I really like James Constable.

It would seem, however, that there are a number of criteria that need to be fulfilled for that statement to be true. To really like James Constable, one must not speak of his weaknesses, offer suggestions as to how his limitations could be reduced or consider alternatives. With that in mind, entertaining the thought of selling Constable is likely to render me a heretic.

That is the thought going through my head though. I am changing my mind constantly, but on the condition that any transfer fee in reinvested in the right player(s), I can see an argument for accepting the right bid.

I am an Oxford United supporter. I don't have an allegiance to Chris Wilder or James Constable exclusively. I support both. They both want the best for my football club, whatever you may be told. We are embroiled in a strange situation whereby you are either 'Team Wilder' or 'Team Beano', as if Oxford United's support is divided by some teenager inspired Twilight based allegiance system. The only thing I understand about the various cliques is that it is unforgivable to criticise Constable's contribution, but perfectly acceptable to suggest that a desire to sell a footballer links directly to a manager's ego and jealousy. That alone is ludicrous, but it seems likely to be the summer trend.

There are three areas to approach when contemplating Constable's future. Firstly, what are his strengths and how likely are we to see them next season? What are his weaknesses and why are they increasingly apparent? Finally, what will happen if he goes? There is little chance of fans agreeing on all three factors, but the last one appears the crucial element.

One of the greatest strengths to James Constable is who he is and what he has achieved. Beano was a phenomenal non-league striker. His goalscoring record was exceptional, defences couldn't handle him and alongside Wilder, he was the driving force behind our resurgence. As such, the man is talismanic. When you think of Oxford United, James Constable doesn't follow far behind. Fiercely competitive on the field, Constable the man is humble, intelligent and a fine representative of the club. To have Constable playing for Oxford United has been a privilege and the idea of the club without him is difficult to comprehend.

As a player, he has plenty of qualities. He works hard in pressing defences, is capable of bullying defenders (although he has been out-battled by several over the years) and although far from perfect, there is more faith in Constable burying a chance than many of his team-mates. More than anything though, I can't remember a striker with such ability to spin a defender. He sticks his backside into the centre-back, he turns sharply and more often than not, gets a shot away or wins a free-kick. Whether he plays to this strength enough is an issue that I will cover later, but it is certainly an asset that I will associated with Beano, wherever his career may take him.

If you take the best aspects of Constable's game, he is an excellent striker. If he could produce his best every week, he would not be a League Two footballer. The frustration will always be that we know what he can do. Thumping headers against Swindon and Wrexham, an acrobatic effort against Bristol Rovers, opportunistic goals like those against Barnet and Histon and the emphatic finish at Wembley provide the show-reel of a striker who can score all sorts of goals.

We all know what Beano is capable of, but more telling is perhaps a study of his limitations. Every player has a price, but Oxford United are willing to accept an offer around the £200,000 mark for a striker who has scored 79 goals for the club. In a market where lower level strikers are moving for vastly greater sums, there has to be a reason why bids of this level are considered. On the other hand, there is clearly something about Constable worth having as managers of clubs above Oxford United are showing an interest. What is it about Constable that Wilder doesn't like? Why did Scott Rendell come into the squad and keep him out of the team?

My main criticism of Constable is his failure to negotiate the offside trap. I am aware that few people agree with this, but I think that this is one of the most frustrating aspects of his game. For a manager who lines up with a 4-3-3 formation, this must be immensely frustrating. The role of the nine in a 4-3-3 is to provide the focal point for attacks. The ball has to stick with the front man, allowing the wide players in the front three to become involved in the game further up the pitch. Aside from possessing the ability to hold the ball up (which Constable can), the key to the number nine is always being available. Beano's recovery runs make this very difficult. Oxford fans are quick to count the number of seconds a goalkeeper holds onto the ball, but it may be worth employing the same tactic to see how long it takes Beano to become available for a pass after working beyond the defensive line.

