Goodbye 2009

Well what do you know... a look at the old clock on the wall tells us it's nearly the end of 2009 and indeed the whole decade. We never did much liked calling it 'The Noughties'... heaven knows what we're going to call the next decade... The Tenties?

Anyway, it's a time for reflection and a time for giving thanks in the old tradition. 2009 has been an interesting year football-wise but being one with an odd number, we had no World Cup or European Championships to enjoy.

Instead the focus was on domestic football, both here in the UK and elsewhere, and hopefully our coverage of all the important events on SPAOTP, The Sound of Football and The Onion Bag helped you get the most out of The Beautiful Game whoever you support.

As we head into 2010, we've got lots of look forward to in the coming weeks and months. The FA Cup Third Round is just around the corner, swiftly followed by the 2010 African Cup of Nations, then it's the closing stages of the Premier League and European league campaigns. After that, it's the FA Cup Final and Champions League Final before we finally get the climax to end all climaxes - the 2010 World Cup Finals.

It looks set to be a great year and we hope you'll choose us to enjoy it with. We'll be doing our utmost to squeeze every last drop of enjoyment out of whatever football comes our way, so all that's left is to say is a big 'thank you' for supporting us during 2009 and we hope you have a fantastic footballing 2010.

Happy New Year from all of us!

Chris, Terry and Graham, plus everyone associated with SPAOTP

Bundesbag Week 17: Winter Break

Whisper it quietly but it is said that at this time of the year most English football hacks wish they were Germans. Why? Because most German soccer journalists don't need to work over Christmas. So while Alan Green reluctantly squeezes into a windswept commentary gantry on Boxing Day afternoon and Henry Winter stays up until two in the morning on Christmas Night desperately trying to find yet another tenuous angle for yet another tedious article supporting Michael Owen's increasingly unlikely inclusion in England's World Cup squad, the likes of Uli Hesse-Lichtenburger are at home with their families... possibly wishing there was a game on.

The Bundesliga played their final fixtures of the first half of the season (Hinrunde as it's called) a week ago. The weather was awful and pretty much all the games were played with a layer of snow coating the fields. The upshot of the final weekend of 2009 was that Bayer Leverkusen are the Winter Champions. However, given that the title yields nothing in the way of trophies or cash it remains only a symbolic achievement but and achievement for all that.

The Bayer club claimed their imaginary mantle piece filler after a rip roaring 3-2 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach, a team much improved under Michael Frontzek and well worth keeping and eye on next year. Tony Kroos scored the winner for Leverkusen. The youngster is on loan from Bayern Munich and is expected to return to Louis van Gaal's warm embrace next year. This is one of a number of reasons why pundits who know a hell of a lot more about the Bundesliga than me think that Bayer will fall away in 2010. However, the Bundesbag says that the current leaders will remain in contention for some time for two reasons. Firstly, the impending return of striker Patrick Helmes and secondly he fact that Bayer are not playing theoir home games in Dusseldorf as they were in the second half of this season while the Bayarena was closed for remodeling. Bayer's home record in the second half of the last campaign was atrocious. I'm not saying they'll win but I do think they'll challenge.

Meanwhile, it was a big weekend in Dortmund. BVB celebrated their centenary last Saturday and the fixture computer contrived to give them a home game against Freiburg. A team they rarely lose to. The result was a satisfying 1-0 win and who else but Lucas Barrios scoreing the goal in front of the South Stand. Few players can find space as effectively as the Argentine and he is tailor made for the slack defenses of the Bundesliga. A Dortmund legend in the making.

However, for some it is not a happy Christmas. Michael Oenning took a deflated and relegated Nurnburg side back into the Bundesliga last May after only one season's absense. However, he has not been able to match the expectations of the club's board and was sacked after watching his players lose 3-0 at Koln. You know your in trouble when Milvoje Novakovic scores a brace against you and Oenning was made to pay the price. He has been replaced by the one of Germany's most famous eyebrows, Yes, after only a few short months in exile Dieter Hecking is back in the Bundesliga after being kicked out of Hannover earlier in ther season and the Bundesbag couldn't be happier.

Another club inthe process of restructuring is Wolfsburg. The champions adopted the English style svengali appraoch when they employed Felix Magath to win the Bundesliga championship. After he left, Magath's replacement Armin Vey was afforded the same power and worked without the safety net of a general manager or director of football as they are known as in Blighty. All that changed this week as former Hertha Berlin General Manager Dieter Hoeneß (brother off Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeneß) took up up the same position at the Wolves. This has caused a degree of speculation in the German media that coach Vey may be on the way out. However, Vey has been given assurances that his job is safe despite yet another dissappointing 2-2 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Hoeneß's former club, Hertha, started heading south not long after he left them in June and the Bundesbag wonders if his departure upset the delicate balance that was the Berlin club which led to their horrific demise. However, new coach Friedhelm Funkel is playing the loan market and is signing any player not currently nailed down. Defensive midfielder Levan Kobiashvili has sigen from Schalke, another defender Roman Hubnik has joined from FC Moscow and most intriguingly, former Bundesliga top scorer 'Fanis Gekas has joined from Leverkusen. The Greek international was a goal machine a couple of years ago. If Funkel can recapture some of that form... who knows. One thing is certain, they will be more than happy to see the back of the Hinrunde after finishing up with a 5-2 (gerd) mullering at the hands of the ever improving Bayern Munich.

Elsewhere, Christian Gross secured his first Bundesliga win as Stuttgart coach in the derby game against Hoffenheim. 3-1 was the final score despite or perhaps because of the absent Jens Lehmann. Bochum were 2-0 down away at Hannover but that didn't stop the hosts from blowing their lead and losing 3-2. Schalke are sitting in a very pretty second place after beating Mainz 1-0. How long they can maintain their position after the close of the transfer window is open to question since a number of their more established player are said to be leaving in January because of the clubs pressing financial problems.

Finally, the Northern Derby between Hamburg and Werder Bremen is always a tasty affair. But last Sunday's was a particulary flavoursome morsel. Hamburg took the lead early doors through Joris Mathijsen . However, their full back Jerome Boateng paid the price from some naive defending against Bremen's Marko Marin (a gifted attacking player but one who goes to ground too easily). The German international full back barged Marin aside only to be sent off. Within minutes however, the ten men of Hamburg had doubled their lead thanks to Marcell Jansen. Bremen hit the woodwork three times and missed a hat full of chances but could only conjure up a single goal in the 90th minute for their labours. They left the field with nothing but the feeling that they had given their local rivals great encouragement ahead of the Winter Break and confidence for next year with so many players due to come back from injury. The Bundesliga title may yet return to Hamburg in 2010.

That's it. Merry Christmas. See you next year. Results and tables here. Don't forget to follow the Bundesbag on Twitter.

