It has been a turbulent week in English football in more ways than one this week, one that has come as a reminder to us that players are human after all, and football clubs are not as invincible as we would like to think.
Of all the players to suffer a World Cup threatening injury in the past couple of weeks, it had to be Ashley Cole, the one player who would have prevented a potential flare up in the starting XI between former captain John Terry and Cole's understudy Wayne Bridge, whose ex Vanessa Perroncel is at the centre of the 'other' story.
Cole's injury left the door wide open for the Manchester City man, although he has, in my opinion sadly, let his heart rule over his head. In every walk of life, one has to work alongside colleagues they do not like or even respect, although it could be argued that professional football is not just another job. I would have fully understood his decision if it was to declare himself unavailable for England's friendly on Wednesday against Egypt - especially as Manchester City play Chelsea this weekend - but to do so indefinitely seems rash.
Speaking of Ashley Cole, we all hope he will be fit for South Africa, but it is of course his off-the-field form which has caught the eye. I don't have a great deal of sympathy for him, he has after all cheated more than once on one of the world's most desirable women, but plenty more people have thrown their two pennies in inside the front pages, so I'll stick to the football side here.
The financial crises in the leagues have reminded us that clubs cannot continue overspending beyond their means. Portsmouth's move into administration, and their soon to be confirmed nine-point penalty, certainly means the end of their immediate Premier League life, and probably any hope of returning there in the next two to three years. It is becoming a cliche to say look at Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, Norwich and the other clubs who have plummeted through the leagues, but Pompey, its administrator and fans, will hope that their name is not added to the list. On the other hand, maybe the club's very existence is the ultimate goal, no matter which division they end up in.
Notts County have avoided administration after a very difficult few weeks, but the job that new chairman Ray Trew and manager Steve Cotterill have to stablise the club looks a far bigger one than even they thought. Of course, the club has one prized asset above any others, that being goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, but even his likely sale in the summer will probably be at a huge loss compared to the money that Munto Finance was throwing around, or should I say promising to throw around, at the start of the season. The dreams of becoming the next big force in English football sadly look a long way off as far as the supporters are concerned, even promotion to League One this season looks increasingly unlikely, although in Cotterill the club has a manager more than capable at that level of being a success.
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