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Whoever thought up John Terry’s latest injury is a genius. Maybe he is really carrying a knock, although I hope it’s just a clever way of avoiding the stupidity of this weekend’s hysteria—or as the Premier League/FA/those-who-have-nothing-better-to-do have dubbed it, the necessary pre-match handshake.

Where are we going with this whole handshaking malarkey? Isn’t football supposed to be about tribalism and us against them? In fact, every team sport carries that weight of us against them, so why try to muddy those boundaries with a pre-game handshake? What good is going to come from forcing John Terry and Anton Ferdinand to exchange in something formal and gentlemanly following their history? Its as pointless as what happened with Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra last season and with Wayne Bridge and Terry a few years back at Stamford Bridge. Remember how eagerly and childishly those cameras focused on what would happen between two former friends; the bonds of a great alliance now broken, or something equally dramatic.

Why do we need it? Hugs and kisses right before a Champions League game isn’t necessary. If you’ve got mates on the other team (as Cesc Fabregas did when he represented Arsenal during their ties with Barcelona) then leave all of that for afters. Go out, have a drink, catch up, but that time before the game should be a period of focus for what’s important. Football will roll out the same old story about respecting the game, but it’s a real mugging of those ideals when five-minutes later tackles are flying in and studs are showing. Hasn’t football made a mockery of itself enough without the added tension of handshakes and the useless swapping of shirts, pennants, girlfriends, and whatever else we can throw onto the pile.

American sports don’t do it, because somewhere along the lines they realised that there is no use for pleasantries right before a battle. Imagine the Auburn Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide lining up for a handshake just moments before they get ready to take each others heads off in a college football game. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers hate each other, as do the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys. Do sports fans mingle with each other and talk about the good times prior to a game? No, they’re separated by a 10 tanks and rows of armed guards. But football will want to act as the peacekeeper and portray good role models. Certainly some footballers do live a reasonably respectful lifestyle, but what about the rest? Those calls for respect and good feelings were thrown out the window last night after the seventh round of shots.

We don’t need it. Football really needs to find a way to re-establishing the difference between two teams and not try and force something that isn’t there. Why should Aaron Ramsey have to be faced with Ryan Shawcross, why should Wayne Bridge have to dread that weekend where he’ll be forced to think of a way to avoid contact with Terry? If players want to engage with people on the other team, then there’s that short time following the final whistle. Some choose to head straight down the tunnel (the unsociable, miserable lot) while others use it to find that good ground between countrymen and former team-mates. That is where handshakes are acceptable and the only time they’re necessary.

It’s not just about avoiding the circus that surrounds racism and un-Christian acts, but it’s about rivalry and competition. Football’s governing bodies, however, really don’t seem to look at it that way. They seem to love the built up hysteria and the excitement of what will happen when two blokes who hate each other are forced to face one another. It seems the only explanation. Of course, individuals aren’t bigger than the sport as a whole, but don’t allow those comparisons and arguments to come up. If the FA were in the right frame of mind to scrap the handshake the last time Chelsea and QPR met, they obviously see the damage it can do. From here on, do the right thing and get rid of it for good.

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According to reports in the Daily Mail, Newcastle United are interested in signing West Bromwich Albion defender Craig Dawson after the Baggies’ relegation to the Championship was confirmed on Tuesday night.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the west Midlands outfit could have taken their incredible battle to survival to the final day had Swansea City and Southampton drawn at the Liberty Stadium on Tuesday night, but Manolo Gabbiadini’s second-half goal saw Darren Moore’s men go down on the day he picked up the Premier League Manager of the Month award for April.

The Daily Mail says that Dawson will be a transfer target for a number of top flight clubs – including Celtic – this summer, with the Magpies already plotting a £15m move for the versatile 28-year-old.

How has Dawson done this season?

While it has clearly been a tough campaign for West Brom seeing as they have dropped into the Championship, the 28-year-old has been one of their most consistent performers.

He has played 27 Premier League matches in total – including five appearances at centre-back in recent weeks where the club picked 11 points from a possible 15 and kept clean sheets against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur – and he has kept captain Jonny Evans out of the side since Moore took over.

The versatile defender has shown his strength in the air and his ability to put his body on the line for his team, and it no surprise that a number of Premier League clubs could be taking a look at him this summer.

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Would he be a good signing for Newcastle?

He certainly would be, and one that the St James’ Park faithful, who have reacted on Twitter to the club’s reported interest in Stoke City midfielder Joe Allen, would soon take on as a fans’ favourite.

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While the likes of Ciaran Clark and Florian Lejeune, who would feel particularly hard done by if the 28-year-old signs, have done well alongside captain Jamaal Lascelles this season, Dawson may well prove to be an upgrade and the perfect partner for the skipper because of the defensive qualities he would bring to the backline.

