Football talk

The old guard on the Arsenal board are coming under increased scrutiny as takeover fever builds at Emirates Stadium. Sources close to Alisher Usmanov are already making noises about the oldfashioned approach and lack of young blood at a club dominated at senior level by veteran bosses. The sevenmen on Arsenal's board average 66 in age.
Managing director Keith Edelman is the baby at 57 while chairman Peter Hill-Wood is 71. Although the Russian billionaire has bought no direct influence for his 23 per cent stake, he is sure to make his views about the future direction of the business known at an upcoming meeting with the Arsenal hierarchy. For a company with a turnover of £200million, there are those in the City who also view the set-up as unusual. Eyebrows have been raised by the lack of a dedicated finance director.

Skinner is frank about Nathan

Comedian and West Brom fan Frank Skinner was in chipper mood during this week's gig at Watford Palace Theatre. He walked out on stage and said: "Thank you, thank you, thank you . . . for buying Nathan Ellington. Had I known you were interested in him, I'd have driven him down here myself earlier." The Duke was signed from the Baggies for £3.25million in August.

Barber cuts down London rival

Tottenham executive director Paul Barber was making mischief at the premiere of the club's 125th anniversary film last week. With Spurs set to become the latest Premier League side to feature in an Opus tribute book, Barber pointed out they were joining an elite that includes only Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. He claimed that another unnamed club were desperate to do one, but were overlooked because they did not have the same level of "history". Now, who could he have meant?

McCartney is hammered again

Following the mid-air scrap with Keith Gillespie, West Ham and Northern Ireland defender George McCartney has found other ways to irritate team-mates. "He wears the same clothes every day," according to Mark Noble, who also describes "George McCartney's breath" as the thing in life which scares him most.

B&Q bother follows May north

Cheeky Millwall fans believe they have discovered the truth behind out-of-form striker Ben May's loan move to Scunthorpe. An emailed map showing the location of the nearest B&Q store to Glanford Park has been circulated and reveals a "Mini-Warehouse" almost opposite the main stand. May was famously caught - alongside Portsmouth's Glen Johnson - trying to steal a lavatory seat from the DIY chain and Den regulars have not forgotten the panning he received.

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