Steve Davies takes a look at the figures in the annual review of football finance, which as expected offer good news for the big boys and bad for everyone else
Premier League clubs are on the gravy train while the Endsleigh League drift toward oblivion. That, at least, is the commonly held view, and the report prepared by Deloitte & Touche into football finance provides an opportunity to see whether it is supported by the facts.
Peter Taylor's appointment as England Under-21 manager caught many people off guard. Mark Winter explains why Dover's loss could be England's gain
If I were a follower of a moderate Premiership club, I might have expected it. I’m en route to an away game, listening to Radio 5 Live, when the bombshell is dropped. We’ve just lost our manager, on the eve of a new season, to the FA, where he'll be taking over responsibility for the England U-21 side.
Mark Perryman returned from Moldova wondering if he had been in the same country as the one described in reports of England's World Cup game
Foot-long Moldovan cockroaches ready to nibble your naughty bits was what we were promised, courtesy of the Sunday Mirror, Kalashnikov-toting bandits on every late night street corner, according to the People. Such nonsense wasn’t restricted to the tabloids either, the fearless Paul Wilson faxed this local delicacy back to the Observer: “Like some of the female citizens out looking for business on the streets at night, Moldova prefers to be seen in a dim light.”
The atmosphere at football matches isn't what it used to be
Another season, another FA committee may be in the offing. They’ve looked into bungs and tax fiddles (investigations so thorough and complex that we’re still waiting for definitive conclusions a couple of years later), now it’s the turn of the teams of marketing managers to look into the atmosphere or, rather, the lack of it, at grounds on matchdays.
Thursday 1 The US win the women's football tournament at the Olympics, beating China… Patrik Berger finally signs for Liverpool after weeks of negotiations, the sticking point being whether he would be contractually obliged to go nightclubbing with Robbie 'n' Jamie 'n' Macca every Saturday. Terry Venables declines an offer to become joint owner of Portsmouth, saying that the club will need to clear their debts before he is prepared to get involved. There's a joke in there somewhere.
Friday 2 Blackburn deny that they are about to spend a hefty wedge of the Shearer money on Ajax's Patrick Kluivert. So a deal must be imminent. Celtic are fined £42,000 for dealing with an unlicensed agent, Bruce Rioch's brother, Neil, when buying Alan Stubbs from Bolton, and Stubbs is also fined. Hove Council vote against Brighton's plans to build a new stadium and shopping complex at, ahem, Toad's Hole Valley. Brighton chairman Bill Archer says that a groundshare with Portsmouth now seems likely for 1997-98 (assuming, of course that Portsmouth are still in existence).
Saturday 3 Nigeria become the first African team to win an Olympic gold, beating Argentina 3-2 with a goal from Emmanuel Amunike in the last minute. Brazil have to make do with the bronze after a 5-0 win over Portugal.