Spurs' biggest attendance proves their biggest problem at Wembley

Walking away from Wembley Stadium on Wednesday night, I felt I was beginning to understand the challenges Tottenham face in making the national stadium feel like home.

Controlling the game on a bigger pitch, keeping 85,000 home fans on side, not letting Arsenal's experience play on our minds etc.

But it turns out I was yet to encounter the biggest obstacle of all. Getting home. 

On the way down the ramp towards Olympic Way, big steps turned to little steps, then to pigeon steps, until finally we ground to a halt.

I looked up from texting my missus - finally enjoying some signal - to see I was near the back of a 40,000-plus queue for Wembley Park tube.

Suddenly I was not going to be home in the hour and a half I thought. And I began to sympathise with those supporters flocking towards the exits before full-time.

Initially, when fans started filing out on 85 minutes, after Harry Kane missed a gilt-edged chance to level the score, I was fuming. How can the players be expected to fight tooth and nail for one vital goal while the place is emptying out? Not real fans, I thought.

Now, faced with a sea of stationary heads, I understood. Wembley is a totally different beast. I had stayed to applaud the players because I had paid for a ticket and I think it's the right think to do win, lose or draw. Or I do usually. 

But it took me an hour and 40 minutes between full-time and getting on a tube at 11.10pm. I was going to South London, others I spoke to were going to Brighton, Coventry and Ipswich. I have no idea if they got home. 

Still, I have since read untold numbers of comments on Twitter where people have hammered those who left early… “pathethic", “disloyal”, “plastic fans”. Hurtful comments have progressed to arguments, others have waded in, and gradually you see chasms emerge between the differing factions in a crowd of 85,000. 

This is not the way to settle in at Wembley. Yes, if you have no care other than the club you support, it is right to stay until the end and stick by the team regardless - but accept other people’s situations.

When you have other priorities waiting, relying, on you - kids, pets, sick relatives, an early start for work or even a car parked somewhere you don't entirely trust - then waiting an extra 90 minutes paints the situation in a new light. 

Especially when the spectacle you came for was only 90 minutes anyway. 

From what I gather there were a few casualties in the queue but on the whole the authorities did a great job moving fans safely towards the tube station, it just takes a long time to clear that many people, so the situation is not going to change dramatically in the coming weeks.

And that means fans, real fans, who have their own priorities in life and have probably thought long and hard about making a difficult decision, will still be leaving before the final whistle. Next time round, with people knowing the travel situation, you may find that thousands more even look to make a sharp getaway.

But faced with the choice of people leaving early, or not being there at all, I would far prefer they came to support Tottenham Hotspur for 85 minutes, making sure this incredible arena is full at the start and the atmosphere electric for as long as possible.

Wembley might not have brought the right result but the experience as a whole was unforgettable. Walking up the gangway steps into a packed house of 85,000 roaring on your club is a privilege that very few get to enjoy - but petty squabbles, backbiting and turning on each other is a surefire way to spoil it. 

Of course, if there is a lesson the players themselves can take from this, it’s to take their chances and make sure the game is won long before people’s minds turn to getting home.

Euro 2016 final is clash of the sub-plots

The final of Euro 2016 will be a clash of the sub-plots - one a personal quest for ultimate glory, the other a seemingly unstoppable tide of public emotion.

France has been through a hell of a lot these past 18 months as terrorist atrocities have plunged the nation into doubt and insecurity. 

Just the fact the finals even went ahead, in the wake of November's horrific attacks, is a victory for human spirit over evil and fear.

You wondered at one stage how on earth the authorities could possibly ensure the safety of the millions of fans, players, tourists arriving for the tournament. 

Now France's story takes them back to the Stade de France on Sunday - where eight months ago the sound of two blasts sent football to the bottom of the priority list and chilled everyone inside to the core.

It is not right to go into the details - too many have lost those close to them to even do them justice.

Winning the European Championships will not make up for anything, it will not heal anything and it will not change anything. 

But it will put a smile back on the faces of a people who need it, and a people who have been so inspirational in the face of adversity that, frankly, they deserve it.

