Alex Song was earmarked as the next Patrick Vieira at Arsenal... now he has matured and grown into a star at West Ham

West Ham have been a revelation this season but there is one player who has been at the heart of it all. Alex Song is now the club’s main man and he has the rest of the team dancing to his tune.

Signing Song on loan was one of the most astute transfers of the summer. Plenty of Arsenal fans will be looking at him and asking: ‘Why isn’t he doing that job in our midfield?’ They have a point. Sam Allardyce saw a good opportunity and grabbed it.

After my final season at Arsenal I was invited back by the club to act as a mentor and was there when Song arrived. He was only 17 but he went straight into training with the first-team group. Along with Abou Diaby, he was earmarked as a potential successor to Patrick Vieira.

Song’s talent was obvious but he still needed a lot of work and Arsene Wenger is one of the best at developing young players.

The focus with Song was always passing. Wenger likes midfielders to open up their body and receive the ball on the half-turn, giving them the chance to glance over their shoulder before receiving the ball to feet.

I watched Song work to improve for hours with Boro Primorac, Wenger’s right-hand man and a real technician. He’d do extra drills between two backboards, passing the ball to himself and learning to open up his body. If you can keep a good body shape in midfield you can open up the whole game. Now West Ham are reaping the benefits.

He can receive the ball with one foot and pass with the other, which helps him see the bigger picture very early. He rarely takes more than two touches and that gets West Ham moving quickly. He is an excellent passer, too, a real side-foot specialist, so it’s no surprise West Ham average around 50 passes more per game this season compared to last.

He is stronger and more disciplined and it’s interesting to see the West Ham staff on the touchline asking him to sit deeper. At Arsenal he was like a wind-up toy. He charged around and quickly ran out of energy. Now he is more effective at managing that energy and realises the importance of staying back.

When he first arrived in England I wondered if he was more interested in the trappings of Premier League football. He was easily distracted by the things that were on offer — as soon as he realised he could get free boots he would have them delivered from all over and his locker was stuffed with freebies. It was partly immaturity but also suggested he wasn’t always focused.

When Barcelona came calling he was quick to give in to temptation. The allure of Barca was like Aladdin’s cave — prestige, titles, financial rewards.

That’s hard to turn down, but with the players Barca have it was always going to be difficult. Cesc Fabregas tried and failed so the warning signs were there — the grass is not always greener. When Fabregas and Robin van Persie left, Wenger let them go to further their careers. 

With Song, it was more of a disappointment. Arsenal invested a lot of time in him and hoped he would want to stay and repay them.

But he is loving life at West Ham. My sources tell me he’s been a breath of fresh air at the training ground. He arrives flamboyantly dressed and trains with a big grin on his face. The fans love what he brings to the team and he is more appreciated at Upton Park than he was at the Emirates or the Nou Camp.

He has matured, too. Where he used to try to catch the eye with his dyed hair, now he’s doing so with performances on the pitch.

If West Ham can afford him, Song faces a dilemma. Will another glittery move prise him away or will he stay put? He’s loved at Upton Park and could do far worse than to stay on song at West Ham.

What a great story for AFC Wimbledon to be drawn against Liverpool in the FA Cup. I played against the Crazy Gang many times, though often it was like playing a bunch of louts!

They would turn up at your ground with the ghetto blaster music blaring. They tried to make as much noise as they could to disrupt opponents.

It was like their battle cry to get into match mode but it never affected me.

In away games in their tunnel, you would line up and look across to see Vinnie Jones head-butting the toilet door and John Fashanu going through his martial arts routine.

If anything, that wound you up even more and you just thought, ‘Right. Let’s get it on!’

TAMISEMO WATOA MAELEKEZO NA UTARATIBU WA KUFUATA SIKU YA KUPIGA KURA

WIZARA ya tawala za mikoa na Serikali za Mitaa (TAMISEMI) imetoa utaratibu wa kufuata siku ya kupiga kura katika uchaguzi wa Serikali za Mitaa kwenye ngazi za vijiji,Mitaa, na Vitongoji.

