Brummie thugs... Apparently Aston Villa fans at the Emirates on Saturday were singing songs about Eduardo's broken leg and throwing coins at the Arsenal fans. Scumbags! While just over a week ago, up to 100 football hooligans in the Midlands were involved in a brawl in the street before Coventry's match against Leicester. Police believe the violence was pre-arranged and witnesses said that "hordes" of men were throwing bricks at each other in the street. Coventry brawl

No, sadly far from it, as some of my posts recently about Ashley Cole hopefully demonstrated. I wouldn't like Chelsea to win the Champions League either - and other teams have greedy brats too. But in the year of the 50th Anniversary of the Munich tragedy, I would find it particularly distasteful for the current bunch of Man United players to be hailed in the media as being "heroes" for winning the European Cup, given their selfish behaviour this season.

We're living in a sick society at the moment. Even though a number of Man United players apparently behaved monstrously at a party - with one United player (now on loan at Sunderland) bailed by police following an alleged rape, it seems that these players are nevertheless still lauded by their fans as being "heroes". I really hope that Man United don't win the Champions League this year. Fifty years after the Munich tragedy in which gentlemen like Duncan Edwards, Tommy Taylor and Roger Byrne lost their lives, I feel it would be wholly inappropriate if the current generation of badly behaved selfish greedy brats like Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown were to become European Cup winners. On a non-footballing note - but still related to the subject of rape - I was disgusted to read that a gang-rape video was posted on the 'You Tube' website, where a 25-year-old mother was raped in front of her two small children. A completely sick crime, but unfortunately perhaps indicative of our society at the moment, where some young people seem to think that it's "cool" to film themselves committing crimes. Link: You Tube criticised for gang rape video

I used to like Cahill as a player. I've now lost a lot of respect for him after his goal celebration on Sunday, which was out of order. I'm also very disappointed that David Moyes has not condemned Cahill for it. Firstly I feel that Hughes should have served his full six-year prison sentence rather than being freed three years early. New Labour's "tough on crime" promise ringing hollow again. Secondly, no, I don't believe that Oldham FC should have employed him after his incredibly reckless selfish actions - where in the judge's words he showed a "callous disregard" for the victims. We're not talking about a guy who failed to pay for a parking ticket or went 5mph above the speed limit. We're not talking about a guy who stole sweets from Woolworths when he was a kid. Lee Hughes was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and of selfishly running away from the scene - clearly a very serious crime in most people's books. When Oldham welcomed Lee Hughes to Boundary Park, I feel that Oldham FC insulted not only the victims in Hughes's case, but it was also a kick in the teeth for the families of other road crash victims who may have lost loved ones in accidents or suffered serious disabilities for the rest of their lives. Thirdly, I would question the statement of the Oldham chairman who when Hughes came to the club said that "Everybody deserves a second chance". So literally every odious criminal on the planet deserves a second chance? What if Lee Hughes had been a child rapist who had served a prison sentence for raping a little girl, would the Oldham chairman still be saying that "everybody deserves a second chance"? What if Lee Hughes, like Joey Barton's brother, had attacked a black guy with an axe - smashing an axe into somebody's skull - would the Oldham chairman still be saying "everybody deserves a second chance"? Why is it that the Oldham chairman believes in welcoming with open arms to the club somebody who, through his selfish actions, killed a man and left another severely disabled.

