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There probably aren’t many people around today who haven’t heard the phrase ‘everyone’s a winner’. It’s a expression that is used time and time again in life, but just recently it wouldn’t be too surprising to hear it uttered in the corridors of Villa Park or the City of Manchester Stadium.

As a public staring harsh financial times in the face, it seems we are obliged to criticise both the player and the purchasing club in any megabucks transfer. Fair enough. In the case of James Milner, a talented and likeable young English player who has, we assume, been corrupted by the club labelled ‘big, bad Manchester City’ by Randy Lerner, the feeling of anguish is particularly vehement. The protracted transfer left such a bitter taste that it helped drive Martin O’Neil to resignation, while just a few minutes of watching You’re on Sky Sports on Wednesday gave a clear indication that Britain’s football-loving community considered the transfer as a confirmation of the cruel financial dominance of Manchester City and the limitless greed and lack of loyalty present among Premiership footballers.

But why exactly are we so riled by this transfer? After all, hasn’t everyone done pretty darn well out of it?

Despite all of their high profile activity in the market this summer, it is only with the signing of Milner that City have finally landed their main target, and at a price that, if we are to believe widespread media reports, they had always been willing to pay. Roberto Mancini didn’t consider Stephen Ireland sufficiently talented or glamorous to warrant a place in his team. But for all their defensive midfield players, without Ireland City lacked a player who can score goals from the middle of the park last season. Milner is that player, and his signing could push them into the top four.

The transfer also emphasises City’s new position as a ‘big club’. If Manchester United want a player, they usually get him. City are following the same blue print, and their ability to lure Milner is a statement of intent to their rivals. Three years ago, City and Villa were at a similar level. Those days are gone. When Milner heard of City’s interest he jumped at the chance to join Mancini’s revolution. This signing, above all others, demonstrates to the whole Premier League that City really are one of the big boys.

If City are pleased to have their man, Milner will undoubtedly be ecstatic with the deal. As well as bumper wages and a sizeable signing on fee, the former Leeds midfielder has also signed up for a chance to genuinely compete for top honours. Some have questioned whether he will get into City’s starting eleven, but with all due respect to Villa, at 24 the time has come for Milner to test himself at a higher level. If he wants to become a top player, and we have to assume that he does, he needs to be training with players like David Silva and Yaya Toure every day.

There’s little doubt that this move is make or break for Milner, but if he’s good enough, he’ll develop into a fine player at Eastlands and could become a fixture in a City side that challenges for the title and Champions League. It’s an opportunity he should relish and one that probably justifies his decision to navigate a route away from Villa Park.

So if Manchester City and Milner are clearly winners in the transfer, then poor old Aston Villa must be losers? Wrong. Villa will be disappointed to have lost Milner, who was arguably their top performer last year, but in reality they have sold him for a huge sum, one which even Milner’s biggest fans would struggle to argue that he is worth. The fact that Ireland was included in the deal is a further bonus for Villa, as he will provide the attacking drive from midfield that made Milner such a valuable asset.

The exact quantity of Milner’s sale revenue that will be available for transfers is open for debate, but if they spend wisely, preferably on a striker who can guarantee them 15 goals a season and take some pressure off Gabby Agbonlahor, then there is no reason why Villa can’t improve as a team and push on from last season’s sixth place finish. Yes, they have lost Martin O’Neil, but the storm clouds have been present for some time. The Irishman had grown disillusioned at Villa Park, and his departure has long been a formality. The king’s ransom gained from the Milner sale and the new signings that should follow will soften the blow that has already been aided by Kevin MacDonald’s impressive start in the Villa hotseat.

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So Man City have their man. Milner has his move, and will surely develop into a top player for England as a result. Villa have a replacement and a hefty load of Arab gold to boot. What exactly is all the fuss about? Yes, there’s silly money involved, and yes, it could be spent on other things, but that’s not what the transfer market is about. It’s about paying millions of pounds for someone whose only talent is kicking a plastic sphere around. Football transfers are rarely morally sound, but they are exciting. With eleven days of the transfer window left, I’m hooked, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Written By Gareth Roberts

There’s rarely a dull moment down at the Bridge but you bet that all concerned with Chelsea could do with getting back to a bit of normality.

