Running players daft won’t change a thing Igor.

Brilliant Igor. I wonder what Spurs are paying their interim manager (in truth all managers at Tottenham are interim) to tell us what we’ve all known for some time now - Spurs aren’t very good.

After their defeat at Fulham Tudor announced ‘when we attack, we are lacking quality to score. We are lacking in the midfield to run. And we are lacking behind to stay there and suffer’. Genius. We know. I wonder how his players react when they see that? He’s supposed to be there to protect them, not expose them.

And It is, of course Tudors job to sort these things out. He had the squad out for dinner in his first few days in charge before proceeding to run the bollocks off them in training, suggesting his new charges ‘aren’t fit enough’.

This is the sanctuary every limited coach turns to when he/she takes over a new club. ‘They’re not fit enough’ you’ll hear them say. Really? A Thomas Frank team not fit enough ten games from the end of the season? I don’t think so.

Spurs are poor. I said last week I hadn’t really considered they could go down until that defeat at home to Arsenal. It’s 10 now since they won - their worst run since Ossie Ardiles was in charge. They stayed up that year by the skin of their teeth, but it was scary.

It’ll be the same if they stay this time round and there are no guarantees. They’re toe to toe now with Forest.

I just don’t get Tudor. I don’t know him but Slaven Bilic does and he gave him rave reviews when he was appointed. I love Bilic so I’ll believe him when he says Tudor knows what he’s doing. But have a word Slav - tell him to put his arm round people in his squad. Give them a few days off. Make friends of them.

Running them daft isn’t going to work. It never does. Erik ten Months found that out at United. So did Alan Shearer. He needed to make friends when he took over at Newcastle, but instead he went for the big stick and we all know what the outcome was.

I could go further back - Howard Wilkinson at Sunderland when he took over from Reidy. It never works. There are so many other examples.

I noticed Guardiola complaining about kick-off times again after City’s win at Leeds. Give it a rest.

Guardiola is unhappy his team next play at Newcastle in the FA Cup 8.00pm Saturday. He’s whining he won’t have time to prepare for the CL game v Madrid the Wednesday after that. That they’ll get home late. Ahhhhh.

Let’s wait and see how many of his squad play v Newcastle and then Madrid. My guess is it’ll be three - maybe four. No more. Tired my arse. Those who play at Newcastle will fly before mid-night and be in Manchester 40 mins later.

Leeds fans should be ashamed of themselves booing because of the break to allow Muslim players at Elland Road the right to break their Ramadan fast.

Sadly we live in such a divisive Trumpian world now these things happen too often. Can’t we be a little more understanding? Embracing?

Look where division has got us. I won’t dwell too long on this, but I’m sitting in the middle of a war zone right now as a consequence. And thanks to all of you who’ve messaged asking if we’re ok. The answer is ‘yes’. I trust my Qatari friends to help the world find a way out of this mess. Negotiation is one of the things they do best.

Who knows what the fall out will be though. All of a sudden I’ve got serious reservations about the upcoming WC. I hope and pray I’ll be wrong, but we could be heading for trouble in the tournament, the likes of which we haven’t seen at a major sports event since the Munich Olympics. Recent developments in Mexico haven’t helped either.

If you haven’t seen it, dig out a piece by Andy Dean in today’s (Monday) Mirror. It’s a fans eye view from Burnley entitled ‘Gone Too Var’. It’s a very good piece. What a shame the tech ruined what could’ve been one of the great comebacks in PL history. If you get to see this Andy let me say I agree totally with you. I haven’t forgotten the FA Cup semi-final we had stolen off us at Coventry.

VAR operators (not necessarily the tech) have ruined our game at the highest levels. I’ve said so many times the lack of tech is what makes the C’ship such a good watch.

But rather than choke back the law makers have gone again, adding to VAR’s influence. They want a say in second yellows and corners that are given mistakenly.

At the recent IFAB meeting it was also decided to give refs more say in time wasting. Haven’t they worked out yet the biggest time wasters (and waste of time) sit in VAR bunkers?

Finally, good luck to everybody taking part at the Women’s Asian Cup which kicks off in Australia Sunday. North Korea are there. That’s quite something.

Eze as you go Arsenal.

Not for one minute have I thought Arsenal won’t win the title this season. They were my tip before a ball was kicked and I still believe in them.

That’s not to say their bid to win the title won’t include scary moments - it will. And I stand by what I said when I made my prediction - that Mikel Arteta would be the sole reason if they didn’t - largely because he doesn’t like taking risks.

I do know how Arsenal fans feel when a result doesn’t go for you though - the draw at Wolves was frustrating but not terminal. I’ve been watching Coventry drop daft points recently as well, but neither team will achieve anything this season without some drama. And there’s more to come yet.

A few things struck me after Arsenal’s romp at Spurs. It was great to see Eze in the side. Who knows why he hasn’t been playing? Perhaps there’s a very good reason - or is it more likely Arteta feels he can’t trust him?

I think it’s the latter. But players like Eze are always a risk. They’re mavericks - something Arteta clearly doesn’t like. So that makes you wonder why he bought him?

Eze made Arsenal look a whole lot smoother at Spurs. And it was no co-incidence they scored four goals from open play as a result. That’s the difference he makes. All of a sudden Arsenal were more creative and didn’t have to rely on a set-piece to win it.