The fact that he is also a big danger in the opposition box – he has 12 goals in 179 appearances for the Baggies – would be a huge boost, and to get a player that is equally as comfortable playing as a centre-back or a right-back for £15m is an opportunity that Newcastle can’t afford to miss out on.

Albert Einstein once defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. And thus, everybody expects the England U21 manager inquisition; that traditional autopsy after every Junior Lions failing at a major tournament, where every selection, tactical decision, team performance and result is dissected and scrutinised.

During summer 2013, Stuart Pearce became the scapegoat for England’s elimination from the U21 Euros in Israel and now Gareth Southgate is sitting at home, hoping the press don’t turn up in a linguistic lynch mob to make him the villain of yet another abysmal campaign.

Not that England’s recurring lack of success at virtually every age group can be put down to the person in the dugout. The seniors’ last – and only trophy – was 49 years ago, and the U21s haven’t lifted the European Championship since the 1980s. Clearly our national game’s problems stem intrinsically deeper.

Yet, after so many years of international ineptness, perhaps it’s time the FA did something they’ve never dared to before – appoint a foreign manager to the U21s.

It’s time to face some cold, hard truths. Firstly, that the current dearth of top class English coaches is arguably a bigger issue than the apparent limits of our players. At the end of last season, just nine Premier League managers were English, three of which were relegated, three of which have since been sacked, and only two of which finished in the top half.

Roy Hodgson was deemed an underwhelming appointment by many but was – and probably still is – the best option available, and the FA picked up Southgate for the U21 gig after spending four years unemployed. Home-grown managers haven’t produced silverware for decades and barring the odd miracle worker like Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe, the current crop is arguably worse than ever before.

Sceptics will argue a foreign manager wouldn’t have enough knowledge of English players or of our national game. But wait a minute… isn’t our national game the problem?

Many lament the overbearing power of the Premier League, the continual dependency on cheap foreign talent, the increasingly high stakes involved and consequentially, the limited opportunities for younger players. Yet, in my opinion, there’s no debate that the way we coach and play football in this country, from U10s to senior level, from Sunday League to the Premier League, is fundamentally wrong.

Basketball-paced, dangerously open top flight games can provide entertainment to the level of no counterpart across the world, but that shared philosophy continually limits England’s capabilities on the international stage.

Even lesser nations like Croatia, Switzerland and Algeria are comfortable keeping possession for lengthy spells; the Three Lions’ attempts to hold onto the ball consists of a series of laboured passes across the backline before someone inevitably whacks the ball 70 yards, in the hope Wayne Rooney suddenly finds the sprint speed of Usain Bolt to stop it going out for a goal kick.

It’s not a question of natural talent; it’s a question of indoctrination and habit. Only recently have the FA stopped U13s from playing eleven a-side games, and indeed, whilst representing my local park side as a young whippersnapper, matches were predominantly centre-backs hoofing the ball to strikers and the rest of us running around like headless chickens on a full sized pitch.

It produced no learning experience in technique or tactics and became a breeding ground with the almost apocalyptic mantra of only the tallest, the quickest or the strongest prevailing. Football Darwinism at its worst. On the few occasions we did face foreign opposition, their seemingly alien approach of letting the ball do all the work always ripped us apart.

So even if it’s for just ten or fifteen games throughout their entire careers or a handful of occasional training camps, England’s U21s will surely benefit from a manager who hasn’t spent his whole career unwittingly contributing to the perpetual cycle of attritional football. Fresh ideas from abroad; a different style of play; alternate methods of coaching, diet and man management; and the overall influence of simply an non-English perspective on the beautiful game.

The likes of Chris Waddle, Glen Hoddle and David Platt have always been bemused by English players’ hesitation to broaden their knowledge of the game by moving to foreign leagues; this approach ends that ignorance by bringing the ideas of the foreign leagues to them.

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Of course, it doesn’t have to be some unknown from the Real Betis academy or the footballing guru in the background of Germany’s recent international success. There are copious amounts of managers already in circulation that can bridge the gap between England and abroad, such as former West Ham and Watford boss Gianfranco Zola, by all accounts an exceptional coach but an unexceptional tactician, ex-Barcelona forward Oscar Garcia, who has spent two years overseeing La Masia – the most successful academy in the world – and two spells in the Championship with Brighton and Watford, or former Spurs boss Martin Jol, a well-proven member of the Dutch management master race.

Are those aforementioned names readily available and raring to go? That’s impossible for me to tell. But after so many years of hoof ball and resulting head scratching when we’re eliminated from the group stages of U21 tournaments – which is now three times in a row and five times from the last nine Championships, two of which we failed to qualify for – clearly a drastic, revolutionary change is needed. It’s time for the FA to go foreign.

