• Gunners aren't good enough, insists German
• 'Football is not playing nice passes. Football is winning games'

Michael Ballack has said the championship is now between only Chelsea and Manchester United, and has told Arsène Wenger to stop making excuses for Arsenal's inability to win crucial games against their title rivals.

The Germany midfielder branded Arsenal too predictable, and said it may be impossible for the club to ever win anything – their last trophy was the FA Cup, five years ago – unless Wenger is able to make the team more tactically flexible. Arsenal now sit third in the league following their 2-0 defeat on Sunday, nine points behind Chelsea, who lead United by two points.

Ballack was clear when asked if the Premier League has become a two-horse race. "It looks like it," he said. "It's a race between Manchester United and us. But as I said a few weeks ago, it can go quickly that somebody drops points. But at the moment it looks like it's down to the two of us."

Responding to Wenger's comments that he believed the best team had lost, Ballack was dismissive. "I think he always says this when he loses. When he loses he always finds an excuse.

"But football is not possession on the ball or playing nice passes. Good football is winning games and that's what we do when we play against them. We deserved the win because we played very effectively. It was how we wanted to play before the game. It was our strategy. Maybe in the second half we concentrated a bit too much on defending but if you're 2-0 up you can do this.

"For me good football is a mix of winning, successful football, mental strength, good football technically and also physically. I think we have a good mix in the team and we have done this all season. We can't do more. First in the table."

An ongoing criticism of Arsenal under Wenger is that the team is unable to switch tactics from its free-flowing, passing style, and is also unable to deal with more muscular opponents.

Ballack confirmed that Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, had focused on this. He said: "We want to do our job. We knew the way they would play – we saw it in the first game we played against them [when Chelsea won 3-0 at the Emirates in November] and in the way they played against Manchester United last week [when Arsenal lost 3-1]. It is always the same style. If you get your tactics right like we did today I think you can beat them. That's what we did."

Ballack, who also echoed Didier Drogba's support for John Terry after his loss of the England captaincy, was asked directly if Arsenal would ever win anything playing with their current style. "This season and the [last] season they didn't show they were able to win the league," he said.

The 33-year-old explained why he feels Chelsea are able to challenge for major honours. "We have a lot of big-game players and big characters at Chelsea. That is why we are a good team and it's really great to be part of this club," he said. "Everybody fights for everybody, there is good spirit and good experience in the group, we've had a few years together and there is a lot of personal quality among the players. Even if we don't play a fantastic game we have a few players who can decide a game with one action."

Ballack gave particular praise to Drogba, who scored both of Chelsea's goals against Arsenal. The striker now has 12 in 12 games against Wenger's team. "He is such an important player for us. In big games like this he is always there. That's why he is such a big player," said Ballack. "Two fantastic goals, the second was a great one.

"He's a very individual type. The way he plays he's a different type compared to [Wayne] Rooney or [Andrey] Arshavin. He has unbelievable physical strength combined with technical finishing. He has a lot of qualities and not a lot of players have this. It is much better to playing with him than against him."

• Arsenal left-back says next game can be new start
• Clichy admits they did not play well against Chelsea

Gaël Clichy has refused to rule Arsenal out of the title race despite the 2-0 defeat at Chelsea which leaves Arsène Wenger's team nine points behind the Premier League leaders, and said their challenge must restart at the Emirates on Wednesday.

"Let's work on it, next we play against a good side in Liverpool," said Clichy. "It's going to be difficult but we have to do it because if we want to be the best, we have to compete. We have to think game after game and it starts with Liverpool. We have to think one game at a time but the less we lose, the better it will be.

"The rule in sport is when you want to be the best, after every defeat you have to ask the right questions to yourself and the team. You have to go again and dig in. That is what we are going to start doing again in training because it is only with hard work and a bit of luck that things can happen. Maybe then we can go somewhere."

