Five pounds for 'fans' to own a football club. Have they never heard of Ebbsfleet?

It's February 2008 and football is told to prepare itself for a new chapter in fan ownership as internet site MyFootballClub.co.uk officially takes over Conference club Ebbsfleet United. A new era beckons, where fans have control of the team right down to voting on transfers and team selection. 32,000 eager owners, each having paid their £35, await the opportunity to indulge in a real-life version of Football Manager.

Fast forward to the present day, and Ebbsfleet United find themselves one division lower, with a weekly playing budget of between just £3,000 and £6,000 per week, a whole lot of fundraising to be done, 4,000 members and the MyFC experiment filed in the drawer marked 'fail'.

This post isn't intended to pick over the rights and wrongs of MyFC at Ebbsfleet (although you could quite easily write a thesis on the experiment). Even though the Fleet are in a lower place, they now have a committed hardcore who would never have fallen in love with the Kent club otherwise, amongst other positives.

But even though Ebbsfleet and MyFC didn't exactly have the fairytale ending, it hasn't stopped a steady trickle of social media writers proclaiming it to be a successful example of fan power in action. And, surprisingly, it hasn't stopped schemes that, while not exactly imitations, bear more than a passing resemblance to MyFC.

The Five Pound Football Club is one such offering that's been attracting a lot of attention both online and in the press (possibly due to a very active PR campaign). It differs slightly from MyFC, most notably that membership is, unsurprisingly, five pounds as opposed to £35, although should an individual wish to they can contribute more.

There are other differences: members don't, thankfully, get the option of picking the team (which was never put into practice at Ebbsfleet) or voting on transfers; the voting issues are on the investment fund, and the scheme is looking to purchase a club in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland.

So, is this a refining of MyFC into something more workable or just another scheme looking to tap into the growing trend towards fan ownership in football? It's hard to say.

The press release states that Five Pound Football Club are looking to create a British Barcelona, albeit one that overlooks Ireland's geographical status or the intertwining of Catalan politics with Barcelona FC. Happily, the website does note the 50+1 rule in Germany.

The brains behind the scheme, Nick Thompson, talks a good talk as well. The site won't take over any club where the supporters don't want them, the club will be run sustainably with the playing budget set as a "sensible proportion of the club's turnover".

All well and good, but there are several issues that were present at Ebbsfleet and, unless the site has found a magic formula, will probably be present with the Five Pound Football Club, should they ever purchase a team.

Firstly, just as very few people knew about Ebbsfleet or the lower leagues, few will know the players, intricacies or standard of the assorted Celtic leagues. Anybody wanting to sign big name players will be disappointed. This is not glamorous football - those investing their fivers will need to be more than just disillusioned Premier League fans.

And this leads onto the second: the 'fans' themselves. Yes, these are football fans buying a club, but it's akin to describing yourself as a fan of music then buying a band. Football fans are not necessarily fans of the club the website ends up buying.

Sure, a large proportion will initially take an interest in the team, be it Barry Town, Annan Athletic, or whoever, and some may fall in love with the team. But for many, that emotional bond won't be there. They can, and in the case of Ebbsfleet many did, walk away when they get bored. The emotional bond with the club won't be present.

Which leads us onto the third and most important issue for the Five Pounders: yearly budgets. If the bulk of your cash for a small team is coming from a source that relies on unpredictable and untested renewals then you're in trouble.

Put simply, Ebbsfleet went from 32,000 fans to 9,000 to 4,000 fans over the three years, which includes those who'd signed up for multiple years' worth of memberships. If you can't be certain of the number of renewals, this leaves a big black whole when it comes to budgeting for future seasons beyond the current campaign.

And given the membership will be unpredictable until you've had several years of stable renewals, or even growth, this becomes a huge financial problem, and one of the main reasons that Ebbsfleet's budget last season was lower than the last time the team was a part-time club.

The numbers show what an uphill struggle The Five Pound Football Club face. With 4,000 members paying £35, MyFC's membership subs amounts to £140,000 for a year. If Five Pound Club achieve their stated goal of 5,000 members, they'll have raised £25,000. Even assuming they take over the smallest club possible, this may just cover the wages of two part-time admin staff.

On paper, there's no reason why Supporters Trust-run clubs shouldn't face the same issues as these internet sites, given they rely on annual subs from their members.

However, those that have succeeded, such as Exeter, AFC Wimbledon and Telford United, have seen membership stay, at the very least, at a stable level, often growing. The emotional life-long pull of members and directors and the serious democratic and non-gimmicky intentions seem to hold sway.

That is the level that initiatives such as the Five Pound Football Club need to aim for and, at present, there's little to suggest they will achieve this. On the flipside, however, other schemes could argue that MyFC was a one-off that made mistakes that they won't make.

Until we have a run of failed schemes running along the principles of MyFC, Five Pound Club, and The People's Club, we can't say definitively that this model doesn't work. But, if from the out, some of the same unanswered questions and problems are present it's also not unfair to suggest new ventures won't be successful.

Five Pound Club could work. Having a lower financial entry point, with no capping limit on subs, makes it more accessible to the casual fan and makes it less of a burden to renew your subscription. Aiming for smaller clubs in the Celtic leagues, where there's more opportunity for success, as opposed to the English non-league pyramid shows a level of practicality.

But these changes this may also just be the equivalent of creating a new Titanic with differently arranged deckchairs but the same construction and route in place.

It's entirely possible an internet site pulling together a disparate group of fans of many different football clubs my succeed, most likely if they attempt to start a club from scratch. This would sidestep the issue of taking over an existing team, along with its histories, boardroom issues and financial concerns.

Until then, despite describing themselves as "fan owned", these schemes are still just an outside owner riding into town taking over a club with fans and history with plenty of promises and enthusiasm, and uncertain levels of funding. The difference is, they'll be a lot more hands-on and interfering with the team than many owners. And when you look at it coldly, this isn't so different from many of the other failed chairmen who've littered the lower leagues.

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Episode 51: end of season special

Ah, the end of another football season in Europe. Across the continent, league titles have been decided, champions crowned and the transfer market is slowly clicking into gear.

Joining us in the studio this week to digest the final week of the season (apologies to the playoff finalists in League One and League Two) is the world class podcasting unit that is The Sound of Football: Graham Sibley, Terry Duffelen and Chris Oakley. And some sweets.

The climax of the European season took place in the Bernebeu last Saturday, and we discuss the remarkable Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese coach continues to - ahem - write the future for himself. This season, he's won the treble with Inter Milan, a league title in a third country, the Champions League with a second club and an attractive if intriguing move to Real Madrid.

But the most noteworthy achievement of Mourinho's final season with the Nerazzurri is not one of silverware or glory, its one of innovation. Inter's Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona was a brilliant demonstration of neo-Catenaccio, a riff on the tactical framework which came to define the perception of Italian football, but the 2-0 win against Bayern Munich was the product of real innovation. Not only can you win the game without the ball, you can control it. It was simply brilliant.

At Wembley, Blackpool defeated Cardiff City in a very entertaining Championship playoff final and can now look forward to turning the Premier League tangerine next season. Cardiff led twice through fantastic goals by Michael Chopra and Joe Ledley but never looked to have a grip on the match after the early withdrawal of Jay Bothroyd. Charlie Adam's superb free kick and Gary Taylor-Fletcher equalised before Brett Ormerod prodded in the all-important winner. And that was all in the first half at a sun-drenched Wembley.

We ask whether Blackpool will avoid relegation next season and speculate about the future of Cardiff, whose financial situation continues to be concerning. We're joined on the phone by Dave Boyle, the chief executive of Supporters Direct, to talk about the latest news from the world of football finance and supporter affairs ahead of Supporters Direct's conference in June.