The Christmas Day List of Little or No Consequence #145

Down with the Christmas decorations
The 18 Teams That Have Been Bottom Of The Premier League At Christmas

1. Nottingham Forest (1992–93, finished 22nd - relegated)
2. Swindon Town (1993–94, finished 22nd - relegated)
3. Ipswich Town (1994–95, finished 22nd - relegated)
4. Bolton Wanderers (1995–96, finished 20th - relegated)
5. Nottingham Forest (1996–97, finished 20th - relegated)
6. Barnsley (1997–98, finished 19th - relegated)
7. Nottingham Forest (1998–99, finished 20th - relegated)
8. Sheffield Wednesday (1999–2000, finished 19th - relegated)
9. Bradford City (2000–01, finished 20th - relegated)
10. Leicester City (2001–02, finished 20th - relegated)
11. West Ham United (2002–03, finished 18th - relegated)
12. Wolverhampton Wanderers (2003–04, finished 20th - relegated)
13. West Bromwich Albion (2004–05, finished 17th - stayed up)
14. Sunderland (2005–06, finished 20th - relegated)
15. Watford (2006–07, finished 20th - relegated)
16. Derby County (2007-08, finished 20th - relegated)
17. West Bromwich Albion (2008-09, finished 20th - relegated)
18. Portsmouth (2009-10, finished...?)

SPAOTP's Advent Calendar: Day 24

Well here we are then - Day 24 of the SPAOTP Advent Calendar.

As we open the last door, we find a picture showing the three of us - Graham, Terry and myself - following the sign that leads us towards peace, contentment and too much rich food and alcohol this Christmas.

We sincerely hope your yuletide brings you the best of everything that's possible to receive over the next few days and that you find time to be happy, if not downright Merry, with your loved ones.

From all of us here at Some People Are On The Pitch, have a cracking Christmas and we'll see you all again on the other side...

Have fun!

SPAOTP's Advent Calendar: Day 23

The penultimate day of our SPAOTP Advent Calendar features a handy guide to all the football action going on around the world... on Christmas Day.

And action there most certainly is, contrary to what you might be thinking, and the Middle East is where it's all happening.

For a start, Al-Faysali will be trying to extend their lead at the top of the Jordan League over third-placed Al-Weehdat (3 p.m. kick-off time there - GMT, of course).

In Gameweek 4 of the Kuwaiti Premier League, Al Sulaibikhat will be trying to pick up their first point of the season as they travel to 1996 champions Kazma. If you're thinking of tuning in your radio to Long Wave for commentary, the match starts at 1.05 p.m. GMT. Best to delay the ceremonial carving of the turkey for that one...

Over in Libya, Al Ahly Tripoli will be trying to close the 9-point gap between themselves and leaders Al-Ittihad by beating Al-Madina - the team level with them on points in third. The action starts at 1 o'clock p.m. GMT, sports fans...

Saudi Arabia's the place to be if you want to see another 2nd-place team trying to reach the summit as Al Shabab attempt to take all three points against visitors Al Nasr. Al Shabab are managed by former Portuguese midfielder Jaime Pacheco, don't you know. Oh and Sky Sports schedulers, if you're listening - this one starts at 12.15 p.m. GMT. We know how you like lunchtime kick-offs, so be sure to thank us later.

Finally to the United Arab Emirates where the quarter finals of the Presidents Cup are underway and there's a Christmas Day treat in store as Al Wahda play host to Al Nasr. Al Wahda have won eight of their last nine games and look set to match their achievements of 2008-09 when they reached the semi-finals of this competition. But you knew that already, of course. Procedings at the Al-Nahyan Stadium get underway at 3.50 p.m. GMT, but take our advice and get there early to avoid the rush.

If you can't get to any of the above matches, there are plenty of others going on in the countries mentioned as well as Yemen, Morocco and Syria, so if any of you go along to see any of these games, do let us know how you got on...

The Sound Of Football: Final podcast of the year

Only one topic up for discussion this week folks: Manchester City, Mark Hughes and the odious Garry Cook. Join Chris, Graham and Terry as we pick over the carcus that is Manchester City's reputation and assess new coach Roberto Mancini's chances of not getting sacked at the end of the season.

You can listen or download the podcast here. Or if you right click on that link, you can download the MP3. Alternatively, you can subscribe via the your reader of choice or via our iTunes feed.

SPAOTP's Advent Calendar: Day 22

For Day 22 of our Advent Calendar, we take you back to the mid-1970's for one of the biggest football matches of the decade.

Not the European Cup Final, not even the World Cup Final, but something of far more significance - live from the Olympic Stadium, Munich.

And so now we take you over to our commentator for the match - the BBC's Michael Palin...



Answers to Day 21 Quiz:

1) Hamburg
2) "of the ticket."
3) The Road Runner
4) Gary Lineker
5) Scotland

SPAOTP's Advent Calendar: Day 21

We're back with five more quiz questions for you today on Day 21 of our Advent Calendar. See how you fair with these - and as ever, the answers will appear at the end of tomorrow's Advent Calendar post.

Question 1:
Who became the second West German club after Bayern Munich to win the European Cup?

Question 2:
What three words complete this well-known advert from The Times: "Man offers marriage for Cup Final ticket. Replies must enclose photo..."?

Question 3:
Which cartoon character gave Arsenal's Dutch international Marc Overmars his nickname?

Question 4:
Which former England striker played cricket for Leicestershire's second team?

Question 5:
Which country's football team appeared on a 1997 Gambian postage stamp?

SPAOTP's Advent Calendar: Day 20

It's Day 20 of our Advent Calendar and behind today's door is another of our famous Christmas graphs (famous in our tiny imaginations at least).

It shows the proportion of penalties scored by the home and away teams in all Premier League matches so far in the 2009/10 season (including the two scored today in the match between West Ham and Chelsea).

And before you ask, Man United's two at home this season make up only 4% of the 45 tucked away by all teams home and away thus far.

SPAOTP's Advent Calendar: Day 19

As it's the weekend, we thought we'd go easy on you by providing a musical interlude by which to relax and be peaceful. Rather than going out shopping for last minute Christmas presents, for instance.

So here's a song which is short on festive appeal but strong on football influences, but we don't suppose you'll mind. Here's 'The Referee's Alphabet' by Half Man Half Biscuit, as inspired by a blog post from our good friend at TwoFootedTackle, Gary Andrews.

Enjoy...

SPAOTP's Advent Calendar: Day 18

With just one week to go to the big day, we've got something to tax your brain cells over the festive season in the shape of SPAOTP's Big Advent Calendar Crossword!

All you need do is click on the grid below to expand it to it's full size, print it out, then fill it in with the answers that fit the clues we'll be giving you below - just like any normal crossword.

But here's the added bonus: if you take the correct letters that go in the yellow squares marked, then rearrange them, you should get a Christmas-related word. Send that word to us at info [at] spaotp [dot] com before midnight on December 31st 2009 (and, indeed, before anyone else does so before you) and you could win a Some People Are On The Pitch t-shirt! It's that simple!

So here's the grid, then below it comes the clues. Best of luck!

