Why did he do it?

That is the question that remains in the mind of family, friends, colleagues and supporters alike, and is one that is likely to remain unanswered with regards to the death of Gary Speed. His passing is nothing short of a tragedy and has rocked the game to the very core.

I have to say I was taken aback by the news and like the majority failed to comprehend how a man, who from the outset seemingly had everything at his feet and as national team manager was at the pinnacle of his sport, found himself in such a dark place that he had little option but to end it all there and then. I am sure I wasn’t the only one that found it even more chilling that he seemed so full of energy and spirit on Football Focus a few hours previous. This wasn’t seemingly a man who visibly had demons eating him up inside, but I guess how would anyone of known.

Stan Collymore highlighted on twitter last Friday his battle against depression and how it hits you like a train at times and you are left not knowing which way to turn to. Let’s be honest most people fail to recognise the severity of depression or insecurities and to many it is derided as an illness, mainly down to our ignorance towards the disease. Full credit to Collymore for making people aware its consequences and calling on those sufferers to be open about it, and talk to doctors and friends. I guess herein lies the tragedy with Speed that he didn’t have the ability to tell those loved ones of his issues and I’m sure all his friends will be equally upset that he didn’t confide. Whether Speed did in fact suffer from depression remains to be seen; but the fact he couldn’t open up about the issues that led to his untimely death highlights a man who would rather suffer in silence than pass on his problems to anyone else. So many people will be left ruing the fact he didn’t and they will have that feeling inside for the rest of their lives.

I know it is somewhat clichéd that when tragedy strikes you evaluate and take stock of your own situation, but it certainly put life into perspective. It got me thinking of all the things that anger me in football like your players who are happy to go on strike; the parasite agents who milk their clients dry, or the workings of FIFA and I find my blood boiling even more. Gary Speed was the model professional, a fabulous ambassador for the Sport who gave everything to the game we all love – basically ten times the man of any of the above – and yet a real football man is taken from us, while the self-centred sods happily go about their business. It doesn’t seem fair and it doesn’t seem right, but it just further highlights the enormity of this tragedy.

The inquest to Speed’s death opens today and I hope that his family and friends get some answers to their questions over their tragic loss. I hope the powers that be look into the psychological side of football and ensure clubs educate their footballers of a variety of issues, including the perils of depression as Collymore alluded to. Lastly I hope that Gary Speed finally finds himself at peace with himself after leaving a world, in which judging by the heartfelt tributes he was clearly adored.

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RIP Gary.

It was the first time I’d been in the home dressing room at Chelsea for half a century. In fact, I hadn’t visited Stamford Bridge at all since Roman Abramovich took over. Many ex-players love going back to the scenes of former glories, and each to their own, but Boris Becker summed it up for me while talking wistfully about Centre Court at Wimbledon, as he watched Pete Sampras heading towards another title. “This place used to be all mine but it’s his court now – it all belongs to Pete.”

That’s why I rarely return either to the Bridge or White Hart Lane. When you used to be the main man, the king of the hill, it feels discomforting to turn up and watch someone else in your place. It was my 11-year-old grandson Harry who brought me back to the Bridge. He’s the only one of my 10 grandchildren who supports Chelsea. My missus Irene, who has supported the Blues since I was a kid there, made damned sure of it by sticking a plaque on his bedroom wall saying: ‘A Chelsea fan sleeps here.’

So for the Boxing Day derby against Fulham, I went along with my son Andy and Harry, and the club invited us on to the pitch at half-time as well as arranging for Harry to meet his hero Didier Drogba, post-match. Given the disappointing 1-1 scoreline, I didn’t expect to be ushered into the dressing room – approximately twice the size it was in my own playing days – but there we found ourselves, in the inner sanctum.

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Harry enjoyed a good chat with Drogba, John Terry gave him his shirt and I had a chat with Frank Lampard, whose dad used to be my West Ham team-mate. Sticking my head around the corner to the treatment area I spotted Ashley Cole having a massage. “A massage?” I asked him, “What’s that all about?” “Someone trod on my foot,” said Ashley. “I suppose in your day you’d be having a beer and a fag by now?” “Too bloody right,” I told him. “It wouldn’t be a bad thing if we went back to those days,” he said. “I don’t think, so, Ash, the money wasn’t quite the same!”

