A Break From Bouncebackability

Bouncebackability has been taking a SPL-esque winter break this week. Number9 has been hanging out with former Spurs player Ramon Vega. They have spent most of their time drinking espresso and discussing the finer details of his proposed Pompy takeover. He knew that it was a joke, but couldn’t bear to tell him. You Can Call Me Stan has been in Korea scouting Lee Keun-ho on behalf of Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce.

Next week, Mystic Wes and Jolean Lescott will be back as well as a special player diary from Nicklas Bendtner. We will also have the next contender for the Burton Premier League Style Icon 2009.

We will look forward to bouncing back next week.

Mystic Wes 6

Once again Wes was right, this time with his double prediction. First of all West Brom lost 2v0 at Craven Cottage to remain firmly rooted to the bottom of the league. Goals from Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora, saw off the Baggies and move Fulham to 8th in the table. Wes’ second prediction that there would be another shock in La Liga was again spot on.

La Liga bottom club Espanol defeated high flying Barcelona 2v1 at the Camp Nou. This is the first time in Spanish top league history that the bottom club has beaten the top club away from home and it’s also Barcelona’s first league defeat in 22 matches.

This week Wes has predicted that someone will win some silverware this weekend. “The trophy will be in the cabinet”, he said.

The Credit Crunch With Jolean Lescott 2

He's better known for landing crunching tackles on his opponents, but every week, Everton centre half Jolean Lescott will be picking out bargains from club shops across the country. He is dedicated to helping you; the consumer with your day to day shopping. This week Jolean has been shopping for his pet dog Brian; named after the former Aston Villa and Stoke manager Brian Little. It was at one of Little's former clubs Stoke that Jolean has found this weeks star buys.

The matching lead and dog bowl from the Pet Accessories section of http://www.scfcdirect.com/ is the perfect way to celebrate your pet and Stoke City at the same time. Jolean said "I personally hate Stoke. They are a terrible club. I particularly dislike Rory Delap - who does he think he is with his ridiculous throw? Anyway I owe it to Brian to support one of his former clubs, and they were both a bargain!"

Brian (Jolean's dog, not Little) can be seen in the first photo enjoying his bowl, which retails at £9.78. The lead costs £7.82 and are both available now. Jolean would also recommend a browse through the executive gifts section where you will find a leatherette suit carrier for £34.25.

Whoa-o NIGEL REO COKER

Nigel Reo Coker is a man who has had more than his fair share of stick from the Holte end at Villa Park. His performances have been improving though and once inspired one writer of this blog, who is a Man United fan to comment “I’d have him in my team” on the 606 phone-in. His versatility as a player has to be admired and his professionalism is of the highest order. He did once play for West Ham, but we can forgive him for that – it’s all in the past.

In his honour we have written a chant that we would urge all Villa fans to adopt. We will be blasting it out at our next trip to Villa Park so please join us. Just imagine the dance moves that could accompany this one!

To the tune of the Hokey Cokey:

You put your left leg in, your left leg out

In out, in out, you shake it all about

You do the Reo Coker and you turn around

That's what it's all about!

Whoa-o NIGEL REO COKER

Whoa-o NIGEL REO COKER

Whoa-o NIGEL REO COKER

Knees bent, arms stretched

Raa raa raa!

You know this makes sense.

Style Icon - The Premier League

We have seen them all battling week after week on the football field, but now premier league footballers have a new challenge on their hands. The fight to become the 2009 Burton's style Icon.

Each week a different premiership player, following a professional photo shoot will tell us why they believe they are the premier league's style icon.

This week - Stilian Petrov.

We met Petrov in the Toby Carvery just off M42. Following the photographs 'stan' declared he was the Burton's style Icon. He said; "I have the style to match the skills. I have seen no other player carry off cool threads with swish jewellery in such a sophisticated way. I will take on anything anyone will throw at me. I am THE STYLE".

What do you think?




Pop your comments below and let us know if Stan is you style influence!

Mystic Wes 5

Well - what can you say? Wes said there would be a surprise in Europe and he was right. Real Betis found themselves two nil up against Barcelona on Saturday. The match ended two all but that is enough of a surprise in itself. Barca were on 59 points going into the game and currently have a goal difference of +52. After the game Betis are in the bottom half of the table, 14th on 26 points. They are 53 goals worse off.

As ever Wes is looking forward to next week and has foreseen that West Brom will still be in the bottom three. When asked if this would be the case he said; "yeah definitely." He also predicted that there would be another shock in Spain, saying "for sure."

