England's all-rounder.

Graeme Swann - 105 runs at 17.50, 13 wickets at 25.07 - 6/10

Slightly disappointing series for Swann. Going to the sub-continent as the Test arenas number 1 spinner he would have liked more wickets on spin-friendly pitches. Stiff competition from Monty Panesar which will make him aware that he needs to up his game for the rest of 2012.

James Anderson - 54 runs at 10.80, 9 wickets at 27.66 - 6.5/10

Always going to be difficult for seam bowlers on flat pitches and this was no different for Anderson. Stuck to his usual game plan but despite the title of England's lead bowler he was out-bowled by Broad and Umar Gul throughout the series. However he was still as reliable as ever for his captain but would have liked a few more wickets.

Monty Panesar - 14 wickets at 21.57 - 7.5/10

Was finally given his chance back in the Test team and took it with both hands. Played extremely well and was very reliable whenever asked to bowl. Tied his end down for the skipper and took more wickets then any England bowler. Spin-friendly conditions but you still have to bowl consistently and aggressively to take wickets and he done this very well.

All in all changes need to be made in the England team for the up-coming series against Sri-Lanka in Sri-Lanka and the West Indies in England. The selectors need to show that they are not afraid to drop the likes of Kevin Pieterson and Ian Bell. Averages of 11.16 and 8.5 respectively are far from acceptable. Overall the bowling unit tried their hardest to keep England in the series but the batsman ruined the hard work time and times again.

Yes, England are still the number 1 Test side in the world, but only just. A quick and serious improvement is going to be needed to stay there.