Two loathsome individuals, two disgusting goal celebrations.... It was a cold Saturday night at the beginning of December. Outside the wind was blowing fiercely and the rain was lashing down. It wasn't a night for going out. I settled down in my favourite armchair with a cup of hot chocolate and a cornish wafer with a thin slice of cheddar cheese to watch Match Of The Day. It was nice to see the goals again in Rovers' 3-1 win over Newcastle at Ewood. After highlights of the rest of the Premiership matches, Gary Lineker then announced that "before we leave you, here are the goals from today's FA Cup 2nd round ties played today". Horsham managed to get a draw against Swansea, while Havant & Waterlooville pulled off a shock by beating Notts County. And then he came on. I was unprepared for this monster invading my television screen. He might have been suitable for the midnight horror movie, but not on Match Of The Day. Oldham were playing Crewe and the voiceover said that Lee Hughes "who had been booed throughout the day by Crewe fans scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win for Oldham." I was less than happy when I saw Hughes's goal celebration afterwards. The Brummie thug and cowardly dangerous driver decided to dance a provocative jig in front of the Crewe fans who had been booing him earlier in the match (boos which were wholly justifiable in my view after the disgraceful conduct of Hughes a few years ago). I was disgusted that this man was on my TV screen smirking and grinning, waving his hands up and down in the air and doing his best to incite the crowd by dancing a provocative jig in front of the Crewe fans. It was a type of "up yours" dance from Hughes. He was metaphorically sticking two fingers up not only at the Crewe fans but also sticking two fingers up at the millions of people up and down the country who were appalled with his actions on the night when he ran away from a crash that had killed a passenger and severely injured another. Let's not forget that the judge in the case said that Hughes had a "callous disregard" for the four people in the car that he had crashed into. Hughes didn't give a damn about the fact that he had caused such dreadful injuries. All this selfish brat cared about was himself. People like Lee Hughes make me sick. How could he be so callous and selfish? His actions that night were despicable. Afterwards, the Brummie lout didn't have the decency to offer an apology to the victims, but instead decided to appeal against his prison sentence. In the end he only served three years of his six year sentence, before being freed early. West Brom rightly terminated his contract. Sadly Oldham, to their eternal shame, decided to employ this man's services and pay him a large weekly wage. I went to bed on that Saturday night in December feeling irritated and quite disgusted that I'd seen Hughes smirking and dancing on Match Of The Day. I felt violated that this man had been on my TV screen and was upset to think of how the families of the victims in Hughes's crime would feel if they had seen him dancing provocatively in this way. The second loathsome creature I would like to tell you about is Everton midfielder Tim Cahill's brother Sean. Sean Cahill is a sickening thug. CCTV cameras captured Sean kicking a guy in the head so hard as he lay on the floor that the victim was left partially blinded, semi-conscious and was bleeding heavily. Detective Constable Will Hope described the attack as "brutal and terrifying". Sean Cahill was jailed in January this year for grievous bodily harm with intent. You would think that his brother Tim would be ashamed of his brother's actions and would be publicly saying how sorry he is for the guy that was left partially blinded in the brutal assault. But instead, to his shame, the Aussie midfielder decided during Sunday's match against Portsmouth to dedicate a goal to his thuggish brother Sean. Tim grinned as he crossed his wrists as if he had been handcuffed. Does Tim Cahill not have any compassion or sensitivity towards the victim and his family? Does Tim not give a damn about the victims of other appalling acts of violence from drink-fuelled thugs who randomly attack people in the street? I'd like Tim Cahill to visit a local hospital on a Saturday night and see for himself the injuries that some people suffer at the hands of violent thugs on a night out. I'm extremely disappointed with Tim and very disappointed that Everton FC have not condemned his highly insensitive goal celebration. If I was David Moyes I would be fining Cahill two weeks wages and giving the money to the hospital which treated the guy who was brutally kicked in the head by his brother Sean. Link: "Lee Hughes wrecked our lives," says passenger

The first two months of the year have seen some contrasts in the British weather. February 2008 was apparently the sunniest February across Britain since records began - beating the previous record for a sunny February set in 1970. January this year, however, was the wettest January since 1995 - with only seven Januarys wetter in the past 100 years. According to the Met Office, the warmer than average February helped to ensure that British temperatures over the winter were 1.1C (2F) above the norm. It's better than the dark gloomy afternoons and it won't be too long before the clocks go forward an hour on the 30th March, bringing lighter evenings. It reminds me of the famous time on Match of the Day some years ago when Jimmy Hill made a slip-up at the end of the programme, saying: "Goodnight and don't forget to put your cocks forward."

Ashley told: "Apologise or it's over" "Cheryl feels like a fool. She feels betrayed and hurt," says the article. Perhaps Cheryl should have thought twice before marrying a selfish git like Cole. On Match of the Day last night, after Chelsea's 4-0 win over West Ham, Gary Lineker said: "Nice to see Ashley scoring again." It was Cole's first goal in a Chelsea shirt yesterday - but I think Lineker had other scoring on his mind...

