Ian Plenderleith looks at a few fan sites

There are a handful of good reasons for visiting another club’s independent website, such as checking for neanderthal-free pubs, or the hosts’ opinion of the 34-year-old, injury-prone defender who is about to sign a two-year contract with your own already struggling team. The other main factor likely to send non-partisan visitors to alien cyber-territory is humour. Not witless abuse of the team from the next town along, but something with the spark to earmark a webzine from the endless screenfuls of hackneyed bile hashed up in the name of rivalry.

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The demise of the Cup-Winners Cup means there are some European ties destined never to be repeated and Bangor City v Napoli is one of them. A shame, since the first meeting was very close. Cris Freddi looks back

This was the first European match played by either side, but no prizes for realising the comparisons end there. One of the big names of Serie A against ­some­thing from the Cheshire League emerging blinking into the light. The two Argentinian forwards, Rosa and Tacchi, had cost more than Bangor’s entire income since the war. One team looked set for 90 minutes with their backs to the wall.

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The signs are good for Japan's chances at the World Cup, but less so for anyone who might want to go and watch any of the matches. Justin McCurry reports on the co-hosts' preparations

For all their supposed organisational acumen, Japan’s foot­ball authorities seem to stumble whenever tickets enter the equation. Three years ago, thousands of Jap­anese fans who had booked on package tours to France 98 turned up at Tokyo’s Narita airport to find their tickets had failed to materialise. Just last month, refunds were being offered to 62,000 people who had bought tickets for a combined Korea-Japan v World All-Stars match on January 3 after stars such as Zin­edine Zidane and Paolo Maldini withdrew because of changes to the Serie A schedule.

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Maison Urwin explains why Colchester fans hate George Burley but loved the Conference

Obsession with history may be expected from an inhabitant of Britain’s oldest recorded town. Boadicea is now only evoked in the name of a pub, but on the terraces key events are still mentioned. My dad was cruel enough not to take me to see the destruction of Leeds in 1971 when, at the age of two, I was patently old enough to be in a seriously overcrowded Layer Road (more than 16,000 in a ground now limited to 7,300). However, the team we support today is defined by a pivotal relegation rather than occasional cup glory.

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A look back at the fortunes of five East Anglian clubs

Glory Years From 1971, when Colchester beat Leeds, to 1993, when Norwich beat Bayern Munich, the east of England was a foot­ball hotspot. Unlike Ipswich’s freak 1962 title win – they went down two years later– success was widespread and lasting. Ipswich and Norwich won three cups between 1978 and 1985, and Town were twice league runners-up. Outside Ips­wich the peaks came later, when Cambridge (1992), Norwich (1993) and Peterborough (1993) all achieved their highest league position, City got to two FA Cup semis and Cam­bridge twice reached the sixth round. Even Colchester won the Con­ference and FA Trophy (1992), though admittedly they had to be relegated first.

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