(Answers to appear on SPAOTP on January 1st 2010)



ACROSS

1 Team that plays at Qwest Field (7,8)
7 Grzegorz, top scorer at the 1974 World Cup (4)
9 See 8 Down (3)
11 Kevin Keegan and Kenny Dalglish were famous ones (4)
13 Tiger Woods idea of a football team (4)
14 The Red Diamonds of Japan (5)
15 Stephen Fry's favoured team (7)
17 Neil, former Morton, West Ham and Hibernian midfielder (3)
19 Giovanni, coach of the 1985 Juventus European Cup-winning side (10)
24 Bruce, former coach of the USMNT (5)
25 Brazilian controversially dropped, then reinstated for the 1998 World Cup Final (7)
26 Niko, one of two Croatians at Tottenham (8)
31 England's top scorer at Mexico '86 (7)
33 Man City striker famed for his rapport with visiting Arsenal fans (8)
34 Fernando, current Anfield favourite (6)

DOWN

1 Home of The Eagles, London (8,4)
2 Number of times Derby County have been league champions (3)
3 The Grecians (6)
4 Score at the wrong end of the pitch (abbreviated) (2)
5 Watney Cup winners 1970 (5)
6 What you get for being sent off (3,4)
8 (and 9 across) NASL team from Jacksonville (3)
10 Ivica, Bayern's Croatian striker (4)
12 Tele, Brazilian coach of the 1982 and 1986 World Cup squads (7)
16 FIFA's international abbreviation for Ali Daei's team (3)
18 West Germany's 'Bomber' that always handed out a right Mullering (4)
20 Stadium where Bayern seek Allianz with their opponents (5)
21 Nickname of Weymouth FC, 'The ...' (6)
22 Asian Cup champions 2007 (4)
23 In the same 2010 World Cup group as Spain, Switzerland and Chile (8)
27 Van Nistelrooy or Gullit, perhaps? (4)
28 Man City striker, cuurently on loan with Everton (2)
29 Bearzot, coach of Italy's 1982 World Cup-winning team (4)
30 Casillas, goalkeeper of the Spanish national team (4)
32 Last season's Danish Superliga runners-up (2)

Bumper Christmas TV Preview 2009

Welcome one and all to our annual bumper festive TV Preview. As usual, we'll be taking you through the final days of the year with our take on all the football-related TV nonsense you should be watching. Or at least 'consider' watching. Or 'dismissing altogether'. It's your choice, frankly.


Friday 18 December

11:00 UEFA Champions League Final 16 Draw, British Eurosport
12:00 UEFA Europa League Draw, British Eurosport
Some people might expect to get a new pair of socks this Christmas while others may receive a matching tie and handkerchief. You, however, can start the Christmas period with a pair of draws, courtesy of those lovely people at UEFA.

19:30 Schalke 04 v FSV Mainz 05, Bundesliga, ESPN
We'll be watching this purely in the hope of seeing the caption 'Schalke 04 5 FSV Mainz 05 4'. We've been wanting to do that gag for ages...

Saturday 19 December

12:45 Portsmouth v Liverpool, Barclays Premier League, Sky Sports 1/HD1
Portsmouth came within 11 minutes of gaining a point against Chelsea this week. Fate might be more generous this time around against a shonkier Liverpool side.

17:00 Arsenal v Hull City, Barclays Premier League, ESPN/HD
It's all going wrong for Wenger. First Fabregas limps out of the 1-1 draw at Burnley, then Tony Pulis starts having a pop about his 'fixture congestion' remarks. He just can't win... well, not as often as he'd like in any case...

17:20 Nottingham Forest v Preston North End, Championship, Sky Sports 1/HD1
Forest are unbeaten in the league since September 27th, folks. A happy Christmas looks set to reign at the City Ground, before, during and after the visit of Alan Irvine's side.

19:45 Fiorentina v AC Milan, Serie A, ESPN
Milan could have got within a gnat's of Inter if they'd have beaten Palermo at the weekend, but they blew it, surprisingly. They'll try again here against a faltering Fiorentina desperate for some consistency.

20:55 Real Madrid v Real Zaragoza, La Liga, Sky Sports Xtra
Both teams are at opposite ends of the table. Zaragoza haven't a snowball's chance of winning this one. (See what we did there? A seasonal joke... *just*...)

Sunday 20 December

12:00 Hearts v Celtic, Scottish Premier League, ESPN/HD
You can say what you like about Celtic, but they certainly showed those Rapid Vienna boys they weren't going to be walked all over. Shame they still had boot prints all over their shirts from their previous European matches this season...

13:00 Newcastle Utd v Middlesbrough, Championship, BBC1/HD
"They're behind you!" All 23 of your opponents to be precise, Mr. Hughton. Keep up the good work, we say...

13:30 Wolverhampton Wanderers v Burnley, Barclays Premier League, Sky Sports 1/HD1
Burnley's draw against Arsenal, good though it was, only extends their current winless run to six matches. It could be seven by the end of this match against Wolves, especially if he leaves his reserves on the bench this time.

16:00 West Ham Utd v Chelsea, Barclays Premier League, Sky Sports 1/HD1
A blustering local derby to warm the cockles in the East End. Chelsea have been given the run around in the last couple of matches especially around the set piece area. Trouble for the Hammers is that there is no Carlton Cole to cause them any bother. More misery for Zola?

16:30 FC Koln v FC Nurnberg, Bundesliga, ESPN
Good grief - the Bundesliga aren't doing much to showcase their league with this one, are they? Both teams are rotten and ligging around the nether regions of the table. Avoid.

18:00 Tenerife v Atletico Madrid, La Liga, Sky Sports 2/HD2
While the Madrid club have become hard to beat, they are nowhere near where they want to be in the table. On the other hand, the home team are probably content with their current position. All signs point to a draw.

19:45 Inter Milan v Lazio, Serie A, ESPN
Lazio are out of the Europa League, Inter are said to be lining up a new coach at the end of the season - preferably one with better media relationships than the hack-bothering Jose. This one has the makings of a tense affair. Nevertheless, both teams usually provide good value and if their isn't a good Michael Caine movie on the other side...

20:00 Deportivo v Valencia, La Liga, Sky Sports 2/HD2
Two points seperate these two teams. Valencia had to bust a gut to get past Genoa in Europe on Thursday so will be grateful for the later kick offs they enjoy in Spain. Depor are having a decent season by modern standards.

Monday 21 December

19:00 Wigan Athletic v Bolton Wanderers, Barclays Premier League, ESPN/HD
Hats off to Roberto Martinez and his Wigan side. They are willing to have a go at the opposition even if it leads to disaster. The result is an eminantly watchable side which is the envy of their rivals. Bolton supporters would love to have a coach like him instead of the Ginger Mourinho. Who knows, if things go badly for the Trotters...

19:45 Bournemouth v Notts County, League Two, Sky Sports 2/HD2
The former basket case of lower league football meets the current one. It's hard to predict how the backroom shenanigans will affect the managerless players at Notts but they face a stern test at second placed Bournemouth. Could be a good 'un.

Saturday 26 December

12:00 Birmingham City v Chelsea, Barclays Premier League, ESPN/HD
Gone are the days whan Boxing Day fixtures were local affairs. If you're looking for an example of the contempt TV schedulers have for paying supporters then look no further than an early morning start from London to the Midlands the day after Christmas. Let's hope the viewing figures are really low. Intriguing game though.