If I Was The Manager (Manchester United)

We all like to think that we'd do a better job than some of the managers in professional football and after a few pints we all think we're Fergie. So..... after a few pints, and with the help of some beer mats we will run the rule over a number of club and international teams to see just how we would line them up.

This week's beer mat - Tennents (Wherever It Takes Us - Whatever It Takes)

If I was the manager of.......... Manchester United



Formation - 4-3-2-1. Obviously this isn't always going to be the right choice, but in a perfect world I would pick:

• Goalkeeper - Edwin Van Der Sar (The obvious choice. Simply World class)

• Right Back - Rafael (Great young player. Attack minded and decent in defence)
• Left Back - Patrice Evra (Similar to Rafael but a little more experienced)
• Centre Back 1 - Rio Ferdinand (Takes the captain's armband. Brilliant defender and leader)
• Centre Back 2 - Nemanja Vidic (Solid and likely to get a goal)
  

• Defensive Centre Mid - Michael Carrick (Fantastic ball winning and distribution qualities)
• Left Centre Mid - Ryan Giggs (No sign of losing his magic touch)
• Right Centre Mid - Wayne Rooney (Free role for him. He is indispensable)
  

• Left Attack - Carlos Tevez (As likely to badger for the ball in defence as pop it in the net. Fantastic work rate)
• Right Attack - Christiano Ronaldo (Deadly on the wing. The best player in the world)
• Centre Forward - Dimitar Berbatov (Skillful, graceful and powerful - the perfect striker)
  

Sub 1 - Ben Foster
Sub 2 - Jonny Evans
Sub 3 - John O'Shea
Sub 4 - Darren Fletcher
Sub 5 - Anderson
Sub 6 - Paul Scholes
Sub 7 - Danny Wellbeck

Fantasy transfer - Ashley Young (He would be the perfect successor to Ryan Giggs on the left)

What's Going On at Chelsea?

In a week where ‘Big Phil’ was sacked as the manager of Chelsea, there have been further reports of cracks and rifts in the Stamford Bridge dressing room. A team that looked so solid only two years ago is starting to crumble. Scolari has criticised the beurocracy of the Chelsea team; there is clearly only one way to sort things out once and for all, and that’s with a good old fashioned fight. Ladies and Gentlemen; welcome to the Chelsea Football Club Championship 2009.


This glorious competition is between the two halves in the team. Each side is represented by five senior team members, who will compete in a series of painstakingly brutal events, with the winner naming the club captain and manager for the 2009/10 season. There will be five challenges; a mix of single and multi-player games. Team captains will nominate who takes part in each event. Due to the competitive nature of proceedings teams were labelled 1 and 2. Let’s have a look at the team sheets.

Team 1

John Terry (C)
Frank Lampard
Michael Ballack
Joe Cole
Deco

Team A

Didier Drogba (C)
Juliano Beletti
Jon Obi Mikel
Ashley Cole
Florent Malouda

Event 1 – The Joey Barton Experiment

This is a test of restraint. Individuals from each team are put in a room with Joey Barton. Joey is in a full kit doing keepy-ups, whilst singing the popular 90’s song “Living La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin while the competitor must restrain themselves from going through him.

First up. Team 1. Ever the captain John Terry nominates himself to take on this first challenge. Ever the professional John managed to stay in the room for an impressive 2hr 45mins before giving up.

Didier Drogba, captain for Team A selected Jon Obi Mikel to take part in the first challenge. This proved to be a mistake with Mikel snapping Barton after a mere 34 seconds. Drogba's judgement was called into question by Florent Malouda who said of Mikel "Il casserait une fille de dix ans donnee la chance." (He would snap a ten year old girl if given the chance).

Team 1 (1) – (0) Team A

Event 2 – Lawrie Sanchez’s Limerick Challenge

For this test of reflex and quick thinking we have brought in the former Northern Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez. One player from each team will compete at the same time for this event. Mr Sanchez will recite the beginning a limerick, with the first competitor to correctly finish the line collecting the points. Best of three wins.

Team 1 have put forward Joe Cole for this event, while Ashley Cole; full of self importance has nominated himself. Could it be that Drogba has lost the unity of team A?

First Limerick – There was a young lady from Hyde, // Who ate a green apple and died. // While her lover lamented, // The apple fermented // ?????????

Straight in there with “And made Cider insider her inside” – Ashley Cole! He must have heard that one before!

Second Limerick – I once had a blind date with Cilla, // I took her to watch Aston Villa. // She sang to the crowd, // And she sang very loud // ?????????