There's our usual look at the week's action from Major League Soccer, where LA Galaxy shrugged off the absence of Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle to bank another three points and go ten clear at the top of the Western Conference. In the East, two wins for Columbus Crew propelled them past New York Red Bulls and they're now fully five points clear. DC United continue to lose like it's going out of fashion.

Finally, there's a chat about World Cup 2010 which focuses on England's friendly win against Mexico at the beginning of this week. Oh, and we taste test some crisps.

So that's that for this season. But if you like the show, stand by for big news about the summer.

Please leave your comments below, follow us on Twitter, be our fan on Facebook and send your questions and comments to twofootedtackle[at]googlemail[dot]com - we also want audio contributions to the show, so feel free to get in touch about that.

Have a great week.

You can listen to this week's episode below:
Download link (mp3, 45mb, 65 mins)

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Football Americana Week 9

DC United continue to make me cry, and Columbus Crew are doing what the Crew do. You can read all about it by visiting Some People Are On The Pitch and checking out my weekly column, Football Americana.

Football Americana Week 9: Dynamo worsen DC dive

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Remember Nigel Reo-Coker? Martin O'Neill should

Aston Villa midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker is something of a forgotten man outside the Midlands, but his presence still looms large at Villa Park. He retains an impressive amount of supporter goodwill despite a lengthy absence from the first team, and his appearances on the touchline as a substitute are always warmly greeted. He's the most unlikely fan favourite, earning enough brownie points through hard work - and offering something different - to overshadow his infamous problems off the field.

His latest Villa adventure involves his future at the club, which had seemed doomed. After a training ground bust-up with manager Martin O'Neill, it seemed safe to assume that Reo-Coker's days at Villa were numbered. O'Neill is well-known as a stubborn grudge-bearer and few players in his time at Villa have recovered from falling out of favour, John Carew being the primary exception. Remember Luke Young and Curtis Davies? I do, just about.

Reo-Coker has, through a "source", made it known that he will not give up on Aston Villa (code, of course, for I'm going to see out the final year of my contract and then take a Bosman). There's not much O'Neill can do about that and Reo-Coker has already made clear his willingness to go down this route by turning down a loan move previously.

But like he is with Young and Davies, I think O'Neill is failing to make the most of Reo-Coker's ability to contribute to the team. Villa's main deficiency, of course, is the number of goals scored by the strikers. The defence is reasonably sound but I do think that one problem Villa have had this season is that many goals are conceded in appallingly easy fashion. Any team which can pass the ball around quickly and move right up the middle of the pitch at speed will always create chances against Villa because the midfield does not offer enough protection to the back four.

James Milner is not yet a natural central midfielder, and any football pundit worth his salt would rather see him play in an attacking version of that role than a defensive one. Stiliyan Petrov is as clever a player as you'll find anywhere and he's usually reliable, but it's becoming difficult to deny that he runs out of steam in the second half of games. Even worse, if a team can get by him then he's out of the game, forcing a central defender to come out to deal with the attack and opening up gaps that cause Villa problems.

Reo-Coker showed last season that he has improved his tackling back and I think he should have had more opportunities to demonstrate it. He is not the player Milner or Petrov can claim to be, but he brings something to the party that neither of them can match. Furthermore, it's something that could be used to complement them both. With Reo-Coker running from box to box and tackling back when Petrov is bypassed, Petrov dictating play from deep and Milner pushing forward, Villa could have a far more dynamic central midfield.

Of course, to play all three means that changes would be needed. The two crucial ones would be the most unlikely with O'Neill in charge: the sale of Steve Sidwell, who has added exactly nothing to Aston Villa since joining from Chelsea but remains an O'Neill favourite, and the shift from 4-4-2 to 4-5-1. And let's face it, there's no point in Villa having two strikers on the pitch anyway. It's been a long time since any kind of partnership was forged up front, and it's been even longer since a Villa strikeforce could be described as prolific. Give me a top class midfield of five over that any day.

Reo-Coker may not divide the dressing room - he's thought to be something of a loner - but he certainly divides the supporters. I think most of the criticisms levelled at the former West Ham United captain are either unfair or outdated. He has learned to keep it simple when passing, and his tackling from behind (the legal kind) has improved immensely since his first season at the club. On the other hand, his shooting is comically bad and he still has a horrible habit of breaking brilliantly at pace and then waiting until it's too late to play an obvious pass.

Regardless, I'd still give him a run of games to prove himself. He'll just be earning for nothing otherwise.

(Pic via In The Stands)

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Blackpool promoted to the Premier League

Cast aside the bombast and talk of waiting fortunes, and the Championship Playoff final remains a match with more meaning and possible glory than most, at least for those involved. This afternoon, Blackpool and Cardiff City went toe to toe at a sun-drenched Wembley Stadium and it was Blackpool who triumphed in the archetypal game of two halves.

Just three minutes in, Cardiff's semi-final hero whipped in a perfect low cross for Michael Chopra, who could only look on as his shot flicked off the corner of the goal frame. But the former Newcastle United frontman was on the scoresheet five minutes later, superbly drilling the opening goal low past Matthew Gilks and into the bottom corner of the net.

Iconic midfielder Charlie Adam had Blackpool level ten minutes later with a wonderful free kick. 25 yards out, the Scot bent a brilliant shot right into the goalkeeper's top left hand corner to ignite what looked like a classic Wembley final. Matters got worse for Cardiff shortly after the equaliser when Jay Bothroyd, limping since the first five minutes, had to be replaced by Kelvin Etuhu.

A long period of Blackpool domination came to nothing as Ian Holloway's side failed to turn possession into chances, and after dragging themselves back into the team Cardiff re-took the lead. They broke at pace and Peter Whittingham brilliantly picked out a sprinting Joe Ledley, who found a breathtaking finish to put his hometown club back in front.

Just minutes later, Blackpool's Gary Taylor-Fletcher's shot thumped against the post and the rebound led to a corner which, in turn, caused absolute chaos. The ensuing scramble included three shots on goal, one reaction save by David Marshall, one goal-line clearance and, crucially, one goalscoring header from the Liverpudlian striker to make it 2-2 towards the end of a remarkable first 45 minutes.

Amazingly there was more to come, and this time it was Blackpool who went in front. Some excellent footwork on the edge of the area from DJ Campbell culminated in an airshot from the semi-final hat-trick scorer, but the ball rolled into the path of Brett Ormerod, who was able to hold his nerve and stab to ball home from six yards to make it 3-0. A minute later, Darcy Blake thought he'd equalised for Cardiff but he was correctly ruled offside and his team ended a blistering first half a goal behind.

Blackpool lost Taylor-Fletcher to injury less than ten minutes into the second period just as Cardiff were beginning to knock on the door. In the 57th minute, Chopra broke free of the Blackpool defence and blasted a shot off the angle of the goal for the second time in the game. On the hour, Ledley looked certain to score his second as he rose above Gilks but could only glance Whittingham's corner wide.

Tension building, the chances began to dry up as the last 20 minutes approached. Blackpool started to look happy to see out the time and Cardiff's play became increasingly desperate as they took control of most of the late attacking play.

Ultimately, the second half would end goalless and Ian Holloway, after the ignominy of relegation with Leicester City had shaped a change in his outlook, saluted his players as they marched into the Premier League.

(Pic via BBC Sport)

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TFT Podcast Episode 50

And so we reach Episode 50, and I'm sure you'll forgive me the indulgence of thinking that it's an achievement to be very proud of.

For those not yet in the know, no money changes hands at any stage of the production of this podcast, and never has done. The hosts earn nothing, the studio is very kindly donated by my employers and the guests are all entirely unpaid save for a bottle of water I usually pop out to buy every Thursday evening.

