FA investigation may be easier task than keeping Spurs quiet for Anton Ferdinand

By Mike Walters in Mirror Football Blog

Published 23:05 30/10/11

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Anton Ferdinand may find it easier to spill the beans in the witness box than keeping Tottenham quiet.

The Queens Park Rangers defender is expected to make a formal ­statement to the Football Association’s compliance unit today about the sequence of events which led to John Terry using language unbecoming of an England captain.

Legal proceedings can often be an ordeal, even for those stout of heart and firm of rectum, but after ­struggling to police Rafael Van der Vaart and Emmanuel Adebayor, ­Ferdinand may be grateful of a breather with the FA’s disciplinary hawks.

By any yardstick, this has been an exceptional week in the career, and in the life, of the former England captain’s younger brother.

Ferdinand has always walked in the shadow of his sibling, Rio, but suddenly he has been drawn into a race row which could tear the Three Lions apart.

And when he resurfaced in action, he could hardly have asked for a more demanding assignment than trying to keep tabs on Adebayor and Van der Vaart.

And it was no shame that, for 45 minutes, he looked a lost soul as Rangers were simply overwhelmed.

But QPR manager Neil Warnock was impressed by the way Ferdinand, 26, stuck to his task, gushing: “He was head and shoulders our man of the match, he didn’t make a mistake.

“I just wish he had picked up Adebayor during the move which led to one of their goals.

“He hasn’t put a foot wrong since he came here and he can get better. There’s definitely the potential for him to play for England because he’s still such a young lad. OK, he’s made a few mistakes in his life, like starting to think he was a bit of a footballer like Beckenbauer at times, but he’s a real defender now and that’s what you want from your centre-half.

“He’s a good lad, and that ­performance speaks volumes for his character. He’s led us at times this season and this past week didn’t affect him. He was absolutely ­magnificent.

“I’m not interested in any time-frame (on the Terry affair). It doesn’t affect us as a club and I won’t be thinking about it tomorrow.

“I’ll be going to Richmond Park for a ride on my bike, and the only thing I’ll be thinking about is deer.”

Anton for England? Now there’s a thought – especially if he is playing in the same back line as Terry.

No, stop tittering at the back of the class. It’s not going to happen, is it?

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp also appreciated Ferdinand’s ­application, chipping in: “He’s a good lad, Anton. I’ve known him since he was 11 or 12 and he used to come to West Ham with his brother.”

Neither manager was simply paying lip service to his diligence on an uncomfortable afternoon. He was not Rangers’ worst player although the competition was steep.

Adel Taarabt, who took the bus home from QPR’s 6-0 thrashing at Fulham, might as well have got a lift down to Seven Sisters on the No.279 on his return to White Hart Lane.

Bus conductors on north London routes were on high alert when Taarabt, who has never scored in 19 Premier League appearances, was deservedly hooked at the interval.

And Joey Barton, that paragon of virtue and raconteur of famous ­quotations on Twitter, sprayed passes across the N17 landscape like a subway graffiti artist.

Tottenham 3-1 QPR - Bale and Van der Vaart fire Spurs to victory  

AVB backs under-fire Terry  

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