Andy Gray

It seems like a lifetime away that two refereeing decisions made within the space of a couple of hours got the whole of the English footballing world talking but I think it's a case of "better late than never" so here are my views on them...

First and foremost, Gary Neville should have been sent off. My colleagues on commentary thought so, every fan at the ground thought so, heck even Sir Alex Ferguson agreed, which is why he substituted him at half time. In an interview, when asked about it Neville considered himself "unlucky" to have been booked for his first offence, in the process pretty much declining to comment on the second incident and I think that tells you everything you need to know!

The referee bottled it, pure and simple. If that offence had been made by a Stoke player at Old Trafford, he would have walked. So why was it any different simply because the roles were reversed?

If the Neville incident was clear cut, then so was the one involving Dedryck Boyata, the only difference being that the referee got that one right. I was doing the commentary for the match and said straight away that I thought the lad was in trouble. Marouane Chamakh was through on goal, he was brought down by the last defender when he had a clear goalscoring chance and the referee was left with no option. That's what the laws of the game say.

A recent trend has been to suggest that when a professional foul is committed inside the box when a player is through on goal, this should lead to just a yellow card, the rationale being that the award of a penalty is punishment enough. I'm not so sure about that. Penalties are saved all the time and when that happens, the defender who has prevented the goal, whether the foul was cynical or just clumsy, has essentially "got away with one".

Players grow up knowing the laws of the game back to front. They're hammered into them by coaches, technical staff, even professional referees hired by the club to run workshops. And when there's a change to the laws, it's the responsibility of each and every player to be up to speed with what the changes are, whether that process is initiated by the club or whether they make the effort to read up on it themselves. There's no excuse.

Some of this may sound like I'm advocating card-happy referees. I'm not. Red cards spoil games, a perfect example of which was the Boyata sending-off in what had all the makings of being a cracking match. But cynical fouling and the illegal preventing of a goal is just as detrimental to the spectacle as a team losing one of their players. It's up to the referees to make these calls and for what it's worth I think they get most of these sorts of decisions right, But don't try telling that to Tony Pulis!

Read Andy Gray every week at www.betfairfootball.com

Every week, Betfair Football's star tipster Andy Gray picks out and answers his favourite question out of those he is asked on Twitter and Facebook. Here's his answer to this week's poser...

"Was Wayne Rooney unlucky to miss out on the Ballon d'Or shortlist?" - @Dandaman5891 and @JamesRobsonMEN

Yes, I think he was very unlucky. Wayne Rooney had an outstanding season last year, scoring freely for both club and country in every competition he played for. He picked up an injury towards the end of the season which ruled him out of the last few matches and had a pretty dismal World Cup by his own admission, but I still don't think that alone should have meant he got the snub.

Especially when you consider that the likes of Asamoah Gyan made the shortlist. I've got nothing against the Sunderland and Ghana striker but he scored just 13 league goals last season in a league most would consider to be weaker than the Premier League. Okay, he had a fine World Cup and was the star in Ghana's impressive campaign but a better season than Rooney? Not for my money...

Of course there's always a lot going on behind the scenes of this voting process that we don't know about. Whereas I think the winner is almost always the right choice, I can't say the list of nominees is always one I agree on.

It could be a case of tactical voting going on or it could be that for whatever reason those who vote decided to give English players a little bit of a slap in the face this time round and ignore the claims of the likes of Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and John Terry. The latter also had a good season, leading Chelsea to a domestic double and not missing too many matches so I can't imagine he was best pleased either when the shortlist was announced.

Who should get it then? Well anyone from the Barcelona trio of David Villa, Xavi and Andres Iniesta would be a worthy winner but personally I'd pick Wesley Sneijder who was the brains (on the field at least!) of Inter's treble last season. Added to that, he had a fine World Cup for the runners-up and saved some of his best performances for the biggest games. Wesley, take a bow son...


Read Andy Gray every week at www.betfairfootball.com

A recent trend amongst football pundits and indeed fans is to argue that the standard of football in the Champions League is higher than that played at a World Cup. That's not necessarily wrong. With the exception of a handful of highly-talented South American players based in Brazil or Argentina, we see the world's best footballers turn out in the Champions League every other week.

And if the top players aren't currently playing in European football's blue-riband competition it's only a matter of time before they move to a club that is. How often do you hear a player saying he wants to be playing in the Champions League as a reason to explain why he's left his current club and chosen team x over team y.....