I'm proud to have reached 50 shows and on a personal note I'd like to extend my thanks to co-host Gary Andrews for his amazing hard work. This podcast simply wouldn't happen without him. I'd also like to thank the guests we've had in the studio for 49 of the 50 shows, particularly the regulars, and everyone we've spoken to on the phone.

Without them, this would be just two obsessive geeks enthusing about a ball game.

To help us celebrate, we're joined this week by two returning guests and a brand spanking new one. Nottingham Forest supporter Tom Phillips sits alongside Liverpool fans Sam Coare and Chris "Geordie" White as we begin to wrap up the season. There's a look back at the FA Cup final and the Football League playoffs so far, and predict the outcome of Saturday's Championship final between Blackpool and Cardiff City.

We discuss the controversial resignation of Lord Triesman, the chairman of the Football Association and head of England's World Cup 2018 bid amid stories of entrapment and match-fixing allegations. Where does it leave the FA? And how much damage has the affair done to the 2018 bid?

We spend a few minutes discussing the Champions League final - also known as Part Two of Saturday's Football Bonanza - between Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. Jose Mourinho and his former boss Louis van Gaal will go head to head tomorrow night in Madrid and my money is firmly on the Nerazzurri.

There's also a debate about Liverpool and then the season finale: the compiling of the twofootedtackle Premier League Team of the Season. All five men in the studio brought along their select eleven (on paper, not in a minibus) and Gary furiously scribbled down the final team as we debated their virtues. There might be one or two surprises.

And just to top it all off, there's an interview with World Cup final hat-trick hero, Sir Geoff Hurst. A little disclosure here: I work in a PR agency and one of our clients is the Royal Mint, so I was able to talk to Sir Geoff as part of the publicity for the Mint's commemorative World Cup Medal. You can get one for free (give or take P&P;) by visiting www.itsenglandstime.com - enjoy.

Next week will be the final podcast of the domestic season, but we'll be back at irregular intervals throughout the World Cup in South Aftica - there will most likely be six or seven shows during the tournament.

Please leave your comments below, follow us on Twitter, be our fan on Facebook and send your questions and comments to twofootedtackle[at]googlemail[dot]com - we also want audio contributions to the show, so feel free to get in touch about that.

Have a great week.

You can listen to this week's episode below:
Download link (mp3, 56mb, 81 mins)

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Football Americana Week 8

Not exactly a vintage set of matches, but week eight at least provided some awesome goals. Brek Shea, Fredy Montero, Danny Mwanga...I'm talkin' about you. You can read all about it by visiting Some People Are On The Pitch and checking out my weekly column, Football Americana.

Football Americana Week 8: Shea, Montero and Mwanga light up a dull weekend

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IFAB tweaks rules on penalties and officials

The International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body responsible for the Laws of the Game, has made some significant changes in their latest update of the rules. The rule changes fall into three main categories, the first of which will be in place to have a real effect on World Cup 2010. The others, presumably, have been put in place with the longer term in mind.

The first rule change is one that surprises me somewhat, largely because I actually thought it was already in place in even stricter terms than the new rule. From World Cup 2010 onwards, a player taking a penalty kick will no longer be allowed to halt at the end of their run-up to sell the goalkeeper a dummy. To do so will now be deemed a yellow card offence on grounds of unsporting behaviour. The key words for me are "no longer" and "end of their run-up", because I am willing to admit that I thought it was already the case that players were not allowed to check their run-up at any point and it was just a sadly ignored rule.

According to FIFA's Jerome Valcke, though, "feinting in the run-up to take a penalty kick to confuse opponents is permitted". Quite frankly, it shouldn't be. In my view this is undoubtedly unsporting behaviour and I can see absolutely no reason why a penalty taker shouldn't be forced to take a smooth run-up in a situation which is already - rightly - weighted very much in his favour.

The other changes are to the methods of officiating the game. Firstly, the fourth official will be given more power and will now be allowed to rule on on-field matters. I generally prefer humans ruling on the game rather than technology, but I'm not convinced that allowing the same official to do so as has responsibility for managing the technical areas and substitutions is the answer. It sounds very much like two different jobs to me, and I don't believe that (a) the area of the pitch in front of the dugouts should be better officiated than anywhere else or (b) that fourth officials should in any way be allowed the use of monitors in order to carry out their new duties.

Finally, UEFA's experiment with additional assistant referees (the guys wearing pyjamas behind the goal line) will be extended on a voluntary basis worldwide, provided competitions which adopt the trial allow it to run for the entirety of the relevant campaign.

But despite the make-up of IFAB (FIFA, the FA, the SFA, FAW and the IFA, with FIFA carrying four votes), the trial will not be seen anytime soon in England or Scotland. As the FA's Head of National Referee Development told us when he guested on the podcast, we simply don't have the numbers.

What do you think of the rule changes?

(Pic via Cagliari Calcio)

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Terrors appoint Mark Beard

The short-term future of Tooting & Mitcham United, twofootedtackle's adopted club, looked bleak when manager Billy Smith and assistant George Wakeling said their goodbyes at the end of last season. The Ryman Premier League club informed Smith and Wakeling of a 40% cut in the playing budget for next season and the charismatic duo chose to move on.

Clearly, such a cut in budget will also have a devastating effect on the squad itself and a number of the club's better players are likely to leave too, assuming they can find a club in step three that isn't imposing such financial restraint next term. Captain Joe Vines paid tribute to supporters as he prepared to find a new club. Brother Paul would walk into most sides at that level without any trouble.

And yet within a matter of weeks, there's a glimmer of hope appearing over Mitcham tram stop. An EGM of the Members Club, which owns a percentage of the club alongside Tooting & Mitcham Sports & Leisure, passed a motion whose details I'm not at liberty to share but which bodes well for the football club.

Yesterday was a big news day for the Terrors. Defender Mitchell Nelson announced that he has signed for League One side AFC Bournemouth, after trials at Crystal Palace and Reading. It's a case of footballing incest for me, because I grew up in Bournemouth and absolutely adore the Cherries, and it's a fantastic move for Nelson. He'll do Eddie Howe proud with the right coaching.

Having announced on Monday that a new manager had been appointed, the club unveiled former AFC Wimbledon midfielder Mark Beard as the new boss. Beard is a fascinating contrast with his predecessor, taking on the job at the age of 35 and talking a big game from the word go.

From the Surrey Comet:

"I have not come here to sit in mid-table. I will be looking to put together a team that is fast and quick on the break and is very entertaining. At Haywards Heath last season we were the top scorers in the league and I want to bring that mentality to Tooting."

Before his spell in Sussex with the Blues, Beard played for Wimbledon, Sheffield United, Southend United, Millwall and Kingstonian, and won the FA Trophy with Stevenage Borough - soon to be known simply as Stevenage - in 2007.

He also has a famous FA Cup goal to his name. In January 1995, aged 20, he opened the scoring at Highbury by finishing past David Seaman as Millwall beat Arsenal 2-0 in a third round replay.

Terrors chairman Steve Adkins is optimistic about the future:

"[Mark] wants to win things and has the skills, personality and charisma to bring real success to the club and our army of loyal fans. I couldn't be happier as the appointment marks the start of a fantastic new era for us."

It's certainly going to be different at Imperial Fields next season as the club rebuilds from the blow of reaching its financial limits and losing personnel by necessity rather than design. I can't wait to be a part of it.

(Pic via Tooting Life)

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Triesman was Lord Treason to the papers long before Melissa Jacobs

Lord David Triesman isn't the first high ranking official to be undone by a pretty face and he definitely won't be the last, but his forced resignation following the Mail On Sunday's expose comes at a particularly bad time for England and leaves behind a situation where nobody comes out of it with any particular credit.