Reflecting on the defeat at Stamford Bridge, the French left-back said: "It is even more complicated now to win the league but we have to keep fighting. We have seen everyone can drop points against anyone. Of course, it would have been better to win [against Chelsea] and against Manchester United, but that is the way it is. We need to be more decisive in the right moments and the best thing to do is to carry on fighting.

"It's not going to be easy, but it is not finished. We were 11 points behind [after Chelsea defeated Arsenal 3-0 in late November] and came back so we have to hope they drop points and make sure we don't drop any points."

The defeat to United came at the Emirates the week before last, when Arsenal enjoyed possession yet failed to produce an attacking threat. Against Chelsea they were again unable to convert pressure into goals, which is a prevailing criticism of the Frenchman's side.

But while Wenger claimed the better team had lost, yesterday Clichy contradicted his manager's view.

"You cannot say you played well when you lose 2-0 but we tried everything. We pushed hard today but we lost and it is hard to take," he said.

"It is always difficult to play against Chelsea because even if you have the ball and you feel like you are ­playing better than them, they let you play but they have a strong striker up front in [Didier] Drogba, who can play alone for the 90 minutes."

• Manager Owen Coyle says player will be out for 'months'
• Defender's World Cup hopes almost certain to be dashed

The Bolton Wanderers defender Gary Cahill could miss the rest of the season after suffering a blood clot in his arm. The 24-year-old was hoping to win a place in England's World Cup squad.

Cahill was taken ill on Friday and missed Saturday's 0-0 Premier League draw with Fulham.

Bolton's manager, Owen Coyle, said: "Gary suffered a pain in his arm and it became severely swollen on the day of the game.

"There was no way he could play so we took him straight off to hospital. It turns out he had a blood clot in his arm, so he is going to be out for a number of months."

Cahill is due to be released from hospital today after being kept in since Saturday.

Coyle said: "It is a severe blow for the boy but our main concern is his welfare. We have to make sure Gary is fit and well.

"He will miss the next few months, it might be for the rest of the season. We will hear from the specialist later. The clot needed to be resolved and in doing that you need the medication. It follows you can't play.

"As disappointed as we are, at 24 Gary has a marvellous career ahead of him. I believe he would have made the World Cup for the summer but we have to make sure first of all he recovers from this blood clot.

"I don't think it is a sport-related injury, I think it is just one of those things that can happen to anyone at any given time.

"Gary will be disappointed as he has so much to play for. He is one of the best players at the club and he had a big role to play, no doubt about that. He also had a chance of going to the World Cup – but that chance will come again. He is a terrific lad and someone we love working with. He has a great mindset.

"Gary will get the best care available to him. As much as we love football, we will focus on making sure Gary recovers well."

• Chief executive says club 'need time' to find new buyer
• Remains optimistic that administration will be avoided

Portsmouth's chief executive Peter Storrie says the club's best hope for Wednesday's court date with HM Revenue & Customs is to delay the winding-up order which was issued over unpaid debts at the end of last year.

The club have already failed in an attempt to have it struck out by a high court judge, in a hearing on 16 January.

Since then the Hong Kong businessman Balram Chainrai has become Pompey's fourth owner of the season, last week acquiring Ali Al Faraj's 90% stake.

Chainrai's main intention is to recover money he is owed by the club and Portsmouth are seeking yet another owner for the long term.

Storrie is optimistic they will avoid going into administration. He told ESPN Soccernet: "Our priority is Wednesday's court date with the Revenue. Our objective, now the new owner is in place, is to seek from the courts a stay of the winding-up order. We need time for a new buyer to come in and then we will be in a position to pay the Revenue.

"If the Revenue wind this club up then they will get nothing, and that cannot be the right answer. We're in talks with potential new owners, which would be our fifth owner already this season.

"I've heard the joke about how we have had more owners than wins this season but the media have been putting the knife in all season, and no one is going to stop now."

In a line-up that's every bit as unsurprising as the top four in the Premier League, James Richardson is joined in the pod by Barry Glendenning and Sean Ingle in another rip-roaring edition of Football Weekly.

