If you are to believe the media, the John Terry affair has brought disgrace on the game we love in the past week. How could he do it to us? And, even worse, he was the England captain. Well – there’s a thing. The only difference between him and the nation’s male sweetheart, his predecessor in the role, is that he did the “dirty” with the former partner of a team-mate – well, lots of team-mates actually. And the part time resident of LA and Milan did it with somebody who “pleasured” a pig on a reality TV show. Classy girls??!! Allegedly...

No – the real national disgrace in the game and the media is the continued idolising of England and Liverpool’s own Stevie G. In an entertainingly fractious Merseyside derby on Saturday littered with fouls and poor refereeing – no red card for the curly permed Belgian for example - that brought us old timers back to a pre Sky sanitised era, Stevie displayed his talents for all to see. The two standouts were “the starfish” – a personal favourite – and his role as wounded hero in the Pienaar sending off. Both classic Stevie – worthy of Oscar nomination as they had little to do with the laws of the game. A career in the performing arts beckons. The Liverpool centric broadcast media struggled, as they tend to do, to criticise one of their own; particularly one that is so hero worshipped locally and, for many, is the link back to the glory days of yore when they actually used to win a non cup competition or ten. You can feel the tension when little Jamie has to answer a question on this issue on Sky – the only point of comparison is the BBC where they just pretend it hasn’t happened.

Fast forward to Wednesday and, guess what, under the benevolent gaze of Howard Webb (obviously trying to do his bit for scouse/police relationships) Stevie delivered another masterclass. Blatant dive in the area for a penalty; blatant dive under a non challenge in a defensive position to end the first half; several attempts to influence Webb’s decisions; blatant dive that led to the free kick that led to the handball that led to – well, the final whistle... poor Stevie; left the pitch aggrieved that he didn’t get a penalty (the alleged handball was outside the box but let’s not dwell on the details) that could have levelled the scores. No thought in his mind that it would have been obtained by deception...

I am sick and fed up of Stevie and his antics. He is the one that is a disgrace to the game – not someone who confines his cheating to off the pitch activities. Yet Stevie will be centre stage in the build up and overhype of South Africa. We will be urged to get behind the boys and support their brave quest (usually, by implication, against cheating foreigners) to bring home the World Cup. We will be urged to forget JT’s indiscretions. As we all get caught up in the moment, as tends to happen, cast your mind back to a freezing night in February where Arsenal were trying to salvage their season and the serial cheating Stevie tried to do his utmost to ensure that, by foul means rather than fair, we were robbed of the chance of doing so. He is above the law on the pitch and off it now – what happens if the becomes Stevie G, Liverpool legend and World Cup Winner? It doesn’t bear thinking about...