I wonder if Jose Mourinho has allowed himself a wry smile at the current goings-on at Chelsea ? There's trouble at T'Bridge.... A lacklustre performance from Chelsea in the Carling Cup final has left Roman Abramovich less than pleased. Amid rumours of dressing-room unrest, it's reported that the Chelsea hierarchy have held an inquest into their poor performance at Wembley. Assistant coach Henk Ten Cate has admitted that he had an angry 'F' word bust-up with captain John Terry during a training session in the build-up to the match. Avram Grant has been warned that he's in danger of missing out on the pro-licence he needs to continue as a Premiership manager after he pulled out of another coaching class in Israel this week. Israel's head of coaching Amnon Raz says: "Avram will have to be careful because if he misses many more classes, it will be the end for him and he won't get his licence." Meanwhile Michael Ballack, Ashley Cole and Joe Cole are said to be angry after being dropped for the final on Sunday and several senior Chelsea players are rumoured to be unhappy with Avram Grant's tactics. Taking over from Jose Mourinho hasn't been an easy task for Grant and many Chelsea fans wish that the 'Special One' had never left. Two links below for you.... Chelsea players "losing confidence" in Grant "Chelsea players fuming"

Thank you Revidge and Aggy Blue for the supportive posts. Hopefully we can continue the discussion about Ashley Cole and other greedy brats in the footballing world without the topic being unnecessarily diverted. Did you know that a couple of years ago Ashley Cole wore a "Make Poverty History" wristband? I'm not kidding. You just couldn't make it up. This greedy bugger, who claimed that £55,000 a week was an insult to him, decided to remind people about poverty when he put the wristband on. Has this guy got no brains, no shame or what? Poor Ashley Cole being chauffered along in his shiny Bentley to do photoshoots where he apparently demands brand new designer suits for the pictures. Is it any wonder that quite a lot of decent people are sickened by some of these greedy footballers.

I don't know if you're suggesting I'm only critical of black people - but if you are then that is ridiculous and you haven't read some of my posts recently on the likes of Alex Ferguson, Steve McClaren, Wayne Rooney, Roy Keane and Joey Barton.

According to one newspaper report I read yesterday, Ashley Cole stormed out of Chelsea's team hotel after being informed by Avram Grant that he was being dropped for the Carling Cup final at Wembley. Grant says that Ashley is going through "a difficult time at the moment". Doesn't your heart just bleed for him? It's a "difficult time" entirely of this selfish brat's own making. It was Cole who decided to have sex behind his wife's back, telling a blonde tart "You should be privileged that I've been sick in your car" before pulling his underpants down at her flat and having his wicked way with a silly blonde cow who didn't care that her flat was covered in vomit from this vile man. Cole only has himself to blame and I suspect that sympathy for him will be in very short supply from most decent football fans who are sickened by this man's arrogance and greed. A few years ago (before Cole's infamous tapping-up by Chelsea) Patrick Vieira wrote in his autobiography: "Ashley Cole has everything it takes to be to Arsenal what Paolo Maldini has been to AC Milan: a player so strongly linked to a club that he will be forever associated with it, and come to symbolise it." How wrong Vieira was. The only thing that Ashley will "forever be associated with" is greed, selfishness and disloyalty. He has come to symbolise the arrogance of the modern-day footballer. Cole has displayed contempt for ordinary fans with his greed and he clearly isn't living in the real world if he thinks that £55,000 a week or £2.9m a year is an insulting wage. Is this another greedy barsteward ? Wes Brown is reportedly demanding an £80,000 a week contract at Man United. Mr Brown (like Ashley Cole) apparently thinks that a £55,000 a week wage offer on the table from United is insulting. Mr Brown's agent should realise that up until Gary Neville's injury, Wes Brown was not always a first-team regular. Brown's career has been interrupted by a string of injuries and when Gary Neville eventually comes back from injury then United's first choice defence is likely to revert back to Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra, with Brown on the bench. But Wes Brown appears to think that anything less than £80,000 a week while sitting on the bench is insulting to him. Another greedy brat not living in the real world....

Keane is the bugger who shook hands with Kenny Dalglish on a deal to come to Ewood Park in 1993, before changing his mind and joining Alex Ferguson. He's a lout and a thug, but I have to admit he would have made quite a difference to the fortunes of Rovers if he had kept to his handshake agreement with Dalglish. He's been one of the most influential (and one of the most thuggish) players in the history of the Premiership. Keane "tempted to attack fans like Cantona"

