Chelsea captain John Terry was made captain of England by Steve McClaren, and his determined to keep hold of the armband. There has been some debate over where he should remain captain after being involved in incidents on the field which have lead to several charges from the FA.

It is looking increasingly likely that Fabio Capello will take the England job, and Terry has concerned over retaining the captaincy.

"The new manager can change things completely," he said. "That's his decision and I fully respect whatever he decides.

"Whoever the manager is he'll make the right decision for England - not for John Terry or Steven Gerrard or for anyone.

"But I want to keep the armband and drive this thing forward. I want to make England successful."

The English FA have taken their time over finding a replacement for Steve McClaren, who was sacked after England failed to qualify for Euro 2008.

It appears as though Fabio Capello is likely to claim the job, and has addressed his concerns over the national team, claiming the big players have a "mental block" when it comes to representing their country.

"There is tremendous difference in the attitude they show from one game to the next," he said. "How can players of the level of Beckham or Owen have performances so different when they play for their national team?

"It's clear the shirt is very heavy even for those great champions. The manager has a fundamental role to play in this situation. He has to be more of a psychologist than a tactician or a technician.

"It's clear there is a mental block - otherwise how can you explain their elimination from Euro 2008?"

Last Wednesday, Arsenal were three points ahead of the Champions and also had a game in hand. It was therefore assumed that by today, Arsenal would be six points clear at the top.

Ahead of Arsenal's clash against Newcastle on Wednesday evening, Ferguson said, "Arsenal are playing well, but it's a long season and they know that, too. They will drop points, there's no doubt about that." I don't believe he could have predicted how quickly his words would come in to fruition, with Arsenal drawing with Newcastle and losing to Middlesbrough.

Arsenal stand just one point ahead now and have a tough test to come next weekend when they face Chelsea. Manchester United will play Liverpool on the same day, meaning Arsenal could see themselves third come Sunday evening, if results do not go their way.

During Portsmouth's 3-1 win over Aston Villa, Harry Redknapp has claimed Villa supporters were guilty of using "filthy" and "abusive" language towards him. He claimed he was sickened by the songs as there were many children in the crowd.

Aston Villa have today responded to Redknapp's claims, saying, "If Harry Redknapp or Portsmouth make a complaint to us then we will consider what is said and make our investigation.

"There are stewards behind the dug-out area and they are trained in all types of security.

"We would really need to see the degree of the complaint before we could go any further."

It was always going to be difficult for Andriy Shevchenko to live up to potential after signing for Chelsea for a massive £30 million. However, I don't think anyone expected the former Milan man to flop as dreadfully as he has in the Premiership.

However, Chelsea boss, Avram Grant, has today insisted that Shevchenko is not depressed, and that he will be relied upon over the coming months when Didier Drogba will be away playing in the African Cup of Nations.

"One of the reasons why I have not rushed to make a decision on signing during the African Nations Cup is we have good strikers here in Shevchenko and Claudio Pizarro," said Grant.

"They are in the squad because they will be useful during that period, but not just then. I want him (Shevchenko) to be useful this month as well.

"He is not depressed. I can only judge players by what I hear when they speak with me or what I see in training. He is happy in training and he is training very well.

"When you come to a big club and you have so many big strikers, sometimes there are big names that don't play for a period of time."

Manchester United reclaimed the Premiership title last season, ensuring Jose Mourinho ended his last season at Chelsea without the most prized trophy.

Ferguson has claimed that this year will be tougher for him to retain the title, with Arsenal and Liverpool now in the picture, after finishing twenty points behind the season before.

"I said at the start of the season that after finishing so far behind last year Arsenal and Liverpool wouldn't want that again," said Ferguson.

"We expected improvement from them both. Arsenal are doing very well, Liverpool are winning a few games and Chelsea's form since they lost to us has been very good.

"I think you are going to get that now. It is going to be a real battle for the league."

Sam Allardyce is going through a difficult spell as new Newcastle United manager. After proving his worth as manager of Bolton, he moved to Newcastle last summer. Despite a positive start, the club have struggled in recent games, and criticism is being directed at the new manager.