All eyes are on Ashley after his impressive performance in round one. He looks confused. Joe on the other hand is beginning to laugh, saying “And that's why they threatened to kill her.” Bang on. He then went on to explain that Steve Sidwell had told him that one in the pub during the previous week.

Third Limerick – I went to the staffroom one day, // For a nice cup of tea during play. // But a troll had got in, // And was making a din // ?????????

The two Coles were locked in battle. There was so much riding on this question, but neither could come up with the right answer. A few guesses were wide of the mark. Frustrations clearly boiled over when Joe quipped “it should be ‘His name was Ashley the gay’.”

Ashley Cole, ever the target of homosexual rumours lost the plot at this remark and proceeded to punch Joe in the face. Joe went down like a sack of potatoes. After much arguing, our independent adjudicator Mark Lawrenson decided to disqualify both competitors. For those interested the correct answer was “Even though he had nothing to say.”

Team 1 (1) – (0) Team A

Event 3 – The Unfortunate Curbishley Incident

This event is designed to test the effectiveness of each individual. We have gathered 30 members of the public and split them into two groups. Each group would be left in a room with Alan Curbishley for an hour, with Alan going into detail why he “deserves to be a Premiership manager.” Obviously the mood in the room after an hour with Curbishley isn’t going to be great. Our competitors will enter the room alone and try to change the mood within 10 minutes.

First up is Florent Malouda for Team A. He entered the room and started to mingle with the guests. Strangely though, no-one seemed to notice him. It was like he wasn’t even there. We waited for 10 minutes and called an end to his attempt. Afterwards none of the guests were able to recall his performance.

Team 1 looking to capitalise on the situation send in Deco. Much like Malouda before him, he struggled to make an immediate impact. It wasn’t looking great until around the nine minute mark when he shouted, in slightly convoluted English “Shut up Curbishley! You are a terrible manager and you don’t deserve to be at a Prem club. You are a failure and above all a total pri*k!” The room erupted with laughter and vocal concurrence. Round three to Team 1 then.

Team 1 (2) – (0) Team A

Event 4 – George’s General Knowledge

In the penultimate event, Michael Ballack and Juliano Beletti will be tested on their knowledge of English Lower league football by Scotland manager George Burley. Each player will answer five questions with the winner taking the point. If the score is tied after five then we head to sudden death.

It’s clear that neither player is particularly up to date with the lower leagues as it took us until the 8^th extra question for a correct answer. Juliano correctly named Graham Turner as Hereford United manager. The only reason he knew this was because they had met in Café Nero the last time Graham was through in London. Apparently they spoke for 5 minutes, but Beletti didn’t have a clue who he was. He took a photo on his mobile and showed it to Ray Wilkins who filled in the blanks.

Team 1 (2) – (1) Team A

Event 5 – Penalties with Petr

For the final challenge both teams will take penalties against Chelsea number 1 Petr Cech. The first penalty will be taken by the competitor yet to be involved. First up for team 1 is Frank Lampard. The England man blasts the ball into the bottom left – Cech didn’t even move; great pen!

Next up is Didier Drogba. He opts for the same corner and finds the net by narrowly avoiding the fingers of Cech. Deco next up for team 1 plants the ball in the top corner. There’s no way Cech was saving that one, although again he didn’t even dive. Team A are not convinced by his performance or allegiance so far.

Ashley Cole takes a short run up, but Cech saves his penalty down to his right. It wasn’t a great penalty but Team A are incensed at the keeper’s save. Team 1 currently lead 2 v 1.

With a chance to put his team 3 v 1 up, we have Joe Cole. He is looking at the bottom left corner and that’s exactly where his pen is going – until it comes back off the up-right. Shocker! Malouda doesn’t waste the chance to level things up with a powerful penalty straight down the middle.

Ballack is up next for Team 1 and makes no mistake. The German international captain places his shot into the side netting. Cech had no chance although we’re sure he’s not trying. Mikel needs to put this one away or JT will have one for the win. He takes a short run up and aims low but Cech makes an excellent save, tipping it onto the outside of the post. Would you believe it!?

John Terry steps up. We all know what happened last time he was in this situation. Fear is written all over his face. He takes a deep breath, runs up and hits it. Surely not! It’s happened again. Poor John looks in anguish as his penalty sails over the crossbar. His nerves surely got the better of him. It’s up to Beletti now to capitalise on this mistake. He finds the net and we go to sudden death!

