Sorry about the delay but here we are...

Dundee United owner Eddie Thompson has cancer right through his body but his commitment to the team and the game will leave a legacy for years to come.

Simon Kuper goes to meet the man who might just be Milan’s most important team member.

Nick Townsend thinks that if you combine Fergie, Wenger, Mourinho and Benitez the best you could come up with is two pair of eyes.

Arrigo Sacchi believes that Arsenal’s chance to progress in the Champions League has come and gone after their first leg display.

Andrew Smith sums up Celtic’s task as they travel to the Nou Camp down 3-2; “Mission Impossible.”

The next crop of Argentine stars?

If there is one Lyon player that stands between Manchester United and a place in the last eight then it is Karim Benzema.

The Times is asking readers to dig up the worst club merchandising idea that they have ever come across.

James Lawton assesses the progress of David Moyes and also finds time to recount an old Bill Shankly-Chris Lawlor story.


A trivia question for Monday morning. There is one club in MLS that is unique amongst all the other teams in MLS, NBA, NFL , MLB and the NHL. What’s the team and why are they unique?

I understand that The Gaffer over at EPL Talk is not enjoying the best of health at the moment. From all the regulars at this blog all the best for a speedy recovery.

First of all, a big thanks to the staff and management of the Galway Hooker Bar in Manhattan. Last Thursday they hosted the Fox Soccer Channel 10th anniversary east coast reception and did a fine job of it. 
 
Celtic issues a warning to players who might be thinking of invoking FIFA’s article 17.

Mihir Bose with an interesting take on multi-bids from UEFA countries for World Cup 2018.

A small piece on Freddie Adu at Benfica and the impact that Coach Jose Antonio Camacho may have on the youngster’s development. Although Camacho was not in charge when Adu signed the signs are that he is willing to work with him.

Gabriele Marcotti assesses the threat posed by Inter Milan in the Champions League.

Graham Hunter looks at Rangers last visit to the Nou Camp over 35 years ago.

Glenn Gibbons puts some perspective to the issue of a “British” team in the 2012 Olympic soccer tournament. The one thing he does not mention is the timing of the event which is only a few weeks after Euro 2012.

Patrick Barclay’s take on the Arsenal – Manchester United game.

The article quotes Berlusconi from 20 years ago.  However, Sports Illustrated ran a series on the future of sport in the late seventies. SI suggested that the future of sport was TV money and that spectators would be allowed in free to create atmosphere. No matter this article lays out what is in store for spors fans over the next few years as far as televised sport and the prices that will have to be paid.

"It is not an exaggeration to say it could be watched by one billion people," said a Premier League spokesman. Yes, maybe it could be  if every man, women and child tuned in but that is pure fantasy.

It sounds as if the Premiership has taken the exaggerated claims of the Super Bowl, the IOC and FIFA to heart and see no harm in announcing potential viewership numbers that have no link to reality.

It is generally accepted amongst sober folks that the Champions League Final draws around 70 – 100m people worldwide. An opening ceremony for an Olympics of one sort of another would attract 125-150M around the globe. The World Cup Final around 200M+ and the Super Bowl would be around 115M worldwide. These numbers cover people who actually watch as opposed to those popping in for thirty seconds.

 If Saturday’s game attracted an audience of 5M in the UK (it was only available on Sky) it would be an unheard level for a league game. So, even if we say 5M watched in the UK that is only one in 12 people - based on a population of 60M.

The world’s population is around 6B and you can knock off 10% or so for babies and the infirmed. You would have to further reduce the number of potential viewers due to the number of people that live without electricity and such. That has to be another one billion + you would think.

What you are left with is a little over 4B people. And so we are supposed to believe that although a maximum of 1 in 12 people watched in the UK (and that is extremely generous) that around the world 1 in 4 tuned in. Take North America where the game was only available on Setanta. In Canada, with a population of around 30M, there are not 100,000 Setanta subscribers. In the USA with 300M how many people had access to the Setanta signal let alone watched?

The claim is ridiculous. If the game was “watched” by 40M around the world I would be surprised.