Blog first appeared on October 9, 2008... 

I don't think we can be too surprised by what is going on at West Ham - it just shows what can happen when you get involved with big businessmen.

A wealthy foreign benefactor might sounds great to fans, but when they have money in shares, property or other investments, they are sometimes not as rich as you think. These people often don't have real money - it is always tied up in other things.

We have seen all too clearly that football is a business, and as we know businesses can go bust.

I sincerely hope it doesn't happen but it is only a matter of

Blog originally published on July 24... 

For me, tours to far-flung places represent somewhat of a double-edged sword.

On one hand, the need to expand a club's global brand is evident, considering the sheer amount of 'untapped' support in countries like South Africa and China - and the money that can be gleaned from those places.

The very nature of modern football is such that money talks and with players being exchanged for sums which regularly exceed the £15 million mark, it is understandable that clubs look at different ways to generate finance.

Gate receipts from a 40,000 home crowd alone

Blog first published on September 3 2008... 

Exciting as it may be for City fans, the impending takeover of the club, and the investment which that has and will continue to bring, is sure to heap extra pressure on manager Mark Hughes's shoulders.

With the backing of ADUG's millions, expectation levels at Eastlands are now set to go through the roof.

I just wonder if Sparky was prepared for all this.

When he left Blackburn, he never expected to take over a club that were targeting a Champions League place by the end of the season - a goal which ADUG have been quick to set.

The agenda has

Michael Essien's timely return to fitness and form will
be key to the remainder of Chelsea's season.

Chelsea are on the
up, there's no doubt about that, and while I still maintain that it's too late
to catch Manchester United, I think Guus Hiddink's side are the one team that
can at least push them all the way.

I see no reason why Chelsea can't go the rest of the season
unbeaten - and that is exactly what they need to do if they are to keep up the
pressure on the champions.

Since Hiddink took over at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have been unrecognisable to the team
that were struggling for form

Blog first appeared August 30 2008... 

Everyone has been talking about the recent debuts made by the likes of Deco, Luka Modric and Samir Nasri, but for me the most impressive top flight debutant we have seen so far this season is Vincent Kompany.

Kompany eased into the Manchester City side last weekend and looked as comfortable in midfield as he did in defence, where he ended up following injury to Micah Richards.

What I like about the Belgian is that he seems to prefer a typical no-frills British style game - no fancy stepovers or showboating here - while remaining composed on the ball when

If Wayne Rooney does not learn to control his aggression, I fear it could cost England the chance of winning the World Cup.

Rooney was our best player by a mile against Ukraine, dictating the play and the man who raised the tempo. He was brilliant - and then he nearly spoiled it with one moment of madness.

I am talking about his tackle on Oleksandr Aliyev in the second half, for which a stricter referee might have shown a red card. If I had made that tackle when I was playing, everybody would have said it was a great tackle.

But unfortunately the laws of the game have changed and you just

Nicklas Bendtner's pink boots show you how mad the game has
gone. In the old days you had to be a real individual to get away with wearing
coloured boots and only a few people could get away with it.

I always wore black ones, but nowadays I think I'd be in a
fairly small minority. When you see somebody like Gary Neville wearing white
boots you know it has gone too far.

No offence to Gary, who replaced me as Manchester United right-back, but he is not
the kind of player you instantly associate with flair and flashiness.

I tell you, no kid of mine would ever wear pink plastic
boots. If I'm

Blog originally published on August 8... 

My old mate Paul Ince has already been on the receiving end of some stick, even before his first season in charge at Blackburn has started. Apparently he's too egotistical and his training methods are out-dated for the Premier League.

Before leaving for Spurs, David Bentley reportedly walked out on one of Paul's training sessions because he was ordered to do 20 press-ups for crossing his arms.

I don't agree with Bentley's reaction, but Paul's been out of the Premier League for a long time and perhaps he has to realise that the top flight has changed a