IF George Reynolds is Darlington's answer to Roman Abramovich we can expect him to lash out £75m on new players to grace his widely-praised arena.

That's the sum which the Russian oil billionaire has "invested" in the playing staff at Chelsea, although quite why he should wish to squander such obscene amounts remains a mystery.

Presumably he wishes to bask in the glory of creating one of Europe's top teams, as well as using Chelsea as a stepping stone into British economic life, whereas diehard Darlington fans - an endangered species - will suspect that chairman George is content merely to have created a stadium with his name on it.

Do Darlington people deserve this stadium? The old joke was that if you followed the crowds in the town centre on a Saturday afternoon you would get to Woolworths, and it wasn't because they didn't like Feethams but because the team was rarely any good.

Now people are saying the team's the worst it's ever been, but does Reynolds have the will, or the cash, to do anything about it?

He didn't get where he is today by paying people more than they are worth and I have admired his stand in the past against footballers' inflated salaries. But just when the worsening financial situation seemed to be bringing some sanity back into the game, along comes Abramovich with his vast fortune acquired since the collapse of Communism.

It's enough to make you yearn for state control. Share and share alike, so that the likes of Darlington can benefit from a few of those Chelsea stars who will develop splintered posteriors from almost permanent occupation of the bench.

I hope Darlington somehow find a way to prosper, just as sincerely as I hope Chelsea somehow come a nasty cropper as a result of their association with Abramovich.

I HAVE barely known whether to hop, step or jump this week as I've been on such tenterhooks wondering whether Jonathan Edwards will compete in the World Championships tomorrow.

The triple jumper is in the fortunate position that he is going to Paris anyway to do some commentary, which is why I'll be amazed if he retains his title.

All sportsmen have to work hard to get to the top and only the most supremely talented stay there without maintaining the workload.

Like Lennox Lewis, Edwards seems to have been deliberating about retirement for rather too long and pursuing a media career has obviously been a distraction.

If he decides he's fit enough to compete, he will rely on the competitive streak which has often seen him pull out a big jump when it's needed. But without the necessary training it will be amazing if he gets among the medals.

IT was no surprise that Open winner Ben Curtis failed to make the cut in the US PGA Championship, which always seems a major too far. It was won by another unknown American with the Britons so far behind we wonder where our next champion is coming from.

We don't help ourselves by treating our children like fouling dogs, banning them from playing golf shots on village greens or recreational areas.

Short chip shots surely can't do much harm, but in this increasingly litigious society the risk of the slightest damage has to be avoided.

It's not just golf, of course, as children's ball games in general are restricted in far too many areas. Little wonder that they grow up so lacking in inner strength, so that half our medal prospects are unfit for the World Athletics Championships, footballers spend half their lives on the sick list and fast bowlers fall down in droves.

Suddenly, however, we have a glut of pacemen with Kirtley, Bicknell and Kabir Ali successfully joining the England ranks. When Caddick, Hoggard, Jones and Johnson are fit again we'll be spoilt for choice, except that half of them will always be crocked at any one time.

IF there were teething troubles at the Reynolds Arena last Saturday, far more disturbing were reports of fans being turned away at the Stadium of Light because there weren't enough people to man the turnstiles.

With season ticket sales 50 per cent down over the last two years, Sunderland cannot afford to alienate any more fans.

In fact they need all the support they can muster as they try to avoid the ignominy of an 18th successive League defeat at Preston tomorrow, which would equal the 104-year-old League record held by Darwen, now an amateur team in the North West Counties League.

If they lose again Sunderland can go for the record at home to Watford on Monday, when they should abandon the classical music and play the Rolling Stones singing 19th Nervous Breakdown