Utaratibu huo utakaotumika katika siku ya upigaji kura,kuesabu na kutangaza matokeo, umeelekezwa na kufanunuliwa na kanuni za uchaguzi wa Serikali za Mitaa za Mwaka huu.

Hakitoa ufafanuzi juu ya utaratibu huo jana jijini Dar es Salaam,Katibu Mkuu wa Wizara hiyo Jumanne Sagin alisema wizara imelazimika kutoa ufafanuzi huo ili kufahamisha Wananchi njia za kufuata katika kupiga kura na kupunguza hali ya sintofahamu.

“Siku hiyo patakuwa na karatasi ya kura ambayo itaandaliwa na halmashauri husika ikiwa na jina la mgombea,jina la chama,Nembo ya halmashauri,na mpiga kura atatakiwa kutia alama ya vema katika kisanduku kilichoko chini ya nembo ya chama ili kuonesha kuwa amempigia mgombea aliyemtaka,”alisema Sagin.

Alisema utaratibu wa kupiga kura utaanza saa mbili (2:00) asubuhi hadi saa kumi jioni ambapo wapiga kura watakao kuwapo kituoni saa kumi (10:00) jioni wataruhusiwa kupiga kura hadi watakapokuwa wamemalizika.

Alisema Msimamizi Msaidizi atajirizisha kama jina la limeorodheshwa katika orodha ya wapiga kura na baadae ataitaji mpiga kura  kuwa na kitambulisho chochote kabla ya kupiga kura ili kumtambulisha yeye ni raia wa Tanzania.

“Ikiwa Mpiga kura hatakuwa na kitambulisho cha aina yeyote lakini jina lake likaonekana katika orodha ya wapiga kura iliyoandaliwa kwa mujibu wa kanuni za uchaguzi,Msimamizi huyo atamruhusu kupiga kura baada ya kutambuliwa na wakazi wa eneo hilo,”alisema Sagin

Akizungumzia katika Mikoa iliyofanya vizuri katika uandikishwa wa wapiga kura  Sagin alisema Dar es Salaam ni miongoni mwa mikoa iliyofanya vibaya katika zoezi hilo ikiwa na asilimia 43,halmashauri ya Wilaya ya Kilindi 21,Same 22.

Akizitaja Halmashauri zilizofanya vizuri ni Katavi asilimia 79, Kagera 78, Kilimanjaro 50, katavi 107,Babati 101.

Pia Sagin alisema kuwa siku ya jumapili Disemba 14  wapiga kura waliojiandikisha katika daftari la kupiga kura ni 11,491,661 ambao wanatarajiwa kupiga na kusisitiza kuwa wananchi  kujitokeza kupiga kura bila hofu ya usalama.

Ally McCoist offers to resign as Rangers manager after coming under pressure at Ibrox despite leading club from bottom tier

Rangers manager Ally McCoist is believed to have tendered his resignation although it is unclear exactly when he will be leaving the club.

The Ibrox boss has been under pressure after a string of poor results left Rangers nine points behind league leaders Hearts in their quest from promotion to Scotland's top flight.

Reports suggest McCoist, 52, is willing to step down at the end of the season but the Ibrox board may now negotiate a swift exit. 

The speculation came just hours before Friday's game against Queen of the South in Dumfries. 

Rangers declined to make any comment on McCoist's position on Friday afternoon, other than to confirm that he will be at Palmerston for tonight's game.

Crowd numbers have dwindled on the back of a season-ticket boycott sparked by anger over the current board's handling of the Glasgow giants.

But recent results - most notably the shocking Cup exit to part-time Alloa - has tipped many supporters over the edge.

Earlier this week, McCoist warned his players not to use the silence from the stands as an excuse.

He said: 'It's definitely a different stadium when the crowds are down.

'When I first went to Ibrox there were crowds of less than 10,000 and there is something eerie about it.

The crowds at Ibrox have fallen in recent weeks, despite Rangers lying second in the Championship

'Make no mistake about it, our players would much rather play in it when it is full to capacity.

'But whether it is 1,000 or 50,000, the job is still the same. The focus on getting results can't change and won't change.

'Every team can do more, no matter if it is Rangers or Real Madrid.

'We set out to win games and the best way to do that is to score goals and to play attractive football.'

