The weekend was going along quite nicely - a thriller at Villa, a crazy result at Chelsea, tantrums at Man City .. it was all very now and getting very interesting ... and then they came back. Flooding back. Like a recurring footballing nightmare that won't leave - Fabio Capello and Howard Webb decided to remind us all exactly why we fell out with football in summer 2010.
Capello is never afraid to challenge anybody. He stripped John Terry of his captaincy don't forget. He was no doubt preparing a statement for Andy Carroll to let him know exactly who was the moral guardian of this fair nation. He is never afraid to pick the untried. Remember how he took Joe Hart to the World Cup - and then left him kicking his heels while Robert Green became an international howler waiting to happen and David James sulked his way to a move to Bristol.
No, Fabio will challenge anybody and everybody. He challenged many a good journalist to make sense of his selection of Jay Bothroyd. Yet again he manages to gather various apologists in his slipstream to argue that this is a statement of why English football has such a small talent pool. And then Danny Wellbeck tore apart Chelsea.
The whole Jay Bothroyd 'gamble' is nothing, he will be brought in grab a headline to distract from other inadequacies then will no doubt be discarded in the same manner Kevin Davies was. No, the real disgrace is that Matt Jarvis was left out of this particular squad. Jarvis has been sensational for Wolves, anybody who has watched hime live will testify to his pace and movement, he keeps the pitch stretched and holds his position in a way Aaron Lennon would kill for. Still, he plays for Wolves, now if he was rotting in Manchester United's reserves - he would be straight in.
*****
We all talk about referees and never usually in a good light. There are decisions made or missed that leave you wondering whether or not help is needed for the official in a game that is 100mph, full of cheating and often played out in a hostile atmosphere. Howard Webb just does it differently. This has gained him serious recognition. A World Cup and Champions League final says he has it all. Maybe this is why he appears to march to a different beat. His failure to punish Arsenal for a clear professional foul showed once more his reluctance to do the simple thing - but there is so much more to it than that. A game officiated by Webb is a game constantly broken up, a game that rarely flows and time lost to his exaggerated waving of arms and pointing of fingers.
Webb has taken charge of many big games and has hidden behind the fact that the games are termed tense affairs when they generally end without the quality promised. Instead it is simply down to the fact that the pace of the game is dictated by this particular official.
*****
Dalglish! ... Dalglish! Can Roy Hodgson fight back against such a passionate and symbolic figure waiting in the shadows at Anfield. When it emerged that Kenny Dalglish wanted the main job at Anfield there were only one of two choices to make. Either appoint him as boss or part ways as amicably as possible. Maybe bankers were never likely to understand the depth of feeling for Dalglish on Merseyside. The Boston hedge fund managers had better understand quickly.
*****
One of the worst things seen at a Premier League game happened at Stoke on Saturday. Tony Pulis can rightly defend his side's passionate approach to the game - but he cannot defend the way Robert Huth smashed a ball at David Ngog while he was on the ground. It was never likely to cause any damage but it spoke volumes of the culture that exists at Stoke City.
*****
Stephen Pienaar is holding out for a better deal, a better club or both as he is the latest player to hold his club to ransom. He had some great moments against Arsenal on Sunday - a careless pass that led to Arsenal taking a vital two goal lead and hitting the goalkeeper with a poor shot at a crucial stage of the game were not hallmarks of a superstar.
******
Six of the very best and worst
1) The sight of John Terry engaging with the fourth official on Sunday showed just how equal players are treated in the Premier League.
2) Gareth Bale was perhaps more impressive on Saturday than in either game against Internazionale. What a header!
3) Barry Bannan looked the part against United. Darren Fletcher must have been one of the most relived men in the stadium - it would be great to see Scotland have a meaningful midfield again.
4) For all this talk about Any Carroll ... Connor Wickham is a big reason to get excited.
5) Nedum Onuoha scored a great goal on Sunday. If only England had such great ball-playing centre-halves..... oh wait a minute....!
6) Good luck to Sheffield Wednesday. A massive club and a part of English football heritage.
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