Making A Stand

WHY is the Premier League so against having terraces? Everyone knows a standing section is great for atmosphere - and that is what fans want.

I would be delighted to go and stand on the terraces and cheer my team on because I rarely use my seat when I am at a game.

The fear is that there will be a repeat of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, but what Premier League bigwigs need to consider in their calculations is that metal fences are no longer present in the English game.

A spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: "Football grounds are safer and more comfortable than they were 20 years ago." Though this is true, football is not about comfort, it is about entertainment and togetherness - the fans as one, being the twelfth man.

The Premier League's main argument for having all-seater stadia is so that more women and children will be encouraged to attend the games. Well, hold on a minute. No one suggested getting rid of the family stands. We want more people to get involved. All we want is a section of terraces for those who want to stand and bring back the atmospheres that football had decades ago.

The Football Supporters' Federation (FSF), who are leading the campaign to bring back the terraces to the top two divisions in England, are using the German Bundesliga as their prime example as to why standing areas should be reintroduced to the English league.

German stadium expert Professor Gunter Pilz said: "You can't sing and make a good atmosphere when you are sitting." He also believes that the chances of another disaster like Hillsborough is very unlikely. "We have never had safety problems with standing in Germany."

There are plenty of stadiums in the lower tiers of English football that still have terraced areas, and there are no health and safety issues whatsoever. There might not be as many fans, but even so this is evidence enough for the Premier League to reintroduce standing areas for supporters who want it.

Football is for everyone, not just for prawn sandwich eaters who take flasks and blankets.

Look at the German example. The Bundesliga is becoming bigger and better than ever and fans are enjoying the atmosphere. Maybe the Premier League should take a leaf out of their book and stop worrying about health and safety and start worrying about the decay of fans' enjoyment.

It is time to give something back to the supporters.

Twinning Mentality the Future Foundations

THE FA CUP quarter final gave the nation a glimpse at Manchester United's future. Rafael and Fabio da Silva. At just 20-years-old, the Brazilian twins are two of the most exciting prospects in the Premier League. But it feels like they have been around for years.

Scouted from Fluminense, who also produced Real Madrid left-back Marcelo, the twins have made a name for themselves at one of the highest levels of football, with both claiming honours in their three years at Old Trafford.

The watchful eye of Sir Alex Ferguson has enabled the nimble full-backs to be nurtured by senior squad members, with Gary Neville and Patrice Evra the perfect role models for aspiring, young footballers.

Ferguson is building the foundations for another fantastic squad - just like he had during the days of Gary Pallister, Steve Bruce and David Beckham.

Chris Smalling is another rising young star. His performances in his last few games have been fantastic, he too is being nurtured by senior squad members Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.

We all know that Fergie is no mug when it comes to transfers - Eric Djemba-Djemba and Kleberson aside - and he has unearthed some real gems in the shape of Smalling, the Silva twins and fellow South American Javier Hernandez, who has been a revelation for the Red Devils this season.

England striker Wayne Rooney's constant misfiring this term has meant that Chicharito has been the main man for United this and boy has he stepped up to the plate. I have lost count of the amount of crucial goals the Mexican has popped up with this season.

Lots of people are saying that there is no future for United, but I have to disagree. Yes, the veterans Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes will soon be leaving the Premier League. The only question is whether it will be at the end of this season like Edwin van der Sar.

But despite the spine of the team being ripped out through old age, there is some incredibly bright talent waiting in the wings to become the new Stretford End heroes.

There have been rumours floating around for months that there will be a huge clear out at Old Trafford, with Fergie getting rid of anyone he considers to be 'dead wood'. The Scot needs some talent in the engine room if they are going to continue to challenge for major honours. It is quite clear that Darron Gibson, Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher are not the key to success.

If van der Sar can be replaced, Sir Alex needs to secure the signatures of exciting, young midfielders. If he can do this, the Red Devils will continue challenging at the highest levels.

So He's Gay? Big Deal

I REALLY want to know what everyone is making such a big fuss about. So a footballer has come out as being gay...and? We are in the 21st Century here, not back in medieval times when you would be burnt at the stake.