12:45 Sheffield Wednesday v Newcastle Utd, Championship, Sky Sports 1/HD1
Nigel Worthington has the big shades and is making like a cucumber amidst speculation that he is to give up his cushy gig at Northern Ireland for life on the coalface once again. In the meantime, the Toon Army will pack their Bubble and Squeak for the trip to Yorkshire hoping that Chris Hughton can negotiate his team through the tricky Christmas period. Let's hope they can get it past Security. The Bubble that is.

17:00 Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers, Barclays Premier League, ESPN/HD
The team Mick McCarthy selects here will say a lot about what he thinks of Liverpool at the moment. He could choose to get it out the way and play his reserves like he did against United but if he pick his full team it'll be because he fancies his chances.

18:00 Leicester City v Sheffield Utd, Championship, Sky Sports 1/HD1
Leicester's home win against Wednesday stopped a run of pretty ordinary results for them. The Blades are on a good at the moment winning four of the last five and keeping four clean sheets in the process. Leicester will still see themselves as contenders for automatic promotion but will need to win games like this to stand a chance.

Sunday 27 December

12:00 Hibernian v Rangers, Scottish Premier League, Sky Sports 3/HD3
Third versus top with five points separating them. Rangers will go in far more confident than they have been of late following their 3-0 mauling of previously third placed Dundee United.

13:30 Arsenal v Aston Villa, Barclays Premier League, Sky Sports 1/HD1
Part one of a tough double header for Villa who are making themselves very comfortable in the top four. But they'll be more than aware that Tottenham will be willing to snatch that place should they slip up and the same could be certainly be said about Arsenal.

16:00 Hull City v Manchester United, Barclays Premier League, ESPN/Sky Sports 1
With all this talk of weakened sides in league fixtures, it's as well to remember the second string team United brought here at the of last season. The difference there of course was that United still competed and won. Hopefully there'll be no singingfrom Phil Brown this time.

Monday 28 December

12:45 Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham Utd, Barclays Premier League, Sky Sports 1/HD1
'Arry takes on the 'Ammers in a right cockney knees-up at the Lane. Not the happiest of venues for West Ham - they haven't won here this decade - and they really, really need to get something from this game.

17:20 Newcastle Utd v Derby County, Championship, Sky Sports 1/HD1
As the second half of the season kicks off, Newcastle are set fair for a quick return to the top flight. Derby are happy that their recent improvement in form has put some space between themselves and the relegation zone

19:45 Wolverhampton Wandererers v Manchester City, Barclays Premier League, Sky Sports 1/HD1
Wolves are on the telly again; God knows why. If City can't take three points here they may have to settle for the Europa League next season.

Tuesday 29 December

19:45 Aston Villa v Liverpool, Barclays Premier League, Sky Sports 1/HD1
The second of Villa versus the not-so-big two of the big four. Despite the congestion around fourth place, they'll be happy to take two points from these games but don't be surprised if they take a few more.

Bundesbag Week 16: Bundesliga clubs in Europe

Having spent the majority of last weekend hunched over a PC producing the Onion Bag Christmas podcast (which I really hope you'll take the time to listen to) there was no oppurtunity for me to watch any football. Naturally I've caught up with the latest shenanigans with Jens Lehmann and the hilarity that was Hannover managing to score 6 (six) goals and still lose to 'Gladbach but that's old news.

So rather than take you back over well trodden ground. Let's take a moment to look at the Bundesliga's representation in European competitions. Between the last sixteen of the Champions League and the final thirty two of the Europa League all the German clubs that entered European competition at the beginning of the season are still there, albeit not necessarily in the same tournament.

Champions League:

It must be said that both Bayern Munich and Stuttgart have progressed to the knock-out phase in unlikely fashion. While a home win against Urziceni may have seemed on the surface to be a winnable game, the way that Stuttgart had been playing under the recently sacked coach Markus Babbel you would not have thought that they could have achieved even that relatively modest goal. Nevertheless, the post Babbel bounce worked and Stuttgart's new coach Christian Gross can now look forward to an eminently losable tie against the Champions Barcelona.

Bayern meanwhile were not given a hope of making it out of their group but their 4-1 win at Juventus condemned The Old Lady to a couple of evenings with Ajax in the Europa League while the Bavarians can look forward to the very good yet still quite beatable Fiorentina. Louis van Gaal can be thankful. That draw could have been worse.

Europa League:

This is a huge competition for Hamburg who will be hosting the final. After having been knocked out in the Semi Final by Werder, Bruno Labbadia's men will be looking to at least make it to their own party on 12th May. However, they're in for a tricky path as they were drawn with PSV Eindhoven in the Round of 32. But that wasn't the only German-Dutch Encounter to come out of those little plastic containers. Last season's beaten finalists Werder Bremen will play FC Twente who are currently top of the Eredivisie.

The mouth watering ties don't end there because Champions League drop outs Wolfsburg will be taking on the always dangerous Villareal.

Last and very much least I'm afraid, the worst team in the Bundesliga were not bad enough for the likes of Herenveen and Ventspils in their group. Hertha find themselves in the final 32 and facing what promises to be a bloody encounter with Benfica. That's the same Benfica that murdered Everton in Group I.

That's it. Much to look forward to when business resumes next year, particularly those Dutch clashes with PSV and Twente. Meanwhile the final round of Bundesliga fixtures kick off tonight before the Winter Break. The Bundesbag will be back sometime next week.

The Friday List of Little or No Consequence #144

Don't shoot...
13 Countries That Have Won The World Military Cup*
(* A football competition held for national military teams)

1. Italy (winners 9 times, last time in 1991)
2. Greece (winners 6 times, last time in 1997)
3. France (winners 5 times, last time in 1995)
4. Egypt (winners 5 times, last time in 2007)
5. Belgium (winners 4 times, last time in 1960)
6. Turkey (winners 4 times, last time in 1967)
7. Iraq (winners 3 times, last time in 1979)
8. Kuwait (winners 2 times, last time in 1983)
9. England (winners once, in 1946)
10. North Korea (winners once, in 2003)
11. Portugal (winners once, in 1958)
12. Spain (winners once, in 1965)
13. West Germany (winners once, in 1975)

SPAOTP's Advent Calendar: Day 17

It's Day 17 of our SPAOTP Advent Calendar and that means there's only one more week of this merriment and jollity remaining.

Before you slip into a depressive torpor at the very thought that these happy days will soon be over, let's distract you with another of our caption competitions.

You know what to do by now, but if you don't, either work it out yourself or ask a grown-up for some help.

SPAOTP's Advent Calendar: Day 16

And now a special treat for Day 16 of our 2009 Advent Calendar.

If you've been waiting for a Subbuteo tribute that features some of the least recognisable teams from around the world ever to be cast in plastic set to a soundtrack that suggests someone is taking their obsession for table football a bit too seriously, you've come to the right place.

Behold the surreal wonderment that is today's SPAOTP video nugget of joy...



Answers to Day 15 quiz:

1) 12
2) Greyhound racing
3) Newcastle United
4) Chile
5) Manchester United

Sound Of Football Extra! Football Disaster Movie: An Onion Bag Christmas Podcast.

