Paper Round: Michael Oliver to join refereeing exodus

According to the Sun, morale amongst referees is at an all-time low under Mike Riley's command. Michael Oliver is the latest referee to be linked with a move abroad, to join Howard Webb in MLS. Mark Clattenburg recently agreed to move to the Saudi League to oversee the officiating there.

Paper Round's view: None of the current crop of referees are particularly impressive. Every week they make fairly obvious mistakes, and they are hampered still by their persecution by managers, and the lack of video technology to assist them. If they are leaving because of poor morale, though, it offers little hope of any improvement with their replacements. As money floods into the game across the world, there would be no shortage of takers for the best English referees.

The Guardian reported that Arsene Wenger was in combative mood ahead of his weekend's game against Sutton United on Monday evening. Wenger is coming off the back of a 5-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in midweek, and there are rumours that he is planning to step down at the end of the season. Paul Doyle sensed that Wenger wasn't finished yet: "'No matter what happens I will manage next season, whether here or somewhere else,' he said, a man seeming neither jaded nor broken."

Paper Round's view: Wenger has to win against Sutton United, or that will essentially be the end of Arsenal's season even earlier than we are used to. There once would have been little doubt about his side progressing against a team like this, but Wenger has increasingly frequently commented on problems with Arsenal's mentality. It would be no great shock if they somehow managed to lose on Monday.

Jose Mourinho put pressure on his rival managers on FA Cup weekend, as he takes his team to Wembley. Mourinho said, '‘Maybe we don’t have as many managers with that culture as we should. Maybe we foreign managers, not everybody studies and understands the culture of this country.' He said that managers need to pick stronger sides in the competition. Mourinho faces a trip to Blackburn.

Paper Round's view: While it will have little real effect, Mourinho's words put pressure on managers to play strong sides this weekend, which in turn would help benefit United in their pursuit of a Champions League place. Also, it is part of Mourinho's plan to become a statesman of the game, as he talks up United's attacking traditions, and now a love of the cup. Mourinho can afford to ignore the cup if he is able to claim the League Cup against Southampton.

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has hinted that Vincent Jansseen needs to apply himself more in training. Janssen was not in the squad for the game against Gent on Thursday, and he is not guaranteed a start in the FA Cup. Pochettino is quoted in the Daily Star, saying: "Performance is always about how the players show their quality, their belief on the training ground. When you select the starting XI and the bench, I try to be fair. It’s normal that maybe he needs to show more.”

Paper Round's view: Janssen has disappointed this season. He's only got four goals this season, and just one league spot which was scored back in October. It is a difficult task for a back-up striker to impress from the bench, in a new country and a new side, but the best players should be able to do it. If Spurs are to improve then they need any new signings to rival their current squad, and it appears that Pochettino might be losing faith in him.