Three defeats from five, two consecutive home losses and only two wins from seven is causing much delight around the rest of the country but within the corridors of power at Cobham, there will be some serious head scratching about just what is going on with one of the teams who have dominated English football in the 21st century.

Crisis may be an over used adjective monopolised by the tabloids, but even if things aren’t that bad their current form will be much cause for concern.

Twelve points adrift of Manchester City at the summit of the Premier League and with participation in the Champions League in the balance is not where last seasons league runners-up envisaged themselves being at this stage in proceedings.

But all is not lost, indeed all can be salvaged, but Andre Villas-Boas certainly needs to right some wrongs fairly sharpish if they are to compete for the honours they would have expected at the beginning of the campaign

A brittle backline, a midfield that lacks class and authority and a set of forwards who are reticent to make places their own are all jeopardising another season after the 2010 league and cup double winners finished potless last season.

There is something about the autumn months which causes the Blues to shed points like the trees shed their leaves. At the same juncture last year the wheels had fell off under Carlo Ancelotti and although they recovered to chase Manchester United down to the bitter end, the damage had already been done.

The solution under Ancelotti was to launch cash at it during the January transfer window and the least said about that the better, so without going down the same route again once auld lang syne’s died down, just what can AVB do to steady the good ship Chelsea?

He could start by heeding these five pieces of wisdom.

1) Get Alex in.

Not many of the Chelsea brethren can work out why the big Brazilian has been so sparingly used by AVB. He dropped a clanger early on against West Brom but for the large part the former PSV stopper has been effectively solid at the heart of the back four.

Despite his offensive abilities from deep, David Luiz’s wing and a prayer defending is not what Chelsea need at the moment, especially next to Skipper John Terry who seems particularly vulnerable next to the eccentric Sideshow Bob look-a-like. Alex may lack a bit of mobility but he rarely gets caught out, and if Chelsea are thinking of going back to basics, an Ivanovic-Alex-Terry-Cole back four would be as good as any place to start.

2) Ditch the high line

Since AVB came in he’s tried to adopt the tactics which brought him so much success at Porto. The concept is fairly straightforward and indeed it’s similar to that which Barcelona so brilliantly execute. It involves pressing high up the pitch, and engaging the opposition in their own half – well away from goal.

The policy of pressing this high in theory means there’s no easy way out to gradually play the ball into your half, and by doing so, if you win the ball back by rights they’ve got less distance to travel to the business end. The idea makes sense but in order for this to be effective, the right players with the right attributes are needed, and Chelsea haven’t got those types of players to make this system work.

For a start, their midfield no longer contains the power, pace and tenacity of the likes of Essien, Makalele, Lampard and Ballack to enforce this high-tempo strategy, meaning the hassling and haranguing is too easy to play around and as such brutally exposes a weak defence.

The midfield is also struggling to control games and play at their pace. Barcelona pull this off because they have innate ball-playing midfielders who can constantly move the ball onto options scattered around and peg the other team back. Chelsea don’t have the type of players to dictate the flow of games in this way, and their constant surrendering of the ball leaves them susceptible to the counter, with vast swathes of grass left behind this high defence.

3) Easy on the entertainment.

When Mourinho’s production were sweeping all before them, they were doing it with the grace and posterity of a wrecking ball smashing a shed. Despite the lavish outlay on some of Europe’s top players they were mechanically effective rather than mesmerically excellent and their abrasive nature endeared them to few.

Abramovich wanted more, he perhaps never even muttered the term ‘blue Barcelona’ but you caught his drift. He wanted a team that won with a style and grace you’d expect for a billion large, yet the more he’s strove for this utopian blue dream, the worse they’ve become.

AVB was the latest in a long line of managers charged with combining style and substance but perhaps he’s taken the remit too far. Slapstick defending and a cavalier attitude means Chelsea games are packed with goals and gaffe’s but to the detriment of results.

There is no doubt that Chelsea have tried to be more expansive this season, but expansive means open and open means vulnerable. Their full-backs are constantly on the charge, their midfield trio lacks a definitive anchor man and the wide forwards see tracking back as an optional extra.

With the ball they are too eager to spring forward and once again this is exposing what started off as a back four, but soon becomes a back John Terry with David Luiz somewhere in the vicinity.