The pod squad analyse Chelsea's demolition of Arsenal, Liverpool's bruising battle with Everton, and Tottenham Hotspur's snoozefest with Aston Villa and ask: why are we getting another dose of the same old same old?

Also in the show – and lest we be accussed of Big Four-centricity – we discuss Hull City's recent revival now that Phil Brown ditched the earpiece and the goatee.

Plus, we ponder whether Fabio Capello's done the right thing in stripping John Terry of the England captaincy. And we get dewy-eyed about those Brat Pack movies of the 1980s.

Finally, our favourite Teuton Raphael Honigstein brings us news of a rift in the German national team and the latest from the Bundesliga; Sid Lowe brings us up to date with Spain's La Liga; and Jimbo tells us about Lazio's mounting woes in Serie A.

Have a listen and post your thoughts on the blog below. We're also on iTunes, Facebook, and Twitter, and if you like this type of juvenile humour, get your daily dose with our tea-timely email, The Fiver.

• Dutch goalkeeper back in groove after compassionate leave
• Defeat of Portsmouth marked third clean sheet since return

The Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar says he is delighted to be back in action after a traumatic period in his life.

It has been a tough season for the veteran Dutchman, who suffered two lengthy absences through injury before being granted compassionate leave just before Christmas when his wife, Annemarie, suffered a brain haemorrhage.

Thankfully, his wife has recovered sufficiently for Van der Sar to resume his career at Old Trafford, bringing a sense of stability to a side that had been struggling for consistent results.

"It feels really good to be back playing," Van der Sar told United Review. "It has been a stop-start season for me and you miss your weekly routine of training and games. But it feels great to be back in the swing of things and playing for United again."

Van der Sar kept the third clean sheet since his return to action in the five-goal hammering of Portsmouth at Old Trafford on Saturday. It contributed to a run of six wins and a draw that has catapulted United into the thick of a Premier League title battle which, after Chelsea's 2-0 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge yesterday, now seems to involve just United and Carlo Ancelotti's side.

Sir Alex Ferguson credits much of the improvement to the 39-year-old Van der Sar although, typically, the former Ajax keeper is taking the plaudits in his stride.

"Every manager speaks highly of his players and I am sure other managers say the same about their goalkeepers," he said. "But I know that I get good recognition here at United – from the players and the manager.

"It is always good to hear you have the support and trust of the people you work with. It is good to know I have that here."

• France winger expected to leave Germany at end of season
• He admits interest in joining Thierry Henry at Barcelona

Franck Ribéry has added weight to the belief that he will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season by claiming the German club are not good enough to compete with Europe's biggest teams.

"Bayern is still a big club. It's one of the biggest in the world but I find that our team is not as strong as other teams, like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea," said the France winger, who has been heavily linked with a move to either England or Spain. "Maybe we will have trouble competing against these teams.

"I want to win trophies and to enjoy myself. I'm not 20 any more. I am closer to the end [of my career] than the beginning."

Speaking to RTL radio, the 26-year-old also admitted that he could be tempted to join up with France team-mate Thierry Henry at Barcelona.

"I get on really well with him and I know he would also like to see me there," Ribéry said. "I know a lot of people would like to see me stay [at Bayern]. Whether I stay or go it won't be an easy decision."

Botched negotiations and leaks to the media appear to have ensured the end of Joachim Löw's tenure

Jogi Löw's tenure as Germany manager will end after the "last 16" round of matches at the World Cup. That's not a prediction, that's official. His contract expires on 30 June 2010 and is unlikely to be extended, either before or after. Asked whether he could envisage continuing beyond South Africa, a visibly irritated Löw was dismissive on Sunday. "We'll have to see if they will still want us and if we are willing to enter talks at all at that stage," the 50-year-old said. "It does look as if the German FA will have to look for a new manager come July," wrote Berliner Zeitung.

In the space of a week, the reliably smooth operator and poster boy for male grooming products has become thoroughly sour-faced. Löw is extremely upset about the way the FA's botched attempt to renew his contract was handled. "I'm very angry about what went on and the fact that certain things were leaked to the public," Löw said. Germany's start of the World Cup year couldn't have been worse: the travails of John Terry are positively petty in comparison.