The simple fact is that while Beano is the wrong side of the defender, he is unavailable for a pass. When one of your greatest assets is backing into a defender, I fail to understand the logic behind consistently placing yourself in a position in which your strengths are impossible to utilise. As the man who is supposed to provide the platform for all attacks, this is a criminal offence. There are few more effective means of killing an attack than a player who is unavailable for a pass. It isn't even as if Beano is in the Pippo Inzaghi class whereby he is rubbish at timing runs, he simply doesn't return to a legal position quickly enough. He's hardly attempting to achieve Michael Owen's trademark run, lurking behind a defender before curving level and sprinting clear. Constable's pressurising of defences is exemplary, but he would be a better player within the team if he worked harder in terms of his positioning when out of possession. Wilder often spoke about the movement of his front men as being disappointing in the second half of the season. Constable was no exception to this. It appears that I am not alone in demanding more from my team's striker.

The fixture against Torquay should have shown you all you needed to see about how effective a number nine who does the right things can be. An ineffective Constable was removed at half-time for Scott Rendell. The Wycombe loanee doesn't possess half the attributes Constable has, but simply by making himself available he transformed us into a vastly superior team in the second half. Constable is the best forward that we have at the club and the best that we have had in a long time. However, something isn't working.

A common defence of Constable is that 4-3-3 does not suit him and that he would score goals in the correct system. This totally overlooks the fact that he has scored the vast majority of his goals for the club whilst playing in this formation and seeks to exonerate Beano of all blame. The system is not going to change, so for Beano to demand a place in the team, he would have to prove that he is the best man to play centrally in this formation. On last season's form, there is little evidence of this.

Constable scored in just 8 of his 43 appearances. Even with a total of 11 goals, a goal every 3.9 games is not good enough for a central striker in a team that have a lot of the ball in home fixtures. There are other factors in the low goal tally, but any perceived lack of creativity cannot disguise the fact that Beano didn't score a goal between February and the season's end. Speculation linking him to Swindon may have been unsettling (and he deserves the greatest credit for rejecting their advances), the form of the team as a whole was miserable and he struggled to get a regular place in the team, but I am certain that if it had been Dean Morgan who was frequently offside, failing the control the ball and misplacing passes, the atmosphere wouldn't have been so forgiving.

This is part of the logic that confuses me. Chris Wilder turned the entire squad around and won promotion, but we are rapidly reminded that this was in the past. He must be judged now. However, Beano should be judged by the goals from his past, rather than the disappointing season he has just had. I would like Beano to score 20 goals as much as the next fan, but I'm also going to use my head rather than my heart to judge his performances. They haven't been good enough since December, at the very latest. Scott Rendell scored twice the number of goals per game as Beano in the season run-in. That tells you everything you need to know about the dip Constable is in.

There is one thing that concerns me more about a possible departure than anything else. With 11 goals, Beano was Oxford's top scorer last season. He has been our top scorer every year that he has been at the club. We have tried to add to him in the past and possibly even replace him in the second half of this season. We have never managed to permanently sign an attacker who scores more goals than Beano, whoever we have tried. If Constable agrees terms elsewhere, who will we bring in? However poorly Beano has been playing, there has always been the knowledge that he can do it. Whichever striker comes in and fails, Beano was always there to steady the ship. If he goes, there will no longer be a trusted insurance policy.

This is the ultimate case of head VS heart. My heart wants Beano to stay and become our all-time record goalscorer. I want him to score the brilliant goals that he is capable of and I want him to spearhead the attack that fires us to promotion. Even with that in mind, my head says that the time might be right to part. The various transfer sagas appears to have affected the player and the use of Constable's situation to attack the manager is increasingly divisive. No player is bigger than the club and to his immense credit, James Constable has never tried to be. However, the situation is threatening to stretch beyond all realms of logic. I will always admire Beano and be thankful for his contribution to our club (whatever may happen this summer), but I am uncomfortable with a situation in which football decisions are criticised irrespective of a player's performance due to his identity.

If you could guarantee that Wilder would sign a striker of greater suitability than Beano, I would have absolutely no hesitation in wishing him well for the future and moving on. I can't overlook the feeling that we need a fresh impetus up front. Cheltenham were successful with a 4-3-3 formation in which Ben Burgess played the central role. You will never convince me that Burgess is a better player than James Constable, but he works better as part of a team. I would take a less spectacular, but more effective version of Beano any day of the week. The club comes first and if Wilder can fit the pieces together, we could become a better team.

That is the big word, however. If. I think that any move for Jon Shaw (who may well stay in the north anyway) would be in addition to Constable, rather than a direct replacement. The man who would replace Beano would be more likely to come from the calibre of replacements outlined when Swindon submitted their offer in January. However, when you have a man who has averaged 20 goals a season over four years, it is a lot harder to bring a replacement in than it is to stick with what you have and know. It takes a brave manager to sell a top goalscorer when there is no guarantee that a replacement will click.

