The public are comfortable with Harry Redknapp. His rumpled, down-to-earth persona harks back to a bygone era before football became a commercial monster, evoking soft fuzzy Sunday evening television images of a time when society was less complicated and life was better. With Harry, like him or not, you know where you are.

The new Indian League franchise got their squads ready during the week, with a fantasy league type auction.

The six week run tournament, seen each team bid for an "Icon" player and a foreign coach set up in the same style as the Indian one day cricket format currently used to great effect.

In sport, reputation can be crystallised or destroyed in one match. Claudio Gentile was unfairly recognised as a hard-man outside Italy for his savage treatment of Diego Maradona (and then Zico in the next game) in the 1982 World Cup but here was a player who was fantastically more all-rounded than that one game made him.

In sport, reputation can be crystallised or destroyed in one match. Claudio Gentile was unfairly recognised as a hard-man outside Italy for his savage treatment of Diego Maradona (and then Zico in the next game) in the 1982 World Cup but here was a player who was fantastically more all-rounded than that one game made him.

Every week I thought I'll write a post about one team outside the big four and this week I thought STOKE CITY should be the team that opens the account for this series. Why Stoke? Stoke re-entered the prem in 2008 and have stayed up for two seasons now, their style of play and their track suit wearing manager are all very catchy and show character.

Well, I'm speechless to think up even an introduction. From beating Arsenal 8-2 to getting run over 6-1 by City how things change. So let us just fast forward to the five things I observed from the humiliation this evening. Apologies in case you find your knees jerking after reading this.

1.

Bah. One of those annoying games that you wish hadn't happened. A decent looking encounter was spoiled by the needless dismissal of renowned hard-man Moussa Dembele, whose wayward arm sent Wisla's Nunez spiralling into deep agony. That Dembele barely touched Nunez, that the touch was on his shoulder, not in his face (as suggested by Nunez in his distressed state), perhaps suggests a mistake by the referee, and with that mistake went the game: we lost 1-0 to a team that lost to Odense.

Former Premier League hard-man Robbie Savage performed the foxtrot with Strickly Come Dancing partner Ola Jordan on Friday night, however the judges never took to him and he scored just 19 points and face's elimination from the BBC Live show. Well what do you expect from a footballer with two left feet.

Dear Footballing Gods,

I'm not asking for a £40m marquee signing

I'm not asking for a £200k a week player

I'm not asking for a hard man in the middle of the park

I'm not asking for another behemoth at center half

I'm not asking for this manager to be sacked and a new one brought in, in his place

I'm not asking for Silent Stan to give daily interviews

I'm not asking for a fully fit ever uninjured squad

I'm not asking for a celebrity girlfriend

I'm not even asking for the Daily Fail to be shut down

All I'm asking for is that we don't lose to the bloody Spuds.

*The MLS trade deadline is 2 p.m. tomorrow, so clubs looking at adding to their roster for the final run-in to the season (we're looking at you Chivas USA) had better pull the trigger quick.

From the MLS press release:

All player signings, trades, and transactions must be completed as of 5:00 p.

Toumba Stadium, Thessaloniki, Greece. 6pm kick off. ESPN.

Spurs start their Europa League Group A campaign with a tricky visit to Greece where they take on PAOK. While it would be easy to dismiss the opposition as not in Spurs class it would be foolish to underestimate them.

That's more like it.

I expected a tough start with the hosts pressing Arsenal into a defensive shape but the Gunners surprised me and probably the Friulani as well when they came out in a very positive, energetic, and confident mode.

Walcott forced Handanovic into a good save in the second minute and that set the pattern for the opening minutes.

Photo: Paul Rudderow

Game time: Saturday, 8:00pm ET

TV: 6 ABC

Freddy Adu and Peter Nowak are not the only reunion on tap for this weekend as former Union midfielder Andrew Jacobson and goalkeeper Chris Seitz return to PPL Park for the first time since leaving the club.

"Nemanja, wooah, Nemanja, wooah, he comes from Serbia, he'll fucking murder ya!" is the song you'll hear loudly whenever Vidic goes in hard on a player. Vidic seems to play without fear and will put his head, body (or arm) in the way of anything to protect the goal.

Speaking with CNN World Sport, Vidic has shrugged off talk of him being a hard man, claiming the song helps his reputation, but is aware of how tough you have to be to succeed in this league.

Image: Getty Images/Daylife

Javier 'Cheech' Hernandez: Tim, you must help me. I know it's an inappropriate moment but ever since I saw you on Kickette, all naked and manly, I've been desperate to speak with you.

Tim Howard: Er... really?

Cheech: Desperate.

Beckham, Collymore and Pele: Six players who have gone from the football pitch to the silver screen

Arsenal legend Ian Wright has joined the ranks of those footballers who have swapped the football pitch for the film set after he landed a role in new British film Gun of the Black Sun.

21 year old Awana Diab should watch his back after his cheeky back-heel penalty in the United Arab Emirates 6-2 thrashing of Lebanon at the week-end, I'm sure there's many a defender and midfield hard man ready to snap him in half with a tackle after rubbing salt into the wounds of the Lebanese players.

Newcastle United hard man Nile Ranger fails to agree personal terms with Blackpool, Ameobi struggles with contract renewal and Routledge looks most likely to be heading for Leicester City. It seems my article from yesterday about Nile Ranger's move to Blackpool was a bit premature. The £1.5m that Blackpool offered us was accepted by the [.

In the latest WSC magazine there's an article suggesting that, for most fans after they get to about 30, all the great goals have already been scored, all the great albums have already been made, and from there it's a case of comparing things unfavourably with when you were younger.

I can see this to a point, and it was with great delight that I was reading about Howard Kendall's mid-80s Everton side this morning.

- Maxi Rodriguez

38 months later, the effects are still apparent. His pace less explosive than it once was, his touch a bit less controlled, his overall game more contingent on craft than outright beating his marker. 38 months later, one-time Arsenal prodigy Eduardo da Silva is thriving in the Ukranian Premier League, but things could have been different.

Midfielder Raul Meireles has been in top form of late having scored four goals in Liverpool's last five unbeaten games and has revealed that he now feels more part of the Reds family than before.
The 27-year-old joined Anfield in the summer for a £11.5million fee from Porto but failed to shine under Roy Hodgson.

Raul Meireles has expressed his delight with recent performances after emerging as Liverpool's man of the moment as they target a top-six finish.
The Portugal international scored the winner against Chelsea last week to take his tally to four goals in five games.
Meireles was former manager Roy Hodgson's most lavish signing at £11.

"Don't blame it on Henry, don't blame it on the injuries, don't blame it on the referees, blame it on Eboue!"

Newcastle 4-4 Arsenal

There were a multitude of mistakes on Saturday from both players and referees. Suggesting just one is purely responsible for us losing a 4-0 lead is just silly.

Ah, Gary Neville: Red Nev. GNev, Gaz, whatever! I'll miss you, mate. Indeed, I'm going to miss him more almost as much as Becks does on the field. In a professional sports world where players change clubs almost as fast as their skanky WAGS, Nev always did it differently. A lot of the tributes this week have described him as ‘Old School', a 'Socialist', a ‘Hard-Man' and 'mean-spirited'.

Made-up rumors, nonexistent "inside sources," Wenger rolling his eyes at a steady stream of bullcrap questions, unsettled players. It's your favorite time of year, and it's back. The January transfer window is upon us.

Arsenal have not traditionally been great movers and shakers in the January window, although we have brought in a fair few players midseason.