Village Idiot

Here's hoping these others are Manchester City, Chelsea or Real Madrid looking for a teaboy

Not an active player, but former Spanish international and current Madrid DoF Miguel Pardeza is an anthropologist with several published papers. And Thuram always wears smart guy glasses. http://www.actualidadfutbol.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/thuram.jpg

Also, isn't Frank Lampard supposed to be very smart?

Oleguer has a degree in Economics Chygrynsky has an MBA Xavi has a degree in Law The Bilbao rightback, Koikili, was a major associate on a HRM company before becoming a pro footballer

The boy is utterly talented, but his attitude on the pitch holds him back imho. Probably needs to go to a team that's not used to fail to spur him out of his complacency.

3-1 Fair result tbf. Chuckle brothers defending by Atlético.

Benzema off for Kaká, wonder if he's going to try him as #9 again.

He does. That's why he's always whining politely asking his board that he needs another striker. He once compared playing Benzema as "hunting with a cat".

Was just about to join Wigan last season too. Was Atlético's 3rd keeper by then, although already highly rated. Then a freak keeper injury crisis put him on goal and the rest is history.

De Gea is way too good, and he's just 20.

Both Madrid teams fielding a full strength XI for the cup game tonight

Klose's agent has admitted to be in talks with Real Madrid.

The only thing I know about college soccer football is that the Ivy League teams were awful, awful. But Ivy League is hardly a good benchmark for college sports.

Royal Society of Chemistry.

That's nice camaraderie towards the new boy, particularly coming from the captain and two senior players. As Cronky says you shouldn't take this kind of stuff for granted in a dressing room.

Stoke have made a £5.9 offer for Demba Ba. Where do Stoke get their money from? Peter Coates.

if thats true I would just sub him in during injury time to run down the clock...

Real Madrid in talks to loan Adebayor until the summer, according to several Spanish media.

Heh, they gave him #11 right off the bat.

Takes time, don't feel down

We have glut of players for the middle of the park, I don't think we'll go for Modric even though it's true that Pep likes him.

Mourinho has whined again that he needs another striker on the press conference before the cup match against Atlético. So they have been re-linked with Adebayor, Váldez and Klose - whose contract runs out in June. "As" also reporting that Juve's interest in Forlán is "serious" and they are trying to seal a deal like Milan did with Zlatan: a loan until the end of the season with an agreement in place to buy the player outright in the summer.

who do they fight then? Nobody, fortunately. They mostly harass incoming fans. Most hooligan trouble is limited to local derbies when rival firms are bound to clash. The hooligan (or "ultras" as we call them here) phenom is much smaller in Spain than in the UK. They are a bunch of tosspots, but there aren't that many of them around.

A squad of unattached Spanish players is playing two friendlies this January to catch the eye of scouts. I thought that only happened in Football Manager.

No, the scenarios are sent by the readers. The cartoonist just includes a drawing of a player or manager in every strip. Sometimes the team the play for appears in the scenarios. Carroll's strip could make a nice avatar for any of you: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/SPORT/Pix/pictures/2010/11/10/1289405395124/Andy-Carroll-You-are-the--003.jpg