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Rafael Benitez ensured Chelsea would end the season third after victory over Everton at Stamford Bridge in his last game as manager.

The conclusion of the Spaniard’s interim reign coincided with David Moyes’ final match as Everton boss before he leaves for Manchester United and the 50-year-old Scot will be displeased that he ended 11-years at the club with a defeat.

And he won’t have been happy with the manner in which is side went behind in the seventh minute. Demba Ba was given time and space to shoot at Tim Howard and the American could only parry into the path of a grateful Juan Mata to slot home.

But it got better for Moyes as he watched Steven Naismith strip David Luiz of possession just before the quarter hour and played a neat interchange with Victor Anichebe before beating Petr Cech with a composed finish. The Toffees almost went ahead in bizarre fashion soon after as Darron Gibson’s strike hit the post and rebounded into Cech’s face before clipping the woodwork again.

Steven Pienaar then curled over, while Howard was called into action after the break to deny Gary Cahill and Sylvain Distin had to block a Ba effort as Chelsea sought to re-take the lead. But it was the visitors that went closest to scoring a second but substitute Nikicia Jelavic left his shooting boots back in Merseyside.

His squanderings would prove costly with 15 minutes left as Victor Moses cushioned a header down for Torres to lash the ball in at the near post from close range to ensure Benitez’s short stay in west London finished positively.

Rafael Benitez post-match: “I am really proud because we have a team in transition and you can see young players, playing 69 games and doing well to the last game. I’m pleased for them and really proud.”

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David Moyes post-match: “It’s emotional because it’s the last time I walk away from the players but part of the job is you move on. It’s rare to stay in a job for 11 years so I’m thankful for getting that opportunity and hopeful they’re in a strong position to push on. It’s really not sunk in.”

Man of the Match…Fernando Torres: Sealed victory for Chelsea with a clinical close range finish after being handed an unexpected starting slot. Season is ending at the wrong time for Torres after rediscovering his best form in recent weeks.

Flop of the Match…Nikica Jelavic: Unlike his Chelsea counterpart Jelavic will be glad the campaign is over. Struggled for goals this term and  a number of squandered opportunities after his introduction from the bench summed up his season.

Borussia Dortmund have claimed the club have rejected a number of offers for star striker Robert Lewandowski, amid speculation of interest from Manchester United and Chelsea.

The Polish international is considered one of the best strikers in Europe – and this reputation was underlined by scoring 30 goals across all competitions last season as Dortmund claimed a league and cup double. However, despite the 24-year-old being contracted to the Bundesliga side until 2014, his future has been thrown into doubt over the summer with United and Chelsea both linked with substantial bids for the Polish forward.

It has been rumoured that Sir Alex Ferguson failed with a £25m bid for Lewandowski over a month ago and so turned to Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie. Chelsea manager Robert Di Matteo is also thought to be an admirer, with Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc confirming the striker is the subject of mass interest. Speaking to German newspaper Bild, Zorc said “There have been enquiries from several clubs,” but later stated “Our position has not changed since March – Lewandowski still plays at Dortmund.”

This firm stance is being fiercely backed throughout the club, with chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke also confirming Lewandowski is going nowhere. “There were other clubs interested in him. I am repeating myself but Lewandowski will play next season for Dortmund.” United and Chelsea are both expected to continue scouting Lewandowski during the coming season.

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Newcastle fans are absolutely loving the form of Mo Diame, after one stat showed just how good the midfielder has been this season.

Six months ago, Mo Diame seemed to be reaching the end of his Newcastle career.

The 30 year-old certainly had the drive and athleticism, but he just didn’t seem to have the quality or commitment to succeed in the Premier League.

That has all changed since Christmas though, and it is no surprise that the Magpies’ turnaround has coincided with the Diame’s return to form.

The former Hull City man has been an absolute machine in the middle for the Magpies, forming a formidable midfield partnership with Jonjo Shelvey.

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Diame has always looked good driving forward with the ball, but one defensive stat shows how much he’s developed into a complete player under Rafael Benitez.

According to FourFourTwo, the midfielder is averaging 3.5 tackles per 90 minutes in the Premier league, the second highest number in the division.

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This number is even more impressive when considering how poor Diame was in the first half of the season, and fans are showing the love for their midfield man.

Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…

This 2014/15 season has been a learning curve at Manchester United for both players and new manager Louis van Gaal.

Faced with mounting injuries as well as new tactics, the Red Devils have had to quickly learn how to perfect their individual roles while also being ready to play out of position when covering absences.

To make top four after last year’s failure has actually been quite impressive, but once the new campaign starts United will not receive the same kind of praise for just scrapping Champions League qualification.