My greatest concern is that the fans who are so fond of Constable would not afford any replacement time to impress. Beano himself took time to settle at Oxford, but didn't have the expectations placed upon a player who is replacing a club hero. Would our fans accept a replacement or hold something against them because they are not Beano? I'm not sure.

I don't think James Constable is as good a footballer as his bond with Oxford fans would suggest and I don't think he has been playing the role asked of him as well as he could be doing. However, he is a player that I have the greatest respect for. He is as close as we have to a club icon and every one of his individual successes feels slightly more significant than other players. If he goes, Oxford United will feel very different. Constable's value is attributed as much to us as a fan base as it is to his ability on the field.

I am also fully aware that no words I write on the internet will make a jot of difference to the outcome (others could learn from this). What will be, will be. We will all have to deal with the consequences and no amount of fan posturing will change this. There are both financial and, in my opinion, footballing benefits to accepting an offer. If the manager and chairman thinks that the timing is right, we have to accept it. The loss of our four time top goalscorer would clearly place more pressure on the manager. What Wilder would do in replacing Beano (who we must not forget is still an Oxford player) would be a crucial moment in his tenure. Despite the Deane Smalley's of this world, I still trust him to get it right. The attitude of some would suggest that Chris Wilder doesn't want the best for the football club. If Beano goes, it won't be with a desire to harm our chances.

Aldo left. Joey left. Even Jack Midson left. I want a successful Oxford United with James Constable at the forefront, but I can understand why we may opt to cash in and move on. No player, however close to our hearts, will ever be more important than the club.

Chris Wilder: Why I won't be demanding a change of manager from behind my keyboard

Arse-licker: (noun) An individual who supports a football manager who has delivered progress in every season of his tenure, whilst also accepting the aforementioned manager's errors.

Hang on. That's not what it means? Now I'm confused. The kind members of 'Yellows Forum' informed me that I was an 'arse-licker' for the exact reasons outlined above. Next you'll be telling me that the forum isn't an online conglomeration of the finest minds associated with Oxford United...

Whether it makes me an 'arse-licker', a 'disciple' or any other form of insult that comes with supporting someone who has improved my football club during a difficult spell, I am behind Chris Wilder. I'm not ashamed to say it and whatever the internet tells me, I don't think I am in a minority either.

I am extremely disappointed by the manner in which our season capitulated. I have seen us beat Swindon twice and come a wonder-goal away from repeating the trick against Shrewsbury Town, another promoted side. Over those 360 minutes, we proved that we can be a good team. Despite the immensely frustrating home draws with the likes of Bradford, Aldershot, Burton and Hereford making an automatic promotion push difficult, we should still have been able to comfortably negotiate April and May with enough points to secure a play-off berth.

There is no disguising the fact that we have failed to achieve our minimum goal. More importantly, there has been no attempt to do so from within the club. Kelvin Thomas says we should have been in the play-offs. Chris Wilder says we should have been in the play-offs. When the play-offs take place, there will not be many players who are not thinking that they should be in the play-offs. There seems to be a belief that the disappointing end to the campaign does not hurt the club's staff as much as it hurts the fans. It will be doing.

In preparation for this piece, I have had a browse of the available online mouthpieces to gauge the opinion of web-capable Oxford fans (this obviously ignores the number of fans who have become so frustrated by the sensationalism surrounding every event at Oxford United that they have given up using such tools). Research suggests that I am not reacting how I should be. I am not converting my frustration into anger and I have not once questioned the parentage of Chris Wilder or hammered four-letter insults into my keyboard. It still amazes me that football can drive people to form such dislike of an individual who is striving to match the fans' ambitions. I take comfort in the knowledge that promotion next season would see the manager transform into a hero once more and humble pie sales go through the roof.

Online facilities such as Twitter, Facebook and football forums provide fans with a platform, the size of which have never been seen before. They are a forum for immediate emotional response upon which like-minded fans can converge. They can create 'hash-tags' and 'groups' to spread their opinions and whilst those with more extreme views have always existed, they have never been so easily heard. They are all entitled to their opinion. They may even turn out to be right. However, it's a method of opposition that clubs have never had to deal with before.

