Non-league clubs are being taken over by new, rich chairmen. Simon Bell looks at their attempt to buy success

One of the most irritating things about the Vauxhall Conference is the way it wants to be – really wants to be – the Football League. It’s a bit embarrassing. The Football League bars a club from entering because its facilities aren’t up-to-scratch (Kidderminster); bless my soul if the Conference doesn’t follow suit abjectly (St Albans and their now infamous trees). The Football League applies a raft of strict financial criteria for would-be entrants, ignoring the fact that most of its members are perennially skint. As does the Conference, consigning Enfield and Boston Utd to the never-never for a few more years.

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Football Focus was once Cameron Carter's highlight of the week, but not anymore

I used to look forward to Football Focus. Probably because it used to be good. Ten years ago, during its golden Arthurian period, you got crumply old Bob Wilson with a pen in his jacket pocket (which sometimes crept into his hand during those traumatic live link-ups with experienced managers), lots of football clips and a special focus on Crewe Alexandra at the end. Now, you get last weekend’s goals you’ve already seen on Match of the Day with a satiny Britpop underlay. It’s not right, and deep down everyone knows it.

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John Williams looks at the explosion of books nostalgic for the days of mass hooliganism

At West Ham in late September, a few away travel truths struck home a little more sharply than I can remember before. The District Line train eastbound at 2.30 was thinly populated. A number of passengers were Europeans, picking up a Premier League game between the Hammers and Liverpool while on holiday in London. Other Liverpool fans (and their kids) were openly wearing dispiritingly new team shirts.

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Lots of players are expected to have big futures but never justify the hype. Cris Freddi profiles some of the game's biggest underachievers

Edu, (Jonas Eduardo Américo)
The first ‘new Pelé’, he scored in his second international and became an immediately controversial figure by being included in the 1966 World Cup squad at the age of 16 but not playing a match while Brazil picked a string of knackered veterans. A skilful winger, he played in the 1970 & 1974 finals, but only against the weakest opposition (Romania & Zaire), and was always a peripheral figure despite winning 42 caps.

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Tipped to be a star at Everton, Graham Ennis remembers why Nick Barmby couldn't fulfil his potential

On the day Joe Royle signed Nick Barmby from Middlesbrough he made a curious admission: that he wasn’t quite sure where he was going to play him. Obviously then, he just kinda hoped that he’d get lucky and things would work themselves out. We all kinda hoped too. Choosing to ignore the fact that Royle had just off-loaded the highly promising Daniel Amokachi because he didn’t know quite where he fitted into his plans.

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