The Sound Of Football is delighted to present to you Football Disaster Movie: An Onion Bag Christmas Podcast.

Burt "Two Phones" Anderson is a top transfer newshound for Sky Sports. On the night before Christmas he discovers that his only reliable source of insider information (the mysterious crackpot scientist Dr Julius Limbani) has dried up and is predicting the end of the World... of Football that is.

Determined to find out the truth, Burt seeks out Limbani and uncovers a terrifying (and hopefully very funny) chain of events that could lead to catastrophe...

The podcast is written by the Sound Of Football's very own Terry Duffelen & Graham Sibley from The Onion Bag and features their own vocal "talents". The narrator is Chris Oakley our resident anchor from Some People Are On The Pitch. The podcast also features some very special guests.

The music and sound effects were obtained from the good people of Partners In Rhyme and PacDV Free Sound Effects.

You can listen or download the podcast here. Alternatively, if you subscribe to the Sound Of Football, then it will be appearing in your reader of choice 'ere long.

We hope you enjoy the production and would be grateful for any feedback you can give in the comments section below. Please be aware that this podcast does contain the odd naughty word or three.

The Sound Of Football Podcast will return on Monday.

Sound Of Football Episode 19 - The Premier League and European competition

This week, Chris and Graham return their attention to the Premier League and discuss Arsenal's impressive away win at Anfield. The Chaps also run their eye over the runners and riders in England's top flight and ask if Chelsea's dip in form leaves the door open for the chasing pack.

Next up is the Europa League and the fellas assess the prospects of the final round of group stage fixtures.

You can listen by clicking here. Or if you right click on that link, you can download the MP3. Alternatively, you can subscribe via the your reader of choice or via our iTunes feed.

Please leave us a comment and let us know what you think. You can do so on the comments section below or on our Facebook Fanpage.

SPAOTP's Advent Calendar: Day 15

More quiz questions for you today on the SPAOTP Advent Calendar. You know you love 'em... :)

As usual, feel free to chip in with any guesses to the questions by leaving us a comment. Answers revealed on tomorrow's Advent Calendar post.

Here goes with today's questions, then...

Question 1:
How many players appeared in the team pictured on FIFA's 1995 Christmas card?

Question 2:
What sport were English league clubs banned from advertising around the pitch during the 1960s?

Question 3:
Which was the first English football club to have its restaurant listed in the Good Food Guide?

Question 4:
What country's goalkeeper allegedly cut his own head with a razor to get the match abandoned when losing to Brazil in 1990?

Question 5:
Which was the first British club to market its own mobile phone?

Euro 2012 logo launched

With all the ballyhoo surrounding the World Cup 2010 draw finally dying down, it's probably the right time to be sparing a few moments ahead of the next European Championships.

February 7 2010 sees the draw for the qualifying rounds of Euro 2012 taking place, so to whet our appetites here's a glimpse of the official logo for the tournament which was launched today.

As you can see, it's based on a flower which has a football for a bloom and two leaves, one red and white (the colours of the Poland flag) and the other blue and yellow (the colours of the Ukrainian flag).

All of which is really rather nice, we think, and gives a generous nod in the direction of another European Championship logo that we remember from our childhood. What goes around, comes around as they say...

For more information about the logo launch and to see a video showing all the influences on the logo's design, visit the UEFA Euro 2012 website.

Midweek TV Preview: 14-17 December 2009

Monday 14 December

19.45 West Bromwich Albion v Queens Park Rangers, Championship, Sky Sports 1/HD1
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is the latest to be tipped to take over the searingly hot seat at QPR. He'll be the ninth manager in three years if he does, so he probably won't be making himself too comfy there. On the pitch they've taken just one point from the last three games but, in typical Championship style, West Brom have blown hot and cold at home recently so anything's possible.

Tuesday 15 December

19.45 Dundee Utd v Rangers, Scottish Premier League, Sky Sports 3/HD3
United's late win here against Celtic last month put them in touch with the Old Firm. The same here will see them go just a point behind the visitors into third.

20.00 Birmingham City v Blackburn Rovers, Barclays Premier League, Sky Sports 2/HD2
Birmingham's four wins in a row has seen them go from relegation contenders to Europa League hopefuls. They now have an identical record to Liverpool and lead the current form tables. What Blackburn are doing in mid-table could be described as "bimbling". Probably not the most exciting game you'll ever see but might be worth it to see what Birmingham's secret is.

Wednesday 16 December

18.00 FC Basel v Fulham, UEFA Europa League Group E, ESPN/HD
Fulham need a win against the Swiss side to proceed to the last 32. Basel are 100% at home in this competition with five wins from five including a 2-0 over Roma. It'll just be Fulham's second win on their travels if they pull it off.

20.00 Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Barclays Premier League, Sky Sports 2/HD2
Two teams looking to get that coveted fourth Champions League spot, though at the moment Villa look the most likely to get it. Spurs have been getting progressively worse since putting nine past Wigan and City are still struggling to convert draws into wins. Both will see this as winnable and should go all out for the three points - well worth watching.

20.30 Sparta Praha v FC Kobenhavn, UEFA Europa League Group K, ESPN/HD
Straight forward knock-out match as both teams go into the game level on points in second and third place. FCK's home win at the beginning of October means a draw will be enough for them.

Thursday 17 December

18.00 Genoa v Valencia, UEFA Europa League Group B, ESPN/HD
Genoa sit in third while Valencia sit top of the group. A win for the home team, though, will see them through and leave the Spaniards sweating on how Lille do at home to Slavia Praha. Certainly more exciting than watching...

18.00 Rapid Vienna v Celtic, UEFA Europa League Group C, ITV4
What do you get for finishing third in this competition, an automatic Intertoto spot or something? Third is all these guys can hope for in the week's most pointless televised fixture.

20.05 Everton v BATE Borisov, UEFA Europa League Group I, Five
Actually, this is just as pointless: no result will see Everton take top spot and BATE can't catch them. Expect Moyes to protect those fit players he has remaining.

20.05 Fenerbahce v FC Sheriff, UEFA Europa League Group H, ESPN/HD
High Noon for Sheriff, with Fenerbahce already through, a win will be enough for the Moldovans to qualify, as long as Steve McLaren's men don't win in Bucharest - which is a match you can flip-over to...

20.05 Steaua Bucharest v FC Twente, UEFA Europa League Group H, ITV4
Twente will have to reproduce the form that saw them win 2-0 in Fenerbahce earlier in the campaign. They're banging in the goals in domestically so will fancy their chances.

SPAOTP's Advent Calendar: Day 14

On the 14th day of Christmas, SPAOTP gave to you... a special gift to help you while away those boringly unending Champions League games on ITV!

Yes, today we bring you a free gift in the form of our ITV Football Bingo Cards. Simply click on the image below, print and cut out the bingo cards, then distribute them amongst yourselves and your family whenever you hear the distant dulcet tones of Clive Tyldesley and Jim Beglin.

The rules are simple. Whenever you hear one of the phrases on your bingo card called out, cross it out. Whoever crosses out all their phrases first wins the game, and if anyone crosses all their phrases within, ooh, 27 minutes, they win a special prize. We don't know what it is, let alone whether it even exists at all, but it's nice to embellish these things to make them sound more interesting.

