Well that’s Arsenal’s Champions League run over for another season.Arsene Wenger’s boys have drawn the team nobody wants to play and I can’t see them getting past a Barcelona side that beat them easily last year.The only way they might get through is if they win at Emirates and then defend for their lives at Nou Camp, but Arsenal can’t play that way and I don’t see anything other than a Barca victory as the outcome.It’s a shame that Arseanl did get Barcelona because they are two great footballing sides who you would have loved to have seen play each other in a later round.Mind you, if you are going to get into the next round you would rather play the bigger clubs first rather than the smaller ones because you have to beat the best if you are to win the tournament.From the English point of view, let’s hope the Gunners get the result but it will be a tall order.As for Tottenham, I would fancy their chances against AC Milan more than Arsenal because they are a quality side and have proven that they can go to Italy and impress as they did against Inter.Although they didn’t win that game, they scored late goals in the match and it should give them confidence as they go there again.It won’t be easy. AC have quality players but so do Spurs and it could go either way. The rest of the ties are going to be pretty close. All of the sides have been to the finals in recent years and know what it takes to get there. In that respect, the draw has thrown up few certainties.Real Madrid getting Lyon and Bayern Munich playing Inter could be interesting tussles as they all possess what it takes to get to the big game.Munich haven’t been playing well but they are missing Arjen Robben and a few other key players who mean so much to the side.Madrid would feel they got the luck of the draw but they won’t be able to take the French side for granted. It’s same with Manchester United who face another French club, Marseille.n Sam Allardyce was unlucky to get the sack at Blackburn Rovers this week but when a new owner comes in, the manager is often on borrowed time.I’ve seen that people are tipping Allardyce to take over from Avram Grant at West Ham should he get sacked and I have to say that I think that would be a terrible decision.Allardyce has had several jobs in football and his teams always play the same, defensively. That’s not what West Ham are about and I think we need someone with a bit more class who really wants to play attacking football.Defensive football, where you sit and defending from the outset, just doesn’t suit West Ham. Defending is a part of the game but we need to go forward and I hope we get somebody, if they let Avram Grant go, who can play with a positive attitude.You can’t put the blame on Grant because he hasn’t had sufficient time to do anything. He has had to use the same players who have been left behind and he has no money to buy new players.The only way we will compete is if the owners put some cash into the club.n I have heard good news about the young Bermuda boys who went to West Ham for trials Paul Douglas and Amar Lewis and am pleased for them.It is also pleasing to know that they have had the opportunity to show what they can do.Anytime our youngsters can showcase their talent overseas, then the trip is well worthwhile.It is an experience you can’t underestimate and I hope they learned something while out there to bring back and show their team-mates.However, one question I have to ask is, why send them in the winter? Surely it would make more sense to send them in the summer, or at least in the spring.As it is, they were sent at the worst possible time of the year. Most of these boys have never even seen snow, let alone play in it. How do you expect them to impress under those conditions?.