In many respects, it's not a surprise that Triesman has been forced out. The Premier League have been gunning for him ever since he publicly criticised them over both Game 39 and the level of debts within Premier League clubs.

Since then the Labour peer has had to endure a steady trickle of articles questioning his ability and character, few of which really amount to anything. But, with FA leaders always a prime target, the chasing pack had a small scent of blood and was doing whatever it could to force open the wound.

From the papers, you'd assume that Triesman was single-handedly going to destroy English football - witness The Sun's Lord Treason headline. In reality, he'd been making steady progress, an independent voice from the constant, poisoning in-fighting at the FA.

He sorted out a row between the Jamaican and English FAs over funding, part-placating CONCACAF president Jack Warner (a man whose record in football deserves much more scrutiny than that of Triesman), as well as working hard for both grassroots football and the World Cup bid.

And what's left Lord Triesman’s mouth, both in public and in the fateful meeting with Melissa Jacobs, was tame stuff, not too far from the views of many ordinary football fans.

He wasn't too keen on the idea of Game 39, thought Gordon Brown had been a pretty awful Prime Minister, advocated caps on foreign players, and mocked John Terry, as many others have done.

What did for him, though, was the allegations that Spain and Russia were looking to bribe referees in South Africa - a diplomatic disaster at the best of times, but one that could well cost England the 2018 World Cup.

Perhaps if this hadn't been a World Cup year, journalists might have found more inclination to explore these claims, although English FA scalp-hunting is usually a far easier past time.

Several journalists, most notably Martin Samuel, have criticised Triesman for not reporting these concerns, even if he only had minuscule evidence. It's not as easy as this though.

Imagine if his Lordship had decided to speak to FIFA or the government about these accusations, with little or no evidence. How would that have gone down in the corridors of power and how would it have affected England's bid? Imagine the press reaction if the concerns were dismissed and the 2018 campaign harmed.

What it seems is that the comments were a mixture of private musings and a slight amount of bravado in trying to impress Melissa Jacobs.

This is all too human. How many of us have talked over our gut feelings or suspicions, in confidence, with close friends and loved ones? Triesman's crime has suddenly become trusting someone too much, albeit one he probably shouldn't have been involved with in the first place.

And here's where the nub of it is. Triesman's comments on Spain and Russia are undoubtedly a story - and a big scoop at that - but also ones that, had it not been for Jacobs' decision to sell her story, one that would probably not have progressed beyond a private conversation.

Triesman was not speaking to members of other football federations, he was not discussing confidential material, and he wasn't airing these allegations in a forum where the possibility of leaks were high - he was in private conversation with a person who he trusted.

The whole affair raises questions over what constitutes private and public. Is reporting his comments in the public interest? Possibly, but only if you investigate the Spain and Russia allegations further. And everybody's adamant there's nothing in them.

The moralising aspect of his relationship with Jacobs is irrelevant here. Yes, you could level a charge of hypocrisy in the wake of the Terry and Bridge incident, but it's hardly comparable and an extra-marital affair doesn’t make Triesman unfit to run the FA - it's a private matter for his family.

England now go into damage limitation mode, a wearily familiar state of affairs. Coupled with the recent departure of Ian Watmore, the FA has lost both heads of senior leadership in quick succession.

Should England fail to win the right to host the 2018 World Cup, the media will no doubt be quick to blame Lord Triesman and his loose lips. Melissa Jacobs will escape with a hefty paycheck and the media will refuse to counter any notion that they should take any responsibility.

Until recently it looked as if Lord Triesman might actually secure the World Cup, implement reform at grassroots level and stand up to the Premier League. As it is, the FA is now a weakened, dazed beast staring at an imploded bid and an overbearing top flight. It's a sad legacy for a man who promised so much.

(Pic via Sporting Life)

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Why the web must debate technology in football

Regular readers will be aware that my stance on technology in football - goal-line, video or otherwise - is very much an adversarial one. Podcast listeners might also know that my view could be seen as softening, largely because of some frankly criminal refereeing in two Wembley appearances for my club this season and, of course, Thierry Henry's scandalous double handball for France against Ireland.

My preference would be to have a fourth official watching the game on video (with replays) as it happens and letting the referee and his assistants get on with it, make their routine errors and maintain the flow of the game. In the event that a decision is both clearly wrong and potentially result changing, the fourth (well, fifth) official should notify the referee. So, if an offside decision is touch and go, the video ref keeps quiet regardless of right or wrong. If Henry handles the ball to knock Ireland out of World Cup contention, or John Terry attempts to amputate James Milner's leg at the knee, he tells the referee he's made a mistake.

That's a pipe dream, of course, and it has obvious flaws. But this post is less about one side of the debate and more about the importance of the debate itself.

Technology in football is becoming inevitable because the controllers of the debate have already made up their minds and they're all on the same side. The "debate" is about how rather than whether, and those with no desire to see such change are entirely voiceless. Why? Because the television companies have no cause to debate an innovation that would clearly benefit them.

Sky Sports in particular are guilty of using the word 'debate' when they have no intention of allowing both sides to be heard. They bleat on, in special features and in the general run of conversation, about how disgraceful it is that FIFA won't budge on technology, about how awful it is that referees are allowed to make errors which - gulp - cost clubs money. And there, of course, is the very kernel of the matter: money.

My fury at the TV outlets and their pro-technology agenda hit the ceiling on Saturday afternoon. In the FA Cup final, one of five Chelsea strikes to hit the woodwork in the first half cannoned off the crossbar behind David James and appeared, in real time, to bounce behind the line and back out. Referee Chris Foy and his assistant waved play on, and ITV commentary duo Clive Tyldesley and Jim Beglin instantly went into preaching mode, incredulous about FIFA's lack of movement on technology before their replay had even been shown.

It was almost as if they couldn't believe their luck that a controversial goal-line decision appeared to have been called incorrectly. Here's our chance to peddle our agenda!

What followed was nothing short of ridiculous, and my general fondness for my friends at the aforementioned broadcaster cannot stop my frustration at their commentators climbing on to a soapbox on Saturday. The replay showed with absolutely no doubt whatsoever that the ball did not cross the line. All around the country, I hope, supporters like myself who jumped the gun whispered a word of praise for the match officials and calmed down.

Not Clive and Jim, who somehow decided not only that the replay was inconclusive, but, later that it clearly showed the ball cross the line. I must apologise to my girlfriend's neighbours in Cardiff for my foul-mouthed bellowing when I realised that ITV's men on the gantry were going to continue their indignation about the lack of technology and base their ire on a decision which they'd called completely wrongly based on a replay.

So don't be fooled when you hear about the "technology debate" on television. There isn't a debate being conducted, there is a very obvious lobbying effort by the TV companies and very limited allowance for their opponents. It's all about the so-called 'product', the polished package sold by the TV industry. It must be perfect and error-free, and as dramatic as possible. Which TV executive wouldn't want the drama of a replay system?

FIFA, the only powerful voice on the other side of the argument, might be the ultimate decision maker but they can only hold out against the money men.

Here in the UK blogosphere we don't have nearly as much influence as our American counterparts, who form a crucial part of their country's soccer media. But it's important that both sides of the technology debate are heard, even if it's just a few moaning bastards like me arguing online. The mainstream debate is not fair and balanced.