After all the headlines surrounding Martin Taylor's challenge on Eduardo at St Andrews on Saturday, we shouldn't forget that possibly the worst challenge seen in English football since the Premiership was formed in 1992 was committed by that wild psychotic Irishman Roy Keane. It was in April 2001. A derby match at Old Trafford against Man City. It wasn't so much a challenge from Roy Keane - it was more of a shocking violent premeditated assault. It gets worse each time I see it. You can view it for yourself at the video link HERE Absolutely shocking. How sad that many people in Ireland still regard Keane as a "hero". I'd suggest that after that knee-high assault in 2001, Keane should have become a source of shame to the people of Ireland. Alan Green got it right when he said live on radio that Keane was a "lout", while Sunderland defender Clive Clarke gave an insight into Keane's managerial style when he said that Roy had been undermining his players this season by "going around booting chairs, throwing things and not talking to them." I daresay that if this Irish thug from Cork City had not embarked on a football career with Cobh Ramblers - subsequently joining Nottingham Forest and Man United - then if he hadn't been a footballer he'd probably now be a drunken lout propping up bars and throwing chairs in Cork pubs, taking a swing at people and regularly being thrown out of bars for causing trouble. He's the type of bad-tempered volatile character who can't control his emotions and resorts to violence to sort out his differences. Somehow I can't imagine Roy sitting calmly in a 9-5 desk job in Cork. Possibly, like some of his fellow countrymen, he'd be digging up roads by now or he'd be an itinerant driveway tarmacer - knocking on doors and paving people's front gardens. I'm sure that his fearsome temper would regularly be on display and he'd be an Irishman best to avoid. Part of me wants Keane to be relegated with Sunderland this season. But there's another part of me that really wants Birmingham to go down and Steve Bruce to be relegated with Wigan too. Clearly they can't all be relegated, because there's no doubt Derby are going to occupy one of the relegation places. Sunderland's 1-0 defeat against Portsmouth at the weekend was a record-equalling 10th successive away defeat for the club. Their away record currently reads: no wins, two draws and twelve defeats. Just two points away from home - it's a record almost as shocking as some of Keane's challenges. Clearly if Sunderland hadn't picked up seven wins at home, they would be dead and buried now like Derby. Keane has spent a lot of money since his team were promoted - around £40m - and some of them have been duds. This season Sunderland have been thrashed 7-1 by Everton and lost 0-3 at home to Wigan in the FA Cup, a performance which Keane said left him feeling "ashamed and embarrassed". On Saturday at Fratton Park it was a familiar story and another away defeat. Keane said afterwards: "David James must have had one of his easiest games ever today. We could have played until midnight and not scored. I don't think Portsmouth needed a goalkeeper. My players were overawed and I expect they're in the Portsmouth dressing room asking for autographs now." Another verbal rocket from Keane. But will throwing chairs and kicking players up the backside be enough to keep them up?

Repulsive vile killer "high on cocaine" as he attacked teenage model Pub chef Mark Dixie, jailed for life today, took large quantities of cocaine and smoked marijuana on the night he viciously murdered and raped the teenage model Sally Anne Bowman in south London in 2005. The court heard that Dixie had spent a drug and drink-filled day celebrating his 35th birthday with two friends. The three of them returned to their flat on the night of his birthday, but Dixie later decided to visit a local drug dealer in an effort to buy more cocaine. At about 04.30 GMT, Dixie stabbed Sally Ann repeatedly before having sex with her body. Dixie admitted in court that he had sex with Sally Ann's corpse while high on drugs. He was asked in court: "Did you bite her?" and replied "Yes, I did." Dixie was asked: "Did you in fact realise that she was dead?" and he replied "After a while, yes." Jailing Dixie for life, Judge Gerald Gordon told him that his conduct was unspeakable. "What you did that night was so awful and repulsive that I do not propose to repeat it," he said. Clearly Mark Dixie is a vile and evil man. He might well have raped and murdered Sally Ann even if he hadn't been high on drugs and drink that night, but I suspect that the drugs didn't help the situation. Cocaine - a stimulant that can cause a feeling of euphoria and exhilaration, together with a feeling of extra strength and indifference to pain, might possibly have acted as the additional trigger or "high" which led him to carry out such a sickening rape and murder. I hope that this evil scumbag is never released from prison, but unfortunately he is likely to be freed before he dies. These days so-called "life" sentences can mean little - and evil rapists and murderers can be released after ten years or so inside. Indeed Dixie might become eligible for a fat dollop of cash in compensation, courtesy of the taxpayer, if he stops taking drugs by going "cold turkey" in prison. The precedent has recently been set that hundreds of prisoners and former inmates who stopped taking drugs by going "cold turkey" have received lucrative payments thanks to the 1998 European "Human Rights" laws which New Labour signed up to. How sickening it would be if a man like Dixie received thousands of pounds from British taxpayers because of his drug habits.

