Premier League

Ian Griffiths and Kelvin Leong take you on a weekly trip through the latest happenings in the world of football.

Ian Griffiths and Kelvin Leong. Two long suffering football fans who have remained delusional that their respective clubs, Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur will turn back the clock and usher in the glory days give their weekly dosage of matters happening in and around the world of football

Ronaldinho to AC Milan

KL: Finally! The beleaguered Brazilian star has chosen his next destination. And what a good one I say.

Apart from looking akin to a certain movie character known as Jarjarbinks of Star Wars fame, the man can play.

And what better way to get yourself back into form than to ally himself with compatriots Kaka and Pato. Kaka and Ronaldinho forged a strong partnership playing for the Selecao and with teenage prodigy Pato thrown into the fray, a formidable Brazilian axis will be unleashed on the tight defences of Serie A.

The move will do wonders to rejuvenate the fallen idol, and his choice of club was a smart one as I doubt he would have lasted the pace in the much faster English game.

Over in Milan, the style of play is much slower, something that allows the more talented players like Kaka to run the show and wait for that telling through pass. Ronaldinho has lost a lot of speed and he knew that the Italian game was a slow one.

Together with the fact that Kaka and Pato both like to drag their markers out wide, Dinho knew he would have more chances going down the middle compared to Barcelona where he played wide left.

It's astute thinking by the player and his agent - who happens to be his elder brother - this move might just see the silky smooth Brazilian get back to the top of his game.

Disco disco!

IG: Come on Kelvin - get real! Moving to Milan was the easy option for the toothy grinner.

He has well and truly bottled it by deciding that he wants to shine in a lesser league, rather than go and test himself in the Premier League's rough and tumble.

England is where football is at its peak, where the best go to get tested, where football's elite can shine like never before. This all seems to have passed little Ronny by.

It would seem that his late night adventures and a willingness to play sub-standard football in Barcelona have led Ronaldinho to believe that he should be taking things easier nowadays. What is he thinking about?

It saddens me to say this, but a once truly great player has fallen by the wayside. He has decided to take the cash and run to Italy where life will be comfortable, where he won't have to do too much and where he can continue to annoy the hell out of me.

I for one, hope he fails miserably.

Clubs say no to Olympics

KL: I am very troubled by this Olympics saga. First, Barcelona refused to allow Ronaldinho to play at the Olympics. AC Milan followed that up by imposing a ban on Kaka to represent his country in Beijing, while Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto'o and Park Ji-Sung are all rumoured to be banned by their clubs from taking part.

What a disgrace I say! You are talking about the biggest prize in a sportsman's career. An Olympic gold medal. The ultimate pedestal any patriotic athlete could possibly achieve.

What right do these clubs have to stop the players from wanting to don their national colours and bring glory to their nation. None.

It is like calling the player up for an international game. Can clubs stop them from going? No they can't. So what is this rubbish about clubs forbidding their stars to play at the Olympics.

Unfair and unjust. And for that, I feel ashamed for the club owners.

IG: It's an interesting one this Mr Leong, and I totally agree that all international sides should always - and I mean always - have their best players available.

I can't help think though that the clubs in question do have a point. Gone are the days when footballers earned just enough to get by, they are now multi-millionaires who enjoy a rich and luxurious lifestyle.

That wealth comes from the clubs who pay their wages, and any employer has a right to say what their employees can or cannot do. It seems to me that the likes of Barcelona and Manchester United are merely protecting their interests, merely ensuring that their stars are protected from potential injury and fresh for domestic football. You can't blame them.

It's a delicate matter that will never, in my opinion, be resolved to everyone's satisfaction. Someone is always going to lose out - be it the tournament or the club.

Having said that though, key Rovers defender Ryan Nelson is heading off to the Olympics to play for his native New Zealand. At a time when Rovers need everyone available in a bid to stave off the relegation I predict is almost inevitable, I am starting to hate the get-together in Beijing.

Then again, Rovers did win a friendly at Macclesfield Town, so maybe Paul Ince is a football genius after all!

Tottenham's midfield too lightweight?

KL: As a Spurs fan, I like what Juande Ramos is doing. He brought in two flair players in Giovani Dos Santos and Luka Modric after seeing that the current crop of players at his disposal lacked that essential creative spark.

Modric and Santos have the skills, but I worry about their frames being too frail for the English game. Unless Tom Huddlestone and Didier Zokora can provide the muscle - I am not too convinced by these two so called ‘holding midfielders' - Modric and Santos could well struggle to weave their magic.

Jermaine Jenas, who is arguably our most ‘creative' spark, will also find it hard to find a spot on the team sheet and if Ramos does play him, the England international will have to resist the temptation to attack and play a more withdrawn role to compliment the attacking options now available to the team.

Actually, it is our strike force that I am deeply concerned with. If Keane and Berba both leave, who do we have? Darren Bent! God help us.

IG: You worried!? You should try being a Blackburn fan!

Seriously though, you have a point about the Spurs midfield, but I for one hope that Huddlestone gets more of a run out this time around.

The last time I saw ‘Big Tom' was at Manchester City the season before last. He was at the very heart of a terrific Tottenham away win, and the midfielder capped a stellar performance by ramming home a brilliant half volley from the edge of the box. He has talent.

With Modric and Santos doing their stuff, I really believe that Huddlestone can play that holding role well. He is a man mountain. Then Spurs boss Martin Jol - after that victory in Manchester - went on record to say how highly he rated Tom, and that the youngster was getting bigger and stronger by the day.

He knows how to tackle and he knows how to pass. Give the guy a chance. As for Zokora - forget it, he is overrated rubbish!

Before I sign off, I'd like to award the very first "Two Fat Men and a Football" award for excellence.

The medal goes to the Manchester City fans who chartered a fishing boat - yes a fishing boat - to take them to the Faroe Islands to watch their club in UEFA Cup action.

They got stranded half way, but got there just in time to see Mark Hughes' men win 2-0. It was a damned long trip and goes to show that to be a true football fan, you have to have passion coming out of your ears.

It also clearly helps if you are a little mad!!!

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