(Pic via Bleacher Report)

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Prediction League - Finale: Results

Arsenal 4-0 Fulham
Chris: Arsenal
Ian: Arsenal
Gary: Arsenal

Aston Villa 0-1 Blackburn
Chris: Draw
Ian: Aston Villa
Gary: Draw

Bolton 2-1 Birmingham
Chris: Draw
Ian: Draw
Gary: Bolton

Burnley 4-2 Tottenham
Chris: Tottenham
Ian: Tottenham
Gary: Tottenham

Chelsea 8-0 Wigan
Chris: Chelsea
Ian: Chelsea
Gary: Chelsea

Everton 1-0 Portsmouth
Chris: Everton
Ian: Everton
Gary: Draw

Hull 0-0 Liverpool
Chris: Liverpool
Ian: Liverpool
Gary: Liverpool

Man United 4-0 Stoke
Chris: Man United
Ian: Man United
Gary: Man United

West Ham 1-1 Man City
Chris: Man City
Ian: Man City
Gary: West Ham

Wolves 2-1 Sunderland
Chris: Wolves
Ian: Sunderland
Gary: Wolves

*Drum roll*

1.Chris - 123 points
2.Ian - 115 points
3.Gary - 113 points

Chris is crowned twofootedtackle Prediction League 2009/10 Champion.

This season's league has certainly been a blast even if our predictions at times were verging on disastrous. Hopefully, we might be able to get a few more involved in the league next season to spice things up a bit. Until then, it's goodbye from me!

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Episode 49: Mark Segal

It's been a big week for football news, and at this stage of the season it's always news that matters. The focus for many has been the announcement of 32 preliminary squads for World Cup 2010 and the noteworthy absentees which stole the headlines for a number of countries.

In this week's podcast, we're joined in the studio by the football editor of ITV.com, Mark Segal, to cover all the stories from the last seven days.

England's provisional 30 was named by Fabio Capello on Tuesday and included few surprises, as Bobby Zamora's expected inclusion was scuppered by the need for a post-season operation and the whispered call-up for Owen Hargreaves failed to materialise.

Jamie Carragher, however, was named in the 30-man squad, and we debate whether that's right or wrong in this week's show. (It's wrong.) We also predict which seven players we think will be cut from the squad and marvel at the Madness of Maradona as El Diego names his Argentina squad and includes 87-year-old Boca Juniors legend Martin Palermo and two Newcastle United players. Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti of Champions League finalists Inter Milan miss out.

Back on English soil, Chelsea's 8-0 thrashing of Wigan Athletic saw them lift the Premier League trophy. Didier Drogba's pathetic tantrum didn't prevent him bagging a hat-trick and taking home the top goalscorer accolade, and five more goals from his colleagues sparked lengthy celebrations.

Also celebrating this week were fans of Blackpool and Cardiff City, the finalists of the playoffs for the final Premier League place. Blackpool went to Nottingham Forest for their semi-final second leg and won a remarkable match 4-3, giving them a 6-4 aggregate victory. Ian Holloway's side put in a fantastic performance, steadying themselves after conceding early and then getting the job done in the middle few minutes of an extraordinary second half.

They'll play Cardiff at Wembley after the Bluebirds lost 3-2 at home to Leicester City to progress to extra time and penalties. The dramatic shoot-out went Cardiff's way and if ever there was a club that needs promotion, Cardiff is it.

Oh, and Exeter City avoided relegation. You might hear a bit about that.

Please leave your comments below, follow us on Twitter, be our fan on Facebook and send your questions and comments to twofootedtackle[at]googlemail[dot]com - we also want audio contributions to the show, so feel free to get in touch about that.

Have a great week.

You can listen to this week's episode below:
Download link (mp3, 39mb, 56 mins)

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Breaking America: FA #7 and Inside The Six

LA Galaxy are absolutely flying in Major League Soccer, and won twice in week seven. You can read all about it by visiting Some People Are On The Pitch and checking out my weekly column, Football Americana.

Football Americana Week 7: Goal spree in MLS

I've also been cheating on Gary again, this time with Inside The Six, who asked me onto the show to talk about Fulham's Europa League heartbreak, Fabio Capello's provisional England squad for World Cup 2010 and the Championship playoffs.

Inside The Six

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The Europa League ignites a very British love affair with Fulham

When Fulham walk out onto the Nordbank Arena pitch for the Europa League final, it'll be a journey that scarcely anyone, let alone the players or fans, could have believed when the West London club started their campaign back in July against Lithuanian side FK Vetra. For the supporters, the European tour they sang of at Craven Cottage in the summer now reaches its climax.

Thousands of Fulham fans will have made the journey to Hamburg in the hope of seeing the Cottagers lifting a piece of European silverware and while those decked in white will be using all their energy to cheer for Roy Hodgson's men, they'll also be in the unusual situation of being supported by the majority of this country as well, QPR fans possibly excepted.

Support for a Fulham victory in a modern European cup competition is more of a throwback to the days of Nottingham Forest and Ipswich, as opposed to an extension of the recent Champions League successes of the Big Four.

Fulham feel like a club representing England, applying typical characteristics of the underdog coupled with a never-say-die attitude and it's this breath of fresh air that's endeared them to the nation.

The modern Champions League has skewed English perception of European knockout competitions somewhat. Before its current inception, English teams in the European Cup and the UEFA Cup truly felt like they were representing the country.

Rivalries were still in place, but there was a sense that the victor that season had won the league or qualified the UEFA Cup or Cup Winners Cup and earned the right for a crack at proving that the champions of England could be champions of Europe too.

This sense was amplified when a smaller, provincial club like Forest or Ipswich took the English challenge into Europe. Victory was hard fought over unpredictable and challenging foreign trips, and often unexpected. Even as recently as 1998, Chelsea's European Cup Winners Cup triumph could have fallen into this category.

But the modern-era Champions League has changed this. No longer is qualification a hard-fought battle or the title a prerequisite, with Arsenal not lifting the league trophy since 2003 and Liverpool since the pre-Premier League days. Both are still competitive within Europe.

This dominance of English clubs in the knockout stages over recent years, putting to one side this season, has brought with it the rivalries of club competitions. No Liverpool supporter will grudgingly accept that Manchester United have won the right to fight for the European Cup, as both teams are in the same competition. All four fans of the regular qualifiers will, as likely, feel the same. Loyalties are split.

And as the same old faces populate European competition, the resentment grows elsewhere. Manchester United and Liverpool may be two of the most globally popular clubs but in England you're as likely to find fans of other clubs who would rather see them fail because they're part of the big four. ABUs and ABCs (Anybody but United/Chelsea) are just as prevalent as fans of these clubs.

Against this backdrop comes Fulham. Granted, they may not be from the provinces, but they are a smaller team in comparison to the Big Four, along with Spurs and Manchester City and they've almost single-handedly revived the flagging Europa League in Britain.

It helps that in Roy Hodgson they have one of the most popular and well-respected managers in the Premier League, while Fulham's incredible run has treated the knockout competition with the respect it deserves, unlike Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa, who shamelessly threw away their best hope of silverware in pursuit of a fourth place they were always unlikely to get and wouldn't have guaranteed Champions League group stage football anyway.

And there have been some memorable moments, the type that only European football can deliver. A tactically brilliant victory over holders Shakhtar Donetsk and stunning comebacks against both Hamburg and European giants Juventus. The type of hard-fought underdog victory that can endear you to a nation.

Some may grumble and point to Fulham's rise through the lower leagues on the back of Al-Fayed's cash but compared to fellow Premier League teams Fulham's budget is modest and their squad consists of well-known players as opposed to superstars. It's also hard to dislike a club that retains a neutral end.

Had this been Liverpool who were playing Hamburg the reaction may not have been the same. Their European successes have been more illustrious and more recent, and Rafael Benitez only gave the impression of getting interest in the Trophy when it was clear fourth place in the Premier League was beyond them. At least he kept his side in the competition, unlike O'Neill.

Fulham inspire something different, something of the collective well-wishing that Forest and Ipswich enjoyed. When Danny Murphy leads the Cottagers out in Germany, bar the odd pockets around QPR and Brentford, the nation will be willing Hodgson's men on.

