Don’t forget your shovel if you want to go work....

If you had a shovel.
If you had work.

Lucky me, I didn't have to brave the snow/slush/shit/frost/ice and venture out into the white today-I can work from home! So here's what caught my eye on the Beeb (and elsewhere) as I worked.

Portsmouth 'do not need to sell'

Odd-I was sure this headline read 'Portsmouth to sell stars' earlier. And so it did! The situation at Pompey reads like a League of Ireland saga involving the likes or Cork or Derry (more on that later). How on earth did whatever Sheikh/Sultan/Caliph/Ayatollah who currently owns the club pass the FA's 'fit and proper' test given that Pompey cannot seem to play their players on a timely basis (I wouldn't have thought bank loans are the best method of financing for a monthly expense like wages, but that's just the accountant in me....). Of course the situation isn't helped by the fact that the FA are withholding £7m in TV rights payments from the club and distributing directly to other clubs who are owed TV rights money from Portsmouth-Watford (who could use the money themselves I'm sure), Spurs (well 'Arry has to have readies to engage in his usual 'wheeling and dealing') and Chelsea (!!!).

Clive Delaney vents at the LoI

And who could blame him-given the fact he hasn't been paid for over 4 months? By the sounds of it, the days of the full-time footballer could be coming to an end in Ireland. And this might be no bad thing, right?

Disclaimer-I know Clive quite well and would consider him a mate. I hope he does well in Oz-I'd like to see him up against Robbie Fowler at some stage!

Opta Stats-they never lie!

Ok, I don't agree with the 'Lampard is the best player of the decade', but it sure is interesting that Kevin Kilbane has featured on more losing teams than any other player in that time. (I heard this story on Newstalk the other night, but the only links I could find were from that off forum above or the Sun. Easy choice which one to pick)

Birmingham are making moves

They've just signed Michel, enquired about Aiden McGeady, and had a £8m bid for Ryan Babel rejected. Egad-what are you thinking Rafa-take the money and run! At least someone in the Premier League is generating the right kind of headlines during the transfer window. Fair play to them-I'm seriously considering heading over to Stamford Bridge on 27 January to seem them play Chelsea-the last game wasn't bad. Hopefully Ghana and Ivory Coast will have exited the African Cup of Nations at that stage....


And finally, if you haven't caught the Winter vomiting bug, this should bring it on.