Writing recently in my publication Soccer Coach Weekly, I explained the technique for taking long throw-ins and how it should now be an important part of your coaching plan because it was a good opportunity to attack the opposition.

Arsene Wenger, the manager of Arsenal, has gone a step further. He believes the advantage gained by teams with a player who can take long throws is unfair. He says: `’At Stoke, for Rory Delap it is like kicking the ball. It is a little bit of an unfair advantage. He is using a strength that is usually not a strength in football”

This response came on his club’s website where he was asked if there was one rule change he would like to make. He says: “Maybe to play throw-ins by foot. Why not? I think it would make the game quicker.”

He believes the current rules are at odds with the general prohibition on the use of hands apart from the goalkeeper and suggested that the throw-in should be abolished altogether and replaced with a kick-in.