“Now I have to protect him from too much publicity, but he will come out of it stronger mentally.”
Mental strength is something that Wenger said he greatly admired in Shearer. “People ask me whether I would exchange Anelka for Shearer.. they are different players. Shearer is more of an inside the penalty box player and Anelka outside. Without working with both players it’s difficult to say who is the better Shearer has been consistent over his career.

I personally think he has a long way to go – but he’s coming back slowly to his best But with Anelka you have huge potential Give him some time to see how he goes It’s very early to say. But can he ensure government money where his mouth is?Banks actually had a double-date at Lord’s on Thursday, launching an initiative to induce more school children to take up cricket before addressing the playtime masters of UK Sport From school sport to cool sport. The new satellite system may be up, but it is not yet running. Only when it is will we be able to judge whether, in its turbulent transition, sport’s game plan for further education has gone from Major to minor.. RUMOURS THAT Juventus would be prepared to pay pounds 20m for the 19- year-old Nicolas Anelka brought the predictable “not for sale at any price” from Arsenal’s manager, Arsene Wenger, but yesterday he voiced the opinion that for an ambitious club to sell its most talented player was not as damaging as sacking its manager. The inference was that Newcastle United, Arsenal’s opponents today, and particularly their England centre- forward Alan Shearer, were under-achieving because of the turmoil caused by the departures of Kevin Keegan and Kenny Dalglish. We seem to want to line all the balls up in advance rather than sort out the problems on the run.

For this really to work, things have to get moving right now.”Banks pledges that this will be the case and that the bureaucracy and red tape that throttles sport will be ripped away “Our athletes will not be betrayed,” he vows Fine words. “Sport gave the last government a very clear message that what was wanted was a network of sites, but they ignored it and told us we were wrong. They said they had based their idea on Australia’s Institute of Sport but in fact they didn’t appreciate that this only worked because the Australians also developed regional networks in every state.”We seem to be dogged by a lack of willingness to do like the Australians and just get on with it. Out of the mess that the Academy concept had become, the indications are now that, given sufficient support and the vital funding into the next century, the idea of a sporting comprehensive system rather than a boarding school might actually work.David Sparkes, chief executive of the Amateur Swimming Association, who sent William Hague away from the recent Tory talk-in with a flea in his ear, saying that the treatment of sport under his party’s patronage was “a disgrace”, is among those who believes the new formula is the right one.”John Major’s idea was fundamentally flawed,” he says. On Thursday, the great and the good of sport assembled at Lord’s were assured that once the Sports Institute starts delivering the goods a strategy will be in place to promote Britain’s place on the world stage, as host to a number of international events.New Labour was never enamoured with the Tory concept of a simple single beacon of excellence and neither, it must be admitted, were the majority of sports bodies. A few principles have been laid down but no principal has yet been appointed No logo yet either, but watch this space.