"Blackburn need to improve," says Pedersen May I suggest that when Pedersen speaks about the need for the team's home form to improve, he firstly needs to take a look at his own performances at Ewood, which have been shocking this season. Pedersen though seems to think that his own form has turned the corner. "I think my form is coming back," he says. Frankly I've seen no evidence of any big improvement from him recently. He's still struggling to dribble, beat a man and deliver a decent cross. He's only managed two goals in cup competitions this season, with no Premiership goals for over a year. If he thinks he's playing better now, then by god he was awful before. For Pedersen to indicate that his team-mates "need to do better" is a bit like Harold Shipman telling other doctors that they need to improve patient care.

If I was an Arsenal fan who had travelled to Old Trafford on Saturday to see their FA Cup match against United, I would have been disgusted with Arsenal's gutless shambolic performance. The players didn't turn up or look at all interested in the game. If I was an Arsenal fan, I would also have been disgusted with the excuses from Arsene Wenger after the match. Instead of apologising to the Arsenal supporters for such a horrendous performance, Wenger instead blamed the pitch. Wenger said afterwards: "The pitch was a disgrace. It was impossible to make a pass." Impossible? Well United didn't seem to have too much trouble passing the ball around. United passed the ball well, whereas Arsenal didn't. They were a shambles. Wenger also tried to distract attention away from Arsenal's performance by saying: "My players were upset and incensed by Nani's showboating". Irrespective of Nani's ball-juggling, I'd suggest that the Arsenal players should have been predominantly incensed with their own performance, because they were a disgrace. Not surprisingly, Wenger said that he "didn't have a clear view" of Eboue's sending off. Isn't it strange how Wenger never sees the bad tackles that his Arsenal players make, but he always has a clear view of any fouls against his players. Wouldn't it be nice if just for once Monsieur Wenger owned up and admitted that his team were a shambles, instead of blaming the pitch, the ref or using some other spurious excuse.

They say that "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" and I suspect it might only be a matter of time before Cole's wife Cheryl sells her story to the newspapers and tells everyone what a useless husband Ashley was, how he was rubbish in bed, how she was going to dump him anyway even before his affair became public. You can bet your bottom dollar that if Cheryl does decide to dump Ashley, she'll be looking to squeeze every last penny out of him in the courts, like Heather Mills is currently doing with Paul McCartney. Returning to matters slightly more relevant to football, Ashley Cole may not actually be the greediest and most loathsome character in the Premiership. There is at least one other candidate - a French defender who first came to England three years ago. Link: Is This The Most Despicable Man In Football? This repulsive man handed in a transfer request at Wigan almost literally after the final whistle at the end of Wigan's first season in the Premiership, apparently pulling out a piece of paper from his sock to give to Paul Jewell at the end of the match. What a complete lack of gratitude he showed to the club that paid his wages and gave him his first taste of Premiership football. And now this season at Spurs the disgusting slimeball is alleged to have said: "It's all about the money. I don't care about the final, I don't care about the cup." If those reported words are true - and it wouldn't surprise me at all if a character like Chimbonda said "It's all about the money" - then it just reinforces what a despicable man he is.

Dowie's "old-fashioned" managerial style got him the sack It's not the first time that Dowie's "old-fashioned" managerial style has apparently got him the sack. The BBC's football editor Mihir Bose says that it wasn't actually football results which got Dowie the sack at Charlton. Instead, Dowie was given the boot at The Valley as a result of a two-week internal inquiry by the Charlton chief executive into Dowie's conduct - which allegedly included ranting and raving not just at players, but at other members of staff at the club. There was found to be serious dressing room unrest and disquiet at the club during Dowie's brief period in charge at The Valley. Alan Curbishley was given fifteen years at Charlton, but Dowie was given just fifteen games there before he was sacked. The Rovers board certainly made the right decision in appointing Hughes. A link to the points Mihir Bose has made about the reasons for Dowie's sacking at Charlton is below. This man could have been a disaster at Rovers if he had become our manager instead of Hughes. Results had nothing to do with Dowie's departure.