The West Londoners have never won a major domestic or European trophy and, fifteen years ago, were in danger of losing their league status altogether. You'd have to have a heart of stone, no matter what your allegiance, not to will them to one final victory of the season on Wednesday night.

(Pic via This Is London)

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Steve McClaren heads for the Bundesliga

Former England head coach Steve McClaren has been appointed the new manager of German outfit VfL Wolfsburg, making him the first Englishman to manage a side in the Bundesliga.

McClaren makes the move after guiding the Dutch club FC Twente to their first ever Eredivisie title in the 2009/10 season, an achievement which has sent his stock through the roof after a disastrous stint in charge of the English national team. The 'wally with the brolly' has turned his career around admirably since failing to qualify for Euro 2008 and after a very impressive title win in Holland, things are looking brighter than ever for the Yorkshireman.

The Wolfsburg job might just be tailor-made for McClaren, and it's the ideal step up from Twente. He's clearly enjoyed his time in Europe and learned a lot, and I have a huge amount of respect for the way he's carried himself since leaving England. I think there's real value in players and managers plying their trade on foreign shores, and it always pleases me to see them do well. It's not so common these days, and I think Matt Derbyshire will grow as a player - and McClaren as a manager - from diving in feet first and learning about the culture, development and methods of the European game.

The telling thing here is that McClaren, despite the awful state of his reputation when he left, could probably have secured a job in the Premier League this summer. He's chosen not to do that, prefering instead to continue his educational journey through European football. In my eyes, Second Choice Steve is now fully redeemed and has unequivocably proven his worth.

He served his coaching apprenticeship under Denis Smith, Jim Smith and Alex Ferguson before joining the England set-up for the first time in 2000, while he was working under Ferguson at Manchester United. He stayed involved throughout much of his time at Middlesbrough, where he began his managerial career and did a job that looks, in hindsight, like rather a good one. I'd imagine most Middlesbrough supporters would bite your hand off if you offered them a UEFA Cup final, a League Cup victory, an FA Cup final and, most importantly, Premier League football.

Having returned to the England coaching staff to replace Brian Kidd, forced to stand down due to illness, McClaren was appointed by the Football Association to replace Sven-Goran Eriksson in time for the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign. It was there that his reputation plummeted, and deservedly so. He axed David Beckham, presumably to make a political point, before eventually succumbing to the pressure placed on him to recall the former captain. Crucially, his England side failed to qualify for Euro 2008 from a particularly favourable qualification group. And in November 2007, as his team was defeated in the final game against Croatia, he stood in his technical area underneath an umbrella, a mistake he seemed unlikely to ever live down.

With Fabio Capello settling into McClaren's office, he didn't go into hiding or sink into lower league obscurity. He took the bull by the horns and followed in the footsteps of Roy Hodgson and the late Sir Bobby Robson in embarking upon a career in continental European football. FC Twente offered him a chance, and he headed to Holland with little fanfare and just got on with business. Two years later, his side pipped an excellent Ajax team to the championship and put McClaren firmly on the managerial map. I think staying abroad and moving to a different country is a wise move for him, and the Wolfsburg job could be the making of his career.

(Pic via BBC Sport)

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2009/10 predictions revisited

Way back in August, I wrote a season preview which included three predictions apiece for English football's top four divisions. With the dust settling on the 2009/10 campaign, save for the playoffs, I thought it might be a good time to congratulate myself revisit those predictions and see how I got on. Mixed fortunes, in a nutshell.

Premier League

Chelsea to win the title, Hull to get relegated, Villa to disappoint

Okay, so these predictions weren't exactly ambitious but they were correct nonetheless. Chelsea left it late to pip Manchester United to the Premier League title and should have sewn it up weeks ago, but they seem vulnerable occasionally when the pressure is off. I've long seen Hull's relegation as inevitable and George Boateng's comments recently explain why, although it's sad that the players have let their distaste for Phil Brown result in the club's relegation. Things aren't looking too clever at the KC.

As for Villa, I think there's an argument either way. Finishing sixth place for the third time in a row might not be disappointing in itself, but I feel there have been missed opportunities and - despite an improved points total - something of a lack of progress. Martin O'Neill has no Plan B and Villa are increasingly being figured out. They might have been in a fight for fourth two weeks ago, but if Liverpool recover next season then Villa will struggle to finish in the top six next season. I certainly feel disappointed.

Championship

Middlesbrough to get promoted, Newcastle to miss out on playoffs, Plymouth to get relegated

Bit of a fail here, if I'm honest. In essence I got Newcastle and Middlesbrough the wrong way round, for which I'm sure neither would thank me. Newcastle took to their task professionally and exploited their assets to the maximum, securing promotion with ease. Middlesbrough, on the other hand, have slumped badly. There's no reason to expect a return on the horizon. Plymouth were relegated a while ago and finished some eight points from safety. It seems obvious in hindsight, but I did feel I was going out on a limb in August. Still, I'm claiming a point here because it was correct even if it was obvious.

League One

Brentford and Exeter to stay up, Gillingham to go down, Leeds to secure automatic promotion

I'd like to draw your attention to my League One predictions in an unnecessarily smug way. Admittedly, predicting Leeds to get promoted was an easy option and it came mighty close to being wrong. But I'm quite chuffed with my other predictions. Brentford and Exeter were promoted from League Two last season and it was great to see them both survive, as I have a bit of a fondness for both. Gillingham were eventually relegated by Ryan Harley's winner for Exeter over Huddersfield, securing a League One clean sweep for me and making me wish I'd put my money where my mouth is, was and forever will be.

League Two

Burton to get relegated, Rotherham to reach playoffs, Sven to manage Notts County at least once

In the bottom division, only blind loyalty prevented me from predicting Bournemouth being relegated. Eddie Howe and the boys proved me emphatically wrong with their amazing season. My piss-taking Notts County prediction didn't come true itself, but did point towards the chaos that would befall the Magpies this season. Through it all, their squad - arguably operating outside the league's salary cap - held firm and went up as champions. Rotherham, gawd bless 'em, did the job for me. Threatening to derail Bournemouth's cause, they eventually succumbed but will kick off their playoff campaign at Aldershot on Saturday.

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Premier League season in review

So there it is, another Premier League season confined to the record books and an episode of Premiership Years. I'm sure I'll be forgiven for pointing out that it wasn't exactly a vintage one.

Chelsea eventually came to provide its main highlights. They put seven goals each past Sunderland, Aston Villa and Stoke City, and signed off yesterday with an 8-0 thrashing of Wigan Athletic, who managed to keep it below the nine they conceded to Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the season. In doing so, Carlo Ancelotti's men secured a title which was thoroughly deserved but not won convincingly.

While Michael Essien and the in-form Ashley Cole was lost to lengthy injuries and John Terry did little to enhance his reputation on or off the pitch, a handful of players further up the field were unswervingly reliable. Frank Lampard, Florent Malouda and Golden Boot winner Didier Drogba always seemed to be present on the scoresheet and each had arguably his best season. Lampard in particular was brilliant, even if he doesn't shout about it so much these days.

For all Chelsea's ability and coolness under pressure, the fact that they were able to slip up all too often and yet still have it all in their own hands yesterday shows that their rivals aren't quite in their league. Liverpool quickly fell away, losing matches far too easily and dropping points in games they would, back in August, have been expected to win. The blind support for Rafael Benitez by a large portion of Liverpool's fans is puzzling in the extreme. Even within the context of unfortunate ownership, the Spaniard has failed spectacularly this season.

