Henry's shameful cheating reignites TV ref debate

The use of TV replays and goalline referees in football is usually a tiresome debate, dusted off to fill airtime and column inches whenever a contentious incident crops up on the field.

However, Thierry Henry's shameless and unrepented act of blatant cheating at the Stade de France, that denied the Republic of Ireland a deserved place in the World Cup finals, is sure to reignite the argument for usage of replays in football like never before.

Henry has admitted to Republic of Ireland defender Richard Dunne that he deliberately handled the ball before setting up France's extra-time winner for William Gallas. Ireland's sense of bitter injustice was all the more acute for having dominated the game against the hapless hosts, whose fans jeered their manager and several under-performing players.

Players and managers bewailing the incompetence of referees is never edifying. Officials are fallible and imperfect human beings, just like strikers who miss chances, goalkeepers who let in howlers and managers who make hopeless signings.

Sadly for Swedish referee Martin Hansson (who was otherwise excellent on the night and certainly didn't fall for a dive by Nicolas Anelka earlier in the game to try and win a penalty), he simply missed Henry's handball and so did his assistant. But such a travesty would not have been allowed to occur if officials were given the benefit of a brief TV replay.

Cricket, rugby union, tennis and rugby league now make use of technology to adjudge on debated decisions. Never has there been a more convincing argument to extend its use to football than in Paris on Wednesday night. One only hopes that mingled with Henry's elation and excitement at qualifying for the World Cup finals, there are troubling feelings of guilt and embarrassment.

England v New Zealand preview

New Zealand's rugby team are either very good actors or genuinely believe Jonny Wilkinson can lead an England backlash on Saturday.

The All Blacks fear England could finally come good at Twickenham through Wilkinson after the team's average displays against Australia and Argentina, but there's nothing to suggest that in Martin Johnson's tweaked line-up for Saturday's showdown.

Despite his physicality, centre Ayoola Erinle will hardly strike fear into the visitors. After all, this is a player who failed to force his way into the starting line-ups of Wasps and Leicester before making his move to France.

The other returning names to the starting line-up are Joe Worsley and Simon Shaw, for what seems like his umpteenth recall. On top of that, Ugo Monye is rightly removed of full-back duties after a woeful display against Argentina but amazingly keeps his place in the starting XV on the wing.

England will lose to New Zealand on Saturday, that much seems certain, but they desperately need to put on a show as a team to guarantee the futures of their under-fire backroom staff. Another dire display could sound the end for the likes of John Wells and Brian Smith, and even Martin Johnson.

Do England have any chance of beating New Zealand, and what do you make of their line-up to face the All Blacks? Post your comments below...

Button signs for McLaren

Just a few days ago, Ross Brawn announced he was still 99.9% confident that Jenson Button would stay with the world champions next season.

But in a stunning turnaround, Button has opted to quit Brawn GP and sign on the dotted line with rivals McLaren for an all-British driver line-up with Lewis Hamilton.

There will be those who argue that Button is a money-grabber - McLaren were more than willing to offer him more than double what he was earning at Brawn GP. But this deal is not just about the cash, although that no doubt helped to sway the decision.

According to sources close to Button, he genuinely believes that McLaren, the form car for much of the latter part of the season, will give him the best chance of defending his title.

That might be true in the sense that he will potentially have the quickest car at his disposal, but Button will be in for some big shocks. For one, Hamilton has built the McLaren team around him and is likely to be favoured over Button by everyone, from team boss Martin Whitmarsh down to the dinner ladies at the Woking headquarters.

As a result, McLaren are likely to build a car that suits Hamilton's more aggressive driving style more than the silky smooth approach of Button. And Hamilton is undeniably a quicker driver than the man who replaced him as world champion. So there is the potential for things to go horribly wrong for Button.

Is Button's decision to join McLaren the right move? And can he realistically beat Hamilton to defend his world title? Post your comments below...

The toughest job in football

Nothing has revealed the sorry state of Scottish football more tellingly than the ashen face of George Burley as his reign came to its inevitable end.

The SFA now face one of the toughest challenges in football: finding someone brave enough to take on the job of managing a team that slumped from 14th to 46th in the world rankings under Burley .

It's no surprise that the likes of Graeme Souness have ruled themselves out of the running. The truth is that Scotland have become the Newcastle of international football, plagued by hubris, mismanagement and a chronic lack of decent players, money or ambition.

The irony is that Scotland has produced some of the best managers in the game over the years: Sir Matt Busby, Jock Stein, Bill Shankly and Sir Alex Ferguson to name but a few.

Now football north of the border is in turmoil at all levels. Yes, Burley made plenty of tactical mistakes which didn't go down well with his senior players. But some of those same players were hardly shining examples of international football, what with 'Boozegate' and those touchline gestures.

The chances are that the SFA will turn to someone like Walter Smith to steady the sinking ship, while Kilmarnock's Jim Jefferies and Craig Levein of Dundee United are among the bookies' favourites.

Or how about Fergie? Not Sir Alex, but Darren following his departure from Peterborough.

Have your say below on who should take over from Burley, and on the state of Scottish football.

Latest F1 gossip... Honda set to return?

Jenson Button and co may be soaking up the sun in Marbella but it's business as usual for our F1 expert.

This week's updates include news on a possible Honda return and the future of Pedro de la Rosa.

Read more in the daily gossip column and post your thoughts and rumours in the boxes below.

Button to stay at Brawn

Jenson Button looks certain to stay on at Brawn GP next season despite claims by his management that Brawn had failed to offer him a reasonable contract.