That of course is different to playing international football. Of course, we can all think of examples of players who for whatever reason were eligible to play for different countries and chose the ones where they a) knew they were going to get a game and b) were pretty confident the country they chose was going to qualify for a World Cup sooner or later.

This is a recent trend though and these are the exceptions to the rule. For the most part you don't have a choice who you play international football for and that of course means that we're deprived of seeing some of the greatest players ever playing on the greatest stage of all. George Best, Ryan Giggs and George Weah to name but three. And that's a shame.

That said, any football competition in the world produces great games and poor games. I watched four or five Premier League games this weekend and I doubt any of them had the drama and excitement factor present in League One's Carlisle 3 Charlton 4! I wasn't at that one but I was at the Emirates for Arsenal's demolition job on Shakhtar Donetsk.

We all know Arsenal are good enough on their day to destroy any team, especially at home, but only the most loyal Gunners fans out there can claim they really enjoyed such a one-sided contest. And Shakhtar aren't exactly the Faroe Islands of Champions League football. This is the team that won the UEFA Cup a couple of years ago and can boast Darijo Srna and Eduardo da Silva in their ranks.

My point is that when you pay your money to sit in the stands or your satellite subscription to watch all the football you want on television you never know what you're going to get. Is the general standard of the Champions League higher than that of international football or the World Cup more specifically? Yes, it probably is. But the World Cup is still the ultimate prize in football and always will be and if there's a fan or a player who tells me he's more concerned with the quality of the football played to win a World Cup than just winning it, I'd sure as hell like to meet them...

Now and then you read something in the papers that you find so astonishing and mind-boggling that you have to read it again just to make sure your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. That's how I felt when I read Carlos Tevez's comments a few days ago saying he was bored, tired, fed-up of the stress of playing in the Premier League and thinking of quitting the game altogether.

Regular readers of this column will know just how highly I rate the Manchester City captain in terms of ability, work-rate, determination and his uncanny knack of saving his best performances for the biggest games. Which is why I'm really hoping these were off-the-cuff remarks made when he was in a bit of a mood or that something was lost in translation here.

But let's just assume for a minute that they weren't and that's just the way he feels. First of all those are pretty odd comments to make for someone who plays the game the way he does - at 150 miles per hour, chasing down everything and contesting every 50-50 like his life depended on it. If he's bored with football and doesn't enjoy playing the game, he's got a pretty funny way of showing it!

If that's the way you really feel though Carlos, then take some time away from the game and do a normal job like the rest of us. Because believe me son, you'll miss it.

Without the highs and lows of match day, the camaraderie of the training ground and that buzzing feeling you get when you score a goal, you'll really find out what boredom is. What I wouldn't give to turn the clock back 30 years and still be playing in wonderful stadiums, in front of passionate crowds in the best league in the world.

Wild horses couldn't stop me from getting on to the pitch if I was young enough and fit enough to still be playing the game. And I don't think I'm alone in feeling that way; most blokes watching Tevez playing week-in, week-out from their armchairs or from the stands would give their right arm to trade places with him even if it was just for a day.

All I can say is it's a massive shame he feels that way. Not just because he's an unbelievable talent who punters love to watch play, but also because I think Manchester City have a real chance of pushing Chelsea all the way this year. But only if Tevez continues to perform the way he has this season, because they certainly can't do it without him.

If he continues the way he's going though, and if Manchester City do win their first-ever Premier League title, I suspect he won't be so bored after all.

Every week, Betfair Football's star tipster Andy Gray will be picking out and answering his favourite question out of those he is asked on Twitter and Facebook. Here's his answer to this week's poser...

" Who is doing a better job this season; Moyes or Hodgson?
" - @empireofthekop

To answer that question I think we may have to wait till after the weekend. If Liverpool win the Merseyside derby on Sunday afternoon, it's arguably Hodgson simply because of the magnitude of this game and what it means to the football club and the fans. But if it ends in a draw or an Everton win, I guess you'd have to say Moyes, though the truth of the matter is that neither has started the season well at all.

At least in Moyes' case we can see a group of men playing like a team, with a good idea of what they're actually trying to do and how to go about executing it; they just haven't been able to convert chances into goals and get the points that at times they've probably deserved. If a Louis Saha or a Jermaine Beckford all of a sudden get on a little run of scoring goals, Everton's fortunes could change drastically.

