Ian Wright - Clearly a bit of a plank

The paternal outrage of Burnley legend Ian Wright regards our enforced employment of his son hasn't come at the best time. With more than half of his four-year deal still to run SWP Snr has decided that now, as we approach the run-in of such an important season, is a suitable opportunity to run his mouth and try and earn his boy a few more measly quid.

Wright's opinions, much like those of almost every other presenter employed by Talk Sport, change with the wind. He's always struck me as an identikit gobshite, whose white van man shtick, as pointed out in this morning's Guardian, generally just involves him shouting a bit.

The idea that someone on £70,ooo each and every week is in any way being 'mugged off', which i assume means short-changed, is pretty ridiculous. Somewhere there probably is a valid point. Shaun is being paid tens of thousands of pounds less than players who contribute no more to the team, but i doubt he's in any danger of having to walk to the corner shop with a pocketful of shrapnel for a loaf any time soon.

SWP's return to the club he professes to love certainly came at an unfortunate one for him financially. Within days we were the richest club in world football, and Robinho had arrived on double-bubble. Whatever line of work you're in, it's natural that you'd feel some regret over agreeing your terms just before your employers were able to wipe their backsides on notes like there was no tomorrow.

As much as the phrase 'not about the money' has never sat well with me, Shaun's return to the club was viewed as one for the best in terms of his football, a homecoming to the place he truly felt most comfortable, the opportunity to play most weeks and enhance his chances with the national side. In those senses it's certainly been a success.

With the increase in competition for places now there's no surprise that those who don't perform week in, week out aren't pleased when they're left to gain splinters in their arse every now and again. Shaun has had some poor games, but it would be unfair and incorrect to label his season as as a whole a bad one given that he's bagged himself six goals and around a dozen assists in all competitions.

I think it's very important that we separate issues here. Shaun is a great asset to Manchester City, and has never ever done wrong by the club. On the other side of the scales, it must be said, is the fact that his dad is a balloon, and although i'm sure Cook and Marwood aren't the sort of people most would enjoy sitting around a negotiating table with, the fact that the lad probably does deserve parity with certain other players at the club shouldn't make a debate via press necessary.

I sincerely hope that this issue doesn't drag on. You would think that the logical step would be the club offering him a payrise to put him on the sort of wages the likes of Gareth Barry, Joleon Lescott and Wayne Bridge take home, an extra year or two, with the condition that the old man buttons his gob. All much easier said than done. Sadly, Wright's comments could lead to a stand-off between the parties involved. Cook and Marwood can quite rightly feel aggrieved, and you wouldn't blame them for being keen to not bow to the pressure placed on them.

It's a tough one to call, but the best way for Shaun to get what he wants is for him to do his talking where it matters, on the pitch. If he shows over the remaining games that he's vital to our future, as he did when brought on at Chelsea, then the club will have no option but to reward him. Despite some criticism, him staying is what most of us want, too, it's just a shame that what should have been a relatively straight-forward resigning has turned into a very public game of chicken.