The phenomenon of twitter has been with us a while and don’t the footballers know it. We’re midway through the January transfer window and there’s not been a great deal of movement so what better way to get noticed than to write something on twitter? It’s not a new trend as Sunderland hot shot Darren Bent vented his frustration at Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy via the social networking site. It did ultimately benefit him as it helped him engineer a move away from Spurs to the Black Cats where he rejuvenated his career.

Bent later came out and apologised for his antics. However the damage was done, but what it did do was get him noticed and get people thinking about him again. His comments echoed that of a bored teenager…’“Seriously getting p***** off now,” that was Bent’s first post of the saga. That instantly got people’s attention and the plot thickened. Bent became slightly red faced but more for his use of language than the manner in which he had expressed his feelings. In the midst of the speculation and transfer dealings Bent got his wish which was as he put it on his twitter…

“Sunderland are not the problem in the slightest,” there then followed more stringent criticism of Levy. “Do I wanna go Hull City NO. Do I wanna go Stoke NO do I wanna go sunderland YES so stop f****** around Levy [sic].”

Mr Levy certainly got the message and not long after the England striker got his wish and headed North. His reputation at Tottenham in tatters but hey ho!

Bent’s bullish attitude was an eye opener for fans as they saw into the mindset of a footballer…  We all kick up a fuss but most of us don’t get the exposure such as that of Bent. Ryan Babel of Liverpool is the latest star to have his say on the social network medium. He’s has endured a torrid time at Anfield over the past two years and not many would blame him for feeling a little aggrieved.

The Dutch winger was left out of the Red’s team for Saturday’s game at Stoke City and he let us know through twitter… "The boss left me out. No explanation," said Babel.

Oh dear…All is not well but it went on and he left Rafael Benitez a thought to ponder as he said... "One day, you will see what I'm capable off (sic), will it be at LFC or somewhere else...I have faith." Speculation has been rife that Babel is off in the January transfer window. Birmingham City have tabled bids and had them rejected. Poor Babel’s been touted off here there and everywhere and has been the latest subject of a swap deal for Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones.

Has Ryan Babel played his last game for Liverpool? Who knows and only time will tell. From his tweets he shows passion and belief in his ability and with a World Cup coming up he needs to be playing to the best of his ability. The former Ajax player’s got our attention, maybe not for the right reasons but he’s put himself in the shop window.

It seems that Twitter is becoming a very powerful selling tool and the Premier League stars are fast catching on. Clearly Twitter has its uses, especially if a player is feeling neglected or frustrated. But does it do their reputation more harm than good…

Written By Joe Mainland