Rangers had 36,000 season-ticket holders last season - but that figure has dropped to 17,000 this term.

McCoist was a real Ibrox favourite as a player, scoring 355 goals in all and was part of the Rangers team which won nine league titles in a row in the 1980s and 1990s. 

He took over the managerial reigns from Walter Smith in 2011 but the club were plunged into administration in his first season with Rangers deducted 10 points before finishing 20 behind their bitter rivals Celtic.

Worse was to follow, however, as the club was liquidated with the Rangers taki

Rangers celebrate winning the League One title last season as they took another step up the ladder

McCoist led his side to the title by a staggering 24 points but an even more facile victory was to follow as the League One title was won by a phenomenal 39 points the following year.

But Rangers' cup woes continued as they suffered an extra-time defeat to Raith Rovers in the Challenge Cup final. 

The club were among the favourites for promotion from the Championship, along with relegated Edinburgh duo Hearts and Hibs.

But supporters' criticism of his tactics and signings have increased this season in the wake of some poor performances and results.

Aside from defeats to Championship rivals Hearts and Hibernian, the Gers have failed to beat Alloa in three attempts, with the recent 3-2 Challenge Cup defeat to The Wasps - after blowing a two-goal lead - bringing McCoist's managerial abilities under even more intense scrutiny.

Arsenal are like a pack and when people attack Arsene Wenger, we come out fighting to defend our boss, says Olivier Giroud

Olivier Giroud’s assessment of Arsenal’s performance against Stoke last weekend is frank. He has just been watching the video nasty of the first-half capitulation and is not in the mood to make excuses.

‘Talent is not sufficient and every team needs to fight to be competitive,’ he said. ‘We had a lack of commitment and we have seen it on the video and we made mistakes like we are young players. We have seen it but we want to learn from them and not do it again.

‘We know that we are strong, we have a good squad, that we have a lot of qualities in the squad but without sometimes commitment. And maybe when you are not at 100 per cent sometimes, then you pay.’

It is a stark conclusion from one of the players who was part of that defeated team – he jokes that it was his ‘twin brother’ playing - though it is one with which few would argue. Since then, of course, there has been the 4-1 win at Galatasaray and on Saturday there is the clash with Newcastle, the team that ended Chelsea’s unbeaten start to the season as Arsenal were going down to Stoke.

But Arsenal’s defeat prompted unusually ugly scenes as the team boarded the train at Stoke to return to London, with players booed by their own fans and with an extraordinary amount of vitriol reserved for manager Arsene Wenger. So caustic and unpleasant was the incident that it shocked many, with Gary Lineker labelling it ‘disgustingly disrespectful.’

‘We heard the people, the supposed Arsenal fans criticise some of us, especially the boss,' said Giroud, emphasising he is talking about the small number of fans aiming the most offensive abuse at Wenger and not the majority of the travelling support.

‘It was sad. I’m not sure he deserved it. It’s always like that when you lose a game. You have to question yourself, of course. But you can’t say we have to change everything. He is the man for this situation and we aren’t even wondering if he is or not.’

Giroud says he understands the anger. ‘Of course, because they want us to win our games. We play for Arsenal and we are a big team and they quite demanding with us and we understand that they are disappointed as well. That’s why we want to show our strength and our reaction.’

Nevertheless, his point is that when the fans attack Wenger, he feels they attack the team. ‘We will show solidarity and answer on the pitch. It gives us more strength to fight together. We are a pack and when someone attacks the pack everyone wants to defend our interest and our team-mates, our boss.

‘We are all together. It was a really bad start at Stoke, especially when you are aware that we’re going to have a lot of duels in the air. It’s even more disappointing but for fans and for us, we will bounce back as soon as possible. We have a great opportunity to do it at home against Newcastle. We want to reach the top four as soon as possible.’

Every player at Arsenal of course owes Wenger because he signed them for or promoted them to the first team but Giroud insists that their loyalty run deeper than those ties, the relationship's more complex. ‘It’s not because he signed me that he is going to be kind with me. When I play well, he tells me but when I play s*** he tells me as well. There is no special treatment.’

