PREMIER LEAGUE

IT was surprising to see Arsenal lose a third game in a row when they went down 2-1 at home to Blackburn. And still more surprising when they lost a fourth game in a row in the Champions League at Borussia Dortmund. But it might not do them too much harm. Sometimes teams need a shock to get them going again. When you are at the top everyone wants to beat you. So for teams playing against Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United, it's always a cup final and the big clubs have to come prepared.

The Blackburn goalkeeper Brad Friedel seemed to get in the way of everything Arsenal could throw at him. He was unbelievable. It shows that your 'keeper needs to be on song to give you a chance of beating Arsenal.

Arsenal have had a great run but you are not going to go on winning for ever. In sport you've got to learn how to lose. That is the beauty of sport.

Liverpool took full advantage of Arsenal's slip-up by beating Tottenham 2-1 in a very good match. I thought Spurs were unlucky not to get something out of the game. They played some nice football and Gustavo Poyet had two good efforts cleared off the line. In the end, Liverpool just about edged it.

Manchester United dropped two home points in their 1-1 draw with Aston Villa. I think United struggle a bit when they are without Ruud Van Nistelrooy, who scores goals on such a regular basis. I think when you compare United with Arsenal, it's Arsenal who have more strength in depth in their squad and are probably better equipped to win the league. That really shows when they can win away from home in the Champions League when they have to leave a class player like Dennis Bergkamp at home because of his fear of flying.

WEST HAM

My Hammers lost another home match, this time 1-0 against Everton. It's strange that they seem to be able to win on the road but not at home. For most teams, it's the other way around. Doing badly at home is probably down to a lack of confidence.

It would be a real crisis for West Ham if we went down to the First Division. But if they can start picking up results at home, they will turn this thing around.

I think you have to bear in mind that the Hammers have a young team and what's more, they have very young players playing in important positions. Striker Jermaine Defoe is only 20 and midfielders Joe Cole and Michael Carrick are a similar age. They need time to mature.

Manchester City are still struggling, but gave themselves a boost by winning at Birmingham. Nicholas Anelka took his goal really nicely. Shaun Goater injuring himself in the goal celebration is a sign that he really needs to do something to tackle those persistent injury problems, whether that means working on his fitness or doing more strengthening exercises. The Premier League is the big stage and you have to be able to play week in, week out.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Newcastle kept their Champions League hopes alive by beating Dynamo Kiev 2-1. Now they have to go to one of my former clubs Feyenoord and win there to progress further in the competition. It will be tough for Newcastle because the Dutch team have a good record at home.

One of Europe's giants, Bayern Munich, were eliminated - but I was not particularly surprised. I watch a lot of German soccer and they have been struggling a bit. They've had an extended run of success in Europe since Manchester United beat them in the 1999 final. Bayern went on to win it the next year and they have continued to do well. But the last couple of years, they have been rebuilding, so right now they are on a down swing. Franz Beckenbauer will make sure they do what is necessary because big clubs like Bayern need the money that Champions League success brings.

THE LOCAL SCENE

It's been sad to read about recent incidents of crowd trouble and spectators carrying weapons. If we are not careful, we might end up not being able to have night games at all. I'm sure there are people staying away from local matches because of the situation. For a start we need better facilities so everyone can sit down. Let's hope we can see a return to the days when going to a match could be a good family outing within our lifetimes.

One thing that concerned me was the BFA stopping the domestic season for the World Youth Cup qualifying tournament. I don't think you would see that anywhere else in the world, a youth tournament dictating to the domestic league.

It's great that the youngsters have the chance to play in this competition, but it should not mean that older club players should have their season stopped. They trained before the season and now they have reached a certain level. But now they have to stop playing for two weeks and when they come back, it'll be like they starting off again. It's not fair on them and this needs to be exmained.