Last weekend I sat in the sun outside a certain famous fast food chain which, despite the name, