5 ... and Arsenal are playing th

Antony Melvin thinks that Sol Campbell signed for Arsenal because he ran out of options. Well everyone is entitled to an opinion.

Sol does the dirty on Spurs but as the dust settles, the 24 hour police guard is set up and extensive rioting blights Bradford (I'm sure there's a connection) the really big question is why Arsenal? Spurs fans may now be claiming that Campbell never was that good anyway - but that won't really wash.

The choices for a new club appeared to be Inter Milan, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Arsenal (and for Tottenham fans that's the correct order). Inter Milan thought they had him, Barcelona could afford him, Munich and Liverpool didn't speak to him and Arsenal got him. No one can be surprised by the hullabaloo that has followed his transfer, but why has he subjected himself to the vitriolic abuse he will face for the next few months/years?

Firstly there's the racism issue. Campbell has stated in the past that he didn't want to play abroad because of the poor deal that black players get on foreign grounds - he is fortunate on so many levels that he wasn't playing in England twenty years ago - so that means Inter Milan and Barcelona were probably little more than bargaining chips. If he really had to stay in England it had to be one of the big five, Leeds never appeared bothered, Chelsea are rebuilding and wouldn't be attractive to a player who wants to win things quickly. Leaving Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.

Turn the clock back a year and all the pundits were saying that he was Manchester United bound, Carlton Palmer was on Soccer AM saying that everyone knew it was a done deal. It seems unlikely in these days of saturated press coverage that Manchester United would have dared to tap a player up a full year ahead of any possible transfer, so Sol Campbell or his advisors may have been flying a kite to see if it caught the wind. Perhaps United were distracted by having to get 10 first team players to sign new contracts over the summer, and wanted Thuram or Brown to partner Stam at the back.

This leaves Liverpool and Arsenal. When he didn't turn up at Anfield for talks Liverpool restated their long-held policy of not dealing with players that mess them about. Considering that both Barcelona and Inter Milan appeared to believe he was theirs, this Liverpool manoeuvre seems like more tactics - which may well have backfired. When Football365 is prepared to give 5/1 to anyone if he didn't join Liverpool I'm inclined to believe that they were his choice

So he'd burned his bridges at Tottenham, Chelsea weren't acceptable, Leeds and Manchester United weren't interested, Liverpool were messed about, and foreign clubs were never really an option, leaving just Arsenal.

Could it be that Sol Campbell signed for Arsenal because he had no other option? In a word, yes.
There is always a search on to find new and exciting ways to freshen up the appeal of football. A number of ideas have been mooted, including increasing the size of the goals, changing to four quarters instead of two halves and the return of public executions (well the Brazilian public aren't happy about their teams performance recently).

These ideas are little more than tinkering at the edges of the issue. Whilst live shootings are all well and good, what football actually needs is to be merged with a slapstick game show, with the resulting 'football sans frontieres' a sure fire ratings winner.

Just imagine a goalkeeper in an 8-foot tall rubber suit with a big red nose, facing a one-on-one with a drinks waiter who is being held back by a Frenchman (with a stripy shirt, a bicycle and some onions) who is tied to the bench with an elastic bungee rope. Throw in a couple of Moroccan's with water cannons trying to make the whole thing look exciting whilst the compere with the expensive hairstyle laughs manically and you've got fantastic entertainment for the whole family. There's a chance that you may have stumbled into an Aston Villa training session, but how likely is that?

OK so maybe that's a little too radical for you, so why not introduce the joker concept to football. Your team needs the points; it's a relegation six-pointer, and five minutes before kick-off a bikini-clad blonde circles the pitch holding up a six-foot playing card with a joker on it. It's now a relegation 12 pointer and how much more exciting would that make things? Arsenal are two points behind Manchester United on the final day of the season and then Arsene cannily produces the joker, (he could have played against Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok, but cleverly held it back), knowing that victory would now result in the Premiership returning to Highbury. I can hear the commentator now...

... And Arsenal are playing their joker (and it's not Grimandi) ...

4 Why Sol Campbell had to sign f

Sol does the dirty on Spurs but as the dust settles, the 24 hour police guard is set up and extensive rioting blights Bradford (I'm sure there's a connection) the really big question is why Arsenal? Spurs fans may now be claiming that Campbell never was that good anyway - but that won't really wash.

The choices for a new club appeared to be Inter Milan, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Arsenal (and for Tottenham fans that's the correct order). Inter Milan thought they had him, Barcelona could afford him, Munich and Liverpool didn't speak to him and Arsenal got him. No one can be surprised by the hullabaloo that has followed his transfer, but why has he subjected himself to the vitriolic abuse he will face for the next few months/years?

Firstly there's the racism issue. Campbell has stated in the past that he didn't want to play abroad because of the poor deal that black players get on foreign grounds - he is fortunate on so many levels that he wasn't playing in England twenty years ago - so that means Inter Milan and Barcelona were probably little more than bargaining chips. If he really had to stay in England it had to be one of the big five, Leeds never appeared bothered, Chelsea are rebuilding and wouldn't be attractive to a player who wants to win things quickly. Leaving Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.

Turn the clock back a year and all the pundits were saying that he was Manchester United bound, Carlton Palmer was on Soccer AM (save chip) saying that everyone knew it was a done deal. It seems unlikely in these days of saturated press coverage that Manchester United would have dared to tap a player up a full year ahead of any possible transfer, so Sol Campbell or his advisors may have been flying a kite to see if it caught the wind. Perhaps United were distracted by having to get 10 first team players to sign new contracts over the summer, and wanted Thuram or Brown to partner Stam at the back.

