Sir Trevor Brooking is one of the nice guys of English football and Joey Barton well, isn't.
Brooking has been the FA's director of football development since 2003, but this year commented he still believes it will take five years for England's senior team to become competitive for trophies.
England's approach to player development has been a talking point across the board at all levels for years, once again being raised during the international break.
Stuart Pearce criticised several players who could have played for the under-21s this summer, but elected not to step down.
QPR's ever controversial figure Joey Barton waded into the debate, making Brooking his target, demanding he be axed.
"What has Big Trevor Brooking been doing for the last 10 yrs? Surely there are only so many dinners and golf days, a man can attend?
"Time for an overhaul Greg. Clear out the freeloaders. Starting with Brooking. Implement some form of elite coaching development programme.
"Brooking is clearly an honourable man who feels there is more work to be done and will not want to walk away from it. New FA chairman Greg Dyke will likely have his own ideas, but will know that firing an England legend like Sir Trevor when it may not be justified could backfire into a PR disaster."
Changing the subject - just a little bit - Football Association chairman Greg Dyke will push for a change to disciplinary rules after the body's decision not to take action against Chelsea striker Fernando Torres for scratching Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen.
Although the FA altered its rules in the summer to make it easier to take retrospective action using video evidence, it was unable to charge Torres as part of the incident had been seen by a match official.
Dyke admitted that the current position "can't be right" and needs further change.
He told the Leaders in Football conference at Stamford Bridge: "When millions of fans watching on TV can see an incident like this and the FA does not take action it is understandably baffling to everybody and has to be addressed.
"For the FA's disciplinary department to find itself in a position where it is not able to take action against an obvious scratch just can't be right.
"What this means is, despite the rules being changed in the summer, they clearly weren't changed enough.
"As FA chairman I don't like to be in a position where I cannot explain the rules when action should be taken when something is pretty obvious."
Dyke's comments will no doubt please Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas, who was infuriated by the FA's lack of action against Torres.
While the Spaniard was eventually sent off for two yellow cards later in the 1-1 draw, the Spurs boss branded the inability to act on the incident with Vertonghen "disgraceful" and "farcical".
Villas-Boas: "It's extremely difficult to know where to start.
"Obviously, it is almost a farcical decision. It doesn't matter to me which player or club is involved.
"Neither do I want to with my words put into question Fernando's integrity; neither their manager's, in trying to defend what is our position.
"I think the FA has made a decision almost a joke. It looks incredible.
"How can you see the images, pretty clear, and come out without punishment, on something [which] overtake all professional behaviour?
"I think the decision is a disgrace. If the committee can't solve such clear images I don't think it sets out a good first example and we're not asking nobody to retract themselves; the player to retract themselves. That would not be fair.
"This is a competition and in the end they came up with what they thought was fair for that. We don't want Fernando suspended because it can make them weaker, because their bench is so strong, but I think the FA has lost all opportunity to put some sense into the images everybody saw.
"I'm extremely grateful for ex-refs to be able to enlighten people a little bit more, though I think most of you guys saw the incident as something that is not tolerable in football."
Kinnear - Villain Or Hero For Keeping Cabaye?
PLEASE VOTE
Yohan Cabaye has suggested Newcastle United's director of football Joe Kinnear is the reason why his summer switch to Arsenal did not take place.
And let's clear this up - Cabaye was the subject of a £10m bid from the Gunners on the FRIDAY before the MONDAY Premier League opener at Manchester City. Not on the eve of the match as Alan Pardew claims.
The Frenchman not only refused to play in that fixture, but refused to play against Fulham and the Capital One Cup trip to Morecambe as he attempted to drive through a move to the Emirates.
Arsenal opted to break the British transfer record to land Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid instead of offering the £20m asking price Newcastle wanted.
Speaking yesterday ahead of France’s friendly with Australia on Friday, Cabaye refused to discuss his reasons for not playing for Newcastle – while hinting Kinnear knows more.
