Gunner in the firing line but his goals just don't add up to record

THE adventures, and misadventures, of Ian Wright. On Wednesday, he's likely to lead the England attack against Moldova in the World Cup qualifier at Wembley. In the near future, he will presumably, and allegedly, pass Cliff Bastin's record of 178 goals for Arsenal. And around about the same time, or perhaps a little later, he could find himself given a 12-match suspension by the Football Association.

If Glenn Hoddle has his way, it will not happen. In an extraordinary outburst, one which seemed to constitute a manifest contempt of court, or its football equivalent, Wright was defended publicly by the England team manager, after being indicted by the FA and summoned to a disciplinary tribunal for running on to the field and joining the row at Leicester, where City had equalised in the 95th minute.

Wright, absurdly enough, wasn't at that point even part of the proceedings. He'd been substituted and rushed back on the field to confront Steve Walsh, the big abrasive Leicester centre back who'd headed the equaliser. Both are now in trouble, as is Patrick Vieira, the French international midfielder, and Arsenal's deputy manager, Pat Rice.

Arsene Wenger, as usual defended Wright. But it was astounding that Hoddle should also do so.

As for the Bastin record, it bears little relation to what Wright has impressively done. Cliff, whose autobiography I ghosted as a teenager, scored 150 league goals in the First Division. Wright so far has 121. Cliff got 26 FA Cup goals; Wright has 12. In the meaningless Charity Shield, they got two and one respectively.

All Wright's other goals came in competitions - the League Cup, the UEFA Cup, the Cup-Winners' Cup, which didn't exist when left winger Bastin played.