OK, yes, it is a tough thing for anyone to openly admit that they are gay, but for a professional sportsperson who is constantly in the public spot light being scrutinised for every move they make takes a lot of courage.

Just look at Justin Fashanu.

Although it ended in tragic circumstances for Fashanu, it does not mean it will be the same for Anton Hysen, who came out on Thursday.

"I really don't care," said the 20-year-old. "If you respect me for the person who I am and how good I am at my sport, you shouldn't care."

Truer words never spoken.

Why should we care? In a society where everyone is striving to be accepted, why should professional sportsmen and women be afraid of coming out and admitting to who they are?

A survey by Staffordshire University showed that 90% of fans would not care if a footballer openly admitted that he were gay. I wonder how many of those fans would still join in with homophobic chants if said player was up against their team.

"They can say what they want," continued the Swede, son of former Liverpool defender Glenn, "I am who I am, I don't really care. Maybe I should just go dance with them - I don't know."

The important thing for a gay professional is to have the support of their teammates, not to be shunned or cast aside because they are different. Just look at the support that cricketer Steven Davies had when he announced his homosexuality on February 27. He received the full backing of the England team, and that is what professionals need if they are going to take that final step and announce who they really are.

Why should a sportsperson be afraid or ashamed to come out for fear of being slandered and ridiculed? Just because some fat mess eating a pie on the terraces is going to hurl homophobic abuse at them. Fans who cannot accept homosexuality in sport need to take a good look at their sad, pathetic lives and realise that this is the way people choose to live their lives. They do not want to be forced into hiding because of another person's insecurity.

"I've had players over the years who were single and read books and so others [other players] said they must be gay," said former Crystal Palace manager Alan Smith. "I think being openly gay would be something very difficult to live with in football. You can get drunk and beat up your wife and that's quite acceptable, but if someone were to say 'I'm gay', it's considered awful. It's ridiculous."

Smith makes an excellent point. Why should it be considered awful when there are far more worse things going on in the game. Players cheating on their wives with hookers, international footballers shooting people on work experience with an air rifle.

It is about time the world of football - and any other sport for that matter - embraced the fact that homosexuality is a way of life.

Lion Hart

YOU know your club is struggling when Paul Hart is appointed as manager. But, it is fair to say that the 57-year-old is one of the most underrated coach in the game.

His success at Nottingham Forest as youth coach is clear to see, bringing through some of the finest talent England has to offer in the shape of Jermaine Jenas and Michael Dawson - who are both playing Champions League football with Tottenham Hotspur.

Hart was given the managerial position at the City Ground in 2001, taking over from David Platt who had left the club with spiraling debt and led Forest to the Division One Play-Off semi-finals, only to lose to Sheffield United.

Following spells at Barnsley and then Rushden and Diamonds, Hart was appointed Director of Youth Operations at Portsmouth in 2007, before taking over the reins at Fratton Park on February 9 2009 when Tony Adams was dismissed.

The following season, seven consecutive league defeats saw Pompey rooted to the foot of the Premier League and Hart's spell came to an end on November 24 with just two wins from 13, leaving the south coast club stranded and battling for relegation.

A one month stint at Queens Park Rangers was to follow before he took the managerial post at relegation stricken Crystal Palace on March 2 2010, after Neil Warnock took the Queens Park Rangers job.

With the Eagles in administration and League-Two looming, three draws from the last three games were enough to keep the south-London club up - including a dramatic last day of the season point at fellow strugglers Sheffield Wendesday, who were relegated following a 2-2 draw at Hillsborough.

Now, the former Stockport County, Blackpool, Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham City and Notts County defender has taken charge at Npower League-One side Swindon Town, who are lurking precariously in the drop zone following the departure of Danny Wilson.

The club have been struggling since losing strikers Billy Paynter and Charlie Austin to Leeds and Burnley respectively.

Now, although Hart's managerial record is not one to be admired too much, we cannot deny his abilities as a coach to get the best out of young players. While a youth coach at Leeds, he produce much of the team that led the Whites to the Champions League semi-finals in 2001.