Standing between France and their third major title in 18 years are latter-stage regulars Portugal and one-man hall of fame Cristiano Ronaldo.

The skipper is the very embodiment of the notion of "self". Ronaldo courts the limelight, driven by glory, fuelled by records and guzzling up individual honours like a blue whale on plankton.

Yet there is still a hole in Ronaldo's trophy cabinet for international silverware.

His tears as hosts Portugal lost to Greece in their 2004 final left us thinking, "Well, his time will come." 

But after coming third in 2012 - losing a semi-final to eventual champions Spain - and reaching the semis in the 2006 World Cup - it was starting to look like Ronaldo's time on the international stage would never come.

Especially when his missed penalty against Austria left Portugal staring at a first-round Euro 2016 exit last month, only to eventually sneak through as a best third-place team.

It was plain and simple for all of us to see, Portugal were not good enough.

The steely determination of their usually ice-cool captain looked like it was beginning to give way to personal desperation but vitally they kept plugging away. 

Ronaldo has featured in Portugal's run to the final but has not been key. Unlike the opening games, they are no longer looking for him as their only outlet, with new starlet Renato Sanches coming to the fore.

Still, his desire is there for all to see. In the battle of the Galacticos against Gareth Bale's Wales in the semi-final, he just had to come out on top - he never would have forgiven himself.

And his header, which floored the gallant Dragons just after the break - a majestic leap and bullet connection high into the net - was proof that when Ronaldo wants something enough he can pretty much summon superhuman powers to do it.

After all, you don't score 260 goals for Real Madrid without having a ruthless streak and without being somewhat selfish.

But is Ronaldo's icy exterior beginning to thaw? After the semi-final, he described himself as "humble".

Not many would agree but you do get the feeling that he wants to be liked as well as looked at. 

And if the cold-blooded goal-scoring machine does stop to think about the backdrop against which France have arrived at the final, then it will certainly test his resolve. 

Overcoming the hearts and minds of a nation, even a continent, is surely Ronaldo's biggest challenge yet. 

Although failing might just prove that he is human once and for all.

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Bale and Wales give Euro 2016 some much-needed sparkle

Each night the Eiffel Tower wows fans with spectacular light shows to round off the evening - now Wales have illuminated Euro 2016 all on their own. 

The famous landmark has been beaming out the colours of the day's big winners but, on the pitch at least, the latter stages of the tournament were in desperate need of some magic. 

That is until Chris Coleman's Dragons delivered not just an upset but an earthquake of continental proportions.

It is impressive enough a feat that this competition even went ahead, given the security fears and the likelihood of terrorism. 

The protection of the public - bar a few unsavoury hooligan incidents in the opening week - had been the overriding success story in France.

But Wales have changed all that and brought the spotlight firmly back to footballing matters. 

Against a backdrop of Iceland's win over England and Northern Ireland's shock progression to the knockouts, The little home nation have now ensured Euro 2016 will be remembered as the year of the underdog. 

Everyone howled and derided the decision to expand the tournament to 24 teams for this summer.

Critics claimed that it diluted the quality of a competition already dragged down by its qualifying process, which at times feels like wading through treacle.  But the success of a host of minnows has proved that you do not need a team full of superstars to succeed at international level.

Team? Yes. Superstars? No. 

Wales may have Gareth Bale but that was heavily outweighed against a Belgium squad chock full of world-class talent and ranked No 2 in the world.

Still, they stood toe to toe and came out on top. Well on top. 

Swansea's Ashley Williams dragged them level before Hal Robson-Kanu and Sam Vokes won it. 

Both of them plied their trade in the Championship last season but you never would have guessed it given the quality of their goals. 

Wales' motto for the whole tournament has been "Together, stronger" and the manner of the 3-1 victory over Belgium not only proved they are far more than a one-man team, but that Coleman's side are real contenders for this tournament.

They are upwardly mobile and by the time the festivities in France are over they may have shed their underdog tag altogether.

Wednesday's semi-final against Portugal now has a glamorous sub-plot: Gareth Bale v Cristiano Ronaldo.

In the battle of the Galacticos the two protagonists could not be more different.

