By Myles Palmer _____________________________________________________ IF RIO FERDINAND could play for Manchester United against Birmingham after missing that drug test, why can’t he play for England? What’s the difference? FA chief executive Mark Palios has obviously chosen the wrong moment and…
By Myles Palmer ADAM CROZIER hired Sven but pissed off the blazers, so they kicked him out. Crozier did some good things and the organisation he left was more modern. New FA chief Mark Palios is now throwing his weight…
By Myles Palmer _____________________ Liverpool 1 Arsenal 2 ____________________ Kewell 14 Hyypia o.g. 30, Pires 69 _________________________________ EDU again outshone Gilberto and staked a serious claim as Vieira’s long-term partner. His defensive work and first time passing were excellent, while…
By Myles Palmer Arsenal’s 0-0 in Moscow looks better after Chelski surprisingly lost at home to Besiktas. Rotation 0 Besiktas 2 would have been my headline. Ranieri surpassed himself with 5 changes. His switch from 4-4-2 to 3-5-2 was a…
By Myles Palmer A DRAW in Moscow might be acceptable, given the absence of Vieira and Ljungberg. Arsene said yesterday that big players at big clubs have to cope with all the pressures. He has placed his faith in Robert…
By Myles Palmer MATCHDAY 2 is a massive night for all the clubs who lost on Matchday 1. Like Lokomotiv Moscow and Arsenal. On a wet Friday at Highbury, Arsenal beat Newcastle 3-2 and I began to see signs that…
By Myles Palmer I WAS looking forward to tonight’s game till I heard that red card Riley is the ref. Thankfully the Champions League is back next week and we can see some decent refs who know that football is…
By Myles Palmer The Observer’s Amy Lawrence introduces tonight’s Arsene Who? film on BBC4 at 8.30. This week’s furore should ensure good viewing figures for the programme, which features Philippe Auclair, the London correspondent for France Football. Haven’t seen Philippe…
By Myles Palmer LAST SUNDAY was the first day of the rest of Arsene’s life. He has realised that Tony Adams is right :You can’t play both Pires and Ljungberg in away games. That is what Tony told him privately…
By Myles Palmer ______________________________________ Arsenal 0 Inter Milan 3 Cruz 21, Van Der Meyde 24, Martins 41 _____________________________________ MY SINCERE APOLOGIES TO Hector Cuper and his team. Inter were far better than I expected and far superior to Arsenal on…