United were regarded as one of the finest teams in Europe at the time, and although players such as the prolific Mark Viduka, Rio Ferdinand and Olivier Dacourt were the spine of the team, players such as Ian Harte, Harry Kewell, Alan Smith, Paul Robinson and Stephen McPhail all had a major part to play in Leeds' bid for glory.

All of those players came through under Hart's watchful eye, so, although his managerial track record does not scream success, what he has achieved as a coach is something that deserves recognition.

He could be the man to save the Robins from relegation, but only time will tell.

Kolo's Drug Disgrace

WHY do football players feel the need to take drugs? As if they do not have everything already, they feel the need to have even more and even find themselves above the law. Manchester City's Kolo Toure is the latest example to be disgraced after the FA informed him that he tested positive when he gave an A sample.

The Ivory Coast international, who was not involved in last night's 3-0 FA Cup fifth round victory over Aston Villa, has been suspended by the club. And quite rightly so.

Why should any player be treated differently? We saw former Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu test positive for cocaine in 2004, which led to the Romanian being sacked and fined £20,000 by the FA, along with a seven month ban. Mutu still has to pay his transfer fee back to the Stamford Bridge outfit.

In 2006, former West Ham United midfielder Shaun Newton also tested positive for cocaine and, like Mutu, was banned for seven months, while in the same year Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Chris Cornes was banned for six months for the same indiscretion.

Surely the former Arsenal man should receive the same treatment, even if it is not cocaine. Drug use is the same, no matter what language you speak, and anyone who abuses the system should be handed a fine and a ban.

Dwain Chambers was banned from athletics for two years after testing positive for tetrahydrogestrinone (THG). Many believe that the British track star should have been handed a lifetime ban, but he returned to the athletics scene in 2005.

He is not the first City player to be involved in a drugs scandal. In 2003, Christian Negouai was fined £2,000 by the FA after missing a drugs test, although the man signed from Charleroi for £1.5m was stuck in traffic but was willing to take the test.

This case was used by rivals Manchester United who tried to appeal against Rio Ferdinand's eight month ban, but FIFA President Sepp Blatter claimed that there were distinct differences between the cases, stating that Ferdinand was unwilling to take the test.

Should Toure be found guilty, the FA should hand out the strictest punishment possible in order to get the message out that drugs are completely unacceptable in sport.

Sheridan Doing it the Rite Way

AFTER failing to secure promotion from Npower League-One with Oldham Athletic during his two year spell, John Sheridan is looking to secure his first managerial honour with League-Two outfit Chesterfield.

The Spireites currently sit top of the league, nine points clear of Wycombe Wanderers - who they thumped 4-1 in midweek - but having played a game more. Even so, there is a substantial gap for the Chairboys to make up.

With just two defeats in their last 16 league games, the Derbyshire club are on course for a return to the third tier of English football after a four year exile.

The Spireites stunned English football when they made it to the FA Cup semi-final in 1997 - taking Premier League side Middlesbrough to a replay having draw the initial tie 3-3 at the Riverside. That season, they overcame Bolton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest before the Division Two (now League One) side were finally seen off by the eventual runners-up.

Chesterfield came close to sealing a Play-Off spot last year but were pipped to seventh place by eventual Play-Off winners Dagenham and Redbridge, who beat already relegated Darlington 2-0, despite their 2-1 win against second place Bournmouth in Sheridan's first season at the helm.

It turned out to be the last game played at Saltergate, the Spireites home since 1884, and what a send off it was with Derek Niven netting a 96th minute winner to spark a pitch invasion.

In their new home the b2net Stadium, Chesterfield have won eleven out of 16 games scoring 43 goals along the way - more than any other League Two side. The most noticeable victory being a dramatic 5-5 draw with Crewe Alexandra on October 2 2010.

46-year-old Sheridan has transformed a club used to losing to one that never gives in, and has attracted high quality players to the b2net,with former Brighton and Hove Albion striker Craig Davies, who leads the club's goalscoring chart with 19 goals in all competitions, the perfect example.

Add to that the loan signings of Scunthorpe United's Ian Morris, Crystal Palace's Kieran Djilali, Manchester City's Javan Vidal and Deane Smalley whom he worked with during his time at Boundary Park.