Laid-back, light-hearted Bale, a unifying force in a team now oozing with confidence and scared of nobody.

Versus the intense and brooding Ronaldo: looking evermore gaunt and desperate, driven to distraction knowing this tournament might be his last-chance saloon for international silverware. 

Regardless of the ins and outs, it shows how far Wales have come in a few weeks. From Battle of Britain to world-renowned glamour tie, second only in stature to Ronaldo v Messi.

Wales fans will argue that matchup would pale into insignificance put next to their boys reaching the Paris final on July 10.

Few would now bet against their colours lighting up the Eiffel Tower again next Sunday.

All aboard the England merry-go-round

And so, yet another England inquest begins. 

Same old media circus, same old grand gestures and, no doubt, the same old empty promises. 

We'll be told that the Premier League is to blame for shrinking the talent pool, that we need a winter break and we need to invest at grassroots level.

It's all excuses. 

The grassroots excuse is just to buy time, so that the incompetent buffoons at the FA are well out of it by the time the shit hits the fan - again. 

The problems are much more immediate than that.

There's nothing wrong with the talent available and this England team should be capable of reaching the latter stages. End of.

Confidence, attitude and complete mismanagement are the issues and all the way through Hodgson created more problems than he solved.

Why take a host of injured, unfit or out-of-form players to France in the first place?

Why move Rooney into midfield when he has never played there?

Why rest six players for the Slovakia game? That hardly paid off against Iceland did it.

Hodgson took it upon himself to do the FA's dirty work by quitting after England's toothless 2-1 defeat to Iceland. 

And it's true to type because he's been hammering nails into his own coffin since day one. 

Remember 2012 when he told a train carriage of fans that Rio Ferdinand's international career was over - without first discussing it with the defender?

Remember 2013 when he made an ill-advised team talk about feeding the monkey in reference to Andros Townsend?

Remember two weeks ago when his late defensive substitution cost us a win over Russia?

It's a shame because he's an honest guy and a nice guy but he was just never cut out for the England job.

His turgid, possession-based, stats-obsessed football showed no potency, no cutting edge and always struggled to break teams down.

His decision-making left us all scratching our heads as he persisted with injured, out-of-form players and never knew his best team.

In the build up to euro 2016, Hodgson's England camp were terrified of spies watching their training sessions.

They felt that when they had played their World Cup opener in Brazil 2014, that Italy already knew all their set-piece routines.

Was it not possible that there was just no creativity in England's tactics - and that any training-ground moves were so dull, so obvious, that Italy just dealt with them?

Let's face it, our only set-piece this tournament was for Harry Kane to smash them into the crowd.

But Roy is not solely to blame for the depths  the England national team has plumbed. 

The sooner the FA realise that they are responsible for a succession of poor decisions over managers, the better.

Steve McClaren, Fabio Capello and Roy Hodgson all arrived for different reasons - "we need an Englishman/we need the best around/we need international experience" but none of them had an ounce of charisma between them. 

Even Sven Goran Eriksson failed to get our golden generation past the last eight - but at least his three quarter-finals were against big teams (Brazil and Portugal) and we gave them a good game. 

Now we can't even give Iceland a good game.  

Credit where it's due, the Nordic side were terrific. Tight, organised, efficient and fully deserving of their quarter-final spot.

But this England side are much better than what we saw on Monday night. This Three Lions squad are, player for player, one of the most talented in decades.

And it should not take extra investment or more patience until Russia 2018 or Euro 2020 to see it come together because, under the right manager, it will click pretty quickly.

Under the right manager, these players can compete - and maybe even win something.

Yet the chances of the FA picking the right man for the job are almost non-existent. 

And if that's the case, then we'll have to stomach this nonsensical merry-go-round for generations to come.

Ultimate glory slipping away from Ronaldo

Has Cristiano Ronaldo's insatiable ego blown his chance of tournament glory?

It is impossible to deny he is one of the best players in the world right now, if not ever.

And he has certainly come close - runner-up at Euro 2004 and semi-finals at 2012 - not to mention the last four of the 2006 World Cup.