And it was no surprise to me to see Gyokeres have arguably his best game yet for Arsenal. I don’t care who you are - a striker (well - Haaland apart maybe) won’t score goals unless others are creating chances for him/her.

Gyokeres had his best season at Coventry playing with Gus Hamer - who is Eze like in many ways. Hamer is a terrific player and we’ve got to contend with him Weds night at Sheff U. Let’s hope he has an off night. Eze and Hamer see things ordinary players don’t.

Arsenal fans need to hope Arteta continues to free his team up a little and keeps playing the X-Palace man. They’re better with him.

Another player in the same mould as those two is Phil Foden. He was massive for City in their last title season, scoring 19 goals in 35 appearances. He was every bit as good in the treble season. Never mind Rodri, City aren’t the same for me without Foden.

Last season wasn’t a good one. He scored just seven goals in 28 appearances - and that word can be deceptive, because the three minute cameo he made against Newcastle at the weekend counts as an ‘appearance’.

What’s happened? Clearly he doesn’t have a physical injury because he’s always on the bench if he doesn’t start.

Do you remember Guardiola passing his problems off as ‘illness’ last season? What’s the illness I wonder? I’m told Foden struggles with the demands of being a top end footballer. If that’s true then we can only have a whole lot of sympathy for him and hope it’s something he can conquer.

A quick word on Spurs. How on earth has it gone so wrong? I agree now with those that believe they could be relegated. I hadn’t really seen it as a realistic prospect until now but you’ve got to. They’re awful.

I remember saying I thought they’d got it right with Thomas Frank. Wrong. They’re in big trouble.

If not Spurs - maybe Forest. Their fans jumped all over me when they came up and I predicted their future - one that saw them slide ignominiously back to the C’ship, just before the owner got bored and packed his bags. If they’re not careful it’s coming.

What on earth was Liam Rosenior talking about? Chelsea drew because ‘an assignment was missed’. Fuck off Liam. Stop trying to be so clever all the time. You mean Burnley equalised because ‘a player didn’t do his job at the corner’.

I’ve never walked into a pub and heard football fans talking about ‘missed assignments’. Nor will I. Ever.

Did I really see Alisson making changes on the pitch at Forest? There was one point where he ran to Lost and said something - I don’t know what, but very soon after Szoboszlai moved into midfield and Curtis Jones went to right-back.

I can only imagine that’s what the keeper said he wanted to happen - and it did. I’ve never seen that before. Amazing. And perhaps indicative of what’s happening at Liverpool right now?

I’ve said many times big money moves aren’t an exact science and that people can change their minds about what they want - right up to the moment a deal is signed.

It’s not long since I said an agreement to take Mo Salah to Saudi was done. And it was when I made that statement, only for the player to have a change of heart.

Liverpool also had a change of mind about letting him go and were happy to offer him a new deal  - but only for one reason. I’ve said this before as well - so they could get money for him rather than see him walk away.

I think he’ll leave Liverpool at the end of this season, but I don’t think he’ll go to Saudi. The smart money is on a move to Italy.

It looks like Sunderland are finding a level, but I really do hope they stay up. And Leeds. The teams coming up this season need a reason to believe they can too. It gets very dull if the same three coming up go straight back.

On that subject - good luck at Bramall Lane boys. I’ve got a lot of time for Chris Wilder and his team - but not this week.

There was no low block going on in my house

It’s devastating and certainly tests your pace. In some way I guess it’s the equivalent of a high press. There’s certainly no low block involved. 

It hit me like a train last Tuesday. At one point I found myself on the floor with stomach cramps so bad I actually thought I’d need medical help, but I resisted that. I’ve seen enough of the insides of hospitals this past year to last me the rest of my life. 

I’m talking about gastroenteritis. My goodness. You know when you’ve got it. 

It’ll leave you alone for a few hours and foolishly you think you’ve got it beaten. Not a bit of it. I ended up in bed for three days, which explains my absence last Tuesday on BeINSPORTS - and the beard I grew during that time 😂. 

So a couple of ‘thank you’s’ before we go any further. To Nicki Crosby for stepping in at such short notice to cover for me. Nicki is a real talent. She’s been doing more for us since we all agreed this would be my last season and she won’t have a problem finding work in the UK when she returns herself. Any broadcaster would be doing itself a favour by employing her. 

And can I thank those amongst you who responded to my tweet Sunday asking the question ‘to beard or not to beard?’ More than 200,000 of you took the trouble to reply. 

I quite liked the beard, but not everyone was of the same view.  Some of the advice I got was quite creative, but the gastroenteritis ruled out a few  suggestions - and predictably there were dozens of trolls. 

I don’t have a problem with that. It’s part of the modern world I guess, but I often wonder what sort of sad life these people lead. Who on earth takes time out of their day to abuse others on  social media? Publicity hunters I guess, which in itself is sad, but why use me to get people talking about you? If you’re good enough that should be enough. Perhaps that’s where the problem lies though? 

Anyway, the beard has gone (for now) and we’re back in good order.  