Arsenal improved a lot this season and took their title challenge further than predicted. A number of Arsene Wenger's young players are starting to come into their own and the team as a whole seems mentally stronger than in seasons past. Adversity no longer spells doom. Unfortunately for the Gunners it was another campaign of 'what if'. Chiefly, supporters will ask 'what if Robin Van Persie wasn't injury prone and we weren't carrying two substandard goalkeepers?'

Chelsea's main challenge came from Manchester United, themselves a shadow of what they used to be. An over-reliance on Wayne Rooney was, like Cristiano Ronaldo, met with admirable vigour by the player himself, but the rest of the team wasn't up to it. Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes won't be around for much longer and there is much work to be done at Old Trafford. Can Alex Ferguson build another world class team? I wouldn't put it past him.

Lower down, the so-called 'race for fourth' showed that football is resigned to its own futility. In the end, it was Tottenham Hotspur who celebrated fourth (that's the fourth that comes after first, second and third) like a league title win - Manchester City or Aston Villa would have been exactly the same and it's tragic.

Spurs triumphed when City took out Villa's feeble challenge and then fell foul of a late Peter Crouch header at Eastlands, but for me the quest was successful simply because Tottenham faced Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City in the final weeks of the season and beat three of them in style.

The relegation battle was something of a damp squib, and for that West Ham United will be grateful. The Hammers survived in 17th place with just 35 points in the bank. The story at the bottom this season has been financial chaos at Fratton Park, a situation which had a huge effect on Portsmouth's footballing fortunes. Their ten-point penalty wasn't the difference between survival and relegation mathematically, but their relegation reflects badly an all involved behind the scenes.

Joining Pompey in the Championship next season, Burnley might look back at their scientific appointment of Brian Laws and wish they'd taken more of a gamble, but his appointment was almost certainly geared towards next season rather than this. Time will tell on that one - I wouldn't be surprised to see Laws sacked before October and the new man guide the Clarets into the playoffs.

Hull City also face a return to the Championship, and it sounds very much like the rot began a good 18 months ago. George Boateng's comments confirmed what many of us suspected: that Phil Brown's attitude and arrogance cost him the dressing room. But while Boateng's using it as an excuse, it reflects very badly on the players that they allowed their personal baggage to lead to relegation a full season later. Appointing Lord Relegation in Brown's lieu simply put the seal on it.

Credit must go to Fulham and Birmingham City for excellent seasons in which both have been impressive in the league and had very decent cup runs. Roy Hodgson and Alex McLeish will rightly be regarded highly as a result, as should Stoke City's Tony Pulis.

What were your highlights of the season?

(Pic via BBC Sport/AP)

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Prediction League - Finale

Arsenal vs. Fulham
Chris: Arsenal
Ian: Arsenal
Gary: Arsenal

Aston Villa vs. Blackburn
Chris: Draw
Ian: Aston Villa
Gary: Draw

Bolton vs. Birmingham
Chris: Draw
Ian: Draw
Gary: Bolton

Burnley vs. Tottenham
Chris: Tottenham
Ian: Tottenham
Gary: Tottenham

Chelsea vs. Wigan
Chris: Chelsea
Ian: Chelsea
Gary: Chelsea

Everton vs. Portsmouth
Chris: Everton
Ian: Everton
Gary: Draw

Hull vs. Liverpool
Chris: Liverpool
Ian: Liverpool
Gary: Liverpool

Man United vs. Stoke
Chris: Man United
Ian: Man United
Gary: Man United

West Ham vs. Man City
Chris: Man City
Ian: Man City
Gary: West Ham

Wolves vs. Sunderland
Chris: Wolves
Ian: Sunderland
Gary: Wolves

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TFT Podcast Episode 48

If we took Chelsea's wins over Sunderland, Aston Villa and Stoke City in isolation, we would be amazed that the Premier League title race should be alive in the final 90 minutes of the season. Carlo Ancelotti's side have been thrilling to watch on occasion, but an apparent vulnerability in routine games and a tendency to slip up where they shouldn't has allowed the competition to continue for much longer than perhaps it might have.

Frank Lampard, Florent Malouda and Didier Drogba, along with one or two others, have been in phenomenal form. Lampard has quietly gone about being world class this term, chipped in with the usual prolific goalscoring, and yet somehow escaped the hype which has surrounded himself and Steven Gerrard throughout their careers. It points to a player that is, finally, comfortable with his own brilliance. Malouda has been a revelation, contributing so well that his many critics - myself included - are queueing up to praise his abilities.

Chelsea, though, haven't been able to streak away from their rivals. Inter aside, their focus in high-pressure matches is machine-like. Sometimes, as they did against Stoke, they demolish lesser teams. Others, teams are contained efficiently and then sucker-punched. And yet it just seems as if Chelsea sometimes let matches pass them by when the pressure is off.

That has allowed Manchester United and Arsenal to stay in touch. Arsenal must be cursing their injury record and lack of a goalscorer, having fallen away with a few weeks to spare. United, arguably still being rebuilt into a team which can collectively replace Cristiano Ronaldo, have relied heavily upon Wayne Rooney and veteran midfielders Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. Had Chelsea been at their best more often, United would have been seen off weeks ago.

For my money, Chelsea are easily the best team in England. They must beat Wigan Athletic, one of the teams that has caught them napping this season, at home to win the title. United host Stoke and both title hopefuls should win on Sunday, handing Chelsea the trophy.

Further down the league, Peter Crouch's late goal on Wednesday gave Tottenham Hotspur a win at Manchester City and they are now assured of fourth place. Securing a Champions League qualifying spot is some achievement for Harry Redknapp, but Liverpool and Man City will be gunning to take them down a peg next season.

In the pod this week, we're joined by Tim Morgan, the CEO of Picklive, to discuss all of the goings on in the Premier League, as well taking a quick look back at Fulham's Europa League semi-final win over Hamburg and Liverpool's exit. There's our usual look at Major League Soccer, in which I acknowledge the midweek results and then proceed to forget that they happened when predicting this weekend's results, and a 'middle to top to bottom' look at the final weekend in the Football League. Can Exeter City stay up? Only time will tell...come on you Grecians!

Finally, are you a football blogger in or near London? Do you like pies and beer? Then allow me to point you in the direction of the Socrates football bloggers meetup. Sponsored by Tim and Picklive, the event was founded by TFT alongside The Onion Bag and Some People Are On The Pitch. Our fourth get-together will take place next Wednesday, 12th May, in Vauxhall. We'll be talking football and watching Fulham take on Atletico Madrid in Hamburg. Click on the link to sign up.

Please leave your comments below, follow us on Twitter, be our fan on Facebook and send your questions and comments to twofootedtackle[at]googlemail[dot]com - we also want audio contributions to the show, so feel free to get in touch about that.

Have a great week.

You can listen to this week's episode below:
Download link (mp3, 44mb, 65 mins)

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Prediction League - Penultimate week: Results

Birmingham 2-1 Burnley
Chris: Birmingham
Ian: Birmingham
Gary: Birmingham

Man City 3-1 Aston Villa
Chris: Man City
Ian: Draw
Gary: Man City

Portsmouth 3-1 Wolves
Chris: Draw
Ian: Portsmouth
Gary: Portsmouth

Stoke 0-0 Everton
Chris: Everton
Ian: Draw
Gary: Everton

Tottenham 1-0 Bolton
Chris: Tottenham
Ian: Tottenham
Gary: Tottenham

Fulham 3-2 West Ham
Chris: Draw
Ian: West Ham
Gary: Fulham

Liverpool 0-2 Chelsea
Chris: Draw
Ian: Liverpool
Gary: Draw

Sunderland 0-1 Man United
Chris: Man United
Ian: Man United
Gary: Draw

Blackburn 2-1 Arsenal
Chris: Arsenal
Ian: Draw
Gary: Arsenal

Wigan 2-2 Hull
Chris: Wigan
Ian: Wigan
Gary: Wigan

Fulham 0-1 Stoke
Chris: Fulham
Ian: Draw
Gary: Fulham

Man City 0-1 Tottenham
Chris: Man City
Ian: Tottenham
Gary: Draw

Therefore, barring a mathematic miracle or a disastrous round of predictions Chris will be crowned champion of the Prediction League on Sunday. There is still the matter of second and third place and with only three points separating myself and Gary it is all up for grabs this weekend.