Newcastle United legend, Alan Shearer, has been tipped to replace Allardyce in the North East local press. Allardyce has today spoken out claiming there is little truth to the rumours, and hopes Shearer would only take over after he had brought success to the club.

"If Alan decides to take my job, I hope it'll be when I've decided to leave," Allardyce said.

"That will mean I've made the club successful and he'll be taking over a club that I've improved significantly, like what happened with Sammy Lee and Bolton.

"If it's the other way then you have to live with it.

"I don't particularly see that as a burden because if you lose your job then somebody else is going to take it, whether it's Alan Shearer or whoever.

"I know Alan reasonably well and when that situation comes up he's always said that he's not ready.

"If that's the case, and somebody wants to employ him down the line after me or whatever, then that's life."

Manchester United lost their second game of the season this weekend at the Reebok stadium. Bolton played an extremely tough game, with strong tackles and several fouls.

Patrice Evra was on the receiving end of the main bulk of the tackles, particularly from Kevin Davies, who was lucky not to have been red carded for his numerous tackles on the French full back.

Evra has today spoken out about the rough treatment from Davies, claiming that he experienced the same last season.

"It was the same last year when Davies kicked me as well," Evra said. "I said to him (in last year's game), 'Why do you do a tackle like that?' And he said, 'Because I don't like you'. I didn't understand it.

"Today he did it again. His first tackle on me should have been a red card. I don't know why he does it. I just play my game. I don't know what the problem is with Davies because I don't know him.

"Last year he said, 'You can't take the ball because I don't like you'. It's bizarre. It was a big fight. But his first tackle deserved a red card and I was very angry.

"The captain and the other players said to me, 'You need to concentrate on the game, you must not react to a bad tackle like that'.

"I also spoke to the referee. I said, 'You can't play football like that - this is not a football game'.

"When I play football I do it to play the ball, not to kick somebody. It was a very hard game. I received more tackles in this game than I've had in my entire career.

"I could have been booked for a tackle on Davies, but if you look at the replay I did touch the ball first."

Chelsea's Ashley Cole joined the club under a cloud, after a tapping up scandal to leave his boyhood team. When returning to play his former club he is on the receiving end of a lot of foul chants and criticism.

After being subjected to boos from the England fans this weekend, Cole has acknowledged the reception he will get from Arsenal fans will be much worse.

"Compared to what happened to the England guys, I am sure I will get much worse when I go back to Arsenal," Cole said.

"But I am used to it, and I am looking forward to the game. I want to go there and play them because I did not get to play there earlier this year.

"I will go there and front up. I am a grown man. They (the Arsenal fans) threw money at me at Stamford Bridge, and that was bad, but I get that every game. I love it.

"It would be nice to go there and shut some people up. It's going to be tough though.

"To be honest, I am really not bothered about the reception I will get, even though I know the crowd will get on my back.

"I don't think I have anything to prove to them. They know how good I was when I was with them and what I did for the club. It is not about that.

"Of course Arsenal still means something to me. I don't hate the club or the players.

"I love the club, but it has finished for me there now. I need to look at myself and Chelsea and do as well as I can and win as many things as I can here."

England's hopes of competing in Euro 2008 were over as they suffered a 3-2 defeat at home to Croatia this week. The players were booed off the field at half time by England fans, with suggestion that the players just were not trying hard enough.

David Beckham was brought on as a sub in the second half and had a very positive effect on the game. It was his ball which set up Crouch to bring the score to 2-2 before Croatia scored the winner.

The former England captain has spoken out on behalf of the team about how they are feeling.

"Without a doubt there will be a backlash. It is about how we deal with it. If you are going to play and perform at this level, then you've got to take the good with the bad," he said.

"We've had good times and I've known the bad times, but it is all about coming back from that. When things go bad, the amount of money players earn always gets thrown at them. Of course it does.

"When people are seeing the amount of money in football, and the amount players earn, people want results and we've not got the results and not qualified.

"There is going to be a backlash and it's about how we handle it.