Whether you view online speech as a positive or negative factor, the fact is that it exists and will remain for a long time. When embracing this, there is one key factor that irritates me more than any name-calling or southern superiority complex (and where on earth has this come from in a club who have worshipped the likes of Shotton, Aldridge and Briggs?): why do none of these fans provide any reasoned explanation? I think we are all happy to listen to reasoned debate about Oxford United, but I am yet to get any deeper than 'We messed up. Wilder is very silly.' These aren't the exact words, but none of the various expletives are a precursor to an explanation that satisfies me. I appreciate that some would like a change of manager. Fine. However, please tell me, who you would like to come in? What qualities does this manager have that Chris Wilder lacks? What are the key changes that you would like to see? I can't promise I will agree with you, but I will give your argument a great deal more time if it isn't packed with isolated insults.

You may have gathered that a great deal of online fans irritate me. 'Yellows Forum' isn't worth the time of day and yet like a motorway shunt, you can't help but have a glance. Invariably, as soon as you see the catastrophic events that are taking place, you wish you hadn't. As a word of advice, there are an 'elite' available on Twitter who will provide logical reasoning, whatever their point of view. I like to think that these people present similar views to those who don't utilise internet forums, merely because it allows me to believe that the world is a slightly happier place.

So far we have established that I don't like a great deal about the internet, I am disappointed by the conclusion to our season and I support Chris Wilder. Considering I am supposed to be writing about the latter, I will attempt to end the rant with some of my own logic.

To provide balance, I will reiterate that I am not happy with our season. We were good enough to be in the play-offs and a return of 3 points from our last 7 league games was pitiful. There are undeniably questions to be answered. However, I want Chris Wilder to be given the opportunity to answer these questions.

I have supported Oxford United in some desperate times. I've seen multiple relegations, useless football and players that I wouldn't welcome in my Sunday team. This is a great deal better than that so let's not pretend that we are witnessing the lowest of the low. However frustrating, this was Oxford United's best finish since Ian Atkins' days. We also play football now. Yes, it should have been better than the Atkins' days and the collapse now hurts as much as it did then, but why are we acting as if we are about to fall out of the Football League once more?

Fans of Oxford United have great expectations. We were once a top level club and have consistently played at a higher level, but I honestly believed we had got over the theory that we deserve promotion due to our previous successes. This is a club that was on its knees in the Conference, yet should now breeze through the leagues on name alone. Our attendances are reflected by a budget that should have enabled us to do better than we did, but let's not pretend that we are rivalling some of the teams that are (or were) in League Two in terms of player expenditure. We have no divine right to win promotion and like the other good clubs in this league, will have to do something special to be promoted from it.

Expectations haven't been helped by the rapid rise of teams like Stevenage, who have made the transition between divisions seamlessly with a relatively consistent squad. The achievements at that club have been phenomenal, but they are an exception and not a measure of the minimum requirement. There was no desperate need to be promoted this season, as there had been in the Blue Square Premier days. We all wanted it, but why does the atmosphere suggest that we are on the brink of ultimate failure? We are not as far superior to last year as we should have been, but we are still better. Chris Wilder's record reads, simply, as follows:

Year One – rapid improvement from lower-half to play-off chasers.

Year Two – play-off winners.

Year Three – mid-table transitional period.

Year Four – Failure to achieve the play-offs.

By my calculations, I make that one explicit disappointment and one set-back that was immediately salvaged in the BSP play-offs. That the disappointment comes from missing the League Two play-offs with our highest finish for nine years tells you a great deal about what Chris Wilder has achieved. We have progressed massively and I am not keen to become a club that employs a 'one strike and you're out' policy.

The other main criticism from some quarters is that Wilder has “taken us as far as he can”. How do we know that? Granted, the improvement this season was lesser than anticipated in March, but we haven't gone backwards. Furthermore, that overlooks the fact that we have had some miserable luck this season. Tom Craddock gets the kind of goals that we have been lacking, yet has barely crossed the whitewash. Alfie Potter, however frustrating, is a nightmare for opposition defences and makes us a far more potent attacking unit. We've been without him for four months. Peter Leven? Plagued by injury since January. Having those three players fit throughout would have considerably improved the quality that has been so lacking in the final third this year.