The best teams have control and poise, a methodical swinging pendulum of balance which comes from keeping the ball, moving it about in areas which aren’t necessarily a threat, manipulating play here and there, back and forth in and out before seizing the moment and striking.

Manchester City have rammed home masses of goals so far this season, but by no means would you describe their manner as overly attacking. Much of their game is still largely built around the foundations of 18 months of Mancini pragmatism, so they have a base from which to build, allowing a forward trio or quartet to interlink and drift with a positionless conivance knowing they are still reinforced defensively. Chelsea simply do not have this balance.

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4) Switch to 4-4-2

There must be a constitutional statute at Chelsea which insists the side must be decked out in some permutation of a 4-3-3. Ever since Mourinho implemented it some seven years ago now, no manager has ever strayed from the tried and trusted set-up for any sustained period and the fact that everybody knows the shape they will adopt must surely limit its effectiveness.

At present, there are a couple of things wrong with this formation, for this team, with this set of players. The primary problem is that all of Chelsea’s midfield stocks do a similar job, with little variation or positional difference. Bar the ineffective John Obi Mikel they’re short of the Makalele type fulcrum to protect the back four and after years of trying to acquire some sort of fantasical creative force, they’re still too one paced and predictable.

All of Frank Lampard, Raul Meireles and Ramires perform similar functions but being so similar, and without a genuine holding or floating figure, Villas-Boas essentially has three men doing the job of two which removes bodies from other areas of the pitch.

Given that the 4-3-3 isn’t working seamlessly, AVB could easily shuffle to a 4-4-2 using virtually the same players. Ramires and Mata could operate the flanks with Lampard and Meireles manning the centre in a tactical switch which would arguably provide the Blues with more natural width and two genuine central midfielders instead of three.

The other aspect of this is it would finally allow the Chelsea to pair a strike duo up top with support for one another. Torres, Drogba, Sturridge, Kalou and Anelka are all naturally central strikers yet three fifth’s of that forward line have been made to operate as quasi wingers throughout much of their Stamford Bridge stint.

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The 4-4-2 has evolved from the rigidity of the English model from the 80’s and intuitive use of the ball still allows players to roam and venture away from their pre-defined stations. For example, David Silva at Manchester City is often lined up initially at left-midfield but that doesn’t stop the fleet-footed Spaniard from venturing into areas of influence. Should Juan Mata perform a similar function, Ashley Cole would provide the width vacated by Mata’s marauding’s whilst on the other side Ramires has more than enough pace and incision to flank that side. It’s only a slight variation from where they are now, but small measures can make a big difference.

5) Pair up Torres and Sturridge

The other bonus of the 4-4-2 would be that Chelsea could finally put together a decent strike partnership. The inquests into Fernando Torres’s failings have run long and deep yet he has always largely been asked to play the target-man role as a central striker spearheading a three man attack. With the width coming from either side, Torres has little licence to run the channels and neglect his central standing.

Utilising him as one of two would allow Torres and his partner to wonder where necessary knowing there’s someone else to fill the central void. Granting strikers the autonomy to go where they want can make them difficult to pick up, and more of Torres game could be spent facing goal rather than with his back to the action.

If Chelsea do pursue this option, Daniel Sturridge would be an ideal forward to try to restore El Nino to former glories. Since flourishing on loan at Bolton, Sturridge has been Chelsea’s in-form striker and most dangerous striker, and his pace and movement could dovetail ideally if Torres embraced similar traits.

What Torres needs is to find a niche within this team, and playing with his back to goal with two centre-halves for close comfort is not his natural game. A lot of Chelsea’s problems would be eradicated, or at the very least masked, if Torres could start firing again and gaining points from losing and drawing positions.

However, these partnerships aren’t borne over night, and with Anelka and Kalou n the periphery of things and Drogba getting no younger, these two need to be given an opportunity to forge and understanding to shoot Chelsea back to the top.

Follow John Baines on twitter @bainesyDiego10

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Wigan manager Roberto Martinez says Saturday’s opponents Tottenham will not be distracted by their upcoming Champions League quarter final.Tottenham will play a massive game against Spanish giants Real Madrid on Tuesday but Martinez knows the north Londoners will be fully focussed on the Premier League this weekend.