It took me a while to catch up with the weekend’s games today (Monday) I don’t think the 4th Rd was too bad was it? Well played Mansfield. What a run they’re having. It’s really good to see some proper old fashioned Cup ties being served up, but our inept officials did their best to ruin so many of them. 

The games first - then I’ll get back to the officials. B’ham/Leeds looked like a genuine tie. It’s hard to judge some of the games  because of the number of changes teams make, but it looks as though Daniel Farke wants to give it a real go with Leeds. Good luck to him. 

I love the shoot-out drama. I always have. Do you remember the profits of doom predicting disaster for the competition if we dropped replays? I argued when it happened that we’d see an increase in drama if games had to finish at the first attempt - and we have. In no way has the competition suffered as a result. It’s better. 

You’ve got to feel for Burton Albion. They gave West Ham a real scare. Newcastle’s win at Villa was probably the other stand-out result. 

As for the officials - once again it was a weekend littered with high profile errors. I was really pleased to see former PL ref Mark Halsey  

showing the courage to call Howard Webb out. I’ve been waiting for someone else to join me doing that. Regular readers know my thoughts on Webb. It’s high time others started asking questions of him. Too many in the  inept group of so-called ‘elite’ officials he manages are not fit for purpose. And he’s to blame.

It’s taken a little longer than I thought it might, but the wheels seem to be coming off at Forest. It wasn’t a surprise to me that the erratic owner at the City Ground fired Sean Dyche last week - not because Dyche wasn’t doing his job, but because Evangelos Marinakis leans towards the eccentric - and I’m being kind using that phraseology. 

Marinakis is now onto his fourth coach of the season. We’re in new territory here. Even for Forest and Watford that’s unheard of. I wonder what chance there is of Marinakis making it five? 

I’ve nothing against Vitor Pereira - in fact he comes across as a really nice guy, but is this the same Pereira that struggled to amass five points at Wolves this season? Honestly, it’s another one from the ‘couldn’t make it up’ files. 

And I guess it was inevitable Spurs would part company with Thomas Frank, but in what other business would an organisation be able to get away with such rank stupidity? 

Spurs paid Brentford £6.7m only seven months ago to get him - then they pull the rug away. Now there’s the business of compensation for Frank. It’s scandalous. An absolute disgrace, but it goes on all the time in football. 

For example, United have shelled out £100m in compensation to post-Fergie coaches now - the most recent, of course, Ruben Amorim, who they paid Sporting Club of Portugal £9.5m to hire. 

That one was down to the genius of the Jim Reaper, who I’m delighted got his comeuppance after those staggering remarks on UK immigration. The fall out will last for a long time yet. And I hope it hurts him for as long as it does. 

All that was missing at Anfield was the circus tent.

Well, we hit rock bottom this weekend. What on earth was John Brooks (VAR) thinking? What an absolute farce. And if you didn’t believe our refereeing was in crisis - as I suggested last week - you’ve got to now surely? 

Why? Where was the common sense? What was Brooks saying to Pawson at that monitor? We need to know. This is why we should be able to listen to those conversations. Pawson should’ve told Brooks to fuck off and been strong enough to stand by his decision to give City that goal. 

What if….? What if Liverpool had equalised in the time left? What if City miss out on tittle by a goal? A long shot I know, but possible. What if Pawson had just used his head and applied common sense? 

He gave the goal as we know. And this is significant - he didn’t see an offence in real time. How do I know? Because he didn’t wave play on. He didn’t apply the advantage law. If he had done Szoboszlai stays on and he can allow the goal. 

Read this - 

Law12 fouls and misconduct Advantage - 

If a referee plays the advantage for an offence for which a caution/send off would have been issued had play been stopped, this caution/send off must be issued when the ball is next out of play. However if the offence was denying the opposing team an obvious goal-scoring opportunity the player is cautioned for unsporting behaviour

There you go. But Pawson wasn’t doing his job properly so none of the above applied. 

Just give the goal and blow the final whistle. Then VAR don’t need to get involved. 

As that circus was unfolding at Anfield I wonder where Howard Webb was? Packing his pj’s for another night away is probably the answer. Look at this. I couldn’t believe this when a friend sent it to me this weekend. He found it on Google. 

To get in touch with Howard Webb for professional, commercial, or speaking engagements, contact booking agents such as Champions Speakers (0207 1010 553 or

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), NMP Live (020 3822 0003 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), or

MN2S. He is not accessible for fan mail or autographs. ®

I don’t know how old this is, but it appears Mr Showbiz has got himself new agents. He’s looking for corporate work/after dinner dates. Why? Isn’t his £250,000/year salary enough? And what about the line that reads ‘he is not accessible for fan mail or autographs’. You couldn’t make it up.

It’s incredible. How is this allowed? If Webb spent more time doing his job properly and less on his showbiz career we might just get out of the mess our refereeing is in. 

As for the game - well played City. We desperately need a title race this season and let’s hope whoever wins it makes a better fist of defending it than Liverpool. 

Has any coach ever been given more than Lost on the back of a title win? £400m to make a title team better. 

I’ve always said they were poor champions. They crawled over the line last season and won it largely because there wasn’t a challenge. How many times have I said that? 

When Liverpool finally sack Lost I wonder who will take the blame? Michael Edwards? Richard Hughes? Of course not - they’ll both run for the hills. 

