VIDEO: Sir Alex and The "Stupid Question"

Sir Alex Ferguson is routinely thrust in front of the worlds media after games to answer questions from the journalists, and so over the 25 years he has been at Manchester United, you can imagine a good few questions have been asked of him. None though, were more "stupid" in his opinion than the one shown in the video below. 

A reporter asked who Sir Alex would sign from the Barcelona side which beat his on Saturday if he was given a blank cheque from the United owners in the summer. Basically, who would Sir Alex have from the Barcelona side if he could have only one. With the choice from the likes of Messi, Iniesta, Xavi and so on, the players regarded as the best in the world, Sir Alex ironically said "Mascherano", drawing laughs from his audience. 

The Manchester Untied manager was understandably frustrated after seeing his team beaten convincingly in the biggest game of his and United's season, so a question like that only tests his patience more. Whether planned or not, humour takes your mind off tough situations and is a tonic for mind and body. It is a tonic needed after that loss. 

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Liverpool Bag Defender and Midfielder

£10.7 Million Replacement

Roy Hodgson moved quickly to strengthen his squad after the departure of Javier Mascherano by quickly using the funds from his sale to invest in a replacement. A more attacking one at that, but one who will give good support to the attacking players like Torres, Gerrard and Cole in Raul Meireles.

The Portugese midfielder played well in the World Cup alongside fellow countryman Cristiano Ronaldo, so he is no stranger to playing with quality players. And now he has the chance to prove his worth at Liverpool, as he tries to live up to the £10.7 million that Liverpool have splashed out on him. The Portugese came from FC Porto who wanted to make some money out of him now, worrying that, with only two years left on his contract, that he could go for a free in two years time.

Konchesky

The spending for Liverpool doesn't stop there, as Paul Konchesky will undergo a medical to join Liverpool over the week-end. Hodgson confirmed that he had spoken to his former player earlier in the week, and with Fulham already prepared to let him go after bringing in a replacent yestarday in Carlos Salcedo, the move seems inevitable.

All Liverpool need now is a striker. With the only real established striker at the club being Fernando Torres, with David N'gog still learning, Liverpool still need a quality finisher in backup for some extra fire power. Reports suggest that this could be Carlton Cole of West Ham.

If Players Refuse to Play, Clubs should Refuse to Pay.

Refusing to play: Mascherano

Football clubs and the F.A should come down much harder on these players who refuse to play for their clubs in the hope that they can encourage a move to another club which will make them, and their agents more money. Some football players must understand that they are owned by their football club, and they are under contract to them, and so when they are available to play a match, and they are picked, then they have no choice but to do as their clubs say.

However, with the recent transfer story involving Barcelona and Javier Mascherano of Liverpool, this was not the case. Mascherano refused to play for his club last week in the hope that his little "strike" would be noticed, and he would get his wish and move away from the club. With news today that Liverpool have now agreed to let Mascherano hold talks with Barcelona over a possible move, he has gotten what he wants. Surely this only encourages more players like Mascherano to do wrong and refuse to play in the hope of moving to another club.

Mascherano is not the only player of recent weeks to do this either. The Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic also refused to play in the hope that he could make a move to Chelsea possible. In addition, Hatem Ben Arfa of Marseille is presently refusing to play for the French club because he wants to play for Newcastle. In my opinion, it seems like most moves like this are mainly money related. Harry Redknapp said that when players do this it is usually down to the agents wanting more money and suggesting the player use tactics like these to fuel a move for more lucrative deals.

If a player wants to move to another club, he should go about it in a more mature manner. It seems so immature and a bit of a disgrace for them to just say "Well I won't play until I get what I want" like a spoilt little brat. And frankly, if I was an owner or a manager, I wouldn't pay them their wages and would fine them on top of that for refusing to play. If they are fit and able to play, and get picked for the team but refuse, why should they be payed for doing nothing?