But as his late penalty against Austria - to seal three points and a knockout slot - whacked the post and bounced away, you could not help feel it is all slipping away from him. 

And you would have struggled to find anyone to sympathise.

It says everything that a man who holds scoring records by the bucketload planted his head in his hands and looked totally, totally alone.

Built like a brick outhouse, with slick hair and a bronze perma-tan, the man with the impenetrable ego suddenly looked at breaking point. 

His cocksure arrogance and bravado may have given him the platform to steamroller scoring charts all over Europe and rewrite the record books.

But his "me, me, me" attitude is not a recipe for success in international football.

Look at some of the sides to win the Euros down the years... Holland 1988, Denmark 1992, Greece 2004, Spain 2008 & 2012. 

Some have had big individual stars, some have not - but the thing they all have in common is a solid team ethic that makes them greater than the sum of their parts. 

England's golden generation had a team full of stars: Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry etc

But they always lacked an overall identity and never came close to international glory.

The same is happening now with Belgium's current crop of Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, Alex Witsel. 

Lots of great individuals that seem destined never to realise their potential as a unit. 

When you have an all-time great in your team, it is expected that the team is built around them. 

Argentina with Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, Brazil with Pele and Holland with Johan Cruyff.

But the Portuguese tactics are not so much built around Ronaldo, as reliant on him. 

They push the ball to him and see what he can do. If he loses it, he blames someone else, if someone else loses it, he erupts. 

For a national captain, the 31-year-old does not so much inspire his team-mates as scare the living daylights out of them.

If a team can stop Ronaldo, they can stop Portugal.

And when it goes wrong, once again he's the centre of attention.

In their opening 1-1 draw with Iceland, the Real Madrid ace had to have a whinge that the Scandinavians celebrated a draw. 

They had every right to celebrate - nobody gave them any hope. 

But to Ronaldo, winning is everything. 

This is a man who is so determined to take the glory that he always wants last penalty - that backfired in 2012, as Portugal lost their semi-final shootout to Spain before their best penalty taker even stepped up.

This is a man who stands on tip toes in team photos just to appear taller than the others.

Portugal are not without their quality... Joao Moutinho, William Carvalho, Fabio Coentrao, Nani.

But in Ronaldo they have someone who saps the team of enthusiasm and creativity, such is his own desire to be the hero. 

Messi, his rival at the top of world football, happily shares the ball, the plaudits and the glory with team-mates.

Ronaldo's desperate quest for personal glory gives him no inclination to share anything and is one reason Portugal are on the brink of crashing out of Euro 2016.

It is also the reason Ronaldo’s international trophy cabinet looks set to remain empty.

Hodgson's tactical mystery tour

What a difference an attacking substitution makes, eh Roy?

England survived a bump in the road to see off Wales and Hodgson learned a precious lesson in positivity.

When Daniel Sturridge poked home the 93nd-minute winner, it took the Three Lions boss as much by surprise as the rest of us.

He leapt out of the dugout, wide-eyed and arms aloft, realising seconds later he did not have a clue how to celebrate it.

The puzzled look on his face said: "Can it really be? This attacking lark really works."

Yes Roy, it does. And what’s more players, fans, media and, well, everyone enjoys it a lot more.

With the Three Lions 1-0 down at half-time to Gareth Bale's tame long-range free-kick the fans could not help but fear the worst.

As the England players trudged in at the break, pundits and commentators called for a "big team talk" from Roy.

Nobody really believed he had it in him.

This was, after all, the man who brought three of his "old faves" to France who have barely played all season due to injury.

This was the man who replaced Raheem Sterling with James Milner at 1-0 up against a dreadful Russia side - when it was crying out for Jamie Vardy – only to see us concede at the death.

Never in their history had England overturned a half-time deficit to win a major tournament match. That's a ridiculous stat.

None of us were sure Roy was really the man to break that incredible run.

With the nation crying out for him to send on a striker, we all debated “Will he do it? And should it be Sturridge? Should it be Vardy? 

The players emerged for the second half and there was Sturridge - followed by Vardy.

Harry Kane and Sterling off. Finally some ruthlessness.