But Giroud seems up for the fight. Arsenal fans and outside observers would clearly question whether this team can win the league with the frailties it showed at Stoke and now being 13 points off the lead.

The game against Newcastle is the club’s dedicated matchday to highlight the Arsenal Foundation's work

‘It’s never too late because there are two-thirds of the season to go, even if Chelsea had a fantastic start, Man City as well. We need to improve on certain points and that’s why we need to focus on our game and come back in the next one.

‘We’ve kept our best players for two or three years since I came. The fans wanted some more top players and the boss heard them and tried to bring in Mesut (Ozil) and Alexis (Sanchez) and the other signings. We all want to reach a high performance level and win some more trophies.

'That’s why it is a great beginning of a great story with the FA Cup win last year and the Community Shield. And this year we need time to build a great team but in the squad we have the quality and the quantity so I’m not worrying about our comeback.’

Of course, Giroud has been written off before. He is not one of football’s child stars, propelled into the limelight from a young age. 

He was deemed insufficiently good for Grenoble of the French second division and was farmed out to Istres on loan and then joined Tours, also lower league clubs. His manager at Grenoble, Mehmed Bazdarevic, once said that Giroud wasn’t good enough for the elite – and he meant France's second tier.

WENGER DEFENDS RECORD 

Having since won the French league with Montpellier, joined Arsenal, won the FA Cup and with 23 goals last season, including one for France in the World Cup finals, he has nailed that point. He laughs when the quote is brought up. 

‘I needed some time on the pitch so I decided to leave Grenoble, so he (Bazdarevic) was a bit angry and he said, “Yeah, anyway you want to leave - but you don’t have the level to play League One in France, even more in the second division.” But as a young player, I needed some time on the pitch and so I decided to leave the club.

‘When I won the league with Montpellier, he was coaching Sochaux and we won 3-1 and I scored a hat-trick. I said hello to him before the game – but I couldn’t find him afterwards! So yeah, it was motivation, and you need to show your mental strength on the pitch, It’s character, what you can show on the pitch - afterwards people can always comment but it doesn’t affect me.’

So he is ready for the battle for places now with Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck both signed in the summer to boost Arsenal’s attack, the latter immediately after he injured his ankle against Everton in August.

Giroud has to endure a three-month lay-off whilst Sanchez and Welbeck both impressed filling his spot. ‘I’m not worried about my place,’ he said. ‘It’s not about my place but what each player can bring to the team. 

'If I’m in good form I will play I’m sure and if I’m not doing well, I won’t play. It’s about what you can bring to the team, what you can bring to the big machine. I think we complement each other and we will all have a good role to play this season. We just need to be together and to face difficulties together.’

He grew up in the village of Froges, near Grenoble in the Rhone-Alpes region of France and the day of interview has been something of a throwback to his schooldays, with Giroud joining in a training session with pupils from St Mark’s School, which is within a long football punt of the Emirates Stadium.

Saturday’s game against Newcastle is the club’s dedicated matchday to highlight the work of the Arsenal Foundation for young people and the 3G football pitch at St Mark’s is one of 13 facilities part-funded by the club, which also runs after-school clubs. Giroud approaches the day’s duties with an enthusiasm which suggests he is quite at ease in the environment.

‘I never had a pitch like this at school,’ said Giroud. ‘We played on sand!’ Those days he supported Marseille but when he was 10 years old he and his classmates began to develop an affinity with a north London football club.

‘Of course, Arsenal was my favourite team in the Premier League,’ he said, recalling how Wenger was appointed manager in 1998 as Emmanuel Petit and Patrick Vieira inspired them to the double in 1998. ‘When I was young I used to look up to the Frenchies in Arsenal so it’s a great feeling to have reached Arsenal - and to be a Frenchie! The boss’s good work is really respected in France and you know that in signing for Arsenal you will improve yourself.’ 

Sometimes it is easy to forget just how revered Wenger is and what he has done

Olivier Giroud will join the manager and Arsenal team-mates in donating a day’s wages to The Arsenal Foundation at Arsenal’s dedicated charity matchday on Saturday. The Arsenal Foundation funds projects which give young people a chance to thrive.