What about the players who have been brought in? Rob Hall was exceptionally talented, but was removed from our squad for reasons out of our control. Lee Holmes was also a fantastic signing, but the luxurious finances available elsewhere ensured that his stay was a brief one. We all complain about the signing of Dean Morgan, but would it have ever happened if our own players were fit or first-choice loan players had been obtainable in the long-term? Of course not.

There have been misses (Guy, Philliskirk and the ultimate, Smalley), but Wilder has had a sizeable dose of bad luck this season. I may be accused of being overly optimistic, but I don't think that our full squad is a long way off achieving promotion. Greater midfield creativity is needed in the summer and a wide player with the ability of Hall and Holmes who is signed on our own books would be a valuable asset. Compared to the teams around us, our defence is strong and provides a good platform upon which to build. Promotion was lost in the opposition's defensive third, where profligate doesn't do our finishing justice.

There is no denying that this is the crucial summer in Wilder's tenure. Our home record is nowhere near good enough and to achieve our ambitions next season, we simply have to score more goals. This involves greater quality in delivery from wide, drive from midfield and composure amongst our strikers. If we are unable to bring in sufficient quality, we will stutter again next season and there will be no excuse. However, I am yet to see a good reason why Wilder should not be given the opportunity to give promotion another crack.

I trust that Chris Wilder is every bit as disappointed in our season from the end of March onwards and that he will learn from the mistakes of this season. Despite what some may have you believe, Wilder gets more decisions right than he gets wrong. The absolute minimum expectation for next season will rightly be a play-off place and another failure to achieve that would deservedly lead to questions. However, if we change manager every time we have a setback, we are not the kind of club that I thought we were. I've seen us chop and change management and it didn't end well. I appreciate what Chris Wilder has done for Oxford United and I have enjoyed the majority of his tenure immensely. I care as much about gaining promotion as the next man, but I truly believe that a change in manager would be every bit as likely to set us back as it would to improve us.

I would be disappointed in Oxford United if we became a club who chucked a loyal manager out after one disappointing season and I would be more disappointed if our own fans tried to make it happen.

Bookmark this and bring it back to me next May. I think Chris Wilder will get things right.  

Why the future of regional rugby in Wales is bleak

As Welsh rugby continues to enjoy a promising period on the international stage, doubts persist about the future of the regional game following the introduction of a salary cap.

From the beginning of next season the four Welsh regions will each be permitted to spend a maximum of £3.5 million on the wages of Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup squad members in an attempt to prevent wage inflation at a time when attendances continue to fall.

With the Welsh cap lower than the English equivalent and only a little over half the figure allowed in France, the danger of the top Welsh players seeking moves abroad is an increasing concern. Lee Byrne, Mike Phillips and James Hook have already moved to French clubs, whilst Gethin Jenkins has agreed a move to Toulon for the new season. The prop is likely to be joined by fellow international forwards Luke Charteris and Huw Bennett in leaving Wales at the end of the season.

The career of a rugby player remains a short one and the potential to gain substantial wage increases in France seems likely to harm the strength of the Welsh regions. The ability of the current Welsh international squad, combined with the increased profile of the players on the world stage makes them an attractive prospect for French clubs and seems likely to take them out of the price range of the regional sides.

With the Welsh rugby system producing high-quality players on a consistent basis, there have also been concerns about the continued effectiveness of player development schemes as the financial stability of top clubs is questioned. However, the new budget does not affect development players or the amount that can be pumped into academy systems.

Regional Rugby Wales chairman Stuart Gallacher said: “One of the benefits of the salary cap I believe is that it gives us more scope and more finances within the regions to keep developing our own younger players as we saw in the World Cup”.

The salary cap will not hamper a region's chances of developing players with potential to play on the international stage, but problems will arise when a player's ability and worth takes them beyond the means of their Welsh club. If the best Welsh players continue to be snapped up by French clubs, there is a worry that the regions will essentially become feeder clubs, never seeing the full benefit of the money invested in players during their development.

The impact that this could have upon the future of Welsh rugby on an international level concerns hooker Matthew Rees. The Scarlets player said: “We've put the building blocks in place in terms of the international scene and Wales as a team. But that is only as strong as your regions are, and we've got to make sure that is sorted sooner rather than later”.