The beginnings of the current crisis can be traced back to the 1-0 win away to Russia last October. The German FA president, Dr Theo Zwanziger, a man with a politician's sense for populism, suddenly became convinced that Löw's contract should be extended well in advance of the World Cup, to ensure "a comfortable run-up" to the competition. Both men met in mid-December for interim talks but Löw was surprised to read that he had shaken hands on a new deal in Bild the day after. "Some points are still left to discuss," he clarified.

Last Thursday he was widely expected to put pen to paper in Frankfurt. Negotiations, however, quickly broke down. Zwanziger blamed "structural problems and financial questions" for the deadlock and tried to downplay the fallout. "Whether the national manager has an existing contract or one that is about to expire doesn't affect the wellbeing of German football," he said.

Maybe it doesn't, but the troubling facts of the dispute certainly do. Again, someone had leaked details of sticking points to Bild. A few hours before the final meeting was scheduled, the tabloid reported that Löw and his staff (general manager Oliver Bierhoff, assistant Hansi Flick, goalkeeping coach Andreas Köpke and scout Urs Siegenthaler) had asked for a signing-on fee of one year's wages and that Bierhoff wanted the right to veto future Germany managers. Zwanziger said that such powers were incompatible with the FA's statutes and declared the whole catalogue of demands "unacceptable". He sent a counter-offer instead, with the proviso that it should be signed within the next two days. It wasn't. "I don't accept that they've given me an ultimatum," said Löw. "I've worked here for six years in a leading capacity. Together with my team, we've done everything to be successful and enhance the reputation of German football. It can't be that I'm forced to accept an offer within 48 hours."

Zwanziger's transparent attempt to put the blame for the impasse on the widely distrusted Bierhoff has worked, initially. "The FA were right to refuse Bierhoff's conditions," said board member Franz Beckenbauer. "A general manager can't choose the manager. I would say the attempted takeover [of the national team] has failed." The former Germany keeper Oliver Kahn also had a go. "Bierhoff's job is to negotiate contracts with the staff, not for them. What he's doing is bordering on abuse of power."

On Sunday evening the 41-year-old explained that his demands had been deliberately misrepresented. "There was never talk of a signing-on fee," he said, and insisted that the sums quoted were wide off the mark. Instead, he said he had asked for a retrospective bonus for the whole staff. And his right to veto a successor to Löw was only supposed to be in force for the duration of the new two-year-deal. "All these things were explicitly subject to negotiation," the Euro 96-winning former striker added.

The money is not really the problem here. Bierhoff's wish for more power is obviously designed to block the ascent of Matthias Sammer, the FA's sporting director. Sammer, who has the support of many powerful FA figures, is seen as a future Bundestrainer-in-waiting by many insiders. Some say the former Dortmund coach has a contractual guarantee to get the job. He and Bierhoff have repeatedly clashed in the past. Authority over the Under-21 team is a major bone of contention but the rivalry is first and foremost personal, and incredibly intense.

One could argue that Löw and Bierhoff have indeed overplayed their hand in this case. The veto demand has given the FA a welcome opportunity to depict the suave general manager as power-hungry and greedy. But Zwanziger's move to drive a wedge between the well-respected Löw and his unpopular sidekick was far too heavy-handed to succeed. By publicly upsetting Löw ("I feel snubbed"), Zwanziger has only made sure that the coach and Bierhoff stand even more united. Asked whether he could envisage working without Bierhoff, Löw replied it wasn't an option: "We will only renew the contract as a team, that's for sure".

The manager added that he sees his current contract as binding for the duration of the World Cup but that he "certainly" would not enter any further talks. "Everyone's a loser," wrote Frankfurter Zeitung, in view of the four long months of disquiet and an uneasy truce that now lies in store.