"Do the England players want success enough? Without a doubt. Everyone of those players in the dressing room have all played in big games. I've captained many of those players and I know how much it hurts them when things go badly.

"I know how much it hurts them to lose a tackle, let alone lose a game and be knocked out of a tournament, so there will be a lot of players hurting.

"Is it a mental thing? Certain parts of playing for your country is a mental thing, playing in front of so many people at Wembley.

"But the players we've got in our changing room, the characters we've got, are players used to playing in big games. They are used to playing for big teams, so I don't think that is part of that."

Manchester United player Cristiano Ronaldo has been tipped as one of the greatest players currently in the World. Last season he received a clean sweep of the individual prizes in England, and hopes to go on to officially be named the best player in the World.

"My ambition has always to be the best," Ronaldo said.

"I have always said that I don't have a job, I have a blessing from God because this is what I love best. And if this is what I love best then what I want most is to be the best.

"I dream of it often, I want to leave my mark on football history and if I can keep things up, if I am humble and always willing to learn, then one day I could do it."

Liverpool had high hopes at the start of the season, with captain Steven Gerrard claiming they were aiming to win the Premiership. Liverpool last won the league seventeen years ago, which has left many fans frustrated.

Today, Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina has claimed that a good league campaign is more important than trophies, but has only set their target as a top four finish.

"For us our target is to be in the top four first and then to win a trophy, as many as we can but obviously after 18 years our big target is the Premiership," Reina said.

"But knowing big sides are involved like Arsenal, Man U and Chelsea - mainly it is going to be tough and it will be a long race and this is just the beginning."

Former Tottenham Hotspurs manager, Martin Jol, has today lifted the lid on his relationship with striker Dimitar Berbatov. The media have suggested the manager and player had a rocky relationship, with an incident at St James' Park suggesting Jol had lost control of the striker.

"At St James' Park (when Berbatov appeared reluctant to come on as a substitute), a lot had been made in the media about Berbatov's attitude, that he didn't want to come on because he was sulking at being on the bench," explained Jol.

"Normally Chris Hughton would tell the players to warm up, but not this time. However, he didn't seem that keen to do it.

"I turned my shoulder again and this time looked him in the eye and told him 'come on, warm up' and he began to warm up.

"He never said he didn't want to come on, but that's how it has been perceived. But that's Berbatov, he always seems reluctant to do anything.

"Gifted, yes. But he is not a fighter. Perhaps you need others who are fighters to balance out the team."

Liverpool could be facing further Champions League humiliation tonight if they fail to beat Besiktas. The North West club are dangerously close to crashing out of the competition at the group stages, needing to win their final three games to stand a chance of going through to the next round.

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher claims that it would not be a disaster for the club if they do not make it past the group stages as their history in the competition speaks for itself.

"We aim to win all three, but let's concentrate on beating Besiktas first before we start thinking about what we do in the last game in Marseille," said Carragher.

"We must win this one, then move on to beat Porto. That's two home games and our crowd will play a big part, then we will think about what we must do in Marseille.

"We are not worrying too much about what happens if we do not qualify, and I don't even see that as a disaster. It's just football, but if we don't get through we could qualify for the UEFA Cup and we would be confident going into that.

"Obviously we want to be in the Champions League, we want to play against the best and show we can compete against them. But we have done that anyway in the last couple of years or so with two final appearances.

"If it happens we have to get on with it. It would be a disappointment, not a disaster, and it would still be a massive season ahead for us with genuine targets."

Frank Lampard, the former fans' favourite when playing for England, has experienced a run of poor form when representing his country. He has received a poor reception from the fans several times now, which has been met with fierce criticism from some sections of the media.

Lampard has said today that England are not important to him at the moment, and said he doesn't care what the fans think of him.

"The England thing is not important to me at the moment. What is important is playing well for Chelsea," he said.

"When you're playing well and on top of your game, you've got a feeling of confidence. Then there are times during the season when you feel like you can't put a pass straight.

"I've dropped below the standards I want to set in the past. What player doesn't.