Martinez said: “Regardless of their Champions League involvement next week this will be a very difficult game.”

“Sometimes having fixtures like that on the horizon can work as an advantage and teams may look at the games beforehand as the ideal chance to gear themselves up and tune their performance.”

“But from now until the end of the season it is all about us, our performances on the pitch and being to take every game as a unique opportunity to collect points.”

“We’re facing one of the best teams in Europe because Tottenham have been the surprise package in this season’s Champions League.”

Wigan sit last on the Premier League table but just five points separate them and Fulham in 12th place.

Martinez knows now is the time to turn good performances into points and ensure top flight survival.

He said: “The differences between all the clubs at the bottom of the table are so small and we’re prepared for the fight going right down to the final game of the season.”

“From our point-of-view we’ve been very consistent over the last few weeks, played to a high standard and now is the time to collect the points we’ve been missing.
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Martinez has a fully-fit squad to choose from.

Jimmy Bullard's proposed move to Celtic has collapsed over the Hull City midfielder's personal demands.

Hull's head of football operations, Adam Pearson, has revealed that Bullard's wage demands are to blame for the proposed season-long loan switch to the Scottish Premier League side hitting the buffers.

Bullard had been involved in lengthy negotiations with the Bhoys with Hull keen to reduce their wage bill following their relegation from the Premier League last season.

"The deal is off as far as we are concerned because of absolutely ridiculous financial demands being made by the player," Pearson told the Daily Mail.

"We have bent over backwards to try to make this happen and four weeks ago there was an agreement with Celtic in place over a one-year loan.

"But now it seems Jimmy wants extra cash on top as well and he has jeopardised the chance to play for a great club.

"Who would not want to play at Celtic, with a chance of European football and silverware?

"Hull City were prepared to subsidise a year in Glasgow for Bullard. Let's just say we would have made a significant contribution to the overall wage package.

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"But unless he has a dramatic change of heart overnight, we expect him back here rather than being in the United States with Celtic.

"He has had four weeks to make up his mind and has strung people along, frankly."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Arsene Wenger looks set to face a battle to keep hold of Alex Song, following news that Inter Milan have joined Barcelona in expressing an interest in the 24 year old midfielder. (talkSport)

Song moved to Arsenal in 2006 and has developed into an established member of the current Arsenal side.

However, with Barcelona and Inter Milan currently considering January moves Song may be tempted to leave the North London club in search of trophies, which have thus far eluded him in his time at Arsenal.

Inter Milan have struggled this season in Serie A, currently sitting in 17th after 9 games. However, Massimo Moratti is already looking to next season and is set to give boss Claudio Ranieri at transfer package looking at the next 18 months.

Song, at 24, would fit the bill perfectly and would add some much needed steel and energy to the Inter Milan midfield. An offer of over £20 million may be enough to tempt Arsene Wenger to part with one of his longest serving players.

Ranieri is also looking to target controversial Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli. The striker previously enjoyed a tumultuous spell in Italy at Inter, although a return is now a serious possibility following Ranieri’s interest.

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The other day I was looking back at photos of a night out I had at University. Struggling to recall the night I tried to pull of a flowery Hawaiian shirt and a John Hartson beard, I was forced to remember the sporting event of the day and how I watched it. That night, four years ago, was one of those meaningless friendlies between Spain and England that provided the bread for Steve McClaren’s disastrous qualifying campaign for Euro 2008.

Although we could have not appreciated it at the time, the game was actually quite a significant one for several of England’s squad players. The defeat at Old Trafford turned out to be Gary Neville’s final appearance in international colours, the controversial Joey Barton made his England debut and a certain Kieron Dyer impressed as part of the England midfield.

Dyer, then a Newcastle United player, was the perennial nearly man for England for the best part of a decade. A youth team prospect at Ipswich, a 1999 move to St James Park was seen as the start of a glittering Premier League career for the flying winger.

Yet, this week Dyer, at the age of 32, returned to Portman Road having been unable to fulfil his talents and potential at the top level of domestic and international football. Incapable of featuring regularly for Premier League strugglers West Ham, Dyer has dropped a division to ensure his former employers do not drop into the relegation quagmire.

