New low at Highbury

Discipline problems continue to plague Arsenal

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By Brian Glanville, World Soccer

A SHOCKING statistic: When Francis Jeffers was sent off at the Millennium Stadium last Sunday for deliberately kicking Phil Neville, it was the 50th Arsenal player to be expelled during Arsene Wenger's reign at Highbury.

Somewhat typically, Wenger made light of the red card.

"Francis Jeffers made a mistake," he said.

Some mistake! What was the nature of it? Doing it right in front of the referee?

"He's an intelligent boy and he will learn from this."

Learn not to kick people in front of the referee? "He was frustrated and should not have done it."

Any more than two Arsenal defenders should not have done what they did, such as Campbell kicking Djemba Djemba, when admittedly provoked, from behind, and Ashley Cole committing a serious foul.

One's mind goes back to a bizarre occasion at Highbury when Patrick Vieira, a real recidivist, lost his head at the final whistle but was defended by Wenger on the grounds that he did not connect with foot or head.

Long, long ago, in 1933, when that January mighty Arsenal lost to little Walsall in the FA Cup-tie, a reserve Gunners left-back called Tommy Black gave away a penalty. The revered manager, Herbert Chapman, promptly sold him to Plymouth. Wenger's palpable inability to make his players behave better is in fact deeply damaging to the club, which time and again loses key men for weeks on end.

Whether Jeffers will learn -- he was very contrite afterwards, who knows? -- last season he was excoriated for gaining a vital penalty at Highbury with a shameless dive.

It's true the whole basically crude red- and yellow-cards system makes it so much easier to be sent off than in bygone days, with two yellows inexorably and often unjustly making a red. But that hardly applied to Jeffers, who still looks a greatly overpriced acquisition at £9 million at Everton -- when it was surely apparent that he was subject to injury, regardless of whether he was worth so large a fee. Arsenal will not remotely get it back.

THE sad cruel death of my old friend Ray Harford at the age of 58 robs English football of one of its finest coaches and most endearing personalities.

I still feel amazed at the ludicrous description of him as dour and unsmiling by the misguided chairman of Luton who sacked him, after he had twice taken that little club to the League Cup final at Wembley and actually beating Arsenal there in 1988. Harford was a man with an endearing send of humor, though I could understand it if he never wanted to smile at such a chairman.

It has often been said, however, that he was essentially a coach rather than a manager, and I think this is fair, even if he also managed at Fulham, Wimbledon and Blackburn. There he was the perfect complement to Kenny Dalglish, who wasn't interested in coaching, a trait often to be found in such naturally gifted footballers.

When they were working in tandem, Blackburn, financed by Jack Walker's millions, were promoted from the Second Division and then won the championship itself for the first time since 1928. But when Dalglish kicked himself upstairs -- or rather, on to the golf course -- Ray found himself unprotected as promoted coaches can, things fell apart and he lost his job.

His last post was as coach to Millwall, where after the opening game of this season, and a minute's impeccably respected silence of the crowd, Mark McGhee paid warm tribute to Harford, who he said had been more of an uncle than a coach to the young players. So many of us will miss him.

IT'S sad to have Mark Palios, the City gent and ex-Tranmere player, spouting executive speak so soon after his welcome appointment -- as someone who does at least know the game -- at the Football Association.

Paeans of praise for Sven-Goran Eriksson who we hear, yet again and just as misleadingly has lost just one "official" game, that pathetic performance against 10 Brazilians in Japan when one England player said: "We needed Winston Churchill and we got Iain Duncan-Smith."

What about that pathetic draw at home to Macedonia and defeats in friendlies by Italy and even Australia? And why does Palios covet this England team of supposed "icons" -- his own words -- when they are still not sure to top their Euro group, perhaps even qualify?

He and others seems to be taking it for granted that Sven will eventually join Chelsea, but why does Roman Abramovich want him so badly? And why is it felt that Steve McLaren would make an ideal successor with England? What did he contribute, one wonders, at half time in that World Cup quarterfinal? Alan Curbishley? Why not?

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.

Brian Glanville is Britain's most celebrated football writer. He also writes a monthly column in World Soccer magazine.

His latest book, a fully updated edition of THE STORY OF THE WORLD CUP is available in all good bookshops. Readers of worldsoccer.com can buy this highly-acclaimed history of the World Cup and enjoy a 10% discount by clicking here.