Whether the salary cap will affect Welsh rugby on the international stage will only be seen in the long-term, but the future of regional rugby appears bleak. With small attendances restricting the growth of regional rugby in comparison to the French equivalent, the salary cap appears to be a measure to assist financial stability rather than an attempt to compete with the rest of Europe.

African Cup of Nations Review

Published in Gair Rhydd on 20/02/2012.

There are some sporting moments that an ill-timed ITV commercial break can not ruin. Despite the decision that an Australian alcohol promotion was more screen-worthy than eccentric manager Herve Renard carrying an injured player to join his team's celebrations, Zambia's Nations Cup victory restored faith in the game after a torrid period.

All too often viewed outside of Africa as an inconvenience due to its mid-season scheduling, the continent's premier football competition has won the affection of fans worldwide in the past month.

That Zambia, 40-1 outsiders at the start of the competition, could emerge victorious is a story in itself. However, the symbolic significance is clear for all to see.

In 1993, 18 members of the Chipolopolo team were killed as their plane crashed off the Gabonese coast ahead of a World Cup qualifier. 19 years later, with Gabon a co-host, the disaster was at the forefront of Zambian minds.

However, the draw dictated that the only way Zambia could play a game in Gabon would be to reach the final. With a new manager, an injury to the important Jacob Mulenga and a group draw with Senegal, a fairytale seemed unlikely.

Fielding a squad of African-based players, Zambia defeated Senegal 2-1, before a 2-2 draw with Libya and a narrow 1-0 victory over Equatorial-Guinea saw them finish top of their group. A 3-0 quarter-final victory over Sudan followed, to set up a clash with a Ghana side who won the affections of so many in the World Cup.

Every success story has heroes and this was to be no different. Kennedy Mweene is not a textbook goalkeeper, but has bravery in abundance. In the semi-final, he saved an Asamoah Gyan penalty, before Emmanuel Mayuka came off the bench to win the game at the death.

As the Zambian squad moved to Gabon for the final, they attended a beach ceremony at the nearest mainland spot to crash site of 1993. Against all the odds, the reserve side fielded in the Nations Cup a year after the disaster finished as runners-up. Renard's side were to go one step further.

Didier Drogba blazed a penalty over the bar, before a penalty shoot-out was required to crown a winner. Ivory Coast did not concede a goal in the tournament, yet were defeated in a high-quality spot-kick contest. During the shoot-out, the Zambians could have been forgiven for doubting what was considered to be their destiny. Mweene saw a save disallowed as he strayed a matter of inches from his line, before a potentially decisive penalty was sent over the bar as the Zambian players broke into song on the halfway line. However, after Gervinho's miss, Stoppila Sunzu kept calm to give Zambia the most poignant of victories.

There were other stories in this tournament. Co-hosts Equatorial Guinea knocked out Senegal, before Gabon removed Morocco. Zambia's story can not be overshadowed, however, as they knocked out the three favourites on their way to victory.

19 years after the darkest day in Zambian football history, Renard's men have paid the ultimate tribute.

Your Pitch: Contact Sport

Published in Gair Rhydd on 13/02/2012.

Football and rugby union don’t enjoy direct comparisons. Rugby traditionalists view dissent towards referees as a trademark of the round ball game, whilst football fans are often scathing in their analysis of Britain’s public school sport. However, in recent weeks the talking points of both sports have become prominent with an ever-increasing proximity.

The art of tackling in both games has been under scrutiny, with potentially dangerous challenges provoking debate on the terraces and in the media.

Wales’ victory was overshadowed, in the eyes of those from Ireland at least, by referee Wayne Barnes’ judgement in regard to two tip-tackles. Whilst Bradley Davies was fortunate to escape more substantial punishment for his off the ball spear tackle on Donnacha Ryan, Stephen Ferris will feel harshly treated to have received the first yellow card of his international career for a tackle on Ian Evans.

These were two tackles at opposite ends of the scale, yet received identical punishment. Davies is perhaps undeserving of the term ‘tackle’ as the ball was nowhere to be seen when the Irish forward was dropped onto his neck. Whilst the letter of the law dictates that Ferris’ tackle was worthy of punishment, there are serious question marks about Barnes’ interpretation if tackles of such contrasting severity are inseparable in the referee’s handling of the game.

