He looked as though he might be a key player for Barcelona, but now Lazio can't give him away. Paul Virgo profiles the man who is following him around Europe

In the summer of 1998 the Lazio president Sergio Cragnotti forked out £10 million for a promising Spanish lad called Ivan de la Peña. Not a modest sum by any stretch, but Cragnotti was satisfied it was money well spent. According to reliable sources he’d landed himself the next Maradona. Offer Cragnotti the price of a second-hand Fiat Panda for De la Peña today and he’ll take your arm off.

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Tom Davies meets up with Leyton Orient defender and PFA representative Dean Smith to gain an insight into the players' perspective of the crisis hitting lower-league clubs

Have players in the lower divisions become more insecure about their jobs in recent years?
I think so, yes. Squads are getting smaller again and it does seem to have been getting harder and harder in recent years for players being released at the end of the season to find another club, whereas in seasons before it was quite easy. Players are having to look lower down, and more are going into non-League football. Which means many have got to come to terms with part-time football and finding another job. As a result, the Con­ference teams are getting stronger – there are a lot of players in the Conference who could be playing in the Football League.

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Paul Tracey reflects on the Football League sanction which has made life particularly hard for one of football's stalwart clubs

Uncertainty has surrounded QPR for the past year, ever since chairman Chris Wright put the club up for sale and placed it into administration. With no new owner emerging, fans and staff alike have had the pos­sibility of the club folding hanging over their heads for the best part of a season.

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Charles Morris interviews John Bowler, chairman of the club which, in these uncertain times, many see as an example to the rest, Crewe Alexandra

Nine years ago Crewe Alexandra lost a Third Division play-off final at Wembley on penalties to York City. Today, Crewe are enjoying their fifth consecutive sea­son in the First Division, while York flounder near the bottom of the Third, having only just been saved from bankruptcy and oblivion. The contrasting fortunes of these two small clubs could not be more marked, and fans of York, Bury, Swindon and other clubs now fear­ing for their futures must wonder what particular magic Crewe worked that escaped their own directors.

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With the World Cup looming, two writers are at loggerheads when asked: "Should players with bad attitudes be left out by England?"

Yes~
What makes a good footballer? It’s a simple enough question, but perhaps it requires a more complicated answer. Touch, control, balance, strength, speed and fitness are all ob­vious prerequisites, but what about those other, less tangible, qualities that are integral to the footballer template?

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