But, there is also a vast amount of experience in the Spireites squad, namely the shape of veteran striker Jack Lester, who has netted ten league goals this season. With players such as Danny Whitaker, Mark Allott, Robert Page and Ian Breckin all over the 30 barrier, it is the guidance young stars such as Scott Boden need to develop into quality players.

It is the right formula for success that Spireites fans deserve, and what they have been craving since they were last promoted in 2001 - after overcoming a nine point deduction.

All-Hate Diouf

CONTROVERSY seems to follow Senegal striker El-Hadji Diouf around like flies round...well, you get the picture. Last night's Old Firm derby in the Scottish FA Cup fifth round replay at Celtic Park was always going to be a fiery encounter, and it did not disappoint the neutrals.

Three red cards for visiting Rangers summed up their weak performance, but the most ridiculous one was that of Diouf, who was booked twice for dissent. First for confronting the Celtic bench, secondly for confronting centre of attention referee Calum Murray after the full-time whistle was blown.

You may recall that Diouf has had previous with Hoops fans after spitting at them during a UEFA Cup quarter-final tie in his time with Liverpool on March 13 2003. Anyone with any sort of morals in the game will agree that spitting at someone is possibly the most disgusting act a player can commit.

The 30-year old was given a two match ban by UEFA and fined just £5,000.

But, the man on loan at Ibrox from Blackburn Rovers did not learn his lesson there. Just a year later in November 2004 as a Bolton Wanderers player he spat at an 11-year-old Middlesbrough fan and even in the face of fellow professional and Portsmouth player Arjan de Zeeuw. This resulted in a three match ban from the FA and a fine of two weeks' wages by the Trotters.

Even in his time in France he was given community service after being found guilty of driving without a licence when he was at Rennes.

Queens Park Rangers manager Neil Warnock referred to Diouf as being "lower than a sewer rat" after he alledgedly taunted Rangers' forward Jamie Mackie, who was injured on the pitch with a broken leg.

Who actually wants a player like Diouf at their club?

Everywhere he goes he causes trouble and gives the club negative publicity. Surely a player like that must have a poor effect on morale in the dressing room. To know that your club is at the centre of attention for such ridiculous, foul behaviour must make you feel ashamed.

It is no wonder the Senegal striker has had more clubs than hot meals in his time in Britain. Only one season was spent at Sunderland, while Rovers shipped him out on loan following his FA Cup discression against QPR.

A player with an attitude as poor as his will never learn because his ego is bigger than his brain.

The Incompetence of Officials

THIS season, the standard of officials has dropped dramatically. Games are won and lost in the split second that a blatant offside is not flagged, or penalties for virtually nothing are awarded.

Chelsea collected three points last night in a 2-1 victory over Premier League leaders Manchester United and, although referee Martin Atkinson got the penalty decision spot on, Blues defender (and scorer of the first goal) David Luiz should have been dismissed for a second bookable offence after upending Wayne Rooney off the ball.

I criticised referee Mark Clattenburg for his decision not to send off Rooney after the England striker savagely elbowed Wigan Athletic midfielder James McCarthy at the weekend, so I think it is only fair to tar everyone with the same brush.

Although there was no malice in Luiz's challenge, there was certainly intent, as there was in an earlier altercation with Mexican Javier Hernandez. We saw Nemanja Vidic sent off for two bookable offences that were no where near as bad as what Chelsea's £21.3m Portuguese defender committed.

"When I saw who the referee was I feared the worst," said Red Devils' manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who has had previous run-ins with Atkinson. Just last season he awarded a dubious free-kick in this encounter, which lead to Chelsea skipper John Terry nodding home the only goal.

"That's three years in a row now. It's hard to take," added the furious Scot.

Now, as a Manchester City fan, watching United lose last night gave me a great sense of pleasure, but as a football fan, watching some of the incompetent decisions being made took a bit of gloss off the occasion. I would suggest demoting Atkinson for his performance, but that would only mean some poor Championship clubs being lumbered with his horrific errors.

But the FA do not seem to work that way. Remember the curious case of Stuart Attwell? His unbelievable decision to award Reading with a goal at Watford when the ball had gone out of play and hooked back in by Royals player Noel Hunt on September 20 2008. Yet, the man who graduated from Staffordshire University in 2004 was awarded with promotion to the Premier League. Marvellous.