It is interpretation that is the key to the debates in both rugby and football. Looking back to his red card in the World Cup, Wales captain Sam Warburton said: “the laws might be a bit harsh because I think the referee should be able to interpret the law depending on the situation.” Warburton rarely gets things wrong, but he is wide of the mark in this regard. Football provides evidence of this.

The rules in football lack clarity. There is no horizontal above which a player must not be rotated and there is no clear instruction as to what tackle requires which punishment. The most common phrase in recent weeks has been ‘two-footed tackle’, the wording of which features at no point in the football rulebook. Where Stuart Attwell found justification for Nenad Milijas' dismissal against Arsenal remains a mystery.

Following Robert Huths' red card against Sunderland, John O'Shea said: “It hasn’t been explained to us explicitly, but you know yourself as a player you run the risk of a red card – some refs might, some refs won’t.” With such a lack of consistency from referees and transparency from the game's governing body, the only assumption is that you can no longer make a hard but fair challenge. If fans and pundits are confused by what is fair, what chance do players have when there is only a split second to make a decision? The hard men of yesteryear such as Ron Harris and Tommy Smith must wonder what has gone wrong.

Semi-final referee Alain Rolland will never be a popular man in Wales, but his decision to dismiss Warburton has set a tone for the management of tip-tackles in rugby. There are clear rules as to what is allowed and referees should be praised for enforcing them.

Wayne Barnes' decision to sin-bin Davies was unnecessarily lenient, but human error will always be possible. If we ask referees to apply context to the rules, rugby union will increase human error to the level that football suffers from.

Say it quietly, but in this instance, rugby fans are right to claim superiority over the round ball game.

Your Pitch: Homophobia in Sport

Published in Gair Rhydd on 06/02/2012.

Anton Hysén is a unique footballer. He is the son of former Liverpool defender Glenn and plays for Swedish second division team Utsiktens BK. On paper, his career is nothing special and yet there remains nobody else in world football like him.

Hysén is the only openly gay footballer in the professional game today.

There is no entirely accurate statistic for the percentage of men who are homosexual, but even in a sport that is still perceived to be the epitome of masculinity, the sum total simply has to be greater than one.

The question, therefore, remains: Why do professional athletes feel a need to hide their sexuality?

Whilst racism continues to dominate the news, the time seems right to contrast Britain's attitudes towards the two. Both are forms of personal discrimination, but the level of tolerance towards homophobic comments in stadia remains far greater than that seen with racism. The British game has made fantastic strides in the fight against racism, but other forms of discrimination need to be brought into line with the FA's primary anti-discrimination campaign.

In February 2010, PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor stated that a campaign to remove homophobia in football did not rank as highly on the game's agenda as it should have. Speaking about the FA's abandoned campaign video and the absence of professional footballers in it, Taylor said: “They wanted one player at every club and the Premier League didn't think it was a big enough issue”.

This is the route of the problem. There are many forms of personal abuse present within football, but even the game's hierarchy have been seen to prioritise which victims need support the most. It is to the game's credit that a player who is racially abused knows such actions will not be tolerated, but other forms of abuse must receive similar punishment. Until sport has a zero-tolerance policy on homophobic abuse, athletes will continue to hide their sexuality, if only to avoid the unwanted attention it can create.

The openly gay former Welsh rugby union star Gareth Thomas has cited uncertainty as to the response of his team-mates as one of the greatest struggles in his battle to reveal his sexuality. Thomas says that his fellow professionals “didn't even blink” when they heard the news.

This week, the PFA issued posters to all 92 Premier League and Football League clubs to promote the issue of homophobia in football, with the intention of creating a similar 'so what?' culture. Finally, it seems that football is viewing homophobia as the significant issue that it really is.

Homophobic abuse at football matches in Britain remains widespread. It is not uncommon for thousands of fans to vocally question a player's sexuality due to the style of their haircut. These comments may be in jest, but the doubts sewn in the minds of homosexual players as to whether they would be tolerated are far more damaging.

Earlier this month, Oxford City sacked striker Lee Steele for a homophobic tweet relating to Thomas' appearance on Celebrity Big Brother on his Twitter account, whilst Crawley Town's Hope Akpan and former Everton defender Michael Ball were both fined by the FA for homophobic posts. Ball's fine of £6,000 was the highest fine ever imposed by the FA for this type of discrimination. It would appear that slow progress is being made.