So it’s back to where we started. Lampard opts to blast it down the middle. Cech again makes no effort to save the ball but the sheer ferocity of Franks shot catches him unawares and it clips his head and bounces up onto the crossbar. Drogba now has a chance to win. He surely couldn’t have thought he would get the chance.

No mistake. Drogba sends Cech the wrong way and the ball nestles in the bottom right corner. With the score now tied we head to the tiebreaker round.

Team 1 (2) – (2) Team A

Event 6 – Cookie’s Crossbar Challenge

To settle this we have drafted in two Chelsea legends to undertake the crossbar challenge. Each player will take it in turns to shoot from the halfway line in a bid to hit the bar. Competing in this special challenge we have Dan Petrescu and Gianluca Vialli. Adjudicating this event we have a man who knows European football like the back of his hand, Chris ‘Cookie’ Coleman.

In what turned out to be a long drawn out event Petrescu won it for Team 1 after his 86^th attempt. Notes have been taken that this isn’t a time-effective way to settle a contest.

Team 1 have decided that JT will remain captain for next season and they will draft in Harry Redknapp to take over as manager. Watch this space.

Team 1 (3) - (2) Team A

The Credit Crunch With Jolean Lescott 1

He's better known for landing crunching tackles on his opponents, but every week, Everton centre half Jolean Lescott will be picking out bargains from club shops across the country. He is dedicated to helping you; the consumer with your day to day shopping. With Valentine's Day fast approaching Jolean has set his sights on gifts that are bound to make your loved one's day. What better to put a smile on their face than with a thoughtful piece of jewellery?

Available now from the Derby County FC club shop, these watches are the ideal gift. Made by Sekonda and branded by the Rams they are the ultimate in luxury. The women's option in particular is encrusted with enough diamantes to make any girl swoon. Jolean said; "I'm going all out to get my girlfriend one of these watches this year. I might even splash out on the men's one too, but only because I'm a professional footballer. I wouldn't advise members of the public to adopt this reckless approach."

These timeless time-pieces retail at £34.26 for the women's and £39.15 for the men's. Available from http://www.dcfc.premiumtv.co.uk/ now.

Mystic Wes 4

Surprise Surprise. Mystic Wes was right yet again. Last week Wes predicted that the blues would have an easy win at the weekend. He had turned his thoughts to Everton who banged three past Bolton at Goodison Park on Saturday. Two goals from the Toffees new boy Jo, and one from the mighty Arteta was enough to seal a convincing win.

This week he has set his sights further afield. We were chatting about the major players in European football and Wes thinks there will be a surprise in one particular fixture. He said "yeah they'll definitely produce a turn up for the books."

For Sale - Item of the week

Why not treat yourself to these fanatastic Norwich City Salt and Pepper Pots? They are ergonomically designed to allow easy dispensation of salt, pepper or even sand if you fancy.
These ceramic, hand painted Beauties are yours for only £2.50, available exclusively from the Canaries club shop.
The shakers are also endorsed by Norwich Legend, Darren Huckerby who had this to say. "I really like salt and pepper, and to be able to pour it while thinking about my team is a great honour. The shakers are really easy to use, just lift and tip, and even better they are light so even my children can use them."

Hurry, order your NCFC Salt and Pepper Pots while stocks Last!!!

http://www.canariesretail.talent-sport.co.uk/PagesPublic/ProductBrowse/product.aspx?group1=S&group2=HOUS&group3=CERA&group4=*EMPTY&product=1731

Dave Bracegirdle - Man, Legend, Inspiration

Dave Bracegirdle. You will all be very familiar with his voice; providing summaries and occasional part-commentary on Championship and league games on Sky Sports news. He is well loved. But who is the real Dave Bracegirdle? And what is he like?

In a unique one to one, we met Dave at the recently refurbished Little Chef at Poppon. It was close to capacity - the place is still buzzing from the coverage it received on the Channel 4 show 'Big Chef Takes on Little Chef', where the menu was revitalised by Gastric-hero Heston Blumenthal.

We treated ourselves to a blueberry muffin and an Americano, while Dave piled into a Little Chef cooked breakfast - probably because we were paying. For the next hour and forty minutes we were enlightened this heroic, dedicated and intensely complex man.

Dave's childhood isn't something he wanted to talk about. And to be fair we were only asking out of courtesy so it suited us both.

