James Lawton: Dein proves that self-interest comes first

David Dein is all things to all men, a fact of which the former chief executive of the Football Association, Adam Crozier, has a vivid sense after reviewing the quality of his "friend" and ally's support when the Premiership heavy mob rolled him out of office recently.

Now the Arsenal vice-chairman, after the surprising inconvenience of his club's need to play an FA Cup replay with Chelsea, advocates sudden-death Cup football – perhaps after the fifth round. But then Dein did agree that might be a little confusing for the fans. Changing the rules in mid-stream generally is.

The Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, naturally, would prefer all ties to end on the same day. Better for team planning, of course, and picking and choosing your way through the options available to a top club.

What Dein's latest contribution to football life confirms, of course, is the absolutely paramount force of self-interest in today's game. The glory of the FA Cup, one which has survived many outrageous interventions in recent years, is its uncertainty, its capacity to make football reality occasionally stand on its head. This, long-term, is of vastly greater importance that the convenience of the fat cats. Dein, decently, should slurp his cream in private.

Vinnie's hype tripe

At the end of BBC's Match of the Day show on Sunday night they hyped something scheduled for the third channel. It was a fly-on-the-wall, year-in-the-life documentary.

The subject was Vinnie Jones, actor. If those in charge of our entertainment deem such rag-bag puffery worthy of broadcast we do have the simple device of tuning out. But what I particularly resent is that public money should go into its production, and that the selling of it happens in the context of a sports broadcast.

Jones the actor is a matter of taste. Jones the foot- baller was an unremitting scandal.