Bawl around the world

9:16am Tuesday 12th February 2008

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BOLTON v Blackburn in Bangkok - what a load of rubbish!

The Premier League's plan to conquer the world is just the latest barmy idea for the money-mad organisation.

What I am still trying to fathom out is why the Premier League were ever allowed to have its own governing body.

They don't seem answerable to anybody and the only consideration in every decision about the game at the highest level in this country is how to make some more money. The FA have got to stand up and sort it out or, if they can't, let it disappear.

I've heard chairman talking about how the profile would be good for their commodity. Can you ever imagine fans ever talking about football in those terms? But does the Premier League care?

Football clubs need to be given back to the supporters and the towns they play in, not taken to the other side of the world.

This has been coming for a while, though. Every Premier League club seems to have an obligatory Korean or Japanese player on their books now, be they Manchester United, Arsenal or Middlesbrough.

It's an attempt to flog even more shirts, of course, but the one thing the players seem to have in common is they aren't good enough to get in the starting XI and how long before the rest of the world realises that the Premier League is not as good live as it looks in a highlights package?

One person who is likely to figure in York City's starting XI in coming weeks is Leo Fortune-West. I was pleased he scored on his debut and I think he will do a good job in the Blue Square Premier for City.

He's a big, strapping centre-forward who will bash people about and win his headers.

I've even played against him, which tells you he's been around the block, and, in essence, he's an experienced Richard Brodie, who I'm sure will benefit from his presence at the club.

When I was a young player starting out at Hartlepool, we had some big-name players such as Eric McMordie, Alan Foggon and Bobby Kerr, pictured left holding aloft the FA Cup, who were at the end of their careers but I learned a lot off them - most importantly how not to get bashed about which is great advice at the age of 17.

Alan Foggon, who played in the Fairs Cup final for Newcastle, was particularly helpful.

Like Fortune-West, he was a powerful centre-forward and he taught me all the little tricks like how to hold a defender on the ground when you want to jump and, in those days, how to use your elbows to protect yourself.

I'm sure Fortune-West, right, won't be passing on those type of tips but his advice on how to look after yourself and make the most of your physique could be invaluable.

As a manager, I tried the same to help my young players at Hartlepool when I brought Gary Ford and Tony Canham in during the twilight of their careers.

The trouble was they were still putting great crosses in from both wings but, after my knees had gone, nobody was getting on the end of them.