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The winger was a young prospect for such a long time that you had to check that he wasn’t a character from ‘Captain Scarlet’ – sadly for Dyer he was anything but invincible. With a succession of hamstring and knee injuries blighting his attempts to push on, the midfielder spent vast chunks of his prime years on the sidelines. From young gun to vulnerable old-timer in a matter of seasons, the fall from grace has been dramatic.

It is a wonder that he managed 33 games for England – places in squads for the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004 were secured through promising runs of form when at Newcastle, but a lack of first team action since 2004 has limited Dyer to two caps in seven years.

Dyer’s move to West Ham in 2007 actually appeared a positive career move. Having finished the 2006-07 season strongly at Newcastle, he remained hot property and his joining Freddie Ljungberg in the capital excited fans looking to build on the Hammers team that had miraculously escaped relegation the previous year. Both men were quickly injured – Dyer’s broken leg at the hands of Joe Jacobson of Bristol Rovers, kept him out of the game for over 18 months and in truth marked the terminal decline in trajectory of his career.

In recent months, Dyer’s time at West Ham has become a case study of the crazy money thrown around at the club before the global economic downturn. Last summer it was reported in The Daily Telegraph that the winger was being paid a staggering £83,000 per week, alongside loyalty bonuses and image rights exceeding an extra £500,000 a year. All of this for a player never to have completed 90 minutes for his club nor to have scored a single goal, indicates just how expensive the Dyer gamble has been for the London club.

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As he completes his month long loan spell in the Championship with his boyhood club, Dyer himself might still harbour hopes of returning to play a role in West Ham’s struggle for Premier League survival before the end of the season. However, with his contract up at the end of the campaign, the overwhelming likelihood remains that he will never return to the top level and that Portman Road will be the last stop on the Kieron Dyer career train.

Remember the last time Kieron Dyer played 90 minutes for club or country? Find me on Twitter for the answer to this and why I spent 94 minutes watching ‘John Tucker Must Die’ last night instead of Sevilla – Barcelona.

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Roberto Mancini seems to be the busiest Premier League manager so far as the Italian has already managed to acquire the services of midfielder Yaya Toure, Patrick Viera,  Jerome Boateng and just recently Spanish star David Silva, even before the window has officially opened.

So, with all these players making their way to Eastlands this season, and considering the current size of the City squad, does Mancini’s transfer policy continue to confuse?

Manchester City have a massive squad which consists of (including the recent acquisitions) three goalkeepers, twelve recognized defenders, eleven midfielders, and seven strikers…a total of 32 players (an equivalent to just under three teams), which makes City undoubtedly one of (if not) the biggest squads within the Premier League.

Mancini has sufficient funds available to him this summer and it looks as if the scarf wearing manager is scouring for even more players to add to his already enormous squad. Many neutral fans and maybe some City ones will question the Italians transfer policy this summer which seems to be focusing mainly on midfielders and defenders, which he doesn’t really require.

It’s rather confusing to see the City boss purchase players in this area as the club already have several options in both departments. There will no doubt be a number of departures for with the new faces coming in, so the signings he has made are good ones up until now. However, why did Mancini sign Patrick Vieira for another season and is reportedly looking to get rid of fan favourite Nigel De Jong? De Jong is clearly one of city’s best performers, and to see him leave the club this summer would be a big disappointment for a lot of the fans.

It’s quite a task just to figure out what the City team will actually look like for the upcoming season. A few names such as, Yaya Toure, David Silva and Carlos Tevez are surely going to be starting, but as for the other places in the team, they look to be up for grabs. Jerome Boateng would likely feature in the starting eleven, but who’s position will he be taking is another mystery due to the defender’s versatility. Mancini has way too much midfielders, (who are all capped at international level by the way) and reports suggest that he is looking to bring yet another midfielder in the form of James Milner…its almost becoming an obsession for the Italian.

Mancini maybe accused of splashing the cash just for the sake of it by many fans, which in all fairness appears to be what he’s doing. However, you have to take into consideration and understand that this will be Mancini’s first full season in charge, and as such, will want to bring in and rebuild a team suited to his style. Yet, as an outsider looking in, you can’t help but be baffled at the players he is bringing in, as it seems he already has good options in these positions. It’s going to be very interesting to see who else Mancini targets this summer, because it doesn’t look like the City boss will stop now that he is rolling. Only time will tell.

