So whether it’s team mates coming to blows, the paparazzi snapping players boozing it up or just stupid and bizarre actions, they make it onto the list. What didn’t make it was the England WAGS from the 2006 World Cup, they reportedly distracted the players during the tournament and although it wasn’t the players misbehaving themselves, they nearly made it into the top ten. Also, quite a few people recommended Cristiano Ronaldo photographed in speedo’s as a criminal activity, but again it failed to make the ten below…..

Click on Gazza below to see the Top TEN!

Compiled by Matt Freebody

The new man at West Ham has begun this new chapter in an all too familiar and controversial fashion. A recent homophobic outburst on Twitter means he joins an ever-expanding list of professional sportsmen who have fallen foul of the social networking site.

The advent of Twitter has created a platform for direct communication with leading sports stars across the globe. The growing popularity and social significance of the site has enabled users to gain an unprecedented insight into the daily routine of the Premier League’s elite. Whilst this appears beneficial, there is an undeniable truth that these players will inevitably fail to meet our high expectations.

The problem with Twitter, for footballers at least, is that there’s no filter guarding the content they choose to reveal. There’s no PR guru standing beside them handing out carefully crafted scripts of 140 characters, which is evident from the woeful level of spelling and grammar on display. Twitter essentially creates a face-to-face confrontation, which is what makes it so dangerous.

Sarcastic comments, tongue in cheek remarks or full-blown rants on mediums like Twitter are often instantly regretted. The words are permanently etched into the fabric of the Internet, serving as a constant reminder of past indiscretions, like an ex-girlfriend with a photographic memory.

Although Morrison quickly deleted his derogatory tweet, issued in response to an insult he’d received, the damage was already done and the FA have given him until Monday to explain his behaviour. What seems abundantly clear is that drastic action is needed, both by the player and the respective authorities.

On the surface, Morrison appeared to be revelling in a modern day rags to riches tale. Having grown up on a council estate in Wythenshawe, Manchester he was spotted by former United coach Phil Brogan and signed a professional deal on his 17th birthday. He was quickly earmarked as a gifted individual and was said to be one of the best players to come through the ranks since Ferguson’s ‘golden generation’.

Despite only featuring for United during three individual League Cup appearances, Morrison showcased his limitless potential during their impressive FA Youth Cup triumph in 2011. A quick glance on YouTube will reveal the lightning feet and deft touches that have seen him hailed as the next Paul Scholes but perhaps Paul Gascoigne is a more fitting comparison, given their similar unsettled social life.

Morrison’s career has been blighted by a series of off-the-field problems, and upon Morrison’s exit from Old Trafford, Ferguson revealed:

“…he’s better out of Manchester. He’s got a great talent but how to deal with that is important.” (Telegraph)

Perhaps the relocation to the bright lights of London will provide a humbling experience for the youngster and allow him to leave his troubled past behind him.

At West Ham he has a boss famed for his no-nonsense attitude to management, which will make it difficult for him to step out of line. Sam Allardyce is often credited with the revival of Joey Barton’s career after signing the fellow prominent Twitter user whilst at Newcastle. If Morrison has left United seeking guidance then it does raise the question why didn’t he look for it closer to home? Ferguson’s substantial influence on the careers of Roy Keane and Wayne Rooney are well documented.

Allardyce might see Morrison as the key to convincing Hammers fans that beautiful, attacking football is once again returning to Upton Park. Despite enjoying a successful start to his Championship campaign, there is an underlining concern that his direct style of play isn’t suited to a club of West Ham’s traditions. Nevertheless, should Morrison get the chance to showcase his creative flair then those murmurs of discontent will soon disappear.

Morrison can learn a lot from the likes of Mario Balotelli and Adel Taarabt, proof that there is room in football for eccentric and often controversial characters. There is also evidence here of what lies in store for him should he refuse to change his ways, with both players repeatedly falling out of favour at their respective clubs. It remains vital that he continues to grow as a person as well as a footballer.

At just nineteen years of age, journalists should be touting his potential on the back pages rather than condemning him into the football abyss. It’s time for Ravel Morrison to put his head down, keep his mouth shut and let his feet do the talking.

Join me on Twitter @theunusedsub where I’ll be trying not to post images of Howard Webb in a United shirt or criticise Daniel Levy for blocking my move to Sunderland.

