Peter Corrigan: X-rated Ray

Even allowing for the sad lack of goals from a heap of chances, the worst of the frustrations available to anyone who watched all four European games involving Premiership clubs last week was the cries of anguished sympathy for Arsenal's Ray Parlour after he was sent off against Bayer Leverkusen.

I expected it from Arsenal because they are desperate to protect their image from what is fast becoming the biggest list of previous convictions in football history. But there were a few who felt that Parlour was dealt with harshly by French referee Alain Sars, who gave him a second yellow card for a foul on Yildiray Basturk.

Parlour, who had been sent off twice previously this season, trod a careless path with his tackling throughout the game and was warned more than once by the ref, who was on the spot when he stuck out a leg to impede Basturk. Undoubtedly the Turk made an exaggerated response, but Parlour had to go. Swarthy foreigners doing dastardly deeds to get our boys into trouble is wearing thin as a defence.

Arsenal have a serious disciplinary problem that should concern them more than it seems to. It might not be helped if they succeed in signing Mark van Bommel from PSV Eindhoven. As Leeds discovered on Thursday night, Van Bommel is a good player, but he appears to share the same taste for the unprotected shin or ankle as many of his prospective colleagues.

Arsenal should emulate Leeds, who are doing something about their poor disciplinary record. They were exemplary. Even the explosive Alan Smith accepted any clattering he received from PSV defenders with a cheery forgiveness they seemed to find most disconcerting.