Exciting times ahead at Eastlands

Few could fail to have noticed the explosion of activity in the Manchester football world with the takeover of Manchester City by former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra. It has spawned a furious number of acquisitions most notably set off by the UK media fall guy Swen Goran Ericsson.

Having audaciously ruined English football - a fact universally held by baying tabloid hacks - he is now procuring almost a complete new squad, built around two or three of the exciting young players that City enjoy a rich history in producing, and sadly selling, before they fulfill their potential. It is dramatic and seemingly unprecedented, the number of players arriving and makes for a fascinating time ahead. I will take immense personal joy in Swen's success, since to my keen eye, he has done nothing wrong to deserve the shoddy treatment by the English media. We shall see.

Perhaps the most surprising thing in all of this is the liberal attitude shown to Thaksin Shinawatra's ownership approach. People who follow these things say he has a tawdry track record in Human Rights back in Thailand. click here for a brief outline of the issues they have unearthed. Having read this I was struck by how difficult it must be to run a country. He appears to have run a country unafraid of using difficult solutions to solve difficult problems. I'm sure he is the envy of many western leaders having the ability to use drastic measures to solve drug evil or unwanted opposition.

Is it true? The eternal question. The Premier League approach would appear to be ignore the whole thing and hope it goes away. City fans I suspect will take an equally liberal view. After Swales and Lee, I'm sure they sense a leader capable of matching their wildest dreams. In 1996 I worked for some time with the previous main shareholders in their penultimate venture JD Sports. I know from personal experience that they too will have seen little in Mr Thaksin's CV that would be incompatible with due fitness to take the reins at Man City.

Happy Days

Poor old Becks

I have to say what a shocking mess somebody did with David Beckham's media circus this week. What could have been a truly joyous piece of news for American Football turned into an own goal of the kind that sickened my stomach.

David Beckham, to my probing and critical eye, is a genuine and compassionate footballer, the fact that he is capable of commanding £128 million for his activities is just a fortunate coincidence for the guy. He has demonstrated consistently over the last 13 years that he is a man who puts football first, his family very close behind and that has helped him amass a king's ransom.

So who was the witless tool who put out the communication laden with dollars and then left the boy from Leyton to lamely say "the money wasn't important".

It will be interesting to see if he is successful in generating more profile and column inches in the USA when their established sports appear to have such a evil hold over their citizens. He has all the qualities to play to an emerging generation of sports fans looking for a new and genuine hero. It is to be hoped that the LA Galaxy recognise that what makes football bankable and sensational is football not celebrity money talk.

I'm off to email their VP corporate affairs now. Have a nice day

Refreshing Honesty

On Friday a jury of their peers found two professional racists not guilty of racial incitement and we all stirred in amazement at the right to free speech extended to it's regretable limits. Nick Griffin really did look a picture with his entourage he must be relieved to be free to speak another day.

Then on Saturday Mick Newell, a man known for his inability to cow down to towing the "football people" line treated us to his further thoughts on the matter of sexual politics. The assistant referee in his side's ding dong battle with QPR was a woman and her presence obviously left him unable to function in his usual way.

In his condemnation of the official he didn't point to any misdemeanours or omissions he seemed merely vexed by the nature of her sex.

Two days later Newell had the class to make his spologies and set the record straight

Panorama Shmanorama

Having previewed their programme in the way that only the BBC seem to think isn't advertising we all held our collective breathes to hear the damning evidence.

Of course the only surprise was ......well there were no surprises. Graham Taylor summed up the whole case nicely the following day. In "cash business" it would be surprising if there weren't a few dodgy people - I paraphrase.

What will happen next. I guess very little. Sam Allardyce will have left no trail, if indeed there is any wrong doing. Craig Allardyce will most probably be grounded. The FA will look toothless and foolish, beuase that's the way the media would like to be and one thing the programme showed was that anybody taking a bung is very very careful.

My question would be how many people are really bothered by bungs. Journalists for sure their agenda is surely a most compelling case study in envy dressed as integrity. But surely fans are really only interested in what happens between the first and last whistle of each game. As for tarnished game - I guess it got a little more interesting on Tuesday night if anything.

QPR enter the FIFA top 10

Sorry I forgot to say Iran nearly drew with Mexico which must put them about 9th in the world FIFA rankings and QPR beat Iran last July so that knocks Iran back to say 10 with Gary Waddock's Blue & White Army slotting in at 9. YOU R's!!!!!!!!!!

Please see photogaphic evidence

Also there is a quality panoramic picture of lovely Loftus Road so it won't be a wasted journey.

Oh What Joy - on a daily basis

The wallcharts are in place and the long awaited tournament is with us. Whilst all and sundry agonise over Sven's tactical nouse, I am just drinking in the joy of day after day of football, glamourous countries playing glamourous contries. Premier league and Football league players doing battle and who ever wins we are getting a real treat.

Just one thing though Ray Stubbs (oh and Mark Lawrenson, as ever) he does a really great job on snooker with Hazel Irving (her career really didn't dip after her denial of the holocaust) but when he is sat there with mogadon Mick McCarthy and the massively hyperactive Ian Dowie, he is really shown up as a bloke who really didn't quite make it Tranmere Rovers.

Least ways more later I'm off to fill in the scores from today and work out Sven's options for Thursday. Fiona Bruce feels 4-4-2 is just not working for him and Felicity Barr feels that Walcott was a huge gamble.

We all know that if we pick up that trophy the guy'll be a genius and we knew it all along. Fickle? Never!

NB Felicity Barr is currently 31 in Jules Lister all time top 32 favourite women chart

Christmas Come Early

Witness David Beckham's recent TV documentary and you can draw a line under any similarity between yourself and the world's most famous No 7, but when Beckham says that "waiting for the World Cup is like a child waiting for christmas" we can all echo some real sense of empathy. Yahoo!, McDonalds or Budweiser competition permitting I will be joining the majority of the world in watching the entire show on TV.

Three pointers for those who like to back their judgement with hard cash.

1. Greece Factor - pick a team that can genuinely upset the current world order. Gemany would be my bet, domestic scene deluged with non Germans, coach based in USA, Ballack the subject of envious stick, they are on home soil, they always do what is needed. Good at penalties too.

2. Pick a goal scorer who might not be in Berlin on the last day of the tournament - Pauleta is an absolute goal mine. He scores for fun in mediocre teams, his group matches include two unfancied countries with reputedly poor defences, Portugal's path to the the round of sixteen looks easier than anyone else's.

3. Check out the odds for a Steven Gerrard red card. Fifa love to introduce an element of "fun" into the refereeing directives at the earliest stage and Stevie is just the kind of wholehearted individual who falls foul of these petty bureaucrats.

Enjoy it when it comes.

I'm off to do a Yahoo! search for my nearest McDonalds or Budweiser oultet to see if I can prove myself to be not only a true fan but a lucky one.