16 March ~ German football fans have enjoyed a largely positive press for the past 20 years thanks to a number of well co-ordinated campaigns. Among other things, these have helped to retain standing areas, affordable tickets and a reasonable number of Saturday afternoon kick-offs. And it's thanks to the concerted efforts of fan groups that the atmosphere in stadiums makes for a loud and boisterous match day. Although some people might find the idea of a "conductor" with a megaphone at the front of the terrace leading the chants as a little less than spontaneous, it's certainly preferable to a mute support restricted to either cheering goals or moaning.

16 March ~ You see, this is what we badge-fanciers have to put up with in the main. Hundreds and hundreds of clubs with no visual imagination whatsoever. Repeatedly one will be presented with the club's name and colours on a shield surrounded by decorative foliage or simply the club colours and "Est. 1926". And this one takes the absolute biscuit. Read more

15 March ~ As is often the case with managerial exits within a relegation campaign, it's all about the timing. Phil Brown's departure from Hull City has thrown up a thousand questions. With nine games to go and a fair few "winnable" fixtures, it seems possible that chairman Adam Pearson already has Brown's successor lined up and is gambling on the prospect of this man instilling a fresh impetus within the squad. Part of Brown's trouble this season is that the team has not been galvanised for the bread and butter games in the way that they visibly were in the last minute defeat against Arsenal at the weekend.

15 March ~ Dennis Tueart was in the Sky studio for yesterday's match between his former clubs Sunderland and Manchester City. Though most famous for the winning overhead kick goal for Man City against Newcastle in the 1976 League Cup final, in Sunderland he is remembered for this individual effort to secure an 2-0 away win against Vasas Budapest in the 1973-74 Cup-Winners Cup.

15 March ~ Today's headline news, on both the front and back pages, is that David Beckham will miss a fourth World Cup after rupturing an achilles tendon. In WSC 208 (June 2004) Barney Ronay assessed a period when Beckham was "the most famous person in the world"

A spell abroad at a glamorous foreign club, a Gucci-clad celebrity wife, Eastern-themed parties at their palatial home, a bogus kidnap scare, a series of hushed-up extra-marital dalliances – and finally a homosexual affair with Paul Scholes. Read the full article