Talking points:

• Louis van Gaal joked he might become "German in a couple of months" and take over the Germany team. And why not? His Bayern side are increasingly good to watch and very successful to boot. Bundesliga bureaucracy was the Bavarians' biggest problem against Wolfsburg, as Arjen Robben was forced to trade in his lucky grey grandma tights for a red nylon pair to conform with regulations. The Dutchman was again hard to contain and finished a well-rehearsed move with aplomb after less than two minutes. Daniel van Buyten added a second before Franck Ribéry casually lifted the ball over the Wolves keeper André Lenz for a third, although the Wolfsburg defender Andrea Barzagli put the ball over the line. Grafite pulled one back late on after missing a penalty. Van Gaal said his men were guilty of "arrogance" and should have won more emphatically, but Bayern's eighth successive win puts them joint top with Leverkusen. Bayer are now only two goals ahead after a nervy 1-1 draw away to Bochum. Eren Derdiyok scored his ninth goal of the season for Jupp Heynckes' team, who remain unbeaten this season.

• Schalke, who have insisted they are not in the title race all along, won't be much longer: a 0-0 draw away to Freiburg leaves them in third spot. They were unlucky when Marcelo Bordon's header clearly crossed line but the referee, Dr Jochen Drees, waved play on. The practising GP found himself on the same train home with the Schalke team but didn't need to check himself into A&E afterwards. "I don't blame the ref, I'm happy to have a drink with him," said Bordon. Drees admitted his mistake and agreed with Schalke's manager, Felix Magath, (who said "it's amateurish not to use goalline technology") that referees could use some help.

• "Ill-timed" is the word that comes to mind with regard to Ruud van Nistelrooy's two-minute debut for Hamburg. The Dutchman was ready to come on as a late sub to run down the clock against Köln but instead witnessed Adil Chihi score a deserved equaliser for the hosts in the 88th minute, to make it 3-3. It wasn't quite "total football" (Kicker) in the Rhein-Energie-Stadion but the frenetic carnival atmosphere in the ground had even Van Nistelrooy smiling. "Maybe he thought that it wasn't perhaps such a bad idea to finish his career in this jokey league," mused Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Results: Bremen 2–1 Hertha, Wolfsburg 1-3 Bayern, Bochum 1-1 Leverkusen, Hoffenheim 2-1 Hannover, Köln 3-3 Hamburg, Freiburg 0-0 Schalke, Nürnberg 1-2 Stuttgart, Mainz 1-0 Gladbach, Dortmund 2-3 Frankfurt.

• Loan striker backheels winner against São Paulo
• Robinho is aiming for World Cup place in South Africa

Robinho scored the winning goal in his first game back with Brazil's Santos, giving the team a 2-1 win over São Paulo.

The striker, who is on loan from Manchester City, came on as a substitute in the 57th minute and showed signs of his old form, combining with the 18-year-old Neymar. In the 85th minute, Robinho scored with a backheel.

"I know many people are talking about the way I kicked the ball, but it was the only way I could have scored," he said. "I'm happy with the result, but I still need to play more with these young guys and get in better shape."

Robinho returned to Brazil last week, aiming to regain his form and secure a place at the World Cup. He has been a regular in Brazil's squad under Dunga.

Neymar scored Santos's other goal from a penalty. São Paulo's goal came in the 66th minute when Roger headed in. The win put Santos on top of the table with 16 points.

On Saturday, Corinthians beat Sertaozinho 4-0. "Today was the victory for the team that really wants it and is getting better every game," said the veteran defender Roberto Carlos, who joined Corinthians from Fenerbahce a few weeks ago. "Corinthians showed they are a very strong team."

• Resignation tendered at breakfast meeting
• 'It's a results-based business,' says McCall

Stuart McCall has resigned as manager of Bradford City.

The Yorkshire Post reported that the former Scotland midfielder formally resigned his post at a breakfast meeting with the club's joint chairman, Julian Rhodes, this morning.

Bradford, who lost 1-0 to Bury at the weekend, are 16th in League Two. McCall was appointed as manager of the club in the summer of 2007, after relegation from League One.

