We are are all told how popular that “JT” is in the dressing room and he is certainly “one of the boys” by all accounts. But would you trust him with your mrs? This affair with Wayne Bridge’s ex is not going to inspire trust and support from the players around him – even if the club players put on a brave face I doubt the England camp will feel quite as comfortable.
Nice guy? Well this is just one of a number of incidents that has seen JT in the headlines for the wrong reasons and who is to say there are not more still to come out.

It is the fact that the bed was still warm from his “good friend” Wayne that is the most uncomfortable. Treat your friends like that and you will not have too many – I would not want him to be my mate, would you?

Yes, he has finally gone and said it. John Terry: “we can go on and win something”. Well as there is only one competition he must mean the World Cup. I felt a sense of dread when England qualified, a dread of the hype. But, we  managed a couple of weeks without it. Now terry has started it!

I got so sick sick sick sick of the last saga I am not sure I can watch the next one – or maybe I should just avoid the month before.

Then of course there is the disappointment – expectations dashed. Hyped and media expectations.

I know England have a number of “world class” players – well in reality it is two blokes with scouse accents, who would push for a place in the “top” world sides.  Beckham no longer does and fat Frank (he isn’t but come on it is fun) has over delivered and overperformed on his ability for years. But he would hardly make the bench for Brazil!  Rooney and Gerrard would hold down a place but Stevie’s a tad injury prone (look at that style of play) and Wazza will be on so many yellows by the quarters he will be better off in Micheal Owens card game.  Oh, yeah and he is another one of our “world class” players…who no longer is!

Now, where can I go for my holidays next summer?

The Title race that is? Man U were beaten by Burnley who have subsequently go on to get stuffed by just about everyone and then we have Wigan take three points from Chelsea.  Man City and Liverpool fans still lose sleep and agonise at “that” Owen goal that gave ManU 3 points but City showed they are contenders. And Spurs, well they have fallen away in the past but there is a bit more depth and Harry is no mug. Win it? No they will not but they will take points from the so called “top four” (they already have!). Arsenal might be vulnerable too. Well they are, full stop. Class or creaky but toughening up and looking forward to Abe’s return to the Emirates! ! So right now – someone may split up Utd and Chelsea and any order for the other places!!

As a lifelong Everton fan I have always been passionate in my dislike of Liverpool and Man.Utd. On Sunday my whole football life changed, for a fleeting moment and hopefully that’s all it was, I cheered when Man Utd scored the winner against their City rivals. My whole football supporting career has been backed by the sure knowledge that whatever was going on with my own team I could always rely on my hatred of the teams in red. In fact the only time I wanted Man.Utd to do anything at all was when they were playing Liverpool.
I am very angry with Man City for giving me this dilemma, have I gone a bit soft in my old age, have City just gone too far in their contempt for football in general or is it just that Craig Bellamy is just the most obnoxious man to ever put on a kit? All or any of these could be the reason for my abhoration, I just hope that before the weekend I can overcome this irrational thought and get back to the dislike I have been very happy with for the past 40 odd years.

Liverpool fans must wonder what it will take to keep Rafa quiet, already after only 3 days of training the manager has started critising other people instead of concentrating on his own problems.

In an unprovoked attack on Gareth Barry, Rafa says “money money money” was the reason he snubbed Liverpool to go to City this summer. Lets go back one year, Gareth Barry was dead keen to join Mr Benitez at Anfield on any terms but Rafa would not stump up the “money money money” that Aston Villa wanted. Had Rafa not been so greedy Gareth Barry might have already completed his first season at Anfield and this particular rant would not seen the light of day.

Comments: Or, has Sir Alex Ferguson just contracted rabies! Why on earth is he complaining about the size of changing rooms at away games – whats up with the man?
Complaint; Everton’s are ’so narrow it’s unbelievable’ well, not as narrow as the red faced scots own bandwith!
Complaint; Fulham’s is ’smaller than my office’ and, smaller again than the orifice of flapping gums of Manchester’s chief whiner.
Complaint; ‘when you have 18 players stripping down plus coaches, physio’s and kit men etc, its ridiculous’ maybe you shouldn’t travel with such a large extraneous squad then should you, you dummy.
He’s now calling for the Premier League to ‘act immediately’ and introduce rules stipulating minimum sizes. Is he so concerned because he fears that his inflated ego will no longer fit in these particular changing rooms! Turn off the hair dryer Alex, there are more important things in life than your hot air and sour grapes!

