ONE of the most depressing things about watching the FA Cup Final between Manchester City and Stoke City last Saturday was hearing the TV commentator say that the scorer of the only goal, City’s Yaya Toure,  was reputed to be earning £220,000 A WEEK!

City’s win, following their midweek clinching of a place in next season’s Champions League, means that they are guaranteed to splash out even more millions on transfers during the summer as they aim to mop up all the world’s top football talent for themselves.

MOST young boys who dream of becoming a footballer want to be a star striker, and it is easy to see why – they grab all the headlines and quite often most of the money:  Struggling Premier League side Aston Villa splashed out £18million (the deal could eventually rise to £24million) for Sunderland forward Darren Bent last week.

OH dear, the natives are getting restless!

In the impatient world that is football, calling for the manager to be sacked even before we’ve entered the month of December is commonplace.

Football Diary
by Patrick O’Connor

It’s back! The Premier League, with all its financial insanity and hype, has returned to action and from the outset I must confess some self-interest when it comes to  the fortunes of newcomers Blackpool.

They were promoted from the Championship via the play-offs last season and are rated by many as the least equipped side ever to tackle football’s top league.