The standard of football between the two divisions has improved vastly over the last several seasons and this season sees the quality of the Championship as good as it ever has been. In defence of these players, there is of course a higher standard of football despite the dip in margin. For example, strikers are up against better teams and while they might have got 10 chances per game in the Football League, they may only get the odd few in the Prem.

So what unfortunate ten make my top ten list of players who are Championship rather than Premier League quality? Find out below…

Click on Routledge below to see the Top TEN

Dowie feels West Ham have got an excellent player on their hands and believes that in Sam Allardyce he has the right manager to get the best out of him:

“If you’d said to me 18 months ago that a Championship side were going to sign Ravel Morrison, I would have been incredulous. But he has had a difficult time, got distracted on and off the pitch. Sir Alex must feel he needs to go away from Manchester to ply his trade. His contract was running down so they made a decision, and I’m sure there will be some add-ons in there.

“The lad’s got to play football and make the most of his god-given talent. The first time I saw him about a year and a half ago he was absolutely magnificent. Since then he has been less effective, but I hope the penny drops because he’s got bucketloads of talent.

“I think it’s a good situation for him, as Sam has a good record of getting the best out of potentially difficult players. He’s got great vision and ability on the ball – hopefully he will start playing regularly and we will talk about Ravel Morrison for the right reasons.”

For more insight from Iain Dowie and other leading managers plus exclusive Barclays Premier League highlights go to www.yahoo.co.uk/sport

Here is a countdown of ten players who in any normal circumstances might have asked to be substituted as a result of their injuries, but stayed on to fight for the cause. Some were ultimately successful, some not so, however all ten can be said to have put in remarkable performances despite their injury problems and setbacks.

Click on Terry Butcher below to see the Top TEN

Now, not many of us actually know Premier League players on a personal level, but we can pretty much garner all we need to know about someone from their attitude on the pitch. Some players such as Paul Scholes for example, will never be truly hated, which is somewhat surprising considering he’s fouled every single Premier League player at least twice, because they just get on with the game in a quiet manner. However for every Paul Scholes, there’s a Robbie Savage, the sort of player that even some of his own fans struggle to find a fondness for. Here’s my own personal Premier League XI made up of players you’d rather glass, than have a pint with.

Click on William Gallas below to see the Most Hated Premier League XI of all time

Compiled by Justin Mottershead

Click on Steven Pienaar to see ten of the more intriguing deals of the January transfer window

A series of early international tournament exits in the last year have placed question marks over the quality of English footballers. Unsurprisingly, the finger of blame has yet again been pointed at the system responsible for developing young players. Zarif Rasul investigates the English youth development system.

THE diminutive young Nigerian Olarenwaju Kayode skips down the left-hand side of England’s box, and whips a superb ball across the face of Jack Butland’s goal. The ball eludes almost everyone and lands at the grateful feet of Edafe Egbedi, who duly smashes home. Fifty-two minutes gone, and Nigeria lead England 1-0 at the Centenario de Armenia stadium in their FIFA Under-20 World Cup 2011 last-sixteen clash.

Despite the valiant attempts of Blackpool winger Matt Phillips, Nigeria hold onto their advantage for the remaining 38 minutes and dump England out of the tournament. England coach Brian Eastick bemoans the failure of clubs to release eligible players, but admits that his side’s performances in Colombia, which failed to see them score a single goal in four outings, are indicative of failure.

The Under-20s were not the only group of young Lions to follow in the underwhelming footsteps of the senior side. Seven weeks earlier, and less than a year after England’s 4-1 humbling at the hands of Germany in South Africa, Stuart Pearce’s highly-touted Under-21 side left Denmark having failed to make it out of the group stage of the European Under-21 Championship.

This recent run of ignominious international tournament exits has sparked another witch-hunt to find the scapegoat responsible for England’s failures. And yet again, critics have been quick to point to the perceived technical inadequacies of English players and flaws within the youth development system.

Overplayed and under-coached

The current system, which has been in place since 1998, is drawn from Howard Wilkinson’s landmark 1997 report Charter for Quality. As Technical Director at the FA, Wilkinson was commissioned to undertake a comprehensive review of the existing youth development structure at the time. This review laid the foundations for the Charter.