This leaves Liverpool and Arsenal. When he didn't turn up at Anfield for talks Liverpool restated their long-held policy of not dealing with players that mess them about. Considering that both Barcelona and Inter Milan appeared to believe he was theirs, this Liverpool manoeuvre seems like more tactics - which may well have backfired. When Football365 is prepared to give 5/1 to anyone if he didn't join Liverpool I'm inclined to believe that they were his choice.

So he'd burned his bridges at Tottenham, Chelsea weren't acceptable, Leeds and Manchester United weren't interested, Liverpool were messed about, and foreign clubs were never really an option, leaving just Arsenal.

Could it be that Sol Campbell signed for Arsenal because he had no other option? In a word, yes

3 Pay to play plan for lower lea

A plan for UK third division and lower league sides to allow members of the public to play professional football was given a hostile reception by the FA and the Football League today. In a controversial measure some prominent teams away from the footballing heartlands are planning to charge fans 5000 to 10000 UK pounds to play a match for their favourite club. This would give a welcome boost to the finances of a number of clubs who are struggling to survive following the reduction in transfer expenditure by Premiership clubs in the lower leagues.

A spokesman for a prominent west country club said that where there is nothing at stake for two clubs what would be wrong in allowing a businessmen, after a couple of weeks training with a club to turn out for an hour at left back - fulfilling his dreams of pulling on his beloved shirt. The cash boost would benefit the club, the businessman would get his moment in the sun and the extra interest generated by the publicity surrounding the event may put a couple of hundred extra fans on the gate.

The FA however distanced themselves from the proposal by pointing out that teams were under an obligation to play their strongest available players, and although registration to play costs only 5 UK pounds, businessmen were unlikely to be good enough to warrant a starting place. The long-term implications for trainees who would be denied valuable experience would also count against the plan.

But one club secretary thinks the idea has too much merit to be dismissed out of hand, he said, 'Does the FA want to see a number of clubs fold simply because some arcane rules deny clubs much needed revenue streams?'

2 Beckham will quit Old Trafford

What have Sol Campbell and David Beckham got in common? They have/will quit their favourite club, their childhood dream-team. Leaving behind angry fans and a livid financial director. To achieve the pay packet of your dreams you've got to be an international class player, relatively injury-free (sorry sick-note) with a politician's gift for double-speak.

The contract shuffle, two years out
About two years from the end of your contract start a number of media articles saying how much you love your current club, city etc. Stress how much you want to win honours with the club and point out how upset you will be if the club attempt to sell you. Obviously its too early to negotiate your contract - but put some big money stories out anyway, 60k, 80k, 100k? Don't shoot low. Translation; its never too early to flirt.

One year left
You've spent twelve months changing the subject now's the time to distract everyone with a well timed attempt to question the ambition of the club - management changes, lack of world record signings, inability to discover new Maradona or attract the current Pele - this is rarely difficult and usually successful. Translation; I'm off - but it's not my fault.

Six months
'We need to concentrate on football, contract negotiations can wait until the end of the season'. Translation; should I avoid heavy challenges or pick up a convenient injury?

Six weeks
The season is over now, no embarrassing hostile crowd situations - its time to come clean and hold out for a ridiculous amount of money. Translation; 'Most difficult decision of my life (since I had to choose the shade of red for my Ferrari)'

Contract expires
Remember the closer to pre-season training you get, the more ridiculous the offers are likely to be. Ignore any deadlines set by potential new clubs - they don't mean it. When there are two major clubs left pick one. One of the two will play you more often and one will pay you more money. Think long and hard about these options and then go with the money. Translation; where are the kitchen scales so I can weigh my new pay packet.

1 Book them - then ban them.

Giving more flexibility to referees would help the game.

One annual feature of a football season is the ever more strident criticisms of referees. Each summer they are given tough new guidelines and there follows a spate of early season early baths before common sense kicks in and things settle down. But players continue to get their marching orders but at a less eye-catching (and more importantly at a less media-exciting) rate.

Often these sendings-off destroy the flow of a game and can unjustly affect the result. Now I'm not against unjust results - the day that results are even vaguely predictable is the day that most people will abandon the sport - but the public want to see an exciting game and a red card usually curtails the entertainment.

OK there's the increase in noise levels as the player eventually goes, after arguing the toss with the left back, the club captain and the Scando/Dutch journeyman who's angling for a transfer, but the remains of the game are lessened.

So what about a solution? Well, why not give the referees some discretion to go with the big new pay packets. Remove the ridiculous stipulation that referees must make two yellow cards equal one red. If a player is booked for a second yellow card offence - leave him on the field.

This discretion I believe would result in many more yellow cards as referees currently don't flourish a yellow nearly as often when a player has already been booked. Also tough tackling (another big crowd pleaser) would be more widespread again as players would have less to fear from genuine mistakes.

Only send off players players when the challenge is worthy of a straight red. Roy Keane (on Alfie Haaland - brings tears to the eyes just thinking about it) would still get his early summer break. But great games like the Arsenal v Liverpool game from early in the season could still be in doubt beyond the point where the midfielders start to tire and mis-time their tackles.