This is the place to post your questions or thoughts and I will do my best to respond later in the week. Here are a few subjects that you mind want to comment on.

The Tevez and Mascherano transfer continues to be a source of discussion and controversy. It seems that the “big” clubs were offered the Argentine pair but baulked at the contract conditions. It is also interesting that of the “big” clubs who were offered the players, the only team commenting on the situation is Manchester United.

As mysterious as the transfer of Tevez and Mascherano to West Ham United is, why would United supposedly be willing to pay $35M for Owen Hargreaves (a player available on a Bosman transfer for part of last season) and pass on Mascherano who is already three times the player Hargreaves is – and four years younger.

Here is an article by Alex Bellos on Kia Joorabchian who is now attracting publicity like Paris Hilton attracts photographers.

With talk of a West Ham takeover David Bond looks at the how the latest move to buy a Premiership team is raising the level of concern of many. It seems small potatoes given the goings on over the last few days but tucked away in today’s headlines is something that will have far wider repercussions. Andy Webster has successfully invoked a previously unused clause in FIFA’s transfer regulations that allows a player to move to another club by giving adequate notice at the end of the third year of a longer contract by giving his notice within 15 days of the last match of the season. FIFA adopted the new regulation 17 in 2005 to stay onside of the EU’s concerns. By the way he has joined Wigan from Hearts.

Fernando Torres has reportedly signed a one year contract extension that will keep him at Atletico Madrid until 2009. More importantly for Atletico it means that they have reestablished some value in the player and can sell him next summer for a substantial fee.

Former Inter Milan and Italian great Giacinto Facchetti has died at the age of 64 after a short but serious illness. Facchetti was at the time of his death the President of Inter.  Facchetti was the “contradiction” of the great Inter team of the mid-sixties. While Coach Helenio Herrera may have perfected – not as extensively reported invented – the catenaccio system Facchetti became the poster-boy for overlapping full backs. During his career at Inter he averaged around a goal every six game. He also captained Italy 70 times in 94 appearances. Coming up in the next few days we have Jamaica playing Canada in Montreal today in a CONCACAF friendly, Euro 2008 qualifying continues with Italy traveling to Paris to play France in Group B.

 In response to a posting on the blog “When Saturday Comes” that asked about decent soccer books, here is a summary of an article written at the end of 2004.

Colin Shindler’s “George Best and 21 Others” (Headline Book Publishing) is a great follow up to his two previous soccer books “Manchester United Ruined My Life” and “Fathers, Sons and Football”. Shindler takes the 1964 FA Youth Cup semi-final between the two Manchester clubs as his anchor and weaves together the stories of the individuals who played in that match, along with the social upheaval that was sweeping Britain in the 60’s. “How Soccer Explains the World” by Franklin Foer (Harper Collins) can be judged one of the best books of the year without limiting the category to soccer. Foer, who writes for the New Republic, does a masterful job of describing the powerful forces that the game often unleashes. Racism, ethnic-cleansing, bigotry and violence are all put under the microscope. Simon Kuper has followed up his acclaimed “Football Against the Enemy” with another stunner, “Ajax, The Dutch, The War” (Orion). Kuper tells the story of Amsterdam’s Jewish population during the Second World War and the role of Ajax during those terrible times. The Second World War is also the setting for Andy Dougan’s book “Dynamo” (Harper Collins). Dougan tells the story o####ame played in 1942 in occupied Ukraine. A team largely comprised of the pre-war Dynamo Kiev side played a Luftwaffe side. The consequences of the result were brutal. Dougan does an incredible job of separating the facts from the folklore of the game. This one is a riveting read. Tom Bower is an investigative journalist rather than a sports journalist but that is not a handicap in his book “Broken Dreams” (Simon & Schuster). You can’t read this book and not feel uneasy the next time you hear or read a rumour about an imminent player move. The book is devastating in its expose of the largely unregulated industry of soccer and the millions siphoned by sleazy agents, unprincipled owners and managers. Another book with a business and financial bent is “Manchester Unlimited” by Daily Telegraph reporter Mihir Bose. This book was published in 2000 and focuses on the attempted takeover of United by Sky TV. The book not only lays out how the Sky bid failed, but also provides the context for the current goings-on at Old Trafford involving Martin Glazer as well as the “Fergie – Coolmore Mafia” feud earlier this year. “White Storm” written by Phil Ball (Bloomsbury) thankfully manages to deal with subject of Real Madrid without mentioning David Beckham in every second sentence. The history of the world’s most successful club is charted. The roles played by all the great and influential figures in building the institution that is Real Madrid are described. A couple of years ago Alex Bellos gave us “Futebol – The Brazilian Way of Life” (Bloomsbury) and on a second reading a couple of months ago it is still a standout book.  Nothing is left untouched as the book covers topics as diverse as the export of Brazilian players, poverty, religion, Carnival and the 1950 World Cup final. If it is statistics you want then you cannot go wrong with “Soccer Yearbook 2004/5” by David Goldblatt and published in the United States by DK Publishing. With over 500 pages the book is crammed with all the information you could want on a country-by-country basis while covering the history of all the major competitions. The statistics, graphics and the photographs make this a must have for all anoraks out there. Finally “Motson’s National Obsession – The Greatest Football Trivia Book Ever” (Publishers Group West) maybe a slight exaggeration although I must admit I cannot name a better one. Compiled by the late Adam Ward and with a foreword by legendary soccer commentator John Motson, it makes an enjoyable and often interesting little read.”  

George Caulkin on Owen Hargreaves.

Leonardo on Brazil’s fall.

James Lawton gives a brutal but honest assessment of the Eriksson years.

Alex Bellos on Brazil’s shortcomings.

Hugh Williamson looks at the 2006 World Cup through an East German lens.

Jens Lehmann’s penalty saving secret - a very large database.