Mailgate - don't really see the problem

I once took a friend of my wife, a rather prominent city lawyer, to his first football game. In the car on the way to the game, he rather surprised me by nodding towards an attractive woman and uttering "phwarr, wouldn't mind rattling her bones".

Perhaps he thought that was the way blokes going to footy should behave.

The thing is, it was in private - I awkwardly laughed. Would he expect a headline in the Sun saying "Legal Eagle's pervy outburst"?

Think of all the things we say in private, those emails sending round rude jokes, slagging off a work mate, offensive remarks amongst a group of drunken blokes, those private moments with friends and family.

Go on admit it - if you had to stop and think how will this play out in The Mail on Sunday, you wouldn't say a darn thing. I think Matthew Syed is bang on with his email gate piece.

So what really is the big deal with Gary Cook?

Even if he did send the email by accident to Nedhum's mum it doesn't seem to make sense. You could interpret it many ways:|

• perhaps a criticism of Marwood for negotiating with a person with cancer,
• perhaps "privately" criticising Neddy's mum for introducing her illness into negotiations,
• perhaps a poor taste joke
• perhaps more.
  

My mate Brian, who has had cancer and doesn't see it as that offensive, especially if it was in a private context and frankly - it doesn't quite make sense, like many things about this.

For example, why does Neddy's mum contain her outrage for nearly a year and then report matters to the FA, why doesn't the email see the light of day for nearly a year?

It all seems too close for coincidence to Onuoha's possible loan move to Everton failing and the man most City fans (in fact most football fans) loathe - Kia Joorabchian - loosing out.

We know Joorabchian and Cook don't get on and frankly I don't understand why an unregistered agent is acting for some of our players.

Perhaps this all could be some shadowy revenge on Cook - the timing smells distinctly of fish.