Published: 9 February, 2012
by RICHARD OSLEY

IN times of turmoil and confusion and too many football news stories in one day for even the most devoted sucker to the Sky Sports tickertape to digest, columns like this need the stable things in life to steady the water.

Wednesday was one such sports news frazzle of a day where too much was happening for it all to make sense. We like what we know here – and over the years there has been nothing more settling in this increasingly desperate slot in the paper than a switcharoo joke.

So here goes…

“I see that Fabio Capello has resigned.

Well, it’s probably time for the giants of north London, the best team in north London, the great club of north London, to let their manager go and run England now. Yes. Let’s give the job to Arsene Wenger.”

Stop groaning.

I don’t get extra money to write this, y’know?

Yet, this time it’s not really a joke.

Everybody is enthusing about the idea of Harry Redknapp (officially not guilty of wheeling and dealing) becoming England’s number one.

But why not Arsene for England instead?

It would give him a lovely excuse to leave the Emirates without having to land a big trophy as a bye bye present.

He could simply say: “I would have stayed around and seen Theo Walcott win the Champions League, but how could I turn down England?“

It will be a wrench to say goodbye whenever he goes, but let him go and win the World Cup for England.

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