ARSENE Wenger’s accusations were wide of the mark, but the risk of El-Hadji Diouf letting Blackburn Rovers down appears to be increasing.

There are complex characters and then there is Diouf.

At his best, an inspirational player on the pitch and a dressing room favourite off it. At his worst, a liability on both counts.

Wenger, armed with eyesight as intermittent as the finishing of Nicklas Bendtner or the fitness of Andrew Flintoff, was quick to condemn Diouf after his tackle on Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia at the weekend.

A certain red was the verdict. Maybe Diouf should be grateful Wenger did not insist he was banned for life, as was the Frenchman’s conciliatory assessment after ex-Rover Martin Taylor had been involved in the tackle that left Eduardo with a broken leg last season.

Diouf’s tackle was ill-advised but worth no more than a yellow card, just as Almunia did not headbutt the Senegal international later in the first half – despite Sam Allardyce’s claims.

Diouf’s ability to tackle has always been questionable. The fear of getting hurt has often resulted in the former Liverpool man going into challenges with his studs showing. One day that will be a punished with a red.

But the main worry is not that or the times when his dismay at a refereeing decision turns him into a whirling dervish, spinning with enough velocity to solve the country’s renewable energy problems for years to come.

The concern is the frequency with which the trademark Diouf glare has been witnessed in recent weeks.

When the impish smile is replaced by that terrifyingly fixed stare, the boundaries of discipline disappear.

We have seen the glare on at least three occasions in recent weeks – at Fulham, Hull and Arsenal.

It is no secret that Diouf is capable of overstepping the mark and learning from his mistakes has not always been his strong point.

He was once given a red card for dissent after the final whistle at Fulham, yet last week talked himself into a yellow card as he walked to the dressing room at half time at Craven Cottage.

Another of his red cards came for an altercation with an Arsenal keeper, the now departed Jens Lehmann, but on Saturday he had to be restrained as he squared up to Almunia just before the interval.

There are plenty of people out there with axes to grind when it comes to Diouf, but I can assure you I am not one of them.

He can be a charming presence on his day and even has his own charity, the Dioufy Foundation.

He is capable of giving so much to help Rovers stay in the Premier League, but they simply cannot afford to be left with 10 men because he has trodden the wrong side of that fine line.

For Allardyce, managing Diouf in the next few weeks could well be one of his greatest and most important challenges.

Once named by Pele on a list of the greatest 125 living footballers, Diouf is clearly one of Rovers’ most talented players.

But, in this current safety first scenario, it must be assessed whether putting him in the starting line-up is a risk worth taking.

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