To England fans, this was not just a substitution, it was an unprecedented statement of intent: “This game is not done yet."

And he did not stop there – fearless 18-year-old striker Marcus Rashford followed later as Hodgson really tore up his textbook.

Roy’s attacking changes may have raised the tempo but they also raised the spirit of England the fans and the hopes of the nation. 

Suddenly Wales were on the back foot, defending in their own box rather than the half way line and starting to make mistakes as the Three Lions prowled the final third.

As soon as Vardy grabbed his opportunistic leveller on 56 minutes, the psychological battle - started by Bale earlier in the week - was won. 

Chris Coleman’s Dragons no longer felt like plucky underdogs landing blows on a fancied opponent. Now they were the hunted, sitting deeper and deeper as they desperately looked to hold on for a point.

In truth, they showed England far too much respect. Attacking substitutions had not turned Wayne Rooney and Co into a footballing force in the space of half-time.

England still struggled to carve out clear chances, were still wasting final ball after final ball and still have a suspect defence.

This 24-team tournament has been swelled by second-rate European sides, whose only option to survive is to defend like their lives depend on it.

Wales need not stoop to that level. They can mix it as an attacking force too. But, what the game in Lens proved was that without the belief they come unstuck.

Fingers crossed they find it again and they can test themselves in the knockout stage. The more home nations who progress, the better.

Careful, considered Hodgson has never had a reputation for rolling the dice. But, to all our shock and surprise, roll them he did.

And he didn't just roll them, he launched them bouncing and tumbling across the table, smashing glasses along the way.

Let’s hope he does the same against Slovakia on Monday and into the latter stages. 

But let’s hope, if it works out, then next time he knows how to celebrate.

Robust policing tells fans: 'Not in our city'

Violence has already wrecked the start of Euro 2016 - it is about time law enforcement steals the show.

Not in a scattergun approach of pepper spray and batons but in a robust and organised fashion to restore faith that security forces can keep fans safe in France.

Trouble flared in parts of Lille last night - mainly involving England fans - as hundreds of riot police charged in to clear the city centre just before midnight.

Most revellers got the hell out of the way, aware their night of chanting and tribalism was at an end. They’ll have sore heads this morning.

Others stood defiantly, raising their hoods and spreading their arms wide as clouds of tear gas filled the air around them. A minority of thugs. They will have sore eyes this morning.

Some, regrettably, did try to pick fights. They will hopefully wake up in a police cell.

Elsewhere, social networks were awash with videos of England fans left to enjoy themselves and getting on fine - that is the rule, not the exception.

Still, the media went into meltdown claiming that “large-scale clashes” in central Lille could be the end for England or Russia. The pictures do not look good. But they never do. And pictures are easier to come by than ever before.

It actually seemed the sort of tactical show of strength the French authorities had failed to demonstrate until now. 

Armoured officers systematically swept through large groups, claiming territory gradually and clearing the city bit by bit. 

England fans may not have started it, they may not have liked it. 

But it was late, locals were tired and fed up of flares and bravado. And, in a city gripped by fear of large-scale ultra-violent clashes, the police had decided the fun was over.

After the three-day festival of violence that turned Marseilles into Tear Gas Central, the police needed to reassess their strategy to prevent a repeat and protect well-meaning fans.

Officers in Lille were accused of over-reacting. That is beside the point. 

What they did was send a message ahead of an England v Wales match that many fear could again attract Russian gangs. That message was clear: Not in our city.

UEFA’s recent disqualification threats mean nothing to the hooligans that are in town purely to cause havoc.  

It is not enough just to wait for it to happen again. The problem needs prevention rather than reaction or people are going to end up getting killed.

Pubs, bars, squares, walkways and a stadium were turned into war zones last week and it is unacceptable that thousands of innocent fans are getting caught up in it and put at risk.

It simply could not continue in that manner.

You can just about understand why hooliganism took France by surprise - since November the country's police have been training to deal with a far more dangerous threat.

But UEFA have no excuse. They have been caught napping amid a misplaced assumption that football could be the unifying force that held up two fingers to terrorism.

How wrong they were. And now it is too late for them to do anything about it.

