IF SITTING on the bench is good enough Becks, it's good enough for me!

Seriously though, it isn't. I am bitterly disappointed that I am not in the side at the moment but I am sure the manger would want me to feel that way.

These things happen in football. They even happen to David Backham, who was nearly World Footballer of the Year this year.

I'm sure he is as disappointed as me at not playing.

But it is up to me to get my head down now and take my chance when it comes and hopefully it will in tomorrow's FA Cup game at Barnsley.

Flitty is suspended and it would be great to start in the central two in midfield.

It is important we get a good result. We haven't been doing too well in the league so it is important to do well in the Cup.

The league's the most important thing for us but if we can win in the FA Cup hopefully we can then keep on winning, get the confidence up a bit.

It is not that confidence is that low, though. The lads all believe in themselves, that hasn't changed, but obviously with us not winning games we need to start and the best time to start winning games is your next game.

We need to get our heads round it, dig in a bit but I am sure we are going to turn it around.

I can't really put my finger on what is going wrong. We've been unlucky in games when we maybe could have got something out of them.

We have been playing well in games but haven't been finishing teams off.

Hopefully that will all change with the arrival of Andy Cole, who I think has been a great signing.

I haven't seen that much of him because we haven't been training properly because of the weather but I saw him in last week's game at Tottenham and he looked sharp. He is a great addition.

He has been at Newcastle and United for the last eight or 10 years and he's always proved that he can score at the top level.

We spent the night before the Spurs game - New Year's Eve - in a hotel in London which isn't the best when all your friends are out partying.

But we understand that as professional footballers we don't really get Christmas and New Year.

It's good, then, that there are lots of bonuses to being a footballer. I'm certain none of us would swap it!