Have you seen the bottom of the C’ship? 22. Blackburn. 21. Leicester. How sad. The only two teams to have shaken up the usual order of things in the PL and taken the title off the big boys. Both are now in serious trouble. 

And did I read this story correctly? West Ham are currently paying salaries to three managers? Lopetegui until his deal ends in June 2926, Graham Potter until June 2027 and of course. Nuno. The cost is reported to be £10.5m/year. Scandalous. Remind me - who is in charge of football affairs at West Ham? 

Before I go this week I’d like to wish my friend and former colleague Dr Tareq Hamad Al-Jalahma all the very best in his new life as a Minister of State for Youth and Sports in Kuwait. 

It was a pleasure getting to know Tareq these past 13 years. Like me he’s decided it’s time to move on. Good luck my friend. 

There has been no fall out between myself and beINSPORTS. I’ve loved every minute of my time in Qatar - a country that means the world to me. I have a deep affection for it, but it’s time for me to move on. I’m not retiring - simply changing course. There’s a whole lot more to come yet. 👍🏼. 

Come on - it’s time to get some top refs into our league.

Week after week after week. Match after match after match. Now do you believe me? I’ve been a lone voice in the wilderness for years, bit maybe not anymore.

You know what I’m referring to of course? Exactly. Refereeing standards in the PL. And VAR operators. They’re simply not good enough either.  Nowhere near good enough.

This is a subject I’ve tried to steer clear of in recent weeks because I was starting to bore myself with it. But then Guardiola, for the second week running, Emery and Silva were all very public after a series of awful decisions this weekend. It was Moyes a week or so back. And even Sean Dyche, who’s a huge fan of the technology. Park that - I’ll get back to the tech.

You’ve got to feel for Silva and Fulham. There isn’t a team in the league that’s had more bad decisions go against them.

Let’s not get into the minutia of what upset Guardiola, Emery and Silva this Sunday, but look at the issue in the round. Surely when football people (who’re always encouraged to keep their mouths shut by the authorities) start rearing up it’s time for something to be done?

This is so frustrating for me because it’s something I’ve been banging on about for too long. It’s triggering me as I write.

On the field our guys are poor. Off it they’re just as bad. I’m not a fan of the tech - never have been - but it’s not the machinery as such - it’s the operators.

More time is wasted by the guys in the bunker than by any player winding up for a long throw or a keeper delaying a goal kick, yet we’re looking to alter the laws again to stop them time-wasting. It’s VAR delays we should be concentrating on fixing.

Try putting a limit on the time VAR can waste. Ok, we got to the correct decision at The Bridge, when it was decided West Ham’s Todibo had to go following the melee, but it took five minutes to make that decision. Five minutes ffs. We all saw him lose the plot in real time. It’s not good enough.

Our refereeing is a shambles but no-one else is prepared to call it out. More than once I’ve referred back to my initial thoughts on Howard Webb’s appointment as refs chief. I was delighted when he got the job, but he’s been a massive disappointment. He still marks his own homework and he’s still more interested in the media (less so) the he should be.

When is Richard Masters going to accept something had got to be done?

Here are my solutions. Go and get the best refs we can from Europe. I’ve said this before as well - our league operates with the best on-field talent and the best coaches the world has to offer. So let’s get the best refs involved.

Stop the VAR interventions. There’s too many. On-field refs don’t make big calls anymore because they know VAR is there to cover their arses if they make a bad one. They’ve all decided it’s better to wait. They’ve made themselves poorer as a result.

Get in full-time specialist VAR operators. Not the guys who ref on-field.

Stop lying and covering up. Stop making things up on a match by match basis. Admit mistakes. We can live with mistakes. And stop treating us all like fools. It’s our game - all of us - not just the referees.

Isn’t it good to see Kobbie Mainoo back doing what he does best? As regular readers know, I’m a huge fan. It was ridiculous that Amorim ignored him as he did. Or was l right all along - ignoring Mainoo was just another ploy to get the sack and bank £10m?

Mainoo is a fantastic young English talent who should be at the heart of United’s midfield for the next decade. I’d congratulate Michael Carrick on realising that if it wasn’t so bleeding obvious. What I will say is everything Carrick is doing is based on common sense. Fair play to him.

On a weekend when David Moyes was booked for celebrating a goal I have to say I couldn’t agree with The Sunday Times Alyson Rudd any more. She wrote a great piece this weekend highlighting how much we miss Mourinho in our league. He was pure class after Benfica’s dramatic CL win v Real.

I know what you’re thinking - the ‘celebration police’ don’t usually condone that sort of behaviour, but there’s a time and a place. In added time at the Stadium of Light v Madrid, with the stakes as high as they were, was both the time and the place. Brilliant Mourinho.  Pure entertainment.

What on earth is going on at Leicester? Marti Cifuentes has gone - the seventh permanent manger to lose his job in just over two and a half years. Director of Football Jon Rudkin remains at the club.

Meanwhile at Watford Javi Gracia has ended his second spell at the club - becoming the 23rd different coach hired and let go by the Pozzo family. Director of Football Scott Duxbury remains at the club.

Careful Arsenal - but it’s still yours to lose.