Liverpool thrashing Man Utd followed by the defeat of the league leaders at Fulham clsoed the gap and perhaps we have a title reace on our hands. The Liverpool fans think so – the team were held back by security from doing thier warm down as 2,000+ celebrating scousers refused to leave the ground singing with a belief that the race is on! Aston Villa they will feel let them down the following day but the resilience shown by the Old Trafford reds suggests they will retain the PL.

Will they sweep up the lot? With Everton in fine form and with nothing mush to play for there will be a fierce battle in the Cup semi final and if they overcome Porto as expected Arsenal will be no pushover in the CL semis! And it will be Arsenal who should overcome the out of foem Spanish opponents. in the other hald of the draw it is getting boring watching Liverpool v Chelsea – they are never really spectacles and another ternse affir will be decided by the odd goal.

We are yet to see whether Liverpool’s win in the clash of the titans, with Man.Utd. will prove significant or not but what was very interesting in the run up and the aftermath were the comments of two of the stars of the respective teams. The ones who the fans want to have pictures of, the ones who fans hold up as role models, the ones who I believe are being encouraged to be dishonest.

During last week Wayne Rooney was vilified by the press after proclaiming that he had grown up hating Liverpool and still did, at least he was being honest, if a bit unwise. Compare this to the delighted Steven Gerrard at the end of the game. When asked what it was like to grow up watching Liverpool winning lots of League titles and then find himself playing for his heroes and having to go so long without a league title, his answer was not quite as honest as Rooney’s because he failed to mention that as a boy he was an Everton fan, try looking at some liverpool football photos, which will show him in all his Blue glory in 1985, and probably still was at the time Liverpool last won the league title in 1989.

In this day and age surely a bit of honesty from our top players should be welcomed not frowned upon and when players try to hide part of their past, who are they kidding?

Great sporting occasions and great sporting achievements are the things that spawn heroes, but, over time, the moment becomes what has been captured, traditionally a picture, increasingly on film.

The photo becomes the memory – and those captured on the photo – become the hero!

Just think of that picture showing Bobby Moore sitting on his teammates shoulders holding aloft the Jules Rimet Trophy, he undeniably became a football hero that day.

Paul Gascoigne crying during the World Cup Semi Final in Germany, despite his recent problems he will always be considered a football hero because of this.

Terry Butcher, never the most talented of players, became a hero after a game against Sweden in 1989 purely because of a photo that appeared in the tabloids showing him swathed in a blood soaked bandage.

One of the most distressing football players photos was taken as David Busst of Coventry City FC broke his leg playing against Manchester United. He never played again but is remembered for that moment more than his other contributions on the pitch. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Busst

So, capture the moment and capture a hero in the making, perhaps what defines a player….ok, there is more to it than that but as the memories fade the power of the image will grow!

Once again we are subject to the sight of Tim Cahill running to the flag/camera/crowd and making yet another fatuous “statement” on a topic that has little or nothing to do with football. What are you trying to prove? That you are a footballer with sensitivity and brains? Hardly so, as the handcuff gesture in support of the jailbird was not exactly in touch with the feelings of the man and the family who was injured by your brother was it? And yesterdays FA cup game saw him saluting and touching a black armband – leaving most of the viewing poulation wondering if it was a fascist salute or if they had missed a minutes mourning at the start. Keep your shallow sentimental and inappropriate gestures to the privacy of your own home. You are a footballer – not especially talented but one who makes the most of what he has – and so if you score a goal, celebrate that event and leave the politics, law and national disasters out of it.

Tim, the old punching the flag routine was ridiculous, but at least it was a celebration; the rest if us are not interested in you pushing your personal agenda into a football game!