Hazard, a ball boy and some very unusual morals

Just when you thought you'd seen everything in football, along comes an incident that leaves you utterly speechless. Speechless at the event, but more so at the stream of commentary that followed.

Eden Hazard, the Chelsea midfield play maker and Belgium international, went to retrieve the ball during his teams dismal League Cup semi-final performance away to Swansea City on Wednesday. As he did so, a Swansea ball boy intervened and, after a little nudge from Hazard, fell on top of the ball thus denying the quick retrieval that Hazard was hoping for.

As he lay on the ball, Hazard tried to kick the ball from beneath him and, in doing so, kicked the ball boy in the ribs. This sparked immediate debate as Ashley Williams, the Swansea captain, confronted Hazard who was swiftly removed from the developing melee by his teammates. After things had calmed down and following deliberation with his match officials, Chris Foy, the referee, decided to show Hazard a red card. What followed was absolute delirium.

Firstly it is worth pointing out that the ball boy, who is 17 years of age, could have retrieved the ball a lot quicker than he did. In actual fact, he let the ball run past him before stepping across Hazard's path to obtain the ball. The chances are quite high that the ball boys of Swansea were encouraged to take their time in returning the match ball, in an attempt to waste time. This is something that has been happening in football for decades and was confirmed by former Chelsea midfielder, Craig Burley, on TalkSport on Thursday.

Some have suggested that Hazard's actions were akin to the infamous incident involving Eric Cantona assaulting a Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in 1995. The truth is, it was nowhere near as bad. But it was wholly irresponsible.

Added into the mix of this whole debate is the fact that Hazard plays for Cheslea, who have an unerring consistency to attract negative media attention. The official Chelsea Twitter feed reacted to the incident within minutes, tweeting "Has football gone mad? Hazard is sent off for kicking the ball under a ball boy attempting to smother the ball rather than return it", which was later removed. It was an incredibly ill-advised tweet from a club which does little to endear the neutral fans. Added to this is the wait for a Chelsea statement that suggests what Hazard did was wrong. So far, all that has been communicated is that he and the ball boy have apologised to each other.

The commentary and debate that erupted in the aftermath of the incident was typically insidious on Twitter but, most alarming, were the comments made by Alan Smith, commentating live for Sky Sports, and John Salako, providing updates in the Sky Sports News studio. Without the benefit of hindsight, Smith was dumbfounded by the decision of Foy to dismiss Hazard but Salako, when questioned by Sky Sports News presenter, David Garrido, as to how he would react if the ball boy was his son, quipped: "I'd shake his hand and say 'you've won us the game there, well done'...Hazard has pinched him at best."

Such was the surprise and forthright nature of Salako's comments that Garrido posed more questions. Salako, although entitled to his opinion, was guilty of completely misreading the situation.

Having been shown a straight red card, Hazard will get a minimum three game suspension which could increase depending on how The Football Association view it. What cannot be ignored, however, is that these are professional footballers and, with that, they are expected to act professionally. Forget the ball boys age, it is only relevant for those wishing to gloss over misdemeanours.

As Burley pointed out, and what football fans have known for a long time, ball boys deliberately slowing down the speed at which the ball is returned is something that has been happening for an awful long time.

Whilst you can understand Hazard's frustration at these tactics, he must be made aware that behaviour like that is completely unacceptable. You get the feeling his employers may not be the ones to tell him this.

Has Lambert Bent his bridges?

As the dust settled on what was a hugely embarrassing night in Aston Villa's history, attention has turned to the future of their manager, Paul Lambert.

Having lost the first leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final 3-1 away to Bradford City, of League Two, Villa were expected to overcome the two goal deficit and show their superiority. They didn't. They lost 4-3 on aggregate and not even the 2-1 win on Tuesday could mask the deficiencies of a side lacking in confidence and leadership.

Even the staunchest of Villa supporters would have trouble denying that Phil Parkinson's Bradford are worthy finalists. En route to Wembley, they have knocked out three Premier League sides in Wigan Athletic, Arsenal and Villa; becoming the first fourth-tier side in over 50 years to reach the League Cup final. It is a feat that will take some beating.

Something that doesn't take a lot of beating is Villa, but what is surely most worrying for the fans of the Midlands club is the ineptitude of their performances and distinct lack of cohesion under Lambert.

Too many managers are dispensed before being given a chance to turn things around and, if his tenure at Norwich City is anything to go by, then Lambert should be given time. What he is trying to achieve at Villa is admirable and, in many respects, it mirrors what Brendan Rodgers is attempting at Liverpool, admittedly with varying levels of success. The key difference, which has been highlighted so frequently this season in regards to Villa, is the absence of experienced players.

