Manchester derby brawl inside Old Trafford boosts call for Premier League clubs to offer tunnel vision to fans

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The tunnel bust-up after the Manchester derby at Old Trafford is sure to increase fans' appetite for a close-up view of any future incidents.

Tunnel clubs, which offer the possibility of seeing such action off the pitch, are in vogue as a premium corporate hospitality opportunity for Premier League clubs.

Manchester City's hugely popular new tunnel club has a one-way glass wall, though if the brawl had happened at the Etihad Stadium in a comparable area, it would have been out of view. 

Manchester United and City's bust-up in the tunnel is likely to make fans want a closer view

Spurs are advertising a similar club in their new stadium, opening next year, for a whopping £9,500 a season plus a one-off £15,000 membership. Crystal Palace's redevelopment at Selhurst Park will also allow the corporate crowd to look into the tunnel for a high price.

Surprisingly, neither the Premier League nor the FA have a view on tunnel clubs in the light of the Old Trafford brawl. Both authorities are leaving it to the clubs to manage their stadiums in an 'appropriate' manner. 

City's tunnel club is offering fans backstage access as a premium hospitality opportunity

Tottenham and Crystal Palace are also advertising tunnel clubs in their new stadiums

It has emerged that the reason England's cricketers returned to the Avenue pub in Perth — scene of the Jonny Bairstow head-butting incident — for their beer-drenching night, was that it was one of the few Perth hostelries that had been vetted in advance by security chief Reg Dickason. Surely it should have been crossed off Dickason's list after the Bairstow debacle.

The breakdown in discipline on the Ashes tour has occurred despite all the ECB high command, as well as a number of country cricket chiefs, being in Australia for the opening two Tests. Their presence prompts the question of why more has not been done to restore order. ECB chairman Colin Graves is understood to be spending the entire tour in Australia.

Security chief Reg Dickason had vetted the Australian bar that has now hosted two incidents

The presence of Stoke chairman Peter Coates on Tony Pulis' table at the League Managers Association's president's dinner last week may have given the impression that the veteran boss was planning for the future — especially with Stoke struggling and Mark Hughes said to have two games to save his job. 

But Pulis, who was feted at the dinner for having joined the list of managers who have been in charge for 1,000 games, had invited a large number of people who had helped him during his long career, including Coates.

Sacked West Brom boss Tony Pulis sat with Stoke chairman Peter Coates at an event last week

New governance laws should prevent overbearing ECB president Giles Clarke from achieving one of his great ambitions — handing over the World Cup in 2019 after the final at Lord's. Clarke should stand down in 2018 having served the 12-year limit as a board member.

But although the ECB are working through their governance code with Sport England — Clarke's position would be blatantly non-compliant — his situation is complicated by the presidency having no fixed tenure. Hopefully the strong board opposition to Clarke carrying on will see him removed at the May AGM, when directorial changes are made.

Cook's down to earth 

The scrutiny on England's record run-scorer Alastair Cook, who will make his 150th Test appearance in Perth, is now so intense owing to his poor form that every factor is analysed as a clue to his appetite for continuing his international career after the Ashes.

This extended to his reading matter on the flight to Australia, which reportedly included an agricultural book about organic soils. That led to some far-fetched suggestions that Cook, who married into a farming family, already had his focus on a career after cricket. 

England's Alastair Cook could be focusing on going into agriculture after his cricket career

Premier League newcomers Huddersfield are the latest club to discuss doing a fly-on-the-wall TV documentary this season. But time is running out for a deal to be done with the campaign approaching half-way.