He got into football at a late age. A twisted tale of betrayal between him and his ex-best friend, Brent Davis who is now on the Asset Management and Strategic Development committee at Nuneaton and Bedworth council. They had been on a joint family holiday in Aberdeen in the Summer of 82. They were both too old to be on such a jaunt but were dragged along anyway. They were at Codona's at Aberdeen Fun Beach. Dave had just won a make-shift GI Joe by playing 'bash the ferret'. He'd collected 14 tokens, which is no mean feat. Brent was the jealous type and had only managed to collect 6 tokens because of his "pathetic hand-eye coordination". When the eyes of the parents were diverted, Brent stole the GI Joe from David and claimed it as his own. Dave didn't tell on him though. He's always been the bigger man. They never spoke again though. And so began Dave's fanatical support of Nottingham Forest.

Dave has gone on to do many things in his life, mainly revolving around football. He has written about the game for newspapers, fanzines and magazines, but feels that at home on Sky Sports. He refers to the Sky team with warm regard, calling them, amongst other things "brothers and comrades". He lives in Newark with his partner Karen and is a loving father to two children.

His love of Forest is also something that cannot be denied. He started going to the City Ground after the unfortunate incident with Brent. He fell in love with the team and feels at home in the Main Stand. He fondly remembers going with his father, the Bovril and pie at half time. He suggests that Forest set the standard for modern football by being the first team to break the £1million mark for a player when the legendary Brian Clough brought Trevor Francis to the City Ground from Birmingham City. "Man City and the like are just following on from what we started. It was our ideal. Our vision. Paying ridiculous prices for average players - that's the Forest mentality", he said.

Dave attributes his lack of ability as a footballer to his late coming to the game. He wasn't particularly interested as a child, which is of course when the greats hone their skills. Instead his "gift of the gab" and knowledge of football has led him into a career as a journalist. A path that has lead to him earning widespread respect from his peers and footballers alike. "Les Reid once said I was the best journalist he had ever read" he quips, and without being big-headed "Adrian Chiles calls me phenom - because I'm phenomenal". As he tells this story his phone went off to the tune of Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney and Wings, which is of course tune to one of the Red's songs City Ground. He took the call and we took some time to reflect on what was happening.

Dave Bracegirdle. A great man. A highly intelligent and well respected football commentator. He has gone through some hard times but I think he'd agree; it has only made him stronger.

Unfortunately our time was cut short. Ian Payne had been on the phone to tell Dave his car had broken down on the way to the studio and he might get to go live on a Soccer Special. He's just bought a BMW 5series and Dave reckons "it serves him right". We couldn't blame him for leaving. We were just grateful that we had been blessed with his valuable time.

Dave Bracegirdle is the author of three fantastic books on the legends of Nottingham Forest, Notts County and Mansfield Town. All are available from www.amazon.com.


Unfortunately on this occasion Dave didn't get to go live. Ian is a member of the RAC and they were out to him in a flash. His time will come though. Just you wait and see.

Q&A - Anderson

Each week we put a top flight player or manager on the spot to find out a bit more about the nation's favourite faces. This week we managed to track down Manchester United's Brazilian midfielder Anderson. We caught up with him in the Trafford Centre, where he was on the hunt for a new T-Shirt. We walked round with him on his quest through River Island and Burton (He's very fussy when it comes to his "threads").

1. You’re becoming increasingly well known for being a bit of a joker around Old Trafford. What’s that all about?

Yeah that’s true. I think before I arrived Rio was the one who played the jokes but I like to think I’ve taken it to the next level. I like to have fun in training and even in games I like to add an extra element to proceedings.

What’s your trademark?

I’m a fan of the classics. Sometimes I’ll run up behind Johno (O’Shea) and duck down. Then Rafael, Fabio or Ronnie (Ronaldo) will push him over. It’s pretty easy for us to get away with things because we all speak Portuguese.

2. I head that you once put a live mouse in Gary Neville’s locker at Carrington. True or False?

Yeah that’s true. Basically everyone in the team looks up to Gary. He’s achieved so much in his career but he wasn’t very nice to me in my first few weeks. He’d tie my socks in knots and hide my shorts etc. All harmless but when I heard he has a chronic fear of mice I was determined to get my own back.

How did he react?

He totally freaked out. I thought he was going to kill it with one of his boots. It’s OK though. Fabio took it home as a pet. I think Rafael was a bit jealous. I’ll buy him one after payday.

3. You haven’t scored yet for United. Is that something that plays on your mind?

Yeah I suppose it does. I mean it’s no big deal. Gary Neville’s only got five in his united career and I reckon I’ll have that sewn up by the end of the season.

