Source: Daily_Mail
El Hadji Diouf should not be in the game if QPR slurs are true - Leo's London
It says a lot about the Premier League that El Hadji Diouf is still playing in it.[LNB]A failed forward and no more than a decent player, he is in his ninth year in the top flight despite inspiring hatred wherever he has been.[LNB]If Blackburn's Diouf really shouted the things he is alleged to as he stood over Jamie Mackie while the QPR player endured the fresh pain of a double leg break last Saturday, he should not be in the game.[LNB] Leave it out: Blackburn's El Hadji Diouf (R) gestures towards stricken QPR star Jamie Mackie as he lies on the pitch in agony with a broken leg[LNB]Unrepentant, Diouf is even accused of repeating his hate-filled stance later on in the tunnel in another foul-mouthed rant.[LNB] More from Leo Spall... Leo Spall: Beckhams and Bentleys left behind by football's need for speed05/01/11 Leo Spall: Who was Arsenal's all-action hero against Chelsea?29/12/10 Leo's London: It's now or never for Bendtner after all his own hype 22/12/10 Leo's London: Nasri's brilliant form means Arsenal can stop relying on Fab08/12/10 Leo's London: Fulham may be falling but Hughes remains the Spark01/12/10 Leo's London: Arsenal or Spurs for the Premier League title? Forget it ...24/11/10 LEO'S LONDON: Bad luck Chelsea, but should you rely on a small squad?17/11/10 Leo's London: Wenger's gamble goes wrong as Koscielny comes up short09/11/10 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE It takes a lot to make Rangers manager Neil Warnock look righteous about what can acceptably be said in the rough and tumble of competitive football, but Diouf managed it.[LNB]There is no place in the game for the Rangers' players responses on Twitter either, but they are a measure of the level of anger the Blackburn player provoked.[LNB]Even Diouf's own team-mates are alleged to have branded him a 'disgrace', prompting the question: why do managers persist in signing him?[LNB] It is not as if he is a world-beater. Signed by Liverpool originally as a forward, he has scored just 26 goals in his entire Premier League career.[LNB]There have been moderately successful, quieter periods, notably at Bolton, but Diouf's time in England has been punctuated by spitting incidents and an accusation of racism.[LNB]Blackburn are not the first team to have a 'nasty' player and Robbie Savage did the job for them for years, but Diouf is on another level altogether.[LNB]There are others you could argue have been much worse - Joey Barton comes to mind - but that does not make Diouf's alleged behaviour acceptable.[LNB]The incendiary abuse he is supposed to have yelled cannot be called sledging, banter or a 'wind-up'.Diouf's problems have not been about kiss-and-tell shame or his private life either, they have been on the pitch and it appears that since joining English football in 2002 he has learnt little.[LNB]Managers and clubs have simply been too quick to forgive and forget his antics in the hope his play is worth his baggage, and it casts no-one in a good light. [LNB] American idols will benefit from trainingWhen David Beckham joined LA Galaxy there was some anger Stateside about accusations the standard of football there was the equivalent of an English pub league.[LNB]Well, it has obviously come a long way in the three-and-a-half years since because Beckham and now Thierry Henry think it will be so taxing next term they can train through their 'off season' at Tottenham and Arsenal and it won't harm them.[LNB] Welcome Beck: Beckham and Thierry Henry both returned to English clubs to train during the MLS off-season[LNB] Don't forget Cardiff, Avram...Avram Grant (right) proudly passed on the 'aren't I doing well really' sort of statistic to the TV audience before West Ham's Carling Cup semi-final first-leg victory against Birmingham on Tuesday night that was typical of his Emperor's New Clothes approach.[LNB]The club have not been to Wembley for 30 years, he said, which is true.[LNB] However, what he failed to mention was that they made the final of the more prestigious FA Cup in 2006 and even though it was held in Cardiff, that season the club stayed up comfortably too.[LNB] Howe did it come to this for Charlton and Palace?In the middle of one of the most prolific sacking seasons in living memory, there should be a glut of experienced managers around.[LNB]The sort of steady hands who might not be one club's cup of tea but who could drag another out of the mire if only they were given the chance.[LNB]In demand: Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe[LNB]Yet such is the rush to find the next bright young thing that three clubs, at least, below the Premier League were keen to bring in Bournemouth's Eddie Howe instead.[LNB]Now the manager who was the Football League's youngest when he was permanently appointed there two years ago has a great reputation.[LNB]Howe has saved Bournemouth from relegation and won them promotion to League One, so it appears to be deserved.[LNB]But had he not decided to stay on theSouth Coast would he really have been the right manager for Crystal Palace, who are deep in relegation trouble in the Championship and trying to rebuild after the trauma of administration? [LNB]Dougie Freedman, their second and nowconfirmed choice, is even less experienced in the dugout and it can only be hoped that one of the game's nice guys is a natural manager.[LNB]Charlton were after Howe too and havebeen down the bright young thing route before.[LNB] Phil Parkinson was considered to fit that bill when he joined the club initially and then there was Iain Dowie.[LNB]Promotion from League One this seasonis a must for the new owners so surely someone who has successfully handled that pressure before would be the safest bet - even if he is notin the first flush of managerial youth.[LNB] [LNB] Tunnel fight after Diouf's sick jibes! Mackie the target over broken leg Beckham jumps into action for Spurs, but time's running out over loan dealHenry won't be rejoining Gunners, says chairman as striker returns to trainFreedman goes full time at Palace after Howe opts to stay at Bournemouth [LNB] Explore more:People: Neil Warnock, David Beckham, El Hadji Diouf, Robbie Savage, Joey Barton, Thierry Henry Places: Cardiff, Birmingham, Liverpool, United Kingdom Organisations: Football League
