Neymar? Yes, Pa

Neymar, the new Brazilian superstar, scored all four of his team's goals as the Brazil Under-20s beat Paraguay 4-2 last week. His fourth goal is very cute.

Pogba Regis

Paul Pogba of Manchester United is a highly rated French midfield player. The Frenchman of Guinean extraction signed from Le Havre in controversial circumstances.  He has received some very positive reports from fans on the web. And he has a great surname.

Over the Moon? No, the Atlantic

I am looking forward to the launch of Sky Atlantic on Tuesday, 1st February. The line up, chosen from HBO programmes,  looks great. It includes Martin Scorsese's Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, Mad Men, The Sopranos  and Six Feet Under. Treme (co-created by David Simon, the brains behind The Wire) will be shown for the first time in the UK.  And of course, The Wire will be shown.

Where will I find the time? And will Treme be as good as the Wire?

Top Five- Pelecanos's Favourite TV Programmes

Excellent interview with George Pelecanos on the Speakeasy website. Try to guess his top  5 TV programmes before visiting the site? I guessed two.

No Belgium Waffle

There have been a number of articles over the last week about the growing group of talented young footballers from Belgium. Players highlighted have included Eden Hazard ( Lille), Romelu Lukaku (Anderlect) and Kevin De Bruyne (Genk). There are clips of each player on Yutube but has any reader seen any of the players live? I would be interested in a fan's analysis of each player.

The New One Two

Very funny.....



...........but not as funny as

Top Five - Goal Hangers

In the modern game, the forward is often a selfless athlete who defends from the front. Forwards can now have a good game, without scoring a goal. It wasn't always so. Don't you just miss the goal hangers of the past. Players who refused to do anything in a game apart from loiter around the penalty box, waiting for a chance and then taking all the glory with a scuffed shot through the legs of the keeper. Proper players. Here's my Top Five goal hangers:-

1. Jimmy Greaves - 422 in 602 appearances. A genius in front of the goal - see his goal against Manchester United in the clip below. Did not enjoy his time in Italy playing for AC Milan, but still scored 9 in 12.
2. Gerd Muller - 572 in 669, including 68 goals in 62 international games. An amazing goal ratio. His lethal acceleration over short distances and and his ability to turn quickly with perfect balance made him a nightmare for defenders.
3. Denis Law - in his last professional game, Law scored with a back-heel for Manchester City against ManchesterUnited. He did not celebrate the goal because he thought he had relegated his his former team .
4. Tony Cottee - his 240 goals in 603 is not as impressive as some other forwards but he kept a note book with diagrams of every goal he scored. Goals mattered.
5. Clive Allen - 49 goals in one season. Enough said.

Of course, if you think I need to change this list, let me know your favourite goal hanger.

Winger with No Pace

I went to the Arsenal v Leeds game last Saturday and I was impressed with the performance of Robert Snodgrass. His awareness and touch was good although he does lack pace. Great name too. Many of you will know that  Snodgrass is said to originate from lands in the parish of Irvine, Ayrshire, known as Snodgrasse, or Snodgers, which were rented out in plots.  Especially if you use wikipedia. Snodgrass reminds me of John Robertson and fits into my favourite type of player catagory; Wingers with No Pace.

It's All in the Game

Some great  table top sports games identified in the Guardian this morning. I also remember a football game based on tiddlywinks ( a word I've not used in 30 years) but I cannot remember what it was called. Can anyone help?

Weebles Wobble but they don't fall down

Enjoyed Sid Lowe's piece on Fifa's Ballon d'Or award. I agree that Xavi should have won the award this year, but nothing seems to be able to keep Mr. Messi down.



And don't you miss the Weebles adverts. Ok, maybe not.

Baltimore FC -It's All in the Game

I recently received a very interesting email from a Baltimore resident called Kevin. He stated that  Baltimore is trying to lure an existing MLS team downtown. A feasibility report has been  published and a possible site identified. Good luck to the local authorities. Every city needs a top club.

Hopefully we can start planning the full name of the new team, nickname, kit colours and stadium name. if you have any intial ideas, let me know. Kevin propsed that the suppoters club should be call ' Omar's Army', while I though 'Oliver's Army' by Elvis Costello called be the team song - replacing Oliver in the lyrics with Omar.

Brain Power

It's a miserable day in London.  Why not try one of my Soccer Sequence puzzles to blow away the cobwebs?

My favourites are No.1, No.5, No.13 and No.22.

Ping Pong Double Dribble

I am  looking forward to read  Matthew Syed's  book, Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success in 2011. In the book, he investigates the  hidden factors which allow the most successful sports stars to rise above their competitors. There was an interesting extract in the Times last year that focussed on the great table tennis player Desmond Douglas.

Douglas started playing table tennis at school in Birmingham. The facilities consisted of very old tables in a tiny classroom. The players had to stand very close to edge of table as the gap between the tables and walls was very narrow. Syed argues that this environment and  Douglas' dedication helped create a top-class player with super sharp reflexes.

I believe that the lost  art of dribbling could be explained by some of Syed's conclusions. When I was young, we would play 43 a-side on a 5-a-side pitch. If your close control and dribbling was poor, you would go weeks without touching the ball. Now money is spent on academies that  develop standardised players who are good all-rounders, but don't necessarily have unique skills or  game awareness. Spend the millions on pitches and footballs, and the likes of Cooke, Gray and Robertson will return.

Soccer Sequence No.32

There have only been seven. Can you work out the link between the following numbers:-
3, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1

PS. Yes, this is very hard, For other Soccer Sequence puzzles follow this link.

Top Five - Scruffy Players

Players are becoming more and more homogeneous. Shirts are tucked in, hair is cut by Vidal Sasson and beards are trimmed to perfection. Where have all the scruffy players gone? The players not looking for the next sponsorship contract with Top Man. Here are my top five scruffy (shabby, untidy) players:-

1. Neville Southall (Everton) - top class goalkeeper who always looked like he had already played a full game before kick off. Found mud when there was none. Made a very memorable save at White Hart Lane in the 1980s.

2. John Robertson (Nottingham Forest) - Scottish international, who scored the only goal in the 1980 European Cup Final, on the way to the newsagents to pick up the Racing Post and a few ciggies.

3. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - The style gurus have visited Messi in the last few months, but don't be fooled. Deep down he doesn't care how he looks, he just wants to play.

4. Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan) - the snarler always looks like an extra from the Godfather; only scarier.

5. Jimmy Bullard (Hull City) - the ex-painter and decorator has the appearance of someone who has just finished stripping wallpaper.

See my other Top Fives and let me know what you think.

• Top Five - Short Centre Backs
• Top Five - Wingers with No Pace