A point that Aston Villa's Nigel Reo-Coker has made today, Gordon. Reo-Coker says that diving and play-acting is "killing the game". "It's not a man's game anymore," says the Villa midfielder. "If you slightly touch a player, they go down and do 20 rolls and a back-flip, then they get you cautioned." Link: Reo-Coker slams the cheats

Roy Keane - famously critical of the prawn sandwich brigade within football - now believes that the Premiership should go global. Keane says that he's in favour of the concept of change and Premiership games being played in destinations like Dubai, Beijing and Sydney. I would have thought that this would increase the likelihood of 'prawn sandwich' fans attending such matches. Let's face it, an average guy on a typically average salary wouldn't find it easy to afford to take his kids halfway round the world to watch a game. Whereas the more affluent fans wouldn't find it quite so much of a problem It was after a Champions League match against Dynamo Kiev at Old Trafford in 2000, that Keane launched his attack on sections of Man United supporters, saying: "They have the prawn sandwiches, and they don't realise what's going on out on the pitch. I don't think some of the people who come to Old Trafford can spell 'football', never mind understand it." Well Mr Keane might find that if the Premiership goes global, there may be a lot of foreign fans in China, Egypt or wherever, who cannot spell "football". Keane's former friend Eamon Dunphy, who helped Roy to write his autobiography, has launched a stinging attack on the Sunderland manager. Dunphy says that this season Keane has become a bulls*****r who has been "sucked in to becoming a rent-a-quote." Link: Dunphy slams Keane

Dowie sacked again Even though Coventry thrashed us 4-1 at Ewood Park and beat Man United 2-0 at Old Trafford, the Coventry City directors appear to be concerned with their position in the Championship table, where they're currently four points above the relegation zone. Dowie was in charge at Coventry for just under a year. His sacking might seem a bit harsh, considering he had little money to spend, but I can't say I've got a lot of sympathy for Dowie after the lies he told to get out of his Crystal Palace contract.

Lucas risks the wrath of Curbishley for his Chinese trip Lucas says: "People say 'why would you want to go and play for Australia in the middle of two English Premier League games?' It's an honour, it's a privilege." I can't knock him for wanting to play for his country - but I can knock him for his declaration that going to West Ham had nothing to do with money. Lucas tried to pull the wool over the supporters eyes, instead of being honest. That's why he will continue to be booed by a section of Rovers fans each time that he comes back to Ewood Park.

FA investigating £300,000 bet on Redknapp job It's the second time that betting on Redknapp changing his managerial job has come under suspicion, after the massive amounts of money which were staked on him moving from Southampton back to Portsmouth in 2005. I suppose that one of the things which should be investigated is whether Harry did indeed shake hands on a deal to go to Newcastle, before changing his mind the following morning. Just how close did Redknapp actually come to being appointed Newcastle manager and did he speak on the phone to the "high-profile football figure" who apparently bet large amounts on him in two different managerial betting markets. I'm not suggesting that Redknapp is definitely guilty of any wrongdoing here, but it is fair to say that controversy has followed him in recent years and Harry has earned the nickname "Readies Redknapp". Tom Bower's book "Broken Dreams: Vanity, Greed and the Souring of British Football" is recommended for further information on "Readies Redknapp".

Pedersen: "The opposition have worked me out" "It's really hard - people are aware of you," says Pedersen. People are aware of Christiano Ronaldo too - but that doesn't mean they can easily stop him. I think the problem at the moment is the opposition are aware of how poor Pedersen is. He struggles to get past the first man and cross the ball with any real quality. He struggles with dribbling, passing and crossing. And he hasn't scored in the Premiership for over a year. The opposition have sussed Pedersen's weaknesses out and they realise he can be very easily shackled, unlike a speedy winger who can beat a man with pace and cross the ball. "I hope when I score it won't just be one - and I will get on a roll," MGP says. Well I won't hold my breath on that one - as he hasn't scored in the Premiership since a match against Sheffield United last season and at the moment he doesn't look like "getting on a roll". "At least we have loads of people who score this season," says Pedersen. Yes, it's a good job we're not relying on you - otherwise we'd be in deep trouble.

Going back to refs in general, Graham Poll is probably earning a lot more now that he's retired from refereeing than he ever was before. With an autobiography, newspaper column, guest appearances on Match Of The Day 2 and Football Focus, after-dinner speaking engagements etc, he's no doubt loving the fact that he's still in the limelight. There's a rumour that he's going to introduce a special range of Graham Poll clothing and merchandise. Ashley Cole is not impressed. Cole said: "If you ask me he's just trying to make money. I think it's disgusting. I would never have any part in it." There's a danger when referees enjoy headlines and like seeing their name in the papers. It feeds some of their egos and may subconsciously influence some of their decisions. As the old cliche goes - the best referees are the ones you don't notice.