But, that is not the most shocking decision we have seen. Attwell is merely the tip of the dung heap. Does the name Robert Shoebridge spring to mind? It should do if your are a Crystal Palace fan. His decision to award a goal kick when Freddie Sears shot bounced out of the net after hitting the stanchion at Bristol City on August 15 2009 is one of the worst decisions in refereeing history, and all he got was a two week suspension.

And do not even get me started on Graham Poll after his horrendous display at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. It is amazing how one man can humiliate a nation even more than the terrible performance of the national team.

The list goes on, so surely the element of human error is enough evidence for FIFA President Sepp Blatter to introduce some sort of technology into the game that gives officials the help they so desperately need. Especially after the farce at the 2010 World Cup where Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda controversially ruled that Frank Lampard's shot had not crossed the line in the last 16 tie with Germany.

UEFA are experimenting with two officials at either end of the pitch to give extra support, but again, these officials are susceptible to errors.

We have seen the effect of technology in cricket, tennis and rugby, so why is football still living in the dark ages when so much is at stake for a club that is on the wrong side of an atrocious officiating decision?

If any technology is introduced, it would be better than the sorry state we are in now.

Feather-Light Bantams' Weak Punch

BRADFORD City, always remembered for the fire that tragically claimed the lives of 56 people on May 11 1985, on a day that the Bantams were supposed to be celebrating promotion from Division Three as champions.

But, that is not the focus here.

Bradford play their home games at Valley Parade, their home since they were founded in 1903 and a crowd of 11,000 watched the first game against Gainsborough Trinity on September 5 1903.

Since beating Newcastle United in the FA Cup final replay 1-0 at Old Trafford courtesy of a Jimmy Speirs goal in 1911, the club has failed to win a major honour. The highlights of a desolate existence are two promotions to the English top flight, first in 1908 where City had a 14-year spell, and then in 1999 after a 77-year exile.

Sadly, it was a short stay of just two years for Bradford, who finished 17th in their first season, at the expense of Wimbledon, having beaten Liverpool at Valley Parade in front of more than 18,000 people thanks to a David Wetherall goal just twelve minutes into the tie. The Dons were beaten 2-0 by Southampton at the Dell to compound them to relegation from the top flight.

However, the following season would prove to be a torrid term for the Bantams who finished bottom of the pile with 26 points, their misery made even worse by a 6-1 thrashing in the Yorkshire derby at Elland Road on the penultimate game of the season. An Ashley Ward goal was the only saving grace for already relegated City as Mark Viduka, Ian Harte, Eirik Bakke, Alan Smith, Harry Kewell and Lee Bowyer all netted for United.

Bradford continued to slip down the Division One table through the seasons, and in 2004 they were relegated to the third tier of English football, 15 points from safety, along with Walsall and Wimbledon, who finished bottom with 29 points.

The following season, City finished six points outside the Play-Offs in a mediocre season in the newly reformed Coca-Cola League One, before a second consecutive 11th place finish saw no progress for the Bantams.

But, the next campaign would bring about one of the darkest hours in the club's history. A 3-0 defeat at already relegated Chesterfield on the penultimate game of the season condemned Bradford to the fourth tier of English football, finishing four points from safety after a 2-2 draw with Milwall on the final day of the season.

David Wetherall, who took the reigns after Colin Todd was sacked, was too shown the door at Valley Parade before fans favourite Stuart McCall was given the managerial job to try and lift the club out of its slump.

But two successive mid-table finishes saw the dismissal of McCall and the introduction of Peter Taylor midway through McCall's third season at the helm.

The Bantams are now hovering precariously above the relegation zone, with fear of dropping out of the football league. That would be a great shame for one of England's, perhaps not historic clubs, but certainly a club with such character.

It is always a sorry state of affairs to see a club topple like Bradford have done. They are not the first, and they will not be the last. But hopefully, like MK Dons and rivals Leeds, they will find their feet once more and push their way up through the football league - under the charge of interim manager Peter Jackson, or anyone else for that matter.