He told the Yorkshire Post: "It is time for somebody else to come in and take up the reins and, hopefully, do well. Saturday's game would have been a defining line in the season for me. If we had beaten Bury, the dream of making seventh place would have been on.

"I don't regret coming back here for a second. I would have regretted it more if I hadn't taken the job. I have loved being manager of this club but it's a results-based business and they have not been good enough."

• Captain wants team-mates to build on victory over Everton
• Travel to third-place Arsenal on Wednesday

Steven Gerrard has warned his Liverpool team-mates they cannot afford any more mistakes if they are to secure Champions League football next season.

After seven defeats – five more than in the whole of the previous Premier League campaign – the Merseyside club's hopes of a top-four place appeared to be slipping away even seven weeks ago.

However, since losing at Portsmouth on 19 December, Liverpool have put together a seven-match run of five wins and two draws to move back up to fourth. On Wednesday they go to Arsenal, where they have not won in the league for a decade. Victory would put Liverpool two points behind the third-placed Gunners with a trip to Manchester City next.

But having come unstuck at Tottenham, Sunderland, Fulham and Fratton Park this season, Gerrard has stressed the importance of his side building on last weekend's victory over Everton in the 213th Merseyside derby.

"Everybody is still on a high and now we have got to take that high into the next game," he told the Liverpool Echo. "It's a tough one, Arsenal away always is, but we have used beating Everton as a platform in the past and we've got to do it again. We want to extend our run and go on to better things as we can't afford any slip-ups because there is pressure from Tottenham, Manchester City and Aston Villa."

Gerrard added: "We showed fantastic togetherness [against Everton], we fought for each other and that's why I am really proud of this team. It's performances like this that will get you in there [the top four]. There are a couple of very tough games coming up but if we can show what we have done in the last seven games, I don't see why we can't maintain it."

Liverpool have kept six clean sheets on their current run but go to the Emirates without the in-form Sotirios Kyrgiakos as he begins a three-match ban for his sending-off against Everton. Fortunately for Rafael Benítez, Daniel Agger made a timely return at the weekend after a month out injured.

"It is bad when you lose players but we had more problems with the centre-backs at the start of the season and now we have more bodies," said the Liverpool manager. "So although we will lose something, maybe we can manage in a different way. Agger, Martin Skrtel, Jamie Carragher can all play, so at least we have the bodies."

Agger has had a frustrating time over the past two years as a foot problem saw him miss the last eight months of the 2007‑08 season while a back injury restricted appearances in the last campaign and he underwent surgery in the summer.

After his latest spell in the treatment room for a groin injury, the Denmark international's return has eased any worries Benítez may have had about who to play at centre-back, with Carragher currently operating on the right because of Glen Johnson's lengthy lay-off with a knee problem.

And after several months of frustration, the 25-year-old is looking forward to playing regularly again. "It has been annoying. I've done my best trying to play but it has been really difficult," said Agger. "If you have something you can't play with even if you try you know you are not 100%. It is so frustrating but you have to accept it is part of the game, even though my injuries have not been that many, just big."

• Financial Times reports HMRC investigation
• Premier League finance director to discuss issue with clubs

The Premier League is aiming to broker a deal with tax authorities in order to protect players and clubs from the loss of up to £100m in taxes, according to today's Financial Times.

HM Revenue & Customs was reported to be investigating deals between clubs and image rights companies set up by players. These companies are often based offshore and are therefore out of reach of tax officials.

Experts said the Revenue was missing out on £100m in tax because of such deals. The Financial Times reported that Javed Khan, the Premier League's finance director, would discuss the issue with the league's 20 clubs this week.

The Premier League told the Financial Times: "We are in discussions with HMRC. All players have some degree of image rights attached to them. It is legitimate to have some element of image rights, but HMRC would query the level that some have attached to them."

According to the report, Jeff Millington of Begbies Traynor, a former Revenue manager who initiated its investigation into image rights, said: "The Revenue's legal opinion is robust. The evidence they see is quite favourable to the Revenue. When you consider the amount of tax at risk, the Revenue isn't going to do a deal."