Enjoy...

SPAOTP's Advent Calendar: Day 13

For Day 13 of the almost-certainly-by-now-famous SPAOTP Advent Calendar, we give you a pictorial representation of the Premier League teams that have received the most yellow cards so far this season (prior to December 13th 2009).

If you have any ideas for items you'd like us to feature in the calendar, you're more than welcome to send them to us. Either drop us a line at info@spaotp.com or else leave your message on a comment if you're not fussed about the rest of the world knowing about it before their time.

SPAOTP's Advent Calendar: Day 12

Can you believe we're already half-way through our Advent Calendar?

Yes, today is Day 12, and for that we bring you a video clip encapsulating those two things that are essential for any great Christmas - football and Morecambe & Wise.

Below this great old TV ad for Atari you'll find the answers to yesterday's quiz questions.



Answers to Day 11 Quiz:

1) Jimmy Greaves
2) Sheffield United
3) The Jules Rimet Trophy
4) Frankfurt
5) Chelsea

SPAOTP's Advent Calendar: Day 11

Time to tax those little grey cells today with five more cunning quiz questions on Day 11 of the SPAOTP Advent Calendar. As ever (ahem...), the answers will appear on tomorrow's Advent Calendar post.

Question 1:
Who, in 1963, became only the second Tottenham player ever to be sent off?

Question 2:
Which English football club was created when Yorkshire Cricket Club introduced football as a way of keeping players fit during the winter?

Question 3:
Abel Lafleur was the scuptor that designed which well-known football trophy?

Question 4:
Which German city's Forest Stadium was partially rebuilt for the 1974 World Cup?

Question 5:
Which club did former Liverpool star Craig Johnston name his daughter after?

Weekend TV Preview: 11-14 December 2009

Friday 11th December

19:30 Hertha Berlin v Leverkusen, Bundesliga, ESPN
Not sure why the Bundesliga keep scheduling Hertha games for their TV matches. They're awful. Perhaps they are getting the Berliners out of the way so they can allow them to be relegated in peace. Leverkusen are top but have been dropping points. All of which makes up for a dour 1-0 away win. Not even I'm bothering with this one.

Saturday 12th December

12:45 Stoke City v Wigan Athletic, Barclays Premier League, Sky Sports 1/HD1
As if Roberto Martinez didn't have enough problems, he now has to cope with the mental image of Tony Pulis naked in the showers when they shake hands before the game.

12:45 Motherwell v Celtic, Scottish Premier League, Sky Sports 3/HD3
"Where abouts in Scotland are you from?" I enquired. "Glasgow!" he replied. "Oh right so are you Rangers or Celtic?" I asked. "Motherwell" he said. I was sat next to him all bloody evening.

17:15 Manchester United v Aston Villa, Barclay's Premier League, ESPN/HD
Much like Man United v Everton, the only reason why broadcasters persist with this fixture has to be because of their large international fan base. This is one of the most one-sided match-ups in the history of the Premier League. Having said that, United don't seem to have much of a defence so a first win for Villa at Old Trafford since 1983 may well be on the... oh who am I kidding?

19:15 Barcelona v Espanyol, La Liga, Sky Sports 3/HD3
Espanyol have lost their last four games and will surely make it a fifth against their cross-city rivals.

19:45 Bari v Juventus, Serie A, ESPN
After suffering the humiliation of losing to one of the worst Bayern Munich teams in a generation while getting knocked out of the Champions League and saving Louis van Gaal's job in the process, the Old Lady must trapse over to Bari in a futile attempt to make amends.

21:00 Valencia v Real Madrid, La Liga, Sky Sports 3/HD3
Second meets third. Some of the best players in the world on display. What's not to like?

Sunday 13th December

13:15 Middlesbrough v Cardiff City, Championship, Sky Sports 1/HD1
Gareth Southgate is a football genius!

14:30 Atalanta v Inter Milan, Serie A, ESPN
The press are full of stories that Jose is going to get a special one in the post from his employers. So expect lots of close-ups of the Inter bench during this nervous 1-0 win for the champions.

16:00 Liverpool v Arsenal, Barclays Premier League, Sky Sports 1/HD1
The big one. 4-4 last time out. This time, who knows? However, with the prospect of Eduardo and Gerrard playing, expect plenty of theatrics in the box.

17:00 Wolfsburg v Dortmund, Bundesliga, ESPN
A decent alternative to the Best League In The World on offer from Sky. Dortmund are shaking off their early season poor form and are unbeaten in eight Bundesliga games. Wolfsburg are going backwards and will be miffed to have failed to take their chances against United on Wednesday.

19:00 Atletico Madrid v Villarreal, La Liga, Sky Sports 1/HD1
Both teams are in much better form and have their collective eyes set on a European spot later in the season. Bags of interest for La Liga aficionados of which, you may have gathered, I am not one.

20:00 Sporting v Sevilla, La Liga, Sky Sports 1/HD1
Er... yes well.

19:45 Sampdoria v AS Roma, Serie A, ESPN
Buoyed after their hoedown with Lazio, Roma travel to Genoa and the two teams are separated by goal difference.

The Friday List of Little or No Consequence #143

Englishmen abroad
16 Englishmen That Have Managed National Football Teams Outside The UK

1. George Armstrong (Kuwait 1988)
2. Gordon Bradley (USA 1976)
3. Jack Charlton (Ireland 1986-95)
4. Ian Crook (American Samoa 2004)
5. Allan Harris (Malaysia 2000-04)
6. Roy Hodgson (Switzerland 1992-95; United Arab Emirates 2002-04; Finland 2006-07)
7. Bob Houghton (China 1997-99; Uzbekistan 2005; India 2006 onwards)
8. Gary Johnson (Latvia 1999-2001)
9. Jack Mansell (Israel 1980-81)
10. Peter Reid (Thailand 2008-09)
11. Don Revie (United Arab Emirates 1977-80)
12. Bryan Robson (Thailand 2009-)
13. Terry Venables (Australia 1997-98)
14. Tony Waiters (Canada 1981-86 and 1990)
15. Peter Withe (Indonesia 2004-07, Thailand 1998-2002)
16. Ray Wood (Cyprus 1969-72)

SPAOTP's Advent Calendar: Day 10

For Day 10 of the SPAOTP Advent Calendar, it's a welcome return to some old friends that helped us convey our 12 Graphs of Christmas last year.

This year, they're back to illustrate how many American players are currently plying their trade in the top flight of five of the big European leagues...

(click image for a larger version)

Jeu du Jour Week 15: The Win in the Minnows

With the half-way point in the season almost here, the top of the Ligue 1 table has a distinctly strange look to it.

Beyond Bordeaux, sitting in first place (as they have been for most of this season), you'll find last season's Ligue 2 runners-up, Montpellier, followed by Valenciennes – a team that only got promotion to Ligue 1 in 2006.

And if you'll allow us a moment to be smug, it seems Yours Truly's prediction at the start of the season is coming good - namely that Bordeaux are the team acting the least irrationally as they fight to win the 2009/10 title.