He could hardly disagree with that one, given his infamous comments about negotiating a contract with Arsenal, but when you meet Cole you get the distinct impression that his public image is all wrong. There was a bit of speculation in the press about whether I’d offered Fernando Torres any advice. We did meet and say hello but the last thing he’d have wanted was some fat old bloke telling him how many goals he had scored for the club.It was interesting to watch Torres from up in an executive box in the West Stand, which used to be the vast West Terrace, one of the biggest standing areas in football, and a place I was unfortunate enough to have to sweep as an apprentice.

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The most remarkable thing for me was how incredibly supportive the Chelsea fans were towards him. For a £50million striker, who has only scored three goals in a year, to be backed to the hilt, without a murmur of criticism, is a great credit to those supporters and a real blessing for Torres. The Spaniard actually put in a decent all-round team performance but his lack of confidence was all too apparent.

Alan Shearer was right when he said Torres is spending too much time with his back to goal, and that Andre Villas-Boas needs to be seeing the No.9 on his shirt more often. But a goal drought is an awful thing for any striker. It eats away at you and Villas-Boas needs to give Torres more support – I’d love to have seen him play up front with Drogba more often.

I don’t buy into the opinion that they cannot operate together. They are two top players, they aren’t particularly similar and it’s the manager’s job to find a way of accommodating both. In the meantime, though, Torres will be on his own up front, with Drogba away at the African Cup of Nations. It ain’t going to be easy, but I know one little 11-year-old who would be delighted to see Torres succeed.

There is no getting away from the fact that the return of Paul Scholes will be a major talking point for a long time to come. Some people focus on the sentimentality for it, some on the fact that United are apparently in crisis and this is why the player has chosen to return. Others have asked the question of exactly why he has returned, and if the reason behind this is due to the fact United have no money to spend and the Glazers have literally given Fergie nothing when he needs it most.

How far this statement is true remains to be seen – it was the player himself who asked to return several months ago – or so we are told by the club, and Fergie duly agreed. United would paint this as a fantastic thing that gives the squad a boost and provides another option for them not to mention an experienced head during a difficult time.

Yet despite all this, the fact remains, United are lacking in a few areas, with the midfield being the most evident of these. Fans, media and even the creatures who live under a rock have been saying for a while now that United are in need of a defensive midfielder and also an attacking one, therefore whilst there may be disagreements of exactly meets the criteria, there is no argument that they have to buy someone.

After being run rings around in the Champions League final, most people thought Fergie would buy and restructure in the summer, and he did so to an extent, spending a fair bit of money, yet did not buy anyone for the centre of the park who can be generally considered world class.

Cue the start of the season and the rise by City, not to mention a few games where United have looked ordinary, and an early exit from Europe – sorry Europe’s premier competition – to boot.

With the January transfer window now open people thought Fergie would buy, yet all he has added to the squad is Scholes. Yes Fergie is not one for panic buying in January, and it is hard to get clubs to sell their top players, but everyone has a price, and a marquee signing for the centre of the park is exactly what United need, yet are clearly not going to get.

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The most obvious explanation for this is the fact that Fergie has been given no money to spend by the Glazers who have caused such passionate opposition since their takeover at the club, or even if he has, the club could simply not afford the subsequent wages that such players would then demand, with current players wanting a raise to be on a par etc, and a vicious circle commences.

More to the point however, exactly where has the £80 million from the sale of Ronaldo gone? Everyone is well aware of the intrest repayments the owners have to pay on the club, and it is more than possible that a portion of the money from the winger’s sale has gone towards helping this.

It would be easy to point the finger at the owners, and with the way fans feel about them, they would always be a scapegoat for problems at the club, and the fact remains United will simply have to buy at least two world class players if they want to compete firstly domestically with City who will just get stronger and stronger, and also on a European level, with the big two in Spain miles ahead of United, not to mention the resurgence of AC Milan and Bayern Munich.

