When Twitter Goes Wrong, By Ryan Babel

Ryan Babel is facing the possibility of disciplinary action from the Football Association after responding to Liverpool's 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford by posting a mocked-up photo on his Twitter site of the referee Howard Webb wearing a Manchester United shirt.

Webb had incensed Liverpool by awarding a first-minute penalty when Dimitar Berbatov went to ground after a slight touch from Daniel Agger and then sending off Steven Gerrard for a dangerous challenge on Michael Carrick.

Kenny Dalglish, returning as Liverpool manager, called the penalty "a joke" and Babel posted the picture of Webb with the message: "And they call him one of the best referees? That's a joke. SMH."

"SMH" is the abbreviation for "shaking my head" and Babel's attack will almost certainly lead to the FA intervening on the basis that he is alleging bias on the part of the man who refereed the World Cup final and was made an MBE in the Queen's New Year honours list. An FA spokesman has confirmed they are aware of the incident and are looking into it.

Babel later tweeted: "Sorry Howard Webb. My apology if they take my posted pic seriously. This is just an emotional reaction after losing an important game."

Dalglish's son, Paul, also vented his feelings on Twitter, posting a mocked-up picture of Sir Alex Ferguson with his arm around Webb, again in a United shirt.

Dalglish junior wrote: "Howard Webb MBE. Manc of the Busby Era. I am not normally bitter, as you know, but it is different rules against them." In a separate tweet he added: "Fergie has his puppet Howard Webb on a piece of string."

Why It's Hard To Be An Arsenal Fan

For all those football fans out there, this rant is for you...

I've been supporting Arsenal of London since I was 12. For more than a decade of support, I've watched them go from the immortals in the '03-'04 season where they went undefeated in the Premier League, to where they are now; the least dangerous of the Big Four. You look at the players of the team, and you ask how it is that they are continually battling for 3rd and 4th position in the hardest league in the world? Well it's because they continually sell off a major star who regularly provides impact. Thierry Henry to Barcelona, Alexander Hleb to Barcelona, and now the impending sale of Emmanuel Adebayor to Manchester City. With every step we take forward with some 19 year old phenom, we drop a proven professional on the way.

In a similar respect to the US national team, there is a point when the youth experiment ends, and you develop a cohesive mix of young stars, crafty veterans, and a handful of next level super stars. The latter group is imperative for a team like Arsenal, who have continually floundered in recent years behind the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, and Chelsea. The coming year will be unbelievably tough for manager Arsene Wenger should they lose Adebayor to the Blues at Man City. I pray the Robin van Persie and the teenagers at the Emirates can fill in his large boots.