Disqualification will not stop these guys travelling, their tickets are already booked. It will not stop them fighting, their minds are already made up.

Until the late-night police charges in Lille, French ministers' claims that the area and neighbouring Lens would be in "lockdown" were unfounded. 

Lockdown need not mean curfews, alcohol bans and empty streets. But it should mean strong police lines, total segregation where possible and no tolerance on confrontations.

Yesterday afternoon, given widespread reports and videos, it looked like none of that was in effect.

Police should not be using tear gas as a first option, scattering fans down backstreets and moving the trouble further down the road.

They should not be steaming into bars with shields and riot gear just because some clown has scaled a lamppost in his undies.

In Britain, away fans are frogmarched from stations to stadiums by acutely planned police operations. They use barriers and kettling tactics to calm crowds and keep them away from rivals and key locations.

Why on earth Russia and England fans had been allowed to come together in Lille the last few days was beyond belief. 

Stories of English waiting for Russians at the station and pictures of police littered among groups of rival supporters with no clear strategy all added to a sense of lawlessness creeping back in.

But last night the police finally looked like they had a strategy.

It might not have been perfect, it may even have been heavy handed but English fans must accept that- in the battle to seize back control of Euro 2016 - it was a step in the right direction.

Top 4 on Friday - England and the Dark Arts

Roy Hodgson claimed in the press this week that he would never encourage his players to cheat or bend the rules to their advantage. 

Yet countless times England seem to find themselves on the wrong end of those tricks of the trade that nations more streetwise than ourselves roll out to gain an extra edge.

Ahead of the Three Lions’ EURO 2016 opener against Russia tomorrow, the Top 4 on Friday looks at those occasions England came a cropper to the “dark arts”...

4. Wayne Rooney v Portugal, World Cup 2006

Rooney ultimately paid the price for his refusal to go to ground and take a cheap free-kick in this World Cup quarter-final against Portugal in Germany.

And to rub salt in the wounds it was his Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo that made it happen.

The Three Lions striker, 20 at the time, was attempting to keep possession just after the hour mark as Portugal players mercilessly hounded and kicked him.

As he lost the ball, and his balance, Rooney’s studs came down close to Ricardo Carvalho's legs and the Portuguese rolled around as if his life depended on it. 

But ref Hector Elizondo was not about to produce a card until Ronaldo pleaded with him and Rooney reacted with a shove. 

That brought a swift change of heart from the official and, as Roo trudged off, Ronaldo’s wink to his team-mates said everything… “Got him!.”

3. David Beckham v Argentina, World Cup 1998

Glenn Hoddle guided England to the last 16 at the 1998 World Cup, ultimately won by hosts France, but our journey was to end here.

We lost, as usual, on penalties but The killer blow was landed long before that.

Locked at 2-2 with Argentina after an end-to-end first half, the second 45 minutes promised to be a corker - until Diego Simeone went in hard through the back of David Beckham.

It was a rough challenge on England's young midfield star and it was compounded by the way he leant on the 23-year-old's back to push himself up.

That was the final straw for Becks, who had taken a few other kicks and shoves, and he aimed a petulant kick at the midfielder's legs.

Job done for the Argies. The force of the kick wouldn't have been enough to hold a door open, but down went Simeone and off went Beckham. 

2. Paul Gascoigne v West Germany, World Cup 1990

This semi-final flashpoint in Turin only brought a yellow card but the ramifications were massive and sent shockwaves through English football, wrecking the chance of a first major final since 1966.

Further still, whereas Diego’s handball was picked up immediately on TV cameras, this one has remained largely hidden even 26 years on, so wily and sly was its execution.

The score was locked at 1-1 in the first half of extra-time and a young Gazza, the unexpected star of the tournament in Italy, showed a little too much of the ball to West Germany’s Thomas Berthold.

Stretching to keep possession, it looked like Gazza had felled the German. But ,if you look closely at a replay from the right angle, you can see he does not touch him. 

That, of course, did not stop Berthed hitting the deck like a sack of spuds and rolling once, twice, three times.