We are at the beginning of the road in terms of tackling homophobia in sport. The flaws of a minority within society will almost certainly be exposed if players in Britain 'come out', but it is only through such bravery that we can begin to remedy the game's problems.

The day that Anton Hysén is no longer seen as special remains a long way away, but it is something to aim for. 

Six Nations Preview

Published in Gair Rhydd on 30/01/2012.

After a World Cup of mixed fortunes in New Zealand, Europe's top rugby nations are preparing for the northern hemisphere's premier tournament. With three of the nations having appointed new management since the World Cup, the Six Nations marks the beginning of a transitional period, the success of which will ultimately be judged at the 2015 tournament in England.

Having secured the services of coaches Shaun Edwards and Rob Howley until after the next World Cup, Wales will be looking to build on an impressive campaign in New Zealand. Warren Gatland's provisional squad have travelled to Poland for a similar training camp to the one that was so effective in 2011, again using cryotherapy chambers to aid physical recovery from intense training sessions. Gavin Henson resumes his international rugby career after meandering into reality television, whilst six uncapped players have the opportunity to force their way into Gatland's final squad. Ospreys pair Ashley Webb and Rhys Beck are joined by young Blues winger Harry Robinson and Scarlets trio Liam Williams, Rhodri Jones and Lou Reed at the Cetniewo camp. Alun Wyn Jones and Luke Charteris are ruled out through injury, whilst key figures Gethin Jenkins, Dan Lydiate and Jamie Roberts are ongoing injury concerns as Wales look to start life without Shane Williams in positive fashion.

Ireland will be Wales' opponents on the opening weekend, with Declan Kidney's men looking to gain revenge for their quarter-final defeat to Wales in October. The Irish squad has a familiar look to it, with no uncapped players named by the former Munster coach. However, one significant loss is that of captain Brian O'Driscoll who misses out with a shoulder injury. In his absence, Paul O'Connell will captain the side. David Wallace, Jerry Flannery and Denis Leamy are all unavailable, whilst Geordan Murphy has not been selected. Following a third place finish last year and victory over Australia in the World Cup, Ireland will be hopeful of a successful campaign.

England return to action following the disappointment of New Zealand with a new coach in Stuart Lancaster and a new-look playing squad. Despite the omission of Danny Care following a drink-drive charge and continued uncertainty about the fitness of Manu Tuilagi, there is a sense of optimism surrounding the youthful England side. Nine uncapped players have been selected, with the impressive Owen Farrell looking to replace Jonny Wilkinson at fly-half. He is joined by Brad Barritt, Jordan Turner-Hall, Lee Dickson, Phil Dowson, Calum Clark, Joe Marler, Rob Webber and Scarlets forward Ben Morgan in the provisional squad. More so than any other nation in the tournament, the Six Nations marks a fresh start for England.

Andy Robinson will look to dent the his former employer's rebirth when his Scotland side face England at Murrayfield. After a frustrating World Cup, Chris Paterson has retired leaving a large void in the Scottish backs. Fly-halves Greig Laidlaw and Duncan Weir will be looking to claim a starting berth, whilst Lee Jones, Robert Harley, Stuart Hogg and Fraser McKenzie receive their first call-ups. Steven Shingler has been denied his opportunity after the IRB ruled that the London Irish back must represent Wales after an appearance for the U20 side last season. However, with Edinburgh impressing in the Heineken Cup, Scotland will be confident of building on the good feeling engulfing rugby north of the border.

World Cup runners-up France have a new coach in the form of Philippe St André and name two uncapped players as Les Bleus look to regain their Six Nations crown. Playes from Heineken Cup pool winners Toulouse and Clermont Auvergne dominate, with Wesley Fofana and Yoann Maestri joining the squad for the first time. Despite impressing for his club side, Florian Fritz remains absent from a French side boasting a wealth of talented players.

Perennial underdogs Italy begin life after Nick Mallett with a tough clash in Paris as the French look to gain revenge for defeat in Rome last season. Jacques Brunel has named four uncapped players with Aironi pair Alberto de Marchi and Giovanbattista Venditti joined by Luca Morisi and Angelo Esposito in an ever-willing Azzurri side.

As with all post-World Cup Six Nations tournaments, this year's competition looks likely to be unpredictable. With new managers, styles and players adding to a a plethora of top class players, weekends in February and March should be kept free.