Aren’t you injured though?

I am at the moment but I’ll be back. We still have to play Newcastle and their defense is horrific – I could get 6 against them alone.

Good point but I’m not going to hold my breath.

4. Who would you most like to play with?

Bullard. Next!?

5. What do you like doing in your spare time?

I enjoy music. I’m a big fan of Radiohead and Sigur Ros.

Really?

Yeah. Why?

You just don’t seem like you’d be into them. Can you name any of their albums?

Radiohead – Pablo Honey, The Bends, OK Computer, Kid A, Amnesiac, I might be Wrong, Hail to the Thief, In Rainbows and The Best Of.
Sigur Ros – Von, Agaetis Byrjun, (), Takk, Hlemmur, Hvarf/Heim and Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust.

Happy?

Yeah OK – point taken……… What else do you like?

I like playing my Xbox. PES09 is my favourite game of the moment although I don’t like how bad they have made my character. I changed my stats on the edit mode so I’m better than Ronaldo. I haven’t told anyone so the lads just think I’m amazing at it. The PES developers need to get the game back to its roots. PES5 was by far the best installment!

I have also started collecting classic systems and games – my most recent purchases were Duck Hunt for the NES and Biggles for the Spectrum ZX.

6. If you didn’t play football what would you be doing?

I’d probably be on TV. I’d quite like a job as a pundit after I retire from playing. My English isn’t too good though, so I’d likely have to go on ITV so no-one would notice.

Either that or I’d like to do a wind-up show like Rio’s. It was genius. To be honest he is my idol.

7. Finally – describe your perfect Thursday.

Ideally I’d have a lie in. We often have games mid-week and I much prefer them to be on a Tuesday. That means I can watch any Wednesday night games on my BT Vision set-up. I’d have a lie in on the Thursday morning. Maybe have a couple of games of PES on Xbox Live then have some Shredded Wheat for breakfast. I’d head to training and pull of the best joke ever. Even Rio would be in awe.

In the afternoon I’d just chill out with the lads. Maybe have a couple of juices and listen to ‘Kid A’. Then an early night in front of the TV. With any luck Blackadder would be on g.o.l.d. Otherwise I’d just shove on one of the OC box-sets.

Sounds divine. Thank you for taking the time out from your busy footballing life to have this chat with us. We really appreciate it. All the best for the rest of the season. I hope the goal tally improves – or rather gets going.

Thanks guys.

Proud Sponsors?

When the season kicked off on the 16th August 2008, it was a big day for a number of clubs - particularly the new boys Hull, Stoke and West Brom. Pitches had been watered, tickets sold and new shirts bought in the anticipation of their arrival to the top tier of English league football. There was only one thing missing - A sponsor for the black and white of the Baggies strips. Having split with their sponsor T-Mobile, the hunt was on for a new shirt sponsor and fans buying the new top were told that a deal was close and that the new sponsor logo would be added free of charge to tops when secured. They were in talks with a number of possible sponsors and a deal was almost done.

That was 6 months ago and still the shirts remain plain. Surely a club firmly rooted to the bottom of the league could do with the extra income that a sponsor would offer? Even if the deal was worth £500k then it would have stretched to another cheeky loan to boost the cause. International teams are the only tops that don't look ridiculous without sponsors on them. It's a key part of the modern game and only the biggest of the biggest could even consider going without one. In a perfect world every club would donate £1million to charity in a Barca-esque style. That's not the case though and the Baggies need a sponsor asap!

Here we have thought of some sponsors that might suit West Bromwich Albion.

Mystic Wes 3

Wes Brown, our very own psychic right back correctly predicted that the score would be 3v0 last weekend. He was of course referring to the East Fife v Peterhead game in the Scottish second division. Stuart McKay scored two before half-time and then set up a third for Graeme Sharp to complete an easy away win. That keeps Peterhead in 6th in the league; just a point behind Stirling in 3rd.

This week Wes thinks it will be an easy win for the boys in blue. He said "oh yeah definitely; easy win for them this week".

Harry Redknapp - Leading the Spurs Revolution (well kind of)

Spurs have looked a different team since Harry joined them at the end of October. Since then a few shrewd buys in the transfer market has seen the team drag themselves out of the relegation zone. At the time of writing they are sitting a proud 14th in the table.

We have had a chat with a member of Harry's backroom staff, who has given us an idea of the rest of the players they are targeting for the future. In a WORLD EXCLUSIVE, here is what the Spurs team is likely to look like at the beginning of the 2009/10 season.