In the first hours after his appointment as Portsmouth manager, Tony Adams rang Arsene Wenger, his former boss at Arsenal, to ask for advice. Wenger's response: "Welcome to hell."

We can assume the Frenchman was referring to the pressure that's put on a Premier League manager.

At Portsmouth, Adams will no doubt come under severe scrutiny from fans and media alike, who will pick over his every move and challenge his every call.

Coming to the job with very little actual management experience - he has leapt from coaching assistant at Portsmouth to the top job overnight - his credentials are already being called into question. Unless he can deliver straight away, he faces a difficult future.

How can Adams and other new managers ensure they perform at the top? The likes of Alex Ferguson and Guus Hiddink have managed to stay relatively unscathed in the bigger jobs for years. What gives them the edge?

Posted by: CNN Sports Writer, Peter Sorel-Cameron
Filed under: Football

So, Cristiano Ronaldo is the best footballer in the world.

At least according to his fellow pros at the international players' union, FIFPro. The union's annual poll results were announced this week, and the Portuguese star came out on top.

Ronaldo also featured in the short list for the Ballon D'Or, released last week, and was tipped by last year's winner, Brazilian star Kaka to take that accolade as well.

But, as Manchester United continue to stumble domestically, and Ronaldo himself looks a little out of shape, we can't help wondering if he really is better than the likes of Fernando Torres, Lionel Messi or Kaka?

What do you think? Does the Portuguese wonder still have it? Or is there someone else who should be taking all the game's top prizes?

Posted by: CNN Sports Writer, Peter Sorel-Cameron
Filed under: Football