The Revenue said: "The government remains committed to ensuring everyone pays their fair share of tax and that the minority who seek not to do so should not succeed."

• Meeting to be held in Switzerland
• Capello thought to favour autumn games

England and Wales's qualifying fixtures for Euro 2012 will be decided in Switzerland on 15 March.

The date was agreed in Warsaw yesterday following the draw and the meeting is almost certain to be attended by the national managers Fabio Capello and John Toshack, who will be keen to get the schedule they feel suits their sides.

Capello got his wish for a five-team group and Switzerland is the obvious meeting point to decide the fixture schedule, given that Group G also involves the Swiss, Bulgaria and Montenegro.

The England manager will want to play the most difficult fixtures during the eight dates available in September and October 2010 and 2011, as that is the time of year when he feels English players are at their most productive, before an arduous domestic campaign.

He may try to avoid qualifying games in June 2011, knowing that Bulgaria and Montenegro can get uncomfortably warm at that time of year.

• No Stoke supporters involved
• Twenty-five year-old arrested

A man injured during yesterday's Premier League match at Stoke City has died in hospital.

The 30-year-old fan is thought to have been hit on the head with a bin. He was found unconscious and taken to hospital where he died in the early hours this morning.

The incident happened in the Blackburn Rovers section of the ground and police say no Stoke supporters were involved.

"The circumstances are being fully investigated," said a police spokesman. "A 25-year-old man remains in custody and is helping police with their inquiries."

The man was found by police just after 4pm yesterday in the Britannia Stadium's south stand where the travelling Blackburn supporters were seated.

Police said the man was treated at the scene for a head injury and cardiac arrest.

Chief Inspector Adrian Roberts, match commander at the game, said there were more than 1,300 Blackburn supporters at the game, which Stoke won 3-0.

Motor sport tyre miracles, Robinho's rapping return and Dean Windass, commentating windbag, also feature this week

1) The Six Nations kicks off this weekend, so to whet your appetite, here is: Scotland sticking it to England in 1990; Italy sticking it to Wales in 2007 and Gareth Edwards sticking it to Scotland in 1972. Plus, Ireland's 2009 grand-slam-securing victory, the young Serge Blanco and 10 England tries to savour.

2) The last time anyone was troubled after chomping on balls during a televised competition involving Australia, it was Katie Price and Kim Woodburn eating fish eyes and kangaroo testicles on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! Now Shahid Afridi's cricket ball-chomping antics have earned him a place in infamy, so it may be a good time to remind ourselves of the good times.

3) The heel of God, as Marca called it, saw Guti set up Karim Benzema to score Real Madrid's second in their 3-1 win over Deportivo. Marca went on to describe it as "an unforgettable stroke of genius", "a monument of class and creativity, calmness and courage" that "will be remembered 30 years from now".

4) Super Bowl XLIV: Indianapolis v New Orleans. "It is so on."

5) For all that he occasionally scored pretty decent goals, Dean Windass never seemed quite at home in the Premier League. Now he's moved into television, and he doesn't seem quite at home there, either.

6)) He may have been their record signing, but no one was particularly bothered when Robinho walked out on Manchester City last month. Back in Brazil, people were ecstatic when he was helicoptered on to the Santos pitch, juggled a football, danced with a couple of giant fish and then, wearing a T-shirt adorned with his own smiling face, took to the stage and rapped. Then again, they got to see him score goals like this.

Our favourites from last week's blog

1) The coach was blindfolded, given a basketball, spun a few times and told to aim at the hoop. The audience was primed to react as if the ball had gone in. But what were the odds of this happening?

2) OK, you want long odds, we'll give you long odds. This wheel might have been radio-controlled.

3) And this one simply had to be. Not this one though.

4) Female 10-pin bowler makes history by winning the Professional Bowling Tournament of Champions, in considerable style.

5) Garry Cook on the mic in a New York bar. What's not to love? Oh.

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