Football Talk

Ramos may be heading down the wrong street in a Porsche
Juande Ramos celebrated Tottenham's Carling Cup success over Arsenal and their improved form with a visit to the Porsche Centre in Mayfair. The Spurs manager was spotted with a pal perusing the new models at the German manufacturer's Berkeley Square showroom on Monday. The omens, however, do not look good for Ramos should Porsche prove to be his chosen motor vehicle. Axed predecessor, Martin Jol, also drove a Porsche after being given the car as a 49th birthday gift by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy. The present later became a source of discord between Jol and his boss because the Dutchman failed to properly thank Levy for the generous gesture.

Lenny's fowl play on Facebook
Millwall goalkeeper Lenny Pidgeley may have been told to find a new club but at least he hasn't lost his sense of perspective. On learning of manager Kenny Jackett's decision after the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest, the former Chelsea trainee changed the status on his Facebook page to: "Lenny is P45..." His girlfriend, meanwhile, seemed more concerned with other matters, asking elsewhere on the entry: "Can we have KFC tonight?"

Vilified Amy turns into a Villain
Given her upbringing in the north London suburb of Southgate, singer Amy Winehouse could be expected to be a fan of either Tottenham or Arsenal. So it was a surprise to see the troubled star sporting an Aston Villa pendant in photographs this week. Her spokesman does not know if she is a true fan, but the move may mend fences with some of the Birmingham public after Winehouse was booed during a shambolic concert at the National Indoor Arena in November.

Drogba drops hint about Milan
It's the African Nations' Cup so tradition dictates it's also time to speculate on Didier Drogba's future and, not surprisingly, the Ivory Coast striker is playing along. Asked by a fan on his official website about his passion for football computer games, Drogba replied mischievously: "We do a lot of tournaments with the other Chelsea players. I often play as AC Milan."

Benson gets a dressing down
Roots Hall does not strike most visitors as the smartest of grounds but Southend have adopted a strict dress code, as Dagenham striker Paul Benson found to his cost.
A friend of Shrimpers manager Steve Tilson, Benson had directors' box tickets for the FA Cup tie with Barnsley only to be refused entry to the VIP area for wearing jeans. Football journalists covering matches at the ground have also been reminded of the denim ban as the press facilities are close to the directors' suite. Rulebreakers provoke a letter of complaint to their editors.

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