"I have nothing to prove. The more experience you get in football, the more you realise that you don't take notice of what someone wants to say about you isn't involved in football or is just a fan."

Manchester United were tipped to finish fourth at the start of last season and were desperately searching for a central midfielder. The reds were keen on signing Michael Ballack, but the German skipper turned United down for a big money move to Chelsea, earning £130,000 a week.

Manchester United settled for Tottenham's Michael Carrick, but went on to win the Premiership regardless.

Meanwhile, Ballack had a rather ineffective season with Chelsea, making little impression on the London club.

Wantaway Chelsea striker, Didier Drogba, has today claimed that Ballack made the wrong decission when he signed for Chelsea.

"It is hard for Ballack - Chelsea is special," he said.

"I'm convinced he would have had an easier time at Manchester United or Arsenal.

"They benefit from a well-balanced team - he would have been a better fit there.

"Here, we depend on our individuals so maybe Chelsea is not the right club for Ballack."

Jens Lehmann was dropped early on this season after a string of poor performances and costly mistakes. Almunia , who has a long running feud with Lehmann has been giving the starting place, but the German keeper is not happy at all.

When speaking to German broadcaster, Premiere, Lehmann said, "it's possible that some day I'll feel like talking about the whole issue.

"But at the moment I'm just swallowing it all as part of the humiliation. That's something one has to take in. But I think and this is aimed at my dear manager - one shouldn't humiliate players for too long.

"I'm an Arsenal player and I won't just fade away quietly."

As heated words have gone back and forth between the two Arsenal goalkeepers, Wenger tried to calm the situation by claiming all his goalkeepers were World class. Lehmann does not agree with this statement.

"Wenger spoke of three world class goalkeepers. One of them must be me. The other two have proved their class by winning titles? If I think about that, I can't recall any. I guess today you're nevertheless world class."

"I'm convinced that I'll be playing again. Almunia has not yet showed that he can win matches for us.

"I've experienced this situation before and know what the others are expecting from the goalkeeper. I can't imagine he'll be able to handle that."

Steven Gerrard has always been a player who is very quick to publically condemn all the sins of footballers. As fans, we want to see diving and badgering the referee kicked out of the game, and Gerrard has spoken about both of these football crimes in his autobiography.

The Liverpool captain has been labelled a hypocrite in the past, as whilst playing for club and country, he has been guilty of diving.

The Merseyside derby exposed Gerrard even further. Following the World Cup last summer, the England team was left fuming that Portugese players surrounded the referee and asked for Wayne Rooney to be sent off.

"Players like Carvalho are damaging football, not Wayne Rooney," wrote Gerrard in his autobiography.

"It's coached into them that when an incident like that happens, they go to work on the ref.

"Ronaldo was at the front. But the blame does not just rest with him. Five or six Portuguese players were at it."

Gerrard won a penalty on Saturday's derby, and when referee Mark Clattenburg pulled out a yellow card, the Liverpool captain ran over to the referee and protested.

The referee did as he was told, and Everton went down to ten men.

Is there no end to the hypocrisy of England's vice-captain?

Manchester United have rectified their slow start to the season by winning their past six Premiership games in a row. To cement their good form, they are hoping to sign a 17 year old from Partizan Belgrade.

The player is worth around £7 million and several top clubs in Europe appear to be interested. However, the club have said they won't be selling him until at least next summer.

"We must decide the pros and cons of selling Jovetic," Partizan director Gordan Petric said.

"We will decide that at the end of the season. A lot of clubs are interested in him."

Chelsea have struggled in both the Premiership and Champions League this season, and are trying to deal with the crushing blow of losing their manager.

As a way to resurrect their title hopes, it was reported Chelsea had made an £100 million bid for Kaka, who is deemed to be the World's greatest footballer.

However, Milan have rejected these claims, saying that no such bid has been made and that the player is staying with them.

"Chelsea's mega offer is a hoax," vice-President Galliani told a press conference.

"No team has asked for him (Kaka) with the exception of Real Madrid and when they did, we kindly responded that the player is not for sale."