The problem however, is that they do not seem to have the money to do this, and bringing Scholes out of retirement is certainly not going to help – in fact it just throws a harsher light on the problems at the club.

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It promises to be very much a ‘Super Sunday’ today as Manchester face-off against North London.  Rafa van der  Vaart believes it is make or break for Tottenham today in their pursuit of the title as he believes defeat will see them out of the race for this season.  Both managers have been playing mind games ahead of the game in the Etihad, with Redknapp in particular doing his level best to deflect all the attention away from his own side.

At the Emirates it is a game of equal significance with both sides desperate for maximum points. Arsenal will be looking to take advantage of Chelsea’s draw at Carrow Rd and close the gap on the top four of the Premier League. United likewise need to keep the pressure on City at the top of the table and have the extra bonus of knowing the result at the Etihad Stadium before taking to the field in North London in today’s late kick-off.

Kenny Dalglish believes Liverpool was taught a valuable lesson after their defeat at the Reebok Stadium. King Kenny feels his player’s performance was unacceptable and not befitting of the football club – Guardian

Rafa van der Vaart believes it is win or bust at the Etihad Stadium, if Tottenham want to claim the title this season. Defeat will see the North Londoners fall 8pts behind City in the table; a difference that the Dutchman sees as too big to reverse -Guardian

Andre Villas-Boas believes with a little bit more luck Fernando Torres will end the barren spell he is having. The Portuguese boss suggests that why the Chelsea forward hasn’t scored in 15 games; he is still finding himself and getting in goal scoring positions, therefore the goals will eventually come – Daily Telegraph

Ian Holloway believes that the big clubs spending big money on youngsters in daft and he fears for the young players’ long-term development – Independent

Sir Alex Ferguson will not strip Wayne Rooney of his penalty duties, because he fears it will create another bust-up between the two. The England striker has missed a few spot kicks of late, but Fergie will continue to let him take the responsibility – Daily Mail

Emmanuel Frimpong will require further tests on his eye injury picked up at Molineux yesterday. The on-loan Arsenal ace got an accidental boot in the eye from Villa’s Petrov that has caused a huge amount of swelling around his eye. It is too early to see the extent of the injury and Frimpong said it will be looked at again in a couple of days – Daily Mail

Liverpool are determined to beat Chelsea in the pursuit of Milos Krasic. The Reds are keen to take the Juventus playmaker on Loan, after the Serb has been deemed surplus to requirements under Conte – Mirror

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David Moyes fears another summer sale at Goodison Park, as the banks get tough over Everton’s finances – People

Harry Redknapp has targeted Swansea playmaker Joe Allen as a potential summer signing. The young Welshman has been an absolute sensation this season in the Welsh side’s first season in the Premier League and the 21-year old has been central to their progress – People

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Carlo Ancelotti has stated that the Italian Serie A is now on a par with the English Premier League, and stated that he feels AC Milan are better than Arsenal.

The Scudetto holders meet The Gunners at the San Siro on Wednesday night, and the former Chelsea manger has spoken of the upturn in performances of clubs from his homeland.

“You never have an easy game in Italy,” the Paris Saint-Germain coach told The Daily Telegraph.

“For me, this is a game that is a real 50-50. Let’s not forget that Napoli already knocked Manchester City out of the Champions League. Comparisons between the two leagues can only be made after these games.

“Italian football has made steps forward and the English game is not in great shape, what with Manchester City and Manchester United’s elimination.

“Napoli already achieved something remarkable by beating a City side that is dominating the Premier League, so I don’t see why they can’t repeat it. I think Milan are superior to Arsenal,” he concluded.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Tottenham attacker Rafael van der Vaart has stated that he wants to get to the FA Cup final, but that this Saturday’s clash with Bolton in the quarter-finals will not be an easy game.

The White Hart Lane faithful will be keen to see their side win after three defeats in a row, whilst the Netherlands international is returning to fitness after frustrating injuries of late.

Van der Vaart missed his country’s friendly at Wembley in February, but he is hopeful that he will get another chance to step out at the home of English football in the near future.

“Wembley is a special stadium and because I missed the friendly against England I’ve never played there,” Van der Vaart told the club’s official website.