The club are expected to spend millions once again in order to strengthen the team into potential title winners, but there are a few current players who need to improve further if United want to have any chance of overcoming the mighty Chelsea…

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Luke Shaw

Crowned the most expensive teenager in the world when he signed for United last summer, Shaw was always going to struggle to live up to that title.

But few would have predicted that his first season could have gone so badly. Injuries and a pre-season criticism from Van Gaal condemning his fitness levels have restricted the 19-year-old from making the positive impact he’d have hoped.

Shaw only made 16 league appearances and finished the campaign with another injury. The defender will need to toughen up next season if he wants to look like anything other than an eye-wateringly expensive flop.

Angel Di Maria

The Argentine winger has only been with United just one season and yet is already embroiled in a potential Old Trafford exit saga.

The 27-year-old started the campaign in fine form, completely living up to the expectations supporters had but over time injuries and a lack of sharpness lead to Di Maria being left on the bench.

He left Real Madrid in search of regular football, so he must feel dismayed that he has not featured as much in his first season as he would have liked. If he does stay, as many United supporters hope, then he’ll need to prove he can maintain form through-out the entirety of the year.

Wayne Rooney

Numerous injuries have seen captain Wayne Rooney at times played deeper than supporters would like so you can’t be too critical of his goal return.

Rooney’s 12 league goals surprisingly make him the club’s top goalscorer but when you compare him to the most prolific player in the division, Sergio Aguero, who found the net an incredible 26 times, you can see where United will need to improve if they want to become genuine title contenders.

The England international has on the whole had a great season for the Red Devils, but a few more goals would be helpful.

Marouane Fellaini

The big Belgian really came into his own this season following last year’s nightmare, but a lack of discipline still lets down his game.

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No United player gave away more fouls (61) than Fellaini, who has spent his career playing a more physical and aggressive game than most. In comparison to someone like Rooney, who conceded 25 less fouls than his team mate despite playing six more games, you realise how much more physical the midfielder is.

Fouls give away possession and gift the opponent free kicks in dangerous areas, not to mention the possibility of a red card, as Fellaini saw on the final game of the season.

Jonny Evans

Evans only has one-year left on his United contract, having joined the club as a youth player back in 2004.

But his performances this season, which have been hampered by injuries, may not have been good enough to get him another renewal. United are in desperate need of defenders so his transfer may depend on whether or not Van Gaal can find a suitable replacement.

If Evans does stay then he’ll need to prove that he is more reliable and solid than he has been this season.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is set to open talks with Lille over the signing of defender Lucas Digne, according to the Sunday People.

The 19 year old left back is one of Europe’s most promising young defenders having impressed over the past 18 months in Ligue 1.

The French under-19 international could cost the Merseyside club just £8million as the French club know they need to sell in order to bring in new faces of their own this summer.

Kop boss Rodgers wants to add at least two defenders to his squad this summer after an inconsistent season at the back leaving question marks over the future of current first choice left back Jose Enrique.

Liverpool want to do their business early this summer after leaving too late 12 months ago and so a deal to bring Digne to Anfield could be thrashed out within a few weeks leaving Rodgers to focus on signing a centre back.

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For all the talk of incomings at Manchester United this summer, the most important piece of business they can do in the upcoming transfer window is to keep David de Gea at Old Trafford.

Well, in his press conference ahead of the clash with Arsenal on Sunday, Jose Mourinho has revealed that is exactly what he feels will happen.

Losing the world’s best goalkeeper and arguably United’s only world-class player would undermine everything the club does in the transfer market in the summer and it is music to the ears of their fans that the club will not let him leave this summer.

The club’s fans want the goalkeeper to be their next captain and they are understandably overjoyed by Mourinho’s confidence that he will not depart this summer.

We’ve taken a look at some of the best reaction from the Reds’ fanbase as some of them believe Mourinho has been the key behind de Gea remaining at the club…

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“Raheem has been a really big influence,

“He has been helping me and we talk off the pitch and he gives me advice.

“He is a player I look up to. He is a year older than me and it gives me a lot of confidence to try and achieve what he has achieved at such a young age.”

Explains a lot… Jordon Ibe (his words above) has now found his face in the newspapers with the infamous ‘shisha pipe’ alongside his team-mate, Raheem Sterling. The whole saga has a little bit of the younger kid trying to get in with the cool older crowd, with Ibe often thought of as Sterling’s protégé – both in terms of style and playing position.

Could the peer pressure angle have legs? Maybe, after all he claimed that he wants to follow in his footsteps. We’re jesting, of course. And who knows, maybe pictures from the MailOnline actually tell a different story, with Sterling perhaps trying to impress Ibe? He does have his hand on his thigh in a bizarre bromance scented image… Or maybe it’s a kids party in pizza hut? Would explain the fizzy pop and ice cream!

Make your mind up, but here are some of the best reactions from Twitter…

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