The Newcastle midfielder said: “I won’t explain about that today (strike in the summer at Newcastle), it is not for me to answer, I don’t want to talk about it. This is a press conference for the national team.
“It is already over, the only person who could talk about (what happened in the summer) is Joe Kinnear, it will never leave my mouth.”
PLEASE VOTE ON KINNEAR:
http://www.newcastleunited-mad.co.uk/interactive/voting_polls.asp
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NEWCASTLE UNITED 2013/14
PREMIER LEAGUE
CARDIFF CITY 1 NEWCASTLE 2 (Remy 2)
Krul, Debuchy, Williamson, Coloccini, Santon, Tiote, Cabaye (86' Ben Arfa), Gouffran, Sissoko, Remy (71' Gutierrez), Cisse
Subs: Anita, Yanga-Mbiwa, Elliot, Sammy Ameobi, Dummett
EVERTON 3 NEWCASTLE 2 (Cabaye, Remy)
Krul, Debuchy, Yanga-Mbiwa (46' Williamson), Coloccini, Santon, Tiote, Anita (69' Cisse), Ben Arfa (46' Cabaye), Sissoko, Gouffran, Remy
Subs: Elliot, Obertan, Sammy Ameobi, Dummett
NEWCASTLE 2 HULL CITY 3 (Remy 2)
Krul, Debuchy (86' Tiote), Yanga-Mbiwa, Coloccini, Santon, Cabaye (62' Gouffran), Anita, Sissoko, Ben Arfa, Cisse (73' Marveaux), Remy
Subs: Williamson, Elliot, Sammy Ameobi, Dummett
ASTON VILLA 1 NEWCASTLE 2 (Ben Arfra, Gouffran)
Krul, Debuchy, Coloccini, Yanga-Mbiwa, Santon, Anita (74' Tiote), Cabaye (88' Sammy Ameobi), Ben Arfa, Sissoko, Remy (63' Gouffran), Cisse
Subs: Elliot, Marveaux, S Taylor, Dummett
NEWCASTLE 1 FULHAM 0 (Ben Arfa)
Krul, Debuchy, Yanga-Mbiwa, Coloccini, Santon, Ben Arfa, Sissoko, Anita 65' (Cabaye), Marveaux 74' (Remy), Shola Ameobi 65' (Gouffran), Cisse
Subs: Gosling, Elliot, Sammy Ameobi, Dummett
NEWCASTLE 0 WEST HAM 0
Krul, Debuchy, Yanga-Mbiwa, Coloccini, Santon, Ben Arfa, Sissoko, Anita, Marveaux 66' (Sammy Ameobi), Shola Ameobi, Cisse 72'
Subs: Gosling, Bigirimana, Elliot, Vuckic, Dummett
MAN CITY 4 NEWCASTLE 0
Krul, Debuchy, Coloccini, S Taylor, Yanga-Mbiwa, Sissoko, Tiote, Gouffran 45+4' (Dummett), Ben Arfa 65' (Sammy Ameobi), Gutierrez 44' (Anita), Cisse
Subs: Elliot, Marveaux, Shola Ameobi, Obertan
LEAGUE CUP
NEWCASTLE 2 LEEDS UTD 0 (Cisse, Gouffran)
Krul, Debuchy, Williamson, Coloccini, Dummett, Gouffran (90' Vuckic), Anita (80' Gosling), Tiote, Marveaux, Sammy Ameobi, Cisse (71' Obertan).
Subs: Ben Arfa, Yanga-Mbiwa, Bigirimana, Alnwick
MORECAMBE 0 NEWCASTLE 2 (Shola Ameobi, Sammy Ameobi)
Elliot, Debuchy, Yanga-Mbiwa, Good, Dummett, Bigirimana, Gosling, Marveaux 88' (Sissoko), Vuckic 46' (Shola Ameobi), Sammy Ameobi, Gouffran 71' (Ben Arfa)
Subs: Santon, Anita, Alnwick, Streete