Button, who earned £3m driving for the team last season, is reportedly seeking £8m while Brawn are unwilling to go above the £5m mark, which would be nearly a quarter of the annual salary paid to Fernando Alonso at Ferrari.

The row may drag on and it was perhaps telling that Button was nowhere to be seen for the team's Brackley celebrations this week. But Ross Brawn and Button know the new world champion will be staying put. There has been talk of a switch to McLaren, but that won't materialise. McLaren are still keen to sign Kimi Raikkonen and his management team was spotted at the team's Woking headquarters on Thursday.

Button has been told to forget about the money and that's exactly what the Briton must do to give him the best possible chance of defending his 2009 title.

Do you think Button will stick with Brawn and what's the Briton worth? Or should the team sign someone else? Post your comments below...

Johnson gives Doran-Jones shock call-up

Desperate times call for desperate measures and England boss Martin Johnson's decision to call on Gloucester prop Paul Doran-Jones for Saturday's Test against Argentina looks exactly that.

England lacked spark, particularly in the second half, against Australia and Johnson has gone for broke by calling up prop Doran-Jones.

Last season, he was not even deemed good enough for the Guinness Premiership, languishing with London Welsh, and he has yet to even play a full 80 minutes since moving to Gloucester this season.

In fact, Doran-Jones has just 266 minutes of top-flight rugby under his belt, which highlights Johnson's bottom-of-the-barrel-scraping plight.

England should defeat the Pumas this weekend despite the fact they are two places below them as the world's eighth-ranked side. Johnson has picked a brutish pack in the hope of silencing Argentina's notoriously tough forward line-up, with the steady hands of Paul Hodgson rather than Danny Care offering back-up at scrum-half. James Haskell gets a deserved recall while Johnson has, Hodgson apart, stuck to the same backline that failed to cross the Wallabies try line.

The former England skipper knows that should his team fail to win on Saturday, his job will be on the line with. A hat-trick of November defeats would be seemingly inevitable with New Zealand up next.

What do you make of England's side to face Argentina? Do they have any hope of winning? Post your comments below...

Time up for Rafa? ...Your views

Another two points dropped for Liverpool. This time at home against Birmingham City, a team struggling at the wrong end of the table. But in truth, it would have been a defeat had David Ngog not conned the referee with a dive Tom Daley would have been proud of.

But Liverpool fans are keeping faith with Rafael Benitez, who still has the Champions League 2005 triumph acting as his shield. But surely that won't be enough to save him from getting the bullet?

In his sixth season in charge, Liverpool are no closer to winning their first Premier League title than when Gerard Houllier was in charge. It's not as if Benitez hasn't been backed by the board.

Since taking the Anfield reigns, the Spaniard has spent close to £250m - over a fifth more than Manchester United counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson.

Yet one team are the Premier League champions and already in the knockout stages of the Champions League. The other are still chasing their first title since 1990 and are set to join the likes of Fulham in the Europa League.

Liverpool fans defend that they are not a two-man team. But without Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, they look a very ordinary side, especially in the final third of the field.

It's not as if Benitez hasn't had other strikers at his disposal. Craig Bellamy, Peter Crouch and Robbie Keane were signed and then sold and now with Torres injured, the choice to play up-front is between Ngog and Andriy Voronin. Now there is a dilemma. Would either of those players make the bench at at Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, Man City, Spurs, Villa?

The decision to sell Xabi Alonso has left them seriously hampered. The only reason he joined Real Madrid was because of the way Benitez lusted after Gareth Barry, only to see the midfielder turn down his advances in favour of a move to Eastlands. That left Rafa with the most unBrazilian of Brazilians - Lucas Leiva - and a crocked Alberto Aquilani who cost the Reds close to £20m.

Liverpool's remaining three games in November are H Man City, A Debrecen, A Everton. What odds that Benitez is gone by 1 December?

What do you make of Liverpool's faltering season? Is is time for Benitez to go or should he be given more time? And what were your thoughts on Ngog's dive against Birmingham? Start the debate in the boxes below.

Latest F1 gossip... Red Bull engines

It may now be the off-season but that hasn't stopped our F1 insider from bringing you fresh pitlane rumours.

This week's first update includes news on Red Bull's engine suppliers for 2010  - read more on this in the daily gossip column and post your thoughts and rumours in the boxes below.

Wilkinson back for England

Former England golden boy Jonny Wilkinson is back and will make an international return for the first time in 18 months against Australia at Twickenham on Saturday.

All eyes will be on Wilko, who has been back to his best since a move across the Channel to Toulon, as one of the few truly experienced heads in England's line-up.

The irony is that the injury-prone Wilkinson is one of the few players actually fit for selection. In all, 27 players are unavailable to Martin Johnson through injury as 11 of the initial 32-man squad had to pull out in the last few days with differing ailments.

England's No.10 might not be able to lead his side to victory over the Wallabies on his own but he will give it a damn good try. His kicking prowess will certainly keep them in the hunt if the visitors concede any penalties in kicking range and they'll be all too aware of their nemesis' abilities from the last two World Cups.

So, the majority of England's squad might be wrapped in bandages but Wilko is back, along with hooker Steve Thompson who returns from virtual retirement.

One can only hope that means a return to bigger and better things for England. The reality, though, is that England - now ranked only seventh in the world - will come unstuck against Australia, who boast a far more formidable line-up even without their own Wilkinson.

What do you make of Wilkinson's recall and can he recapture his best form and inspire an England win over Australia? Post your comments below...