Follow me on Twitter – http://twitter.com/TMer4kl1

Get the latest Manchester City news on Twitter

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Click on image below to see the Argentinean babes at the World Cup

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Liverpool defender Jose Enrique has defended team-mate Luis Suarez over claims that the South American is prone to diving, and has stated that some of Manchester United’s players are more guilty of the claims.

The Uruguay international has come in for criticism after his willingness to go to deck under challenge, and his over-reaction was a major reason for Jack Rodwell’s dismissal in the Merseyside derby earlier in the month.

Manchester United players were unhappy with the attacker’s conduct in their 1-1 draw at Anfield ten days ago, and Suarez had a frustrating afternoon against Norwich in another 1-1 draw on Saturday.

The ex-Ajax forward missed a number of goal-scoring opportunities and felt the Canaries defenders were heavy handed, without any punishment from the officials.

Despite this, the Spanish left-back feels the accusations of diving are unwarranted.

“Last week, Sir Alex defended his team because we played them. The truth is Luis is a really dangerous player and is a really nice guy. He doesn’t dive,” the former Newcastle star told Mirror Football.

“Some of the Manchester United players go down like they are diving into the swimming pool. They defend their team, we defend our team – that’s normal.

“When you lose two points at home, no-one is positive but Luis did really well [against Norwich]. He had a lot of chances and was just unlucky,” he concluded.

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By Gareth McKnight

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“Convicted thug”, “Lout”, “Disgrace”, “Animal”, these are some of the words that have been used to describe Joey Barton over the last few years. From drunken assaults off the pitch, to fights on the training ground, Barton has frequented the headlines of the newspapers of the last 8 years for all the wrong reasons. However, today I want to say something good about Joey Barton. You might have already lost patience with him. You might think I am mad. But I think people get Joey Barton all wrong, he can still offer a lot to the Premier League.

Football fans love to hate a bad-boy footballer. However, in Barton’s case there is not so much a pantomime villain as the likes of Robby Savage, but a genuine hatred. The difference between a Savage and a Barton, is Barton’s history, making him more villain than pantomime. This allows the media to really get stuck into him and be incredibly harsh on him.

Given the fact that Barton has been in prison, hit a pedestrian with his car, fought fans and players, and I can see where people’s hatred is coming from. But I reserve the right to respect Joey Barton this season, and here is why….

I think Abou Diaby reacted the way he did up at St James’ Park because it was Barton who made the tackle. Diaby clearly shares a preconception that people have against Barton; that he is a thuggish idiot. But if you actually listen to what he says in interviews, I would argue that not only is he remarkably eloquent for a footballer, but he is also intelligent and brave enough to say what he thinks.

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Upon his England call-up, attention was brought to Barton because in an interview he criticised Gerrard and Lampard for ‘cashing in’ on ‘bullsh*t autobiographies’ that exploited their failure in the World Cup. Barton, was presented as arrogant and fame hungry, criticising established players when he was still to make his England debut.

But Barton was right. Footballers all-too-often release money spinning books, written by ghost writers that are nothing more than a season-long diary and not a creditable autobiography. (Incidentally, Wayne Rooney has already released 5, he is only 25. Come on Wayne). Steve Gerrard even admitted that Barton was right after the incident, the fact that Frank Lampard continues to hold a grudge says more about Lampard than it does about Barton.

Another time Barton was in the spotlight was when he criticised Alan Shearer for being a ‘sh*t manager’ and using ‘sh*t tactics’. This came at a bad time for Barton who had been sent off for a tackle late into a dead game against Liverpool. Shearer then banned Barton indefinitely, and Newcastle looked into terminating Barton’s contract. However, you cannot argue with the fact that Barton was spot-on in his criticism, again. Shearer was a dreadful manager.

Now, don’t get me wrong here, he is definitely not innocent. But he is not as bad as he is made out to be. His mistakes come mostly off the pitch not on it. Abou Diaby was wrong to assume that Barton’s tackle was malicious, more it was over-zealous and an embodiment of the passion of the man.