This week we can say Arsenal dropped points. It wasn’t a good weekend for them at all with both City and Villa winning.  Arteta is going to have to make some tough choices about what he wants to win pretty soon. 

I’ll come back to that because I don’t want to undermine what United did. Michael Carrick couldn’t have had a tougher start - games against the top two teams in the country - but United have been brilliant. He’s certainly giving the brains trust something to think about. It’s too soon to get carried away though. 

The squad United have should be qualifying for a European place on auto-pilot so that’s a minimum requirement for Carrick.

The decision on whether he gets the job has got to be based on what’s achievable beyond this season. I hope he does get it. Regulars know my feelings about backing British coaches, but I’m not sure.

I still believe Tuchel or Alonso would be a better idea, but Carrick has got the chance to prove he’s the man - and he hasn’t put a foot wrong so far.

As for the Gunners - don’t panic. They’re still clear. They’re still favourites. The should still win it, but I understand the anxiety.

I keep saying - any title challenge will be made up of all sorts of drama. I write before Coventry play at Norwich. If we lose, what was a 10-point lead will be down to three and if that happens the nay-sayers will be predicting doom for a team most were saying were nailed onfor promotion just a few weeks ago.

But it doesn’t work like that. No team has ever won anything in January. There’s still a long way to go. Arsenal (and Coventry) need to be careful, but they should still win it.

I’ll say it again though - I do think Arteta needs to be careful about what he’s asking of his players. Arsenal can’t win four trophies. That’s impossible - which is why it’s never been done.

In Coventry’s case - we have just 17 games left after tonight’s (Monday) at Carrow Road. That should help a relatively small squad cope with heavy C’ship demands.

I fancied Bournemouth for their win. I’m not at all convinced by Liverpool. Arne remains Lost despite the recent deceptive string of results. Take a look for yourselves into the run they were on. It was nothing to get excited about.

I might start doing the Pools again because I said Forest could win at Brentford as well. Unlike Arteta it looks as though Dyche has worked out his target - survival. Europe is a distraction he doesn’t need or want.

I thought Brentford was an ideal game for Forest - sit in and go toe to toe with them. Dyche had a game plan and his team pulled it off perfectly.

I can’t see any real harm coming to Palace, but I think they’re in for a really uncomfortable second half of the season.

I said this last week - when Glasner announced he’d be leaving in May, if I had been Steve Parrish I’d have asked him to go straight away. It might have cost a few quid and Parrish wants to avoid any compensation payment, but it would’ve been the right thing. 

Parrish knows Glasner has been tapped up. The Austrian reckons he’s top of United’s wish-list and he might have been a couple of weeks ago. But that’s a long time in football as we know. Carrick is doing a fine job, whilst Palace’s results are starting to make Glasner look silly. That’s his problem - if it gets worse he’ll be damaging his own reputation still further. 

I know Parrish has told him he can leave now, but it would be without compensation. That’s the issue for Glasner. He should get out though. He won’t be short of a few bob going forward and his stock is good at the moment.

Anyone else think the project at Newcastle is over? I keep saying it. I think it’s fairly obvious now isn’t it?
Why aren’t the Saudi’s spending money? And don’t tell me it’s FFP. It’s not. That excuse doesn’t wash whilst City are still spunking money unchecked.

No. It’s because the Saudi’s have found another way to play on the world sports stage. They don’t need Newcastle to make an impact with. They’re buying big events and taking them in-house - tennis, F1, golf, UFC, football. The list is endless. Why do they need Newcastle? 

I feel for Eddie Howe and the Geordie faithful. I’d like to be wrong and see The Toon splash some cash before the window shuts. It’s pretty clear where they need re-enforcements but it’s not going to happen. It’s a shame. 

I loved AFCON. I hope ignorant critics embrace it now as well.

Stunning. The whole thing. And to think the competition is often derided - by people who should know better as well.

I’m talking AFCON of course. I thought it was brilliant from start to finish. We won’t forget the final in a hurry either. It was good, but the real drama was saved until the end. In some ways it reminded me of the 5-minute final all the way back in 1979 between Arsenal and United.

You can’t condone what happened in and around the 90th minute, but Sadio Mane emerged from the chaos with real class after bringing his team back onto the pitch for extra-time. And this following on from his mature reaction to his team’s semi-final win over Egypt.

He wanted calm on the whistle. He knew nothing had been achieved at that stage. He was right. Save it. The Celebration Police were proud of him. Wait until there really is something to get excited about.

It’s a bit like players celebrating the award of a pen. Celebrate the goal if it’s converted, but the award means nothing. Ask Brahmin Diaz. What was he thinking ffs? He got what he deserved.

For what it’s worth I thought it was a pen. You can’t do what El Hadji Malik Diouf did - haul a player down in the box. What made it a pen for me is the ball is dropping for Diaz. We see these wrestling matches every week in the PL and it would stop if officials penalised it.

Anyway - well done everybody associated with AFCON and hang your head in shame if you still don’t get it.

Once again, after all the hysteria about ‘dropped points’ by Arsenal after the Forest match, it turned out to be a very good weekend for them. That point stretched their lead. I keep saying it - there are so many twists and turns in a title chase we have to wait for a completed match week before judging results.