The yellow card meant the end Gascoigne’s tournament regardless of the result and, if the tears and the torment were not bad enough, the penalty shootout sparked a fear of spot-kicks from which England have simply never recovered.

1. Peter Shilton v Argentina, World Cup 1986

This needs no introduction. Diego Maradona’s Hand of God was the ultimate in dark art skullduggery as Argentina saw off England on their way to a second world crown.

With this Mexico quarter-final deadlocked at 0-0 after half-time in front of 114,000 fans and under sweltering conditions, Maradona set off on one of his mazy runs.

Selling Terry Fenwick a dummy and walking past Glenn Hoddle, he tried a one-two on the edge of the box only for Steve Hodge to loop the ball back up towards the keeper. 

And as Shilton raced off his line, Maradona disguised a deft punch to lift the ball over him and into the net. 

Four minutes later, the same man scored one of the greatest goals ever scored but it will be forever overshadowed by the Hand of God four minutes beforehand.

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Arsenal bid puts Vardy's Euro 2016 fairytale at risk

Just what are Arsenal playing at with this Jamie Vardy shambles?

Not only are they unsettling an England player in the run-up to a major tournament but they risk wrecking their top transfer target’s chance of a lifetime.

Arsenal bid £20million for the Leicester striker on on Friday June 6 and he is clearly considering what would be a massive move for him.

Now he approaches Saturday's Euro 2016 clash against Russia with his head in a spin and that probably counts him out of Roy Hodgson's starting plans - for the opener at least.

Stories like Vardy's come along once in a generation.

He has come from playing in the non-league with Fleetwood to winning the Premier League in the space of four years. 

He now has the opportunity to put the icing on the cake with a memorable display in France but it is under threat if this Arsenal saga continues.

Why on earth did Arsene Wenger and Co find it an acceptable move while he is on England duty?

They might have been looking to get their business done before the Euros - fearing that Vardy might attract even bigger suitors if he shines in France.

But the 24-goal Foxes forward has hardly sidled into view in the last few weeks - he broke Ruud van Nistelrooy's Prem scoring record of 11 straight games back in November. 

A host of big clubs will have been tracking him since then at least and, when it became clear his new deal at the KP contained a get-out clause, that interest will have gone into overdrive. 

Could the Gunners not have made their move the day after the Premier League finished? 

The Emirates club will argue that they expected an answer before England boarded the plane and that it should all have been neatly tied up before the Euros.

That's nonsense. How can you expect a newly married guy to make such a life changing decision in a matter of days? 

Especially when he is about to complete his fairytale season by pulling on the England jersey at a summer finals.

What the whole situation demonstrates is just how desperate Wenger is.

He has been ruthlessly panned by his own fans for lacking in attack and dithering over deals that never come off but in rushing this one, it could backfire big-time.

Ironically in trying to move quickly and be decisive, he will look even more stupid - Arsenal will not come up smelling of roses if they get snubbed by a Leicester striker. 

And they'll look even worse if the front man they are all complaining about, Olivier Giroud, goes on to win the golden boot at the Euros - get your money on it folks.

You have to ask if it is really a sensible move for Vardy anyway. 

The 29-year-old may have hit eight more goals than Giroud, also 29, last season but he is not exactly in the Arsenal blueprint.

Vardy has thrived in a counter-attacking side, getting in behind defences and enjoying enough time to pick his spot while running at pace. 

In Arsenal's fast flowing possession-based system he will be expected to press, drag players out of position and link up closely with team-mates in well-practiced training ground moves. 

Or, more likely, he will be used as an impact sub when Arsenal need to kill off a game on the counter.

That means he goes from main man under Ranieri, playing week in week out, to a handful of minutes each month under Wenger.

It takes him from possible England starter to fringe player and has to be seen as a step backwards for a guy who has been moving forwards at pace for four years. 

That may be something Vardy has thought of and that he is ready for. Fair enough. Or it could be a dilemma he will spend the Euros wrestling over.

But for Arsenal, surely putting his England dream under threat is not the way to seal the deal. And you cannot imagine Hodgson being too impressed either.

At least if the Three Lions do flop in France, in Wenger we have an early contender for a scapegoat.

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