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Barton has been honest about his mistakes and makes interesting points about modern footballers. He said that he was earning more a week at 20 than his whole family put together. This shows he was of a child’s mentality, living on a man’s wages. The point that Barton makes is that he never had to grow up. Agents and associates took care of mortgages, car insurance and all the difficult things that being an adult entails. Because of this Barton did not engage with real life for a large part of his early twenties. His honesty here highlights a problem that most young footballers suffer from due to over protection.

I am not defending some of the things Barton has done when drunk and on a night out, and I am not saying I would make him the Godfather to my kids, but I am defending the assumption that he is stupid, and I am defending the assumption he is a dirty player. He is hardly the first person to fight people on a night out, and he has said himself that where he is from it is ‘quite normal to get drunk and get in a fight’ occasionally.

I admit, he has not fully amended his ways; he has been involved with the homophobic provocation of Torres and a ‘punch’ on Morten Gamst Pedersen. But, these incidents aside, he has shown willingness to reform both on and off the pitch. For example, he has been teetotal for two years. Yes, occasionally he does stupid things, but this is more a case of his passion boiling over and not petulant behaviour like in the past. This year he has shown good self-control in the face of players who try to get the ‘red mist’ to descend by taunting and fouling him.

Barton, it seemed, was down and out after his prison sentence, and after his ruck with Shearer it seemed his career might be over. But this year he is on top form, he has a better tackle success rate (81%) than Scott Parker (77%) and Gareth Barry (76%), while having made only 2 less key passes than Cesc Fabregas (48) and Charlie Adam (45). He also has 6 assists and 4 goals. The man keeps bouncing back.

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Despite what his critics think, he can be a role model, both to kids who have committed crimes, and to kids from a similar background. He has shown that a change in attitude is possible, and he has never given up on himself and is definitely on his way to becoming a reformed character.

His is not a fairy tale story of reform, and for that reason may not get the positive attention he deserves. But he shows the realistic side of transformation, and sends a much more ‘real-life’ message to those who would see him as a role model. He shows it takes time, that it is difficult and that there will be setbacks. But if you work hard enough at it, it is achievable.

I’m not telling you to like Joey Barton. If you want to hate him, go for it. But don’t under-estimate his value in demonstrating to young people that change is possible, and don’t under-estimate how well he has played this year.

You can share your appreciating of, or aversion to, Joey Barton with me on twitter @joeaustin8

In light of England’s disappointing World Cup a novel idea to prepare for the next one could be to use Euro 2012 to try out the next group of youngsters.

Although ultimately England probably wouldn’t get very far in the competition and it would be another two years gone by where England hasn’t won anything, it could give them a real chance of winning the big prize of the World Cup. Italy tried the same technique in Euro 1980 and their young team actually managed to finish fourth, they then went on and won the World Cup in 1982. This proves that it could work but of course World Cup success is no guarantee and as England are desperate for some success, they may not be able to afford to squander another tournament.

However although the public haven’t been satisfied with England’s performance, they have also been quick to complain about youngsters not being given the chance such as Adam Johnson, Tom Huddlestone and Michael Dawson. Fabio Capello obviously deemed them too inexperienced to play them in the World Cup and the Euros could be a chance for them to gain experience. But in order for this to happen the public would have to be patient and lower their expectations, they would possibly need to be told in advance that England were not looking to win the competition.

Should England be able to pull it off then these youngsters that England have coming through could really thrive at the Euros. They’ll be less pressure on them as it isn’t a World Cup and then hopefully there would be less expectation from the English public if they were forewarned. England’s Under 21, Under 19 and Under 17 squads all reached the final of their respective Euros last year so it shows that the talent is definitely there, it just needs to be utilised in the right ways. England could consider shelving players like Emile Heskey and instead use technically gifted players which the senior team seems to be lacking. In the senior squad there is only really Joe Cole and he got far too little game time in South Africa, it is possible for England to play exciting, fluid football with a young team if the right players are picked as Germany have shown.

Using Euro 2012 to blood the next generation of youngster could be a tremendous idea for England. But in order for it succeed the main stumbling block would be getting the press and the public to lower their expectations, which would be very difficult to achieve.

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Click on image below to see the Argentinean babes at the World Cup

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