All of which is a stark contrast to Liverpool. For the umpteenth season in a row, the manager, the players and the fans are all relying on Steven Gerrard to produce the magic and inspiration whilst Fernando Torres is given the task of coming up with the goals. Fantastic players though they both are, it's a lot of pressure to put on the shoulders of anyone and Hodgson has to have to a Plan B to turn to when the pair are injured or out of form.

This team is a work in progress right now but when you're in charge of a team like Liverpool, the manager has to come up with solutions sooner rather than later.

Every week, Betfair Football's star tipster Andy Gray will be picking out and answering his favourite question out of those he is asked on Twitter and Facebook. Here's his answer to this week's poser...

"Was the Dutch coach right to drop Nigel de Jong? And was SI.com's Grant Wahl right to call him the 'dirtiest player in world soccer'?" - @PaulLomax

A lot has been made of Nigel de Jong's tackle on Hatem Ben Arfa last weekend. The incident has since attracted extra attention as a result of Bert van Marwijk's decision to drop the Manchester City man from his Dutch squad to play Moldova and Sweden, claiming this time he went too far.

His decision is an interesting one and must be interpreted as him making the point to de Jong that he doesn't condone those sort of tackles, nor does he want him being part of his plans when he's doing things like that. A similar thing happened to me under Jock Stein when I was playing for Scotland; he told me he was leaving out of a particular squad to teach me a lesson. It doesn't matter anymore what it was that I did wrong, it was a long time ago!

But let's get back to the crux of the issue. Newcastle and Ben Arfa are obviously disappointed with what's happened and understandably so: the boy was just beginning to settle in this league and the team have been deprived of one of their best creative forces for an indefinite amount of time.

But I don't think it was a malicious tackle; replays show he didn't catch him with his leading foot, it was his trailing leg that made contact and it was just very unfortunate that the damage that caused was so severe.

De Jong is an extremely committed player and anyone who plays in that sort of role, running around the field making tackles, is always at risk of causing a serious injury but I'll maintain he didn't go out to injure the Frenchman. And that's why I'm not in the camp that believes he should receive retrospective punishment for the challenge.

It's a very unfortunate incident all round and I'm sure the FA and its referees will be keeping a close eye on de Jong's future conduct but for the time being we should just put the whole thing down as just something that happens in football from time to time and leave it at that.

Marseille have had an indifferent start to the season. The signing of Luis Fabiano fell through whilst they also lost Hatem Ben Arfa and Mamadou Niang over the summer, meaning they're not quite the potent attacking force they would like to be.

They've performed relatively well in this competition over the years but - that shock win at Liverpool a few years ago aside - they've found it hard to win matches away from home against the big boys for the most part.

For my money, this could be the year when Chelsea really do go on and win this competition. They were a little one-paced over the past few seasons with Michael Ballack and Deco in the side but with the likes of Ramires and the returning Michael Essien now major players they have that little extra bit of energy and gusto to their play.

This is a match that Chelsea should win comfortably and send a message to the field that they really mean business.

Recommended Bets:
Back Chelsea to win at 1.4
Back Chelsea to score in both halves at 2.0

Andy Gray offers his betting advice for Sunday's three Premier League games, including arguably the match of the season so far between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford...

Manchester United v Liverpool

Is this still the biggest derby match in English football? I certainly think so and I reckon you'd be hard pushed to find anyone who would disagree. We've seen some crackers between the two north-west giants over the years and I'm excited about Sunday's game.

Both teams have a tendency to go into this match and turn their recent form on its head. Liverpool were not good against Birmingham last week and Manchester United struggled to find their rhythm against Rangers in the Champions League. The likes of Paul Scholes and Dimitar Berbatov might have made the difference in that match but Sir Alex Ferguson will be pleased that many of his big players are fresh for Sunday's match.

Liverpool remain tough to break down and the hosts might need to patient. Despite recent criticism of Fernando Torres, I still believe Roy Hodgson's side are potent up front. The Spanish striker has an excellent understanding with Steven Gerrard, which won't evaporate overnight, and Joe Cole could be important on his return from suspension. Remember, he scored a vital goal for Chelsea at Old Trafford last season.

Of the two teams, Manchester United are playing better. Dimitar Berbatov is in really good form and I'm backing him to find the net again on Sunday. All eyes will be on Wayne Rooney and this is the type of game he has to influence if he's to cement his status as one of the world's best players. I don't expect a lot of goals but, in the end, I think home advantage will tell.

