SOCCER ANGLES:Despite their standing in the game there is a tipping point for Mourinho and Wenger, writes MICHAEL WALKER

IF WHAT is said is true then Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger are walking down the same street, just in the opposite direction. One is on his way from Madrid to Arsenal, the other on his way to Spain from London. It is the neatest of conspiracy theories.

It sounds just too good to be true, though, that’s why a doubt steps forward as soon as such a scheme is proposed.

In broad-brush philosophical terms, what Real Madrid want almost as much as money and trophies is praise for winning them.

What they want is style. What they want are favourable comparisons with Barcelona, not a verbal war of attrition that they cannot win.

With Mourinho in place at the Bernabeu, it feels as if Real have just reached the point where they stopped believing he could do this for them. And they’ve always loved Wenger.

So it’s two plus two equals Arsene.

Meanwhile, in north London, in broad-brush philosophical terms, what they want is less style and more substance.

What they want is stern defence, less midfield frivolity – as it is perceived – and the sort of hard organisation that gets you through championship winters to the silverware of spring. What they want is money spent.

They’ve not always loved Mourinho but if there is a two plus two equation to be done, then Jose would seem to be a reasonable answer.

It is a twin scenario that has already-conflicted supporters in two cities thinking about what it is they want, and how to get it. That the mere idea of Wenger in Madrid and Mourinho back in London has credibility comes at a moment when each man has just had a chunk bitten from theirs.

One of the most notable features of Mourinho’s time at the Bernabeu, according to regulars, is that he bent a notoriously quick-to-criticise fanbase to his will. They would chant Mourinho’s name, which was unheard of for a manager, there was unity of purpose.

Mourinho was the weapon with which Madrid would take on Catalonia and Barcelona.

But the timing wasn’t, and isn’t, great. Pep Guardiola’s version of Barca are one of the greatest club sides of the past 50 years and they do seem to be rather motivated by the sight of Mourinho and Madrid, don’t they?

Wednesday night was the latest instalment in the El Clasico saga and Real Madrid could take something from not losing this time in the Camp Nou. But they fell on aggregate to Barca in this Spanish Cup semi-final and that leaves them with two trophies to chase, La Liga and the Champions League.

Judging by the leaks from within the Madrid squad, achieving that could be easier said than done.

The Kremlinologists who study developments at the Bernabeu tend to think that any anti-manager material that makes its way to the front page of a paper sympathetic to Real, must have been sanctioned at the highest level.

This has now happened to Mourinho for the first time.

If that represents a form of writing on the wall, so do white hankies and whistles. They have come out in the past fortnight at the Bernabeu, as Mourinho stayed in the dugout. The forever Special One took comfort in previous whistling at former Real Madrid greats, but that was surely for public consumption. Privately Mourinho must be thinking post-Madrid.

If so, he will have been intrigued by Robin van Persie’s unintentional gesture last Sunday at Arsenal. As Wenger replaced Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with Andrei Arshavin, a howling mockery rattled around the disgruntled shiny stadium. Wenger cannot have been impressed with the noise, but when television later showed Van Persie had had a comparable response, his manager was undermined.

The mind raced back two years to Steven Gerrard’s puzzled, irritated face the afternoon in Birmingham when Fernando Torres was hauled off by Rafael Benitez.

Gerrard tried to conceal his true feelings afterwards, as did Van Persie last Sunday, but their faces had already given it away.

That was April, 2010. Not long after, Roy Hodgson replaced Benitez.

Players have power, crowds have power. Boardrooms notice sways in moods and for how long. They notice if attendances or season ticket sales slip.

At Real Madrid and Arsenal they will know where their current managers are leading them economically. Like a senior player’s unease, it is a factor to be considered.

Real have CSKA Moscow in the next round of the Champions League and as long as the club stays top of La Liga and is in Europe, then a decision on Mourinho’s future can be delayed. Participation means revenue.

There may be a similar thought process at Arsenal. Despite the gloom engulfing Wenger, his team are in three meaningful chases. There is the FA Cup fourth round tomorrow, then the race to get back into the top four resumes at Bolton on Wednesday. A fortnight after that, it’s AC Milan in the Champions League.

Exit either the cup or Champions League and Wenger will incur further fan disapproval. Fail to reach the top four and the Arsenal board may not be patient.

Financially, aesthetically or however it comes, there is a tipping point even for men like Mourinho and Wenger.

Wondering why Keane is in America

ROBBIE Keane is 31 and 31 is not that old for a footballer any more.

His pleasing decision not to celebrate either of his spanking goals against his first club, Wolves, last weekend, was almost as impressive as Keane's sprightliness.

Reading Monday morning's match reports from Molineux, you could not help but notice the tone, said and unsaid, of "why is Robbie Keane playing in the MLS?" It seems a reasonable question to ask and the answer probably entails money, opportunity and a lack of viable options. But then perhaps the MLS has contributed to the sharpness Keane showed last week for Aston Villa, a zip that was not always evident in loan spells from Tottenham at Celtic and West Ham.

It is best not to reach major conclusions based on one game, but the goals at Wolves make the prospect of Keane going to Arsenal with Villa in the FA Cup tomorrow an appetising one.

In the last round Arsenal were saved by a magical moment from Thierry Henry against Leeds Utd, which somewhat camouflaged the overall performance. There would be some coincidence were Keane to make it another memorable Cup comeback at Arsenal, for Villa.

Henry is 34 and we can understand fully why he is in America. Keane's veteran status, though, should be regarded as a so-called.