It was a pen mind you. I’m with Arteta. Aina controls the ball with his arm. He clearly moves it to the ball, and he later admitted he’d got away with one with that tweet - now deleted of course.

As good as United were - and they were - City were dreadful. To borrow a chant from Southampton fans ‘sideways and backwards wherever we go’. City were toothless.

Guardiola’s body language fascinated me at the end. He wasn’t coaching as he usually does. There were no words for the opposition nor battles with cameramen - just a mournful walk to City fans.

I mentioned this on air at beINSPORTS and immediately got a few messages from people who know him. People well connected in the NW.

I floated some of the well sourced info I was getting, suggesting Guardiola could leave City this week - phrasing what I said like this ‘probable? Yea. Possible? Definitely. Likely? Less so now, but 💯 he’s gone at the end of the season’.

In my view Guardiola has been checked out all season. He’s not the same. Of course he’s going to be disappointed about a defeat, but it all feels odd to me. I think his players know more than we do as well. I’m told the Manchester press corp do as well, but they won’t break ranks.

I’m more than a little surprised Palace have allowed Glasner to turn himself into a temporary manager. I’m sorry, but he’s got to go. Was he trying to get sacked when he blasted Steve Parrish over allowing Guehi and probably Mateta to leave?

If I’m Glasner I want out now. I’m told he’s top of United’s wish list, so why stay at Palace and run the risk of reputational damage if the second half of the season falls apart? Go - and wait. If it’s not United he’ll get a good one.

There is, of course, the chance United make the same mistake as they did with Solajkaer and make Carrick’s role permanent. I wouldn’t. I said it before - it’s time to break the obsession with all things Fergie. Carrick did well Saturday though, getting a performance out of United with a combination of common sense team selection and formation.

For me, there’s two men United’s brains trust should be hunting down - Tuchel and Xavi Alonso. And don’t tell me it can’t be Alonso because he played for Liverpool - so did Busby. And he also played for City.

All the drama in Manchester has taken the spotlight off Arne Lost. It shouldn’t. Liverpool are bang ordinary right now whatever Lost does.

The Toffees did a job on Villa didn’t they? I fancied them to as well. I know Emery was very flat after, but his team ARE top 5 material. They’re just not title contenders.

It’s good to see the subject of concussion subs on the agenda at IFAB’s meeting tomorrow (Tuesday). There is no good reason not to adopt Rugby’s protocol and allow 10-15 minute temporary subs while players are assessed off the pitch. Get on with it.

I really enjoyed Rory Smith’s piece in The Observer on the formation of Oceania’s first professional football league - the OFC Pro League. Why? Well read the piece for yourselves if you can, but briefly, it’s important because Oceania is a FIFA region - made up of New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and a whole lot of Pacific Island nations - in other words it’s going to be a cross-border competition.

Up until now FIFA have frowned upon cross border leagues, but not anymore. I’m sure movers and shakers in Holland and Belgium will have noticed the change and as Smith points out, Mexican sides who want to play MLS.

But more significantly Smith makes the point the A22 group, the people behind a proposed Euro Super League, will also be aware of this massive change. That project hasn’t gone away.

What are PGMOL talking about - ‘tolerance levels’?

Unbelievable. I was almost lost for words when I read the PGMOL’s excuse for their incompetence in allowing the Wirtz goal at Fulham. Happily I’ve found a few - so here goes.

Wirtz was off. We all saw it. He admitted it. So why was the goal given? In case you haven’t seen, it was because of a ‘little known tolerance level’. Little known? I’ll tell you how ‘little known’. No-one knew. There wasn’t one - until they fucked up at Fulham and in trying to cover up they’ve opened a real can of worms.

I’ve said since they introduced their semi-automated system it wasn’t accurate. Now they’ve admitted it. Apparently they’ve been operating this ‘tolerance’ system since they introduced it.

This is what I’m reading in The Mail Online ‘Although manual VAR lines have been scrapped in favour of semi-automated (not true - they use them every week because the system fails somewhere) there is a small margin for error which is taken into consideration by the tech’. Why?

The piece reads on like this ‘While offside is given to the millimetre in other competitions such as the CL, the PL’s VAR system operates with a tolerance level of up to five centimetres - effectively the width of a green line’. So it’s not accurate. You’re either on or off. You can’t be ‘a little bit pregnant’ can you?

The system is a joke. It should be withdrawn immediately. Who decides which teams get ‘tolerance’? United? Liverpool? City? Arsenal? Which other decisions have been given with ‘tolerance’ this season? We need to know.

The cartoon images they offer are ridiculous. How is it possible to judge a call unless you can look straight along a line? And regulars will know I’ve been asking this same question since this Disney-like system was introduced.

What do images such as these tell us?

Teams could go down based on ‘tolerance levels’. Fulham have got every right to be angry about this, bearing in mind just about every big decision in their games went against them early season.

Enough of this nonsense. Howard Webb should either admit they got it wrong at Fulham - or withdraw the system until they can prove it’s accurate. Isn’t that why VAR was born?

We weren’t wrong about Inspector Clouseau at Celtic were we? Or Maresca, although in his case I think there are some extenuating circumstances.

Chelsea is a barm pot of a club. The people I talk to there tell me it’s a shambles behind the scenes. But when hasn’t it been since Abramovic left?

