THAT WAS THE WEEKEND THAT WAS

Vialli sees a broader picture England cannot

Having endured the painful experience of seeing his team played off the park, the Nottingham Forest manager, Frank Clark, could not find enough superlatives to convey his opinion of Manchester United.

And yet United are no better than second-rate on the broader field, or so it seemed in Turin last week. But is the class gulf so wide?

Gianluca Vialli, interviewed in Gazetta dello Sport yesterday, offered these thoughts: "In Europe, the problem for English teams is mentality. They are used to playing always in the same way, they do not take into account that after the away leg there is a return, or that in the Champions' League the group comprises six matches. It is an ingenuousness that Italian football, with its ability to transform itself, knows how to punish."

If he can see it, why can't we? Then again, maybe our problem is that we do not take our shortcomings seriously enough.

Knocked out of the Champions' League qualifying stage, then held 0-0 at home by Swiss side Neuchatel Xamax in the Uefa Cup, Dynamo Kiev yesterday announced a "state of emergency" under which coach Yozhef Sabo has been given carte blanche "to establish order and discipline".

"There is a lack of mutual understanding, a feeling of being out of touch with reality, and excess of self-confidence and a decline in discipline," a club statement said. "All forms of independence and autonomy are hereby cancelled and the principle of single leadership introduced."

But isn't that how Fergie runs things anyway?

Actions speak louder

There used to be another Middlesbrough, once, where the players weren't called Juninho or Ravanelli but had proper northern names that seemed to speak for how the place was, raw and hard-edged. Little wonder, then, that they should take to a striker called Bernie Slaven, who was honoured in their new Riverside home with a testimonial match yesterday, bringing together a Republic of Ireland XI with the Middlesbrough side that played in the old First Division in 1989.

Slaven was not without a hard reputation himself, as he recalled in his autobiography, Strikingly Different. Recounting a training-ground incident at Port Vale, whom he joined after more than 300 League games for Middlesbrough, Slaven describes how a few words put fear into his team-mate Peter Swan after the two had come to blows over a reckless tackle.

"Swanny punched me in the face with one of his hammer-like fists," Slaven said, "and by way of threatening him I said: 'You're going to be knee- capped for that'." So far as Slaven was concerned, the incident was then closed, but Swan was not so sure. Slaven, after all, was an Irish international. What sort of connections did he have?

A short while later, out drinking, the pair heard a complete stranger discussing knee-capping at a nearby table and Swan panicked, convinced that this was part of some plot. "He just became totally paranoid," Slaven recalled.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY...

Steve

Morrow

George

Graham

George Graham points to the most formidable defence in the Premiership as the principle legacy of his Highbury days. But that high forehead, those bushy eyebrows... don't they look, well, strangely familiar?

Rumours...

fact and fiction from the Sunday papers

The Graham Rix for Arsenal story is not yet going away. The Sunday People, who say that Arsene Wenger will be freed to move from Japan to Highbury today, echo the Sunday Express in pointing to the former player Rix as a likely man for the assistant manager's role. A busy week may be ahead for Liverpool if the People's spies are correct: they say Roy Evans is about to bid pounds 1.5m for Swiss striker Kubilay Turkyilmaz, who helped Grasshopper humiliate Rangers in the Champions' League, as well as pounds 1m for Crewe's 19-year-old Danny Murphy, and may join the queue for Manchester City's Georgi Kinkladze, who the Sunday Mirror reckon is a target for Arsenal and Sunderland. Aston Villa are closing in on the pounds 5m-rated Wolves defender Dean Richards, according to the News of the World, who also report Manchester United have been turned down twice by Juventus in bids for the striker Nicola Amoruso and defender Sergio Porrini.

Missing person

GARY WALSH

Middlesbrough

First choice at the Riverside last season, the former Manchester United reserve goalkeeper, who cost Bryan Robson pounds 250,000 a year ago, finds himself cast in the role of understudy again after losing his place to Alan Miller. His attempts to regain favour have not been helped by a reputed dispute with England goalkeeping coach Mike Kelly, now on the Middlesbrough staff.

Watch out for...

MATT CARBON

Derby County

Jim Smith paid Lincoln pounds 400,000 for a little-known centre-back in March, but reckons that may soon look a bargain. The dreadlocked 21-year-old is making up for lost time after an injury-delayed start to the season, showing poise and strength and learning fast.

Red card

THE ARSENAL BOARD

Take a bow

RAY WILKINS

NOISES OFF...

"However much success and failure you enjoy or suffer in the game, you just want to carry on and on and on. People say: 'Do you want to try and repeat what's gone on before?' But what else can you do? I'm a football person. It is in your blood."

GEORGE GRAHAM on the inevitability of his return to the game.

"The penalty was one of those you don't like given against you and you sympathise with the other side when they're given to you. We didn't earn it, and they didn't deserve it, but I've looked at the replay and it was ball to hand."

KEVIN KEEGAN on Newcastle's good fortune.

"I didn't say we were a championship side after three games so after three defeats we aren't a relegation side either - but we have got to start getting points."

JOE ROYLE, the bemused Everton manager.

"We find that because they are good players and foreign, they try and say that they dive. I have never seen him dive - I saw him get kicked a few times though."

JIM SMITH, the Derby manager, after Sunderland questioned Aljosa Asan- ovic's integrity.

"My team talk was very simple. I said: 'Let's just have an old-fashioned match, get the right result and go out for a few drinks afterwards. It seemed to work better than all the tactical stuff."

RON ATKINSON, sense of humour restored by Coventry's first win.

The Good...

THE PREMIERSHIP'S LEADING SCORERS

FABRIZIO RAVANELLI

Middlesbrough

Premiership 6; Coca-Cola Cup 0; FA Cup 0; Other 0

LES FERDINAND

Newcastle United

Premiership 5; Coca-Cola Cup 0; FA Cup 0; Other 0

3=Kevin Campbell (Nottingham Forest); Eric Cantona (Manchester United); Juninho (Middlesbrough).

those less-than outstanding performances

MARTYN

LEEDS UTD

HALL

SUNDERLAND

HENDRY

BLACKBURN

CALDERWOOD

TOTTENHAM

PEARCE

FOREST

WALLACE

LEEDS

MAGILTON

SOUTHAMPTON

PHILLIPS

FOREST

FLITCROFT

BLACKBURN

RUSH

LEEDS

DOWIE

WEST HAM

THE SEASON'S YELLOW AND RED CARDS

1 Southampton

11

2

2 Middlesbrough

16

1

3 Coventry City

10

1

4 Sunderland

10

1

PREMIERSHIP TEAM OF THE WEEK

Tony Coton

SUNDERLAND

Gary Neville

MANCHESTER UTD

Chris Perry

WIMBLEDON

David Unsworth

EVERTON

Clive Wilson

TOTTENHAM

Aljosa Asanovic

DERBY COUNTY

Emerson

MIDDLESBROUGH

Patrik Berger

LIVERPOOL

Eric Cantona

MANCHESTER UTD

Nick Barmby

MIDDLESBROUGH

Noel Whelan

COVENTRY CITY