Recommended bets:
Back Manchester United to win at 1.74
Back Manchester United to win 2-1 at 9.6
Back Dimitar Berbatov to score


Chelsea v Blackpool

I'm really looking forward to watching Blackpool. They've made a good start to the season, last week's win at Newcastle could be invaluable come the end of the season and Ian Holloway says that his team will take the game to Chelsea on Sunday. That's a dangerous game plan to take to Stamford Bridge; the Champions are ripping teams apart at the moment, Didier Drogba will be back and fresh and Frank Lampard may return too.

You don't win the title in September though and there is still a long way to go. Chelsea are sure to have a bad spell - teams always do, even the best - but they are playing exceptionally at present and it already looks ominous for their rivals.

The return of Michael Essien has made them even better. He didn't feature in their double-winning season and his return is like having a new player. Deco and Michael Ballack have moved on but, with Essien, the Chelsea midfield is quicker, stronger and has more goals in it.

The Premier League is a very difficult league to win. Only one team has gone through an entire season unbeaten and I don't expect Chelsea equal Arsenal's feat this year. Chelsea play Manchester City soon and that is where their test will come. This week, against Blackpool, I expect them to win comfortably.

Recommended bets:
Back Chelsea to win 3-0 at 7.4
Back over 2.5 goals at 1.33
Back Michael Essien to score


And this is Andy's take on the non-televised game...

Wigan Athletic v Manchester City
Wigan are struggling but Manchester City really need to start winning. I believe that Roberto Mancini's side will prove too strong for the Latics but don't expect the kind of big score we've seen at this ground so far this season.
Recommended Bets: Back Manchester City to win at 1.8 and to win 2-0 at 9.2

It's been a pretty mixed two weeks in the world of Jermain Defoe. It all started in the best possible fashion with a superb hat-trick against Bulgaria at Wembley that was a good example of just what he can do when given the right sort of service.

He followed that up with a decent first half away to Switzerland but picked up a bad injury during the second half which will rule him out for three months and means he will miss the whole of the Champions League group stages, not to mention England's next two ties, against Montenegro and France.

It's a bitter pill to swallow for a player who was so integral in getting Spurs to the Champions League and who finally looked to have secured a regular place in the national team after years of being little more than a fringe player.

When these things happen there's always a chance that whoever deputises for him in an England shirt will come in, play well, score goals and before Defoe knows it he's the one trying to get back in the team rather than being the player trying to keep others out of it.

The thing about the former West Ham man is that he's a player who you judge purely based on the amount of goals he scores. We all know he's not the Emile Heskey type who works tirelessly to create space for others nor is he a Dimitar Berbatov who is as concerned about creating goals for his team-mates as he is about scoring them.

You know what you get with Defoe: he's a proper out-and-out goalscorer with a selfish streak in his play and I'm in the camp of those who don't mind that. He'll have his critics who accuse him of not getting too involved in the build-up or shooting for goal whenever he gets a chance but different players bring different qualities to the table and we can't expect every striker to be worker, creator and scorer in equal measures.

In answer to a question posed to me on Twitter a couple of weeks ago about why Darren Bent doesn't get a game for England, I said he wasn't the cleanest striker of a football and not always pretty on the eye and Defoe can at times be a little like that as well but I'll say it again; it's how many you score, not how you score them.

Interestingly, those two are for my money the strongest candidates to partner Wayne Rooney and there's not much between them; I guess it will just depend on who's in the best goalscoring form for their club at the time. One thing is for sure though: England and Spurs in particular will miss the little man and it's a huge blow to Spurs' chances of making it out of the group stages (a 1.87 prospect) in their first Champions League campaign.

Since Martin O'Neill resigned his position as manager of Aston Villa on the eve of the season it's been a real rollercoaster ride for their fans.

There were two very good home wins in the league, an embarrassing thrashing at the hands of Newcastle at St James Park and a Europa League exit at the earliest possible stage.

At least the players now know who their manager is and it's a man with no shortage of Premier League experience. That said, I'm not sure he would have fancied a trip to Stoke as his first match in charge.

At least (from Gerard Houllier's perspective) Tony Pulis' side are out of form. Not many people would have predicted they would be on zero points from three matches but they have gone to Stamford Bridge already and they have had to make do without record signing Kenwyne Jones, who got injured on his debut.

My experience over the years of watching matches such as these between two sides who would happily settle for a draw is that's what tends to happen. Let's bet accordingly.

Recommended Bets:
Back The Draw at 3.3
Back 1-1 at 7.2