Todd Boehly is onto his sixth coach and he’s about to make another huge error. Leroy Rosenior? No. He’s a pound-shop Potter. If they give him the job Boehly will be looking for another coach in May. That dressing room will chew him up and spit him out.

Imagine WC winners like Fernandez being introduced to him. He won’t have a clue who he is. Working at Hull and Strasbourg is no way to prepare for a job like Chelsea if you haven’t been a decent player.

Chelsea should give the job to JT. Captain. Leader. Legend. A Chelsea warrior to the core. That’s enough to qualify him for me.

‘Ah, but he doesn’t have any experience’ I can hear you saying. Really? Doesn’t three years working as an assistant in the PL (I know he joined in a promotion season at Villa) count for anything? No? Well that’s all Arteta had when he got the job at Arsenal.

And don’t tell me Lampard failed. No he didn’t. It’s often forgotten in his first full season he finished fourth, despite the fact Chelsea were banned from signing players. His second spell doesn’t count. He was simply marking time.

Terry has stood by and watched all the madness unfold these past few seasons. He knows the club inside out. Which of the two - Rosenior or Terry - would excite Chelsea fans more?

It looks like Amorim is trying to get the sack again doesn’t it? What’s he talking about ‘I was employed as manager at this club’. Is he serious?Not by the Jim Reaper you weren’t. Little will anger him more than reading Amorim’s recent comments to the Press.

As one of the PGMOL’s off-side graphics might say ‘That’s All Folks’.

We made it - and survived dry Boxing Day.

So we all survived dry Boxing Day after all. What a relief. And what a lovely day I had. I’ve been advocating this change for years. In fact, I’d go further and take the same break as most of Europe. Why not? Coaches and managers are always complaining about players getting too may minutes on the grass. It would give us all time to draw breath.

It also puts the EFL front and centre, which is no bad thing. The Championship is a terrific product - curse free (sorry, VAR free). It makes such a lovely change to watch a match that isn’t governed by some clown in a Slough bunker. I love it.

VAR remains the worst thing football ever inflicted on itself. Has it made the game better? Has it hell. Seriously, what has it improved? Nothing is the answer. I hate it.

I’ve been in VAR rehab trying to embrace it over the past few weeks, looking to give the guys a break, but I’m afraid I’ve fallen off the wagon. It drives me mad.

Have we stopped arguing about decisions? No. Has it brought uniformity? No. Consistency? No. Has it raised standards? No. And that ridiculous automated off-side system we use is a joke. That is if it’s working. It’s nowhere near as good as the CL system and useless if you can’t look directly across the pitch. The angle we use simply can’t be accurate. It’s like some sort of cartoon action. Hopeless.

I mentioned on Twitter I was 100% behind Sean Dyche’s view after the game at Forest. Of course Dias has got to go after committing a second yellow card offence. He knew exactly what he was doing. What was the difference between that challenge and the one Danso was booked for at Palace last night? Only that Rob Jones was shit scared to get a card out again because he was reffing City.

And as for the winning goal - wow. I didn’t expect Jones to see the offence, but where was VAR? You see - useless. What’s the point?

I’ll be a tad kind to Jones here and admit he’s not the only one overawed by reffing City. All the guys are. They must be. I can’t think of another reason they freeze when they do. I mentioned this recently and I’ll do it again - Guardiola’s teams have always been masters of the dark arts. Always. So keep a closer eye on them guys and be honest.

Graham Poll admitted - in his book - he used to ref United differently. He said he was scared to make big calls against them because he didn’t want to fall out with Fergie. He knew if he did he wouldn’t get another big game at OT for six months or so after a row. Case closed. It happens.

As for Dyche, he’ll probably get into trouble for telling Forest fans what he really thought. But why should he? I’ve argued for years that coaches and players should be allowed to express reviews true feelings post match. Why not, if it’s done in a respectful and thoughtful way? Isn’t the PL played in a country that values free-speech? Isn’t it all part of the entertainment? It certainly is in other sports, so why not PL football? It’s a nonsense that we gag them. I’d love to see a coach take legal action when fined. He’d win.

I like Thomas Frank. I thought Spurs might just have got it right when they appointed him and I hope I’m proven correct, but if he thinks beating a Palace team out on their feet is something to get excited about he’s wrong. It was a good night out - and three points - but nothing more.

Here’s one for you - how many of Tottenham’s starting X1 last night would get into one of our top teams?

Arne Lost might just have found a team at last - a team that doesn’t include Mo Salah. But again, beating Wolves isn’t anything to get excited about. Wolves should be charged with brining the game into disrepute. They are hopeless. Two points? Eleven straight defeats? You’d say that was impossible if it hadn’t happened. I feel for their fans.

Bournemouth can’t buy a win at the moment either. Losing Semenyo might tip them over the edge. What did I tell you about his likely destination? It looks like we got another one right, but nobody remembers or likes it when I do that. 😂.

Bournemouth might be about to discover what the likes of Charlton and Southampton have found out the past - that you can’t keep going to the well and finding water. Eventually it runs dry. Brighton should take note of what’s happening along the south coast again.