Not that Bordeaux are exempt from their own occasional lapses in concentration, but Les Girondins seem to be back in the zone again, even leading the likes of Juventus and Bayern Munich a merry dance in the Champions League.

Their latest win in the league came on Saturday, a narrow 1-0 victory over PSG at the Stade Jacques Chaban-Delmas. Bordeaux looked the better team throughout although the Parisians at times looked dangerous, but it was Jaroslav Plasil who scored the all-important goal 24 minutes in to give his side all three points.

PSG's mini-revival comes to an end, therefore, but they stay in the top half of the table by the skin of their teeth. Montpellier are doing a great job of putting the pressure on Bordeaux, however. They're back up to second spot having beaten a spirited Le Mans side at the weekend. Karim Ait Fana gave Montpellier an early lead and when Mathieu Dossevi was sent off for the visitors, it looked like plain sailing for Rene Girard's team.

Unfortunately for them, 10-man Le Mans came out fighting in the second half and managed to grab an equaliser through Anthony Le Tallec. Battling hard, Le Mans could sadly only stay on level terms for 11 minutes as Lilian Compan made it 2-1 with 17 minutes remaining, and that's how the game ended.

It was a bad week for them to lose as the two teams below them in the table both picked up wins – and yes, that includes Grenoble! Mark the date in your diary, folks – Sunday 6 December 2009: the day Grenoble finally picked up three points in a Ligue 1 match this season.

In all seriousness, it's been on the cards as GF38 finally got into scoring ways with draws in each of their three games leading up to last weekend. The fact that they got their first win against Toulouse was something of a surprise, however. Toulouse have been comfortably sat in mid-table for a while, albeit distracted by a gruelling Europa League campaign, and should have picked up at least a point against their counterparts.

As it is, Grenoble looked hell-bent on winning this one and threw everything they could muster at Toulouse. Among the flurry of attacking play that went on for much of the game, Grenoble went close through a Nassim Akrour shot that hit the bar. Olivier Blondel made a fine save to deny Daisuke Matsui from the rebound, but it merely spurred them on all the more to find a winning goal.

In the end, it fell to Nicolas Dieuze to do the honours ten minutes from time, blasting in a shot from close range to end Grenoble's run of 19 consecutive games without a win. Amazingly, they're now only three points behind Le Mans who themselves dropped a place after Boulogne picked up only their third win of the season at home to fellow strugglers Lens. The game ended 2-1 and featured an eventful first half in which Boulogne's Mame N’Diaye was sent off after 18 minutes and Bira Dembele gave Lens the lead through an own goal after 22 minutes.

Having recovered from such a torrid opening period, Boulogne then rallied round to equalise through Zimbabwean Ovidi Karuru five minutes before the break and then took the lead through another own goal. This time the man at fault was Lens' defender Romain Sartre who managed to head a cross from Alexandre Cuvillier into his own net and that was how the scoreline stayed for the remainder of the match. Boulogne rise one place to 18th on the strength of it and will no doubt be hoping for more of the same in the coming weeks if they're to avoid relegation.

Back at the top end of the table, it was Lyon who made the most notable slip-up, losing 4-3 at Lille. Despite a first half hat-trick from Lisandro Lopez and an excellent goalkeeping display from Hugo Lloris, Lyon were unable to overcome their hosts and were eventually undone by a sucker punch right at the very end.

Having pulled back from being 3-1 down at half time, Lille entered the dying moments of the match level at 3-3, but they took all the points thanks to Gervinho's second goal of the night and his thirteenth of the season in the 90th minute of the game.

With that, Lille finally reach the top half of the table while Lyon remain without a win since the end of October. Making best use of that Lyon stumble are Valenciennes who climb to third after an excellent 3-1 win over Monaco on Saturday. VA have lost only one game in seven now and are well worth their place among the league's elite as the Christmas break approaches.

Marseille are also staying in touch with the leading pack thanks to a 3-1 away win at Nice. Two goals in the last 13 minutes finally secured the points for Deschamps' men, so they stay in seventh position – six points behind Bordeaux but with a game in hand.

Auxerre continue to tumble after they reached top spot a couple of weeks ago. A surprising 3-1 defeat at home to Nancy sees them drop to fifth while another team recently troubling the leaders, Lorient, also dropped a place when they lost 1-0 at Rennes.

Last (and probably least) this week are Saint Etienne who played out a 0-0 draw at home to Sochaux. Those boys in green look set on making 17th spot in the table their own this season, but they'd better watch out – Boulogne and Grenoble are on their tail...

SPAOTP's Advent Calendar: Day 9

Day 9 of SPAOTP's Advent Calendar and another chance for you to provide some headlines and captions for one of our seasonal pictures.

Today it's our old friend Santa (a.k.a. Mick McCarthy) doing away with the need for elves by ordering all his Christmas presents online, but can you provide a fitting caption to go with it?

As ever, leave us a comment and spread a little joy to the world this yuletide...

SPAOTP's Advent Calendar: Day 8

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a bit of retail therapy (actually, make that a LOT of retail therapy) so for Day 8 of our SPAOTP Advent Calendar, we're bringing you a selection of tasteful gifts that you can by direct from the online football club shop of your choice.

Of course sitting down at the table to eat copious amounts of turkey, stuffing and brussel sprouts is only half the story where Christmas Day's concerned. You need crackers, and to that end what could be better than to buy a pack of eight Arsenal crackers decorated in red shiny foil with a Gunners badge on top. We're not sure if the jokes inside are very good, but judging by the standard of the jokes Arsene Wenger puts out on the pitch every week, they should be pretty hilarious. (Sorry Graham, don't hit me...)

Christmas is all about giving, however, so why not give your Man City friends an official MCFC calendar? It'll be a great way of remembering those players who'll be largely absent during 2010 - players such as Emmanuel Adebayor (on African Nations Cup duty in January), Stephen Ireland (injured most of the time), Craig Bellamy (subject of a request to leave in the January transfer window) and Robinho (injured AND the subject of a request to leave in the January transfer window).

For fans of Man United, there's the chance to decorate their tree in style with a pack of four glass baubles - two coloured gold and two red. The red ones are particularly good as you can look at your reflection in them and see a passable resemblance of Sir Alex Ferguson. Clever stuff.

In the Hull City online shop, why not snap up a pair of flashing antlers? They run on batteries, one size fits all, and they're guaranteed to draw an enormous amount of attention to yourself - as endorsed by Phil Brown.

Portsmouth fans can emulate the goalkeeping prowess of their hero David James by purchasing these fleece gloves. They feature a Pompey club badge, are completely machine washable and are guaranteed not to grip a football if one's thrown at you.

Finally for all you Burnley supporters, there's a 2010 diary which looks the business with its large embossed club crest on the front. At £3.99, it's the ideal gift for anyone wanting to make note of all those avoidable and pointless away matches.

Know of any special Christmas gifts on sale at your club store online? Perhaps you've got a suggestion for some merchandise that should be on sale? Either way, leave us a comment and let us know...

Sound Of Football Episode 18 - World Cup Draw and Champions League

Join us for another edition of the Sound Of Football Podcast. This week, the chaps discuss the World Cup Draw and look ahead to this week's Champions League fixtures.