1. Chris - 118 points
2. Ian - 111 points
3. Gary - 108 points

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Football bloggers: come to Socrates 4

Are you a football blogger? Do you live or work in London, or can you get there of an evening for a good ol' football knees-up? Then Socrates 4 is the meet-up for you, my friend.

Taking place in Vauxhall a week today (that's Wednesday 12th May 2010), the fourth incarnation of Socrates will be the best yet. On the big screen, we'll have Fulham's Europa League final against Atletico Madrid to complement all the insight and debate that comes from sticking the UK's finest football bloggers in a room together.

The venue is the home of our esteemed sponsor, Picklive Football: "The Open Sauce", Mint Digital, W125-127 Westminster Business Square, 1 Durham Street, Vauxhall, London SE11 5JH.

If you want to come along, simply drop us an email at socrates[at]the-onion-bag[dot]com and we'll get you on the list.

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Freesat World Cup HD campaign taking shape

Obviously you've all been on tenterhooks for the last week or so, desperate to know who sent me a load of beer and why. Well, it was Freesat, a digital satellite TV firm, and they're promoting the fact that their gear allows TV viewers to watch World Cup 2010 in high definition. As a marketing person myself, I'm almost more interested in the campaign than its goals, but HD football isn't to be sniffed at.

To recap, 32 Dishes has seen a satellite dish painted with the flag of every World Cup country pinned up somewhere in England as a teaser before the Freesat World Cup competition was revealed in a late night unveiling early last week. Obviously I'm having a crack at the questions for fun, but to make sure I get the most out of engaging with the campaign, I actually got off my fat lazy arse and sloped off around central London to bag myself some photos.

First, I got Brazil. I walked past the same place last night. It's been stolen.

Next, I found New Zealand. This one's still there.
And finally, I took a stroll through Soho proper and, after ogling all the posters outside the skin bars, I found the Holy Grail of dish-hunting: Paraguay. Just look at the workmanship!
Anyway, after my hat-trick success, I thought I deserved a bit of a kickback. I'm unlikely to win the competition, so I half-inched the England dish instead. Take that Freesat!

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Football Americana Week 6 and ITV Football Podcast

It's all go in the USA, and New York Red Bulls and LA Galaxy are running away with Major League Soccer after comfortable wins in week six. You can read all about it by visiting Some People Are On The Pitch and checking out my weekly column, Football Americana.

Football Americana Week 6: Edson "Thatcher" Buddle smashes the Union

I've also been cheating on Gary with the good people at ITV Football, who kindly invited me to be a guest on their podcast this week alongside Ned Boulting and Luke McLaughlin. On the agenda were the Premier League title race, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur battling it out for fourth, Liverpool, Fulham, Steve McClaren and a LOT of Aston Villa.

ITV Football Podcast

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Kingstonian appeal playoff defeat

On a weekend in which violent incidents overshadowed dramatic matches between Sheffield Wednesday and Crystal Palace in the Championship and Luton Town and York City in the Conference playoffs, one attack might actually have a direct effect on footballing matters. It wasn't a large-scale brawl or pitch invasion, it was a gross abuse of trust by one socially-retarded individual who may well have cost his team promotion.

During Boreham Wood's Ryman Premier League playoff victory at home to Kingstonian, K's captain Francis Duku had a 50th minute opening goal disallowed for a foul on the goalkeeper:

Duku thought he had given visitors Kingstonian the lead at Meadow Park when he tapped in from close range after Wood keeper Tony Tucker had spilled a cross. His strike was ruled out by the referee for a foul on Tucker. But before the free-kick could be taken, a man from inside the crowd behind the goal broke onto the pitch, and then allegedly assaulted Duku.

The specific allegation is that the man encroached onto the field of play and punched Duku in the face. Clearly this is entirely unacceptable behaviour, but its implications could reach further than you might imagine.

Boreham Wood reached Saturday's playoff final after finishing fourth in the Ryman Premier table and beating Essex side Aveley 1-0 in their playoff semi-final. Kingstonian won 4-2 in a thrilling game at Surrey rivals Sutton United after the pair finished fifth and second respectively behind champions Dartford. Boreham Wood's 2-0 victory saw Ian Allinson's men secure promotion to the Conference South alongside the Darts, but their upward mobility may yet be in jeopardy thanks to the violent actions of one stupid supporter.

Kingstonian, after discussions withe the players and supporters club, have lodged a formal appeal with league bosses on the grounds that the incident had a lasting effect on the players' performance as second half goals from Ryan Moran and Dewayne Clarke fired Boreham Wood to victory. It will be fascinating to see how that appeal, which will ultimately be heard by the Football Association, turns out.

Earlier in this post I mentioned trust. To our overseas readers that might sound like a strange concept to be considering in a football discussion, but below the sixth tier of English football, there is an element of unspoken trust between clubs and supporters. In most cases, supporters at the lower levels of non-league are not segregated, nor are they heavily 'policed' either by standard Old Bill or by stewards. As a keen supporter of Tooting & Mitcham United, I can say with some confidence that the grounds I've been to in non-league, Imperial Fields included, are not really set up to prevent supporters from making their way onto the pitch.

Saturday's match at Boreham Wood was a little different, according to The Ball Is Round and their first-hand account. Wood's average 250 attendance swelled to over 1,100 for this showpiece occasion, and the resulting measures taken sound as if the club was prepared for an unwanted element being part of the fairweather invasion. TBIR's photos of the day show that the stand behind the goal was busier than the usual Ryman Premier stand, and the police presence was apparently strengthened.

However, I still consider the incident (and other encroachments at Boreham Wood on Saturday) to be as much a breach of trust in non-league as it is a criminal offence. Clubs in non-league have enough problems - as Tooting are experiencing at the moment - without hooligans interfering with their fortunes. As it turns out, the idiotic minority at Boreham Wood on Saturday might well have done the club serious damage.

(Pic via stuartnoelfuller @ Flickr)

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Prediction League: The Penultimate Week

After a prolonged absence the Prediction League is back for the final two weeks of the Premier League season.

Birmingham vs. Burnley
Chris: Birmingham
Ian: Birmingham
Gary: Birmingham

Man City vs. Aston Villa
Chris: Man City
Ian: Draw
Gary: Man City

Portsmouth vs. Wolves
Chris: Draw
Ian: Portsmouth
Gary: Portsmouth

Stoke vs. Everton
Chris: Everton
Ian: Draw
Gary: Everton

Tottenham vs. Bolton
Chris: Tottenham
Ian: Tottenham
Gary: Tottenham

Fulham vs. West Ham
Chris: Draw
Ian: West Ham
Gary: Fulham

Liverpool vs. Chelsea
Chris: Draw
Ian: Liverpool
Gary: Draw

Sunderland vs. Man United
Chris: Man United
Ian: Man United
Gary: Draw

Blackburn vs. Arsenal
Chris: Arsenal
Ian: Draw
Gary: Arsenal

Wigan vs. Hull
Chris: Wigan
Ian: Wigan
Gary: Wigan

Fulham vs. Stoke
Chris: Fulham
Ian: Draw
Gary: Fulham

Man City vs. Tottenham
Chris: Man City
Ian: Tottenham
Gary: Draw

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