What a run Villa are on. What an irony it would be if Emery doesn’t just stop Arsenal from winning the title, but nicks it off them. Right now Villa are in the race, but I think they’ll come up short, only because they don’t have the depth.

And I’m pleased to see Fulham in the top half. They were victims of some shocking decisions early season and have done well to recover. Good luck to them. Have a great new year. See you in 2026, when there’s going to be some really exciting things happening. Stay tuned.

What a brilliant cunning plan Celtic.

It’s incalculable how many times a journo like me has referred to Len Shakleton’s brilliant piss-take.

For younger readers lets me explain Shakleton was an England international in the 50’s, described as ‘The Clown Prince of Soccer’. A latter day Gazza if you like.

He was often at odds with the football establishment, including club directors of the England squad, who used to pick the team in those days.

When Shackleton penned his autobiography in 1956 he left a blank page under the heading ‘The Average Director’s Knowledge of Football’.

Time and again he’s been quoted - by me right here. He had a point. Brian Clough wasn’t the only one who agreed with Shackleton. Directors often run businesses very successfully, but completely lose their marbles when it comes to football.

It’s always been like that, so we make allowances for poor judgement and daft decisions. But nowadays we have professionals - full-time CEO’s and directors of football. The idea, of course, is to try avoid such issues, yet still it goes horribly wrong.

The most recent example of utter madness? Celtic. What on earth were they thinking when they stood Martin O’Neill down and replaced him with a cross between Inspector Clouseau and Russell Martin? And did so three games before a cup final?

Here’s my best guess. Somebody clearly thought O’Neill had done enough to settle things down post-Rodgers at Parkhead. Directors weren’t getting stick anymore and O’Neill had brought back a feel-good factor. The team were winning again.

So - tapping into the new mood of optimism, somebody cunningly thought they’d get their new man in to enjoy a win over leaders Hearts - a night out in Europe and then Clouseau could win a cup final. After all, he only had to beat St.Mirren in the final. Fans would love this and Clouseau would be an instant hit.

Wrong. In fact, it went horribly wrong in all three matches. Clouseau is now scrambling around talking absolute bollocks and Celtic are right back where they were after sacking Rodgers. It’s a shambles.

Who is Clouseau anyway? When I heard he’d got the job I messaged a friend in the States and asked about him. I got a one word answer back. I’ll let you work out what it might have been. A clue is - it wasn’t flattering.

Ok, it wasn’t the most exhaustive research, but the answer told me all I needed to know. I’m witnessing what I expected.

What was it the professionals at Celtic were told I wonder? The appointment makes no sense at all. Worse - the timing was horrendous.

Why didn’t they just let O’Neill finish what he’d started? Clearly the players loved him. He must’ve been a breath of fresh air. He spoke a simple language - common sense. Celtic were winning games and O’Neill was on fire in his pre and post-match interviews. It must’ve been fun being a Celtic fan again.

Not anymore. Doubtless the people responsible will escape censure. They always do, but they’ve created a massive problem for themselves.

So what next? Doubtless Clouseau will stumble on for a few more games before O’Neill is brought back out of the emergency cabinet. I’m having a cup of tea with him this week. I’ll find out. Incredible. You weren’t wrong Len.

Andy has often referred to ‘production line’ players down the years. What he means is every young player you see these days is an identikit. He reckons they’re all the same, brought up in academies and coached the same way. It’s not very often you see the sort of individuality that Gazza (I’ll use him as an example again) once entertained us with.

Of course there are the odd exceptions, but he’s got a point. The same goes with a coach these days.

If anyone knows what Clouseau (I’ll use him as an example again) was on about post match on Sunday please get in touch. I was completely baffled. He was trotting out all the nonsense he’s learned on the various coaching courses he’s been on.

I don’t want to be too unkind to Scott Parker, but he’s another one. Listen to him closely and you’ll hear him say everything the manuals preach. He always sounds like a ‘today’ coach and tries to look like one as well.

My advice would be ‘don’t’. Relax Scott. Take a leaf out of O’Neill’s book. Stop talking technical nonsense and have a little more understanding of what you are and where you are.

Standing on the touch-line in a variety of Thom Browne clothing isn’t a good look. It was a really bad idea this weekend to wear a £2000 Browne cardigan, in the pissing rain, whilst your team were getting pumped again - to make it seven straight defeats.

I wonder how many of the Turf Moor faithful own such an item? Parker needs all the help he can get right now and I would’ve thought a little more empathy with the people he’s working for might not be a bad idea. What’s wrong with a track suit Scott?

Top marks again Sunderland. I loved the shit-housery posing for the team pic at the end. Very funny.

I’ll share with you what a lot of my Arabic colleagues are telling me about Salah. The smart money is on a return to the fold post AFCON, and a move in the summer - to America.

What’s happened to Calvert-Lewin? He’s on fire. I’ve always thought there was a player in him, but he’s kept it hidden really well. Perhaps he’s found a home at Leeds?

It’s a pity for Everton he couldn’t have found this form in their jersey. They played really well at Chelsea. Their performance missed only one thing - a centre-forward. They’ve got to find one in January. If they do Europe isn’t out of the question.

How West Ham must be missing the Moyes days - top half finishes and trophies. As we often say - be careful what you wish for.