“It’s always difficult in the FA Cup, but we will play at home against Bolton so we’ll be strong and we have a good chance of making the semi-finals and playing at Wembley.”

Spurs beat the Trotters 3-0 at home in the Premier League earlier in the season, but the talented playmaker is not taking progression in the competition for granted.

“It won’t make a difference on Saturday. It’s a separate game and we have to win, we don’t want a replay,” he concluded.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Chelsea have received a fitness boost ahead of their crucial Champions League fixture against Benfica on Wednesday night, with Didier Drogba, David Luiz and Raul Meireles all training with the team on Tuesday.

Drogba and Meireles missed the Blues’ 4-2 win over Aston Villa on Saturday through foot and knee injuries respectively, whilst Luiz was replaced in the victory.

However, all three appear to be back to fitness and ready for potential selection against the Portuguese outfit at Stamford Bridge.

The west London team go into the return fixture 1-0 up from the first leg, but Roberto Di Matteo knows that qualification to the semi-finals is by no means assured.

“It is a danger. This is half-time and we’re leading 1-0. But a 1-0 lead is basically nothing,” he stated at a pre-match press conference, covered by Sky Sports.

“Our players are aware of this, and we’ll have to go into this game with the right attitude, the same attitude as against Napoli.

“Nothing has been done yet. We’re aware of that. We need to go and qualify for the next round.

“I think there are a lot of clubs that would like to have so many games, to be involved in all these competitions.

“It’s very demanding for the players, but we’re in a good place. All the players are available, so that will help us.

“It might become an issue at some point. I don’t know.

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“Fortunately, we have a fully fit squad, which will help us in the run-in, to be able to play every player we have and give everybody a chance,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

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Tottenham are reportedly eyeing up a move for PSV Eindhoven attacker Ola Toivonen, according to The Daily Mail.

The north London outfit are eager to strengthen their options up front for next season, with Emmanuel Adebayor’s loan spell from Manchester City now finished.

Although it is believed that bringing the Togolese hitman back permanently is the White Hart Lane club’s first choice for next season, a move for Sweden international Toivonen may also be on the cards.

The 25-year-old has a solid goalscoring record at the Philips Stadion since moving from Malmo in 2009, and is adjudged as one of the Eredivisie’s top talents.

However, with Toivonen ready to step out for the Swedes this summer in Euro 2012, Harry Redknapp’s men may need to move quickly to capture the Scandinavian’s signature, as a raft of other European sides are keeping an eye on the PSV man.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has been rewarded for his side’s excellent season by being selected as the League Managers Association Manager of the Season.

The Tyneside club have had an excellent campaign, finishing fifth and exceeding expectations to challenge for a top four spot all the way up until the last day of the season.

Pardew admitted his delight at receiving the award, which he feels is a huge honour.

“It is an incredible honour. Coming from my fellow managers, this really is as good as it gets and has to be the highlight of my managerial career so far,” he confirmed.

“This award is not just for me. Everything we have achieved has been achieved as a result of an incredible team effort. The board, my coaching staff, backroom team, players and our magnificent supporters – they all play a crucial role and I thank every one of them.”

Newcastle will now feature in next season’s Europa League but may face a battle to hold onto some of their superstars once the transfer window reopens.

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By Gareth McKnight

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This summer, a clearout of the Arsenal squad has been called for, in an attempt to reduce the wage bill and bring in a talented and more competitive squad. With so many players potentially on their way out, Arsene Wenger could be looking at having to delve as deep into the transfer market as he ever has in his 16 years at the club.

The potential clearout comes in areas all over the team, from Vito Mannone in goal joining Hull City on a permanent basis to Marouane Chamakh going back to Ligue 1. While Euro 2012 goes on, there is very little action in the transfer market taking place, leaving Ivan Gazidis and Arsene Wenger plenty of time to deliberate over potential signings.

Arsenal fans will be hoping for some ruthless singings, bringing in the kind of raw talent that can make them competitors for top trophies once again following a seven year drought.

So where can this talent come from and who should Arsenal be looking to pursue this summer? We run through ten transfers Wenger and co should target.

Click on Lewis Holtby to unveil the top 10

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