Whilst the likes of Raheem Sterling, Suso, Andre Wisdom and Jonjo Shelvey are being given regular opportunities in the Liverpool first team, the level of success would undoubtedly be lower if they were not playing alongside experienced, senior players such as Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez and Martin Skrtel.

Despite being unfortunate with the likes of Richard Dunne and Stiliyan Petrov, absent through injury and long-term illness respectively, Lambert still has enough quality to choose from. It's merely a question of stubbornness. Many forget that he has Stephen Warnock and Alan Hutton available and, although they may divide opinion in terms of quality, they would certainly add some experience to the back four and starting eleven.

Then there is the curious case of Darren Bent, a player who has routinely found himself amongst the top scorers in the Premier League in recent seasons. It soon became apparent that Bent did not figure in Lambert's first team plans but whenever questioned about the situation, Lambert would gloss over any reports of a fall-out and be extremely vague when asked about his future at the club.

For seasoned observers, it had all the makings of a manager deciding that a player was surplus to requirements and waiting for the January transfer window to offload him. Thus far this has not happened, which is rather bizarre.

If Lambert was hoping to bolster his squad from the sale of Bent, then it makes the delayed action all the more peculiar. For a side so clearly struggling to be so reliant on the young Belgian striker, Christian Benteke, in his debut season in the Premier League shows a distinct lack of regard for Bent who, if not first choice striker, could surely help shoulder the responsibility of scoring the goals.

As it is, Bent has been restricted to the odd appearance in league and cup games, scoring the equaliser in Villa's recent 2-1 FA Cup victory against Ipswich Town. Still no bids have arrived.

This has led to an enormous amount of speculation about Lambert's future and, injuries aside, it's all of his own making. But if you are to believe what you hear, he is in defiant mood and "thriving" on the pressure.

This may sound like something he thinks the fans will want to hear but it also sounds like a man who is unwilling to change his approach; adamant that it will eventually work out. It is this attitude, when players such as Bent, Warnock and Hutton are at his disposal, that could eventually seal his fate.

Too much, too soon

If reports are to be believed, then Wilfried Zaha, the Crystal Palace winger, will be confirmed as a Manchester United player by the end of the January transfer window.

Many are already predicting big things for the 20 year-old, who has scored 15 goals in 124 appearances for Palace. Against the backdrop of Michael Johnson, the Manchester City midfielder, who, last week, was finally released by his employers three years after his last appearance for the club, it is particularly poignant.

Troubles with alcohol and mental health have seen a footballer, once billed as a future England star, walk away from the game a shadow of his former self and pleading to be left alone to get on with the rest of his life.

In the ensuing opinion pieces following the breaking of this news there was no one who quite said it better than the manager of Swansea City, Michael Laudrup, whose comments came after his side lost their FA Cup third round replay to Arsenal at the Emirates. They had nothing to do with Johnson.

Laudrup was speaking about a certain Jack Wilshere, whose late goal sent Arsenal through to the fourth round. After the inevitable superlatives were heaped on the young England international, he said: "You don't want to push your young players too much. Sometimes people are a little too fast, too quick with the big words...we have to let them grow because young players can always improve, that goes for Jack Wilshere too."

It was an extremely salient point from a man who absolutely knows what he is talking about. He later added: "To be world class you need more at the highest level. We are talking about a 21-year-old and we're already talking about him being the best."

Laudrup highlights an incessant problem within the English game. Our eagerness to embrace talent, coupled with an ever-increasing desire to see England challenge for major honours on the international stage only serves to cloud judgement and heighten expectation. It is this mentality that could well have contributed to Johnson failing to live up to these expectations. Expectations set by us and beyond his control.

Manchester City will feel that they have done everything to help Johnson try to resurrect his career and this is not in question. There are only so many times you can be forgiven.

So much pressure is bestowed upon English players that the moment they show a morsel of talent the floodgates open and, before they know it, they're the great white hope for the Three Lions. 

There has been a seismic shift in attitude among some of the Premier League's more established clubs with the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa favouring youth ahead of experience. 

Whilst this may bode well for the future of England and The FA following their much publicised unveiling of St George's Park, there also needs to be an emphasis on protecting those that begin as prospects and are suddenly being touted as "world class".

It is this combination of exposure, money and insurmountable media expectation that is too much, too soon for many players.

Luke Shaw, the latest product of the Southampton Football Academy, has put together a number of promising performances this season. He is just 17 but he is already being spoken of as a future England regular. 

Laudrup is right and we all have a part to play. So as the next crop of hopefuls such as Zaha and Shaw filter through, it is worth remembering the case of Michael Johnson. There are few greater regrets in life than a talent unfulfilled.