DIEGO COSTA, hero or villain? I didn’t think it was much of a debate. The Chelsea striker avoided a red card on Saturday during the Blues 2-0 win over Arsenal though many feel he should have been sent for an early bath and it seems the Football Association are looking at handing down a retrospective three match ban.

Some fans and journalists are arguing that Costa is a throwback to the days where defenders were a lot tougher and would give as good as they get.

I’ve seen one column say that Laurent Koscielny and Gabriel should be ashamed of themselves for the way they behaved and should have stood up to the big bully that is Costa.

But if they were to do that, the match would have descended into a fight. Because that’s what Costa wants. To fight opponents.

You can clearly see him grab Koscielny’s face before swinging his arm at it and scratch Gabriel as if the Arsenal defender was a cat’s scratching post. Costa is goading him to hit out, which he foolishly does.

Costa isn’t a reminder of what strikers used to be like. Duncan Ferguson, Alan Shearer and Mark Hughes have all been used as comparisons to how the Spain striker plays.

But I don’t remember Hughes or Shearer kicking out at defenders and trying to get them sent off.

Yes, they used their physical strength to bully defenders and were a nightmare to play against but they played within the rules.

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown tweeted that he would have loved to play against Costa. Though Keown did elbow then Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy for missing a penalty in what would have been better suited to a wresting ring.

But Costa doesn’t play within the rules and it is interesting that when he first joined the Premier League, his antics were celebrated. This is no longer the case.

Everyone has caught on that he doesn’t seem to care about scoring goals, as long as he gets defenders booked.

This is no way to play the game and it’s a shame, Costa is a talented striker when he is focused on putting the ball in the back of the net.

The argument that the league needs more players like him is nonsense. Look at Christian Benteke and Romelu Lukaku.

Both use their frame and strength to get the better of players in the correct way.

Defenders don’t like playing against them because they know they are in for a bruising encounter but there is no malice involved.

The same can’t be said for Costa. When he is swinging his arms about like a propeller, you genuinely can’t tell whether he struck someone on purpose.

I want to see physicality during matches. I was at West Ham v Newcastle on Monday night in the u21 league and there were some excellent tackles which were rightfully applauded.

They were physical and showed that you can be aggressive but in a competitive manner. The game needs more of that and less of Costa’s theatrics.

Speaking about that match at Upton Park, I remarked before the match that I would be surprised to see more than two players make 10 or more appearances for their club.

The match finished 2-2 and while not many players stood out, West Ham’s Martin Samuelson was head and shoulders above the rest of players on show.

He was a delight to watch. His close control and first touch was exquisite and at times it looked like men against boys.

The worrying thing though is I couldn’t be sure he would make it into West Ham’s first team. Not because he isn’t talented enough, he could arguably compete for a first team place this weekend, more because teams no longer look to the academy for players anymore.

Even the Hammers, who are notorious for bringing through the youth, are looking abroad for cheap players. Yes, Reece Oxford has made the breakthrough this season but when was the last player who successfully made the transition from academy prospect to regular first teamer?

Mark Noble springs to mind. That’s it. With the new TV deal, teams can stock their club with cheap foreign talent whereas before those places would be filled with local lads.

The fans in attendance on Monday night flocked to the tunnel at the full time whistle to get a closer look at the potential stars of the future.

One kid ran past me and shouted: “He waved at me.” He was over the moon that a young player at taken the time to say hello and that connection between spectators and players is ever-diminishing.

I’m not saying that if there were more homegrown players in starting line-ups, that after matches players would go out of their way to interact with fans.

But supporters would feel more of a bond with the players on show if they grew up round the corner and actually cared about playing for the club, instead of using it as a stop-gap.

As I stood back and watched the young fans try to‹ shake hands with players they hoped to see on a Saturday afternoon, it reminded me of what football should be about.

That sense of community and solidarity between footballers and fans.