Good riddance. Assuming rumours of Robinho’s imminent departure from Manchester City are true, we will see the back of an undoubtedly supremely talented player, but one who appeared to pick and choose the games in which he wanted to display his skills and those in which he was simply not interested. Whichever club they support, fans up and down the country will all agree on one thing. Players who consistently and obviously give their all, whatever the level of their talents, will always be appreciated by those that pay money to watch them, and it is a real kick in the teeth when a player comes along who seems unwilling to get mud on his shirt if he doesn’t appreciate the opposition, the weather, his manager or the stadium in which he is asked to perform. We also had a glimpse of that sort of petulance and dip in performance levels from Didier Drogba during Luiz Felipe Scolari’s regime, followed by a miraculous return to the standards we know he can achieve once Guus Hiddink took over. Give me Wayne Rooney’s d

Last weekend’s results started to sort the men from the boys at the top of the Premier League table, as Villa, Liverpool, Spurs and Man.City failed to take their chances to keep pace with the top three, who all posted solid victories. The fourth round of the FA Cup this weekend has led to the Premier League programme being knocked into the middle of next week, with the exception of the Man.U./Hull match, which will be played on Saturday thanks to both sides’ elimination from the Cup, so let’s begin this week’s preview at Old Trafford:

I suppose it would have been more appropriate for Michael Fish to have written this week’s column, but at least it looks as though slightly milder temperatures this week may allow a larger proportion of the coming weekend’s fixtures to go ahead than last weekend’s shoddy efforts. My sympathies lie with cash-strapped clubs like Rotherham and Darlington, who haven’t played at all since 12th December due to frozen pitches, and it was quite galling to hear of the lengthy list of postponements involving clubs who have undersoil heating installed. The official line is that the matches in question were postponed with the safety of spectators in mind. I would love to know who was responsible for these decisions, given that the pavements surrounding two grounds I drove past on Saturday were completely clear of snow and ice. What exactly are they afraid of? I also saw TV pictures filmed on Sunday around West Ham’s ground. Once again, there was no sign of any snow or ice, so on what basis are these decisions being made

I never thought I’d say this, but thank heavens for Leeds United. I can’t remember an FA Cup third round Saturday so completely bereft of upsets and tales of struggling lower league sides humbling mightier opponents, but this season, we had to wait until Sunday afternoon for the only giant-killing act of the round so far, as Leeds deservedly triumphed over a strong Man.United side. It was also a joy to watch Alex Ferguson having to congratulate Leeds through gritted teeth before once again moaning about the fact that only five minutes of added time had been played. As happens regularly, the officials were proved correct and Ferguson simply left himself open to yet more ridicule. He is obviously completely oblivious to the fact that nobody takes his rants seriously anymore, and I feel sorry for those that will have to look after him in his retirement home and spend all day listening to his incoherent ramblings about referees and constant checking of his watch.