During the 1990s, concerns had developed over the amount of coaching contact time and playing time young footballers were engaged in. Wilkinson says that dealing with these problems was a key priority.

“Youth development in professional clubs was confined to the then Centres of Excellence. Some of them would be very lucky to get to a Centre of Excellence [for coaching] for about an hour and a half a week.

“The best players at 15 years old, would be playing over 100 games a season because as well as being registered with, say, Tranmere Rovers’ Centre of Excellence, or Liverpool’s Centre of Excellence, they would also be playing for their school, their district, their county and the national team.”

Playing too many competitive matches was seen to be detrimental to the development of young footballers.

Ben Marskell, an ex-professional footballer who enjoyed spells with Brentford and Luton in the 1990s, was forced into early retirement due to a series of recurring injuries. As a youth player Ben trained with Chelsea and Aston Villa, and was considered one of the best defenders in the country. Now running his own soccer school in West London, he describes the rigorous playing schedule that elite youth players often had to adhere to.

“Sometimes, I would have to play three matches a day. I’d go from one pitch to the next – because when you’re a good player, everyone wants a piece of you, and you just get stretched and pulled each way,” he explained.

He believes that overplaying as a teenager eventually caught up with him and forced him to retire early.

“Overuse injuries made me stop. It wasn’t one injury that finished me, it was an accumulation of injuries. I would probably be playing at the top level now if I hadn’t had those injuries.”

A Charter for Quality

Wilkinson’s report, which he wrote soon after he joined the FA, revolutionised the youth development landscape and gave birth to Academies.

“The Charter for Quality was about creating more and more effective coaching time, and more quality practice and quality playing time,” he said.

“And to do that we had to get rid of the FA rule that allowed schools priority over talented footballers. Academies were the vehicle to deliver those principles.”

Having looked at several continental models, including successful methods employed by Dutch giants Ajax, Wilkinson also sought to lower the age at which clubs worked with players.

“Ajax were churning out hundreds of great players. They’d be finishing school early, being bussed in and bussed home three, four, five times a week,” he said.

“In Holland they believed in boys staying at home and being bussed in, and therefore the Dutch were effectively looking at a much earlier age. They were bussing kids into Ajax at 11.”

After being appointed manager at Leeds United in 1988, Wilkinson introduced changes to the way in which young players were developed at Elland Road, changes which influenced his later work with the FA.

“When I joined Leeds they were typical of other clubs, so I outlined my ideas to the chairman to develop what I called a ‘training centre’. The idea was to increase practice time by having boys living near, and we did that at Leeds.

“By the time I left Leeds and joined the FA [in 1996], I’d seen my ideas on youth development start to take shape. Consequently, my ideas had not just been a hypothesis.”

Wilkinson’s changes at Leeds resulted in a string of high quality players, such as Ian Harte, Alan Smith and Harry Kewell, making Leeds’ first team. All three players featured in the club’s memorable run to the semi-final of the Champions League in 2001.

It is thought that Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was relatively keen to keep hold of Morrison, but the opportunity for first team football proved too strong for the youngster. The attacking midfielder is sure to please the Upton Park faithful with his style of football, but his development mentally will be just as important as time on the pitch. If all goes to plan for club and player then Morrison will be back in the Premier League next year plying his trade at the highest level with the Hammers.

Over the past 12 months dozens of youngsters have come through and made their Premier League debuts and gone on to make a real impact in the greatest league in the world. The likes of Kyle Walker, Martin Kelly, Daniel Sturridge and Steven Caulker are just a few names that spring to mind as having a terrific 12 months breaking into first team squads.

2012 is set to top that with a promising group of youngsters starting to make a name for themselves in and around the youth system that has put them on the edge of a first team call up. With Euro 2012 on the horizon it may be too soon for any of these teenagers to make the plane, but with a new England manager set to take over after Ukraine and Poland an impressive six months from now on could impress the new boss.

Every club loves seeing one of their youth players coming into the first team and making an impression. More often than not they seem to put in more effort than the established stars and always get the crowd on their side. Here is a look at the top ten youngsters looking to 2012 as their breakthrough year.

Click on Tom Carroll to unveil the top 10

Have I missed a player at your club? Let me know on Twitter: @Brad_Pinard

FREE football app that pays you CASH