You can listen by clicking here. Or if you right click on that link, you can download the MP3. Alternatively, you can subscribe via the your reader of choice or via our iTunes feed.

Please leave us a comment and let us know what you think. You can do so on the comments section below or on our Facebook Fanpage.

SPAOTP's Advent Calendar: Day 7

For Day 7 of our Advent Calendar, we're going to produce a 'Friday List' with a difference.

There are two things that'll differentiate this list from the others, namely (1) it's not appearing on a Friday, and (2) it's going to be compiled largely by you (hopefully) rather than us.

Yes, today we're looking for the names of football players, teams or anything else you want to include that have a Christmas theme to them. Here's a few to start you off with, and if you think of any more, leave us a comment and tell us what they are.

So here goes...

The Christmas Club

1) Robin Van Persie
2) Roque Santa Cruz
3) Anyone that plays for Turkey

...?

(Oh, and by the way - here are the answers to yesterday's quiz questions:)

1) Everton
2) France
3) Bill Shankly
4) Goalkeeper
5) Paul Merson

Midweek TV Preview: 7 - 10 December 2009

Monday 7th December

19:45 Watford v Queens Park Rangers, Championship, Sky Sports 1/HD1
Both teams find themselves back in the thick of it just two days after suffering defeats in the Championship. While Watford went down 2-0 to 10-man Newcastle, QPR were being thumped 5-1 at home by Middlesbrough, however a win for Rangers today could put them fourth in the table (albeit temporarily).

Tuesday 8th December

19:45 Juventus v Bayern Munich, UEFA Champions League Group A, Sky Sports Xtra
Now that Bordeaux have top spot sewn up in Group A, this is effectively a fight for second place and survival in the competition. Both teams are in good form at the moment, but a repeat of the 0-0 they played out in September will only suit Juventus. Bayern need to win, and that's about all there is to it. A great game for anyone not bothered about Man U's plight.

19:45 Maccabi v Bordeaux, UEFA Champions League Group A, Sky Sports Xtra
The deadest of dead rubbers. Bottom of the group versus top. Maccabi are out, Bordeaux are guaranteed top spot in Group C. Now move along please - nothing to see here...

19:45 Wolfsburg v Manchester United, UEFA Champions League Group B, Sky Sports 2/HD2
Man U have done all the hard work now and can spend their evening trying to frustrate Wolfsburg as they attempt to make second spot their own. That said, Fergie's team is falling apart as we speak. Even Vidic has dropped out now due to injury to add to the other growing band of crocks. Could be a good time for the German champions to be looking for the three points they need.

19:45 Besiktas v CSKA Moscow, UEFA Champions League Group B, Sky Sports Xtra
While that's going on though, CSKA will be trying to beat Besiktas in the hope of grabbing Wolfsburg's place in the next round, should they slip up. Both teams are equally matched where current form's concerned, but the Russians won the previous meeting between these two if that's anything to go by.

19:45 Marseille v Real Madrid, UEFA Champions League Group C, Sky Sports Xtra
Realistically, Marseille have to win this big-style to be certain of going through, and even then they'll need Milan to lose in Zurich. Real lead the group and may get away with a draw against Deschamps' men, but the inevitable win for Milan over Zurich elsewhere in this group will make it a jumpy night for both these teams.

19:45 FC Zurich v AC Milan, UEFA Champions League Group C, Sky Sports Xtra
Zurich are in wretched form at the moment. Milan, on the other hand, are unbeaten in their last twelve games in all competitions. Only one way this game's going...

19:45 Chelsea v APOEL, UEFA Champions League Group D, Sky Sports Xtra
Chelsea are through to the next round, APOEL can only hope for a Europa League place. 'One-sided' probably won't even come close.

19:45 Atletico Madrid v Porto, UEFA Champions League Group D, Sky Sports Xtra
Atletico have finally remembered how to win matches in La Liga again, and just in the nick of time if they're to use the same talents to finish third in their Champions League group. A draw will suffice - a defeat, and they might lose out to APOEL.

20:00 Leeds United v Kettering Town, FA Cup Second Round Replay, ITV4
The winners of this tie face Manchester United in the Third Round, and while you have to favour the League One side it should be noted that Leeds haven't won a home tie in the FA Cup since 2003. The original match ended 1-1 and was a great match: more of the same should be on offer here - and with the added possibility of penalties at the end too.

Wednesday 9th December

19:45 Liverpool v Fiorentina, UEFA Champions League Group E, Sky Sports 2/HD2
It seems almost cruel for Liverpool to have to go through with this now that they're out of the competition, but hey - it's been a bonus playing in the Champions League when the height of your ambition is finishing fourth in the Prem.

19:45 Lyon v Debrecen, UEFA Champions League Group E, Sky Sports Xtra
Lyon are having one almighty wobble at the moment and haven't won a match since the end of October. Lucky for them that Liverpool haven't been much kop lately (ho-ho), otherwise it could've been a different outcome for Claude Puel's men.

19:45 Dynamo Kiev v Barcelona, UEFA Champions League Group F, Sky Sports Xtra
Group F remains the closest of them all and though Kiev are at the wrong end of it, they could easily finish top by beating Barca tonight. Two teams in great form with all to play for in the best game of the night.

19:45 Inter Milan v Rubin, UEFA Champions League Group F, Sky Sports Xtra
Rubin will have had a 10-day break by the time this game comes around having wrapped up the Russian Premier League title at the end of November. Inter, for their part, didn't get the best preparation for this match by losing 2-1 to Juventus at the weekend. Both teams are level on six points in this group, and like Kiev and Barcelona need to win in order to progress to the knock-out stages.

19:45 Sevilla v Rangers, UEFA Champions League Group G, Sky Sports Xtra
Sevilla are through to the next round, Rangers can't even get a Europa League spot. Sky Sports Xtra? Sky Sports Detritus, more like...

19:45 Stuttgart v Unirea Urziceni, UEFA Champions League Group G, Sky Sports Xtra
As Terry reported yesterday in Bundesbag, Stuttgart now have ex-Tottenham favourite Christian Gross as their new coach and what an important game this is to start his new period at the helm. Quite simply, a win over Unirea tonight will guarantee Champions League football for Stuttgart for at least one more round. Nothing else will do.

19:45 Olympiacos v Arsenal, UEFA Champions League Group H, ITV1/HD
Arsenal are already through to the knockout stages. The Greeks need a draw to join them.

19:45 Standard Liege v AZ, UEFA Champions League Group H, Sky Sports Xtra
...and if they don't draw, Standard Liege could qualify with Arsenal instead by beating AZ here tonight. They'll need to pick up their first win in a month to do it, though.

Thursday 10th December

19:30 TBC, Coppa Italia, ESPN
We're finally into the Round of 16 in this season's Coppa Italia, but sadly ESPN are keeping their cards close to their chests as to which game they'll be showing. Juventus v Napoli is the tie of the round, but that could be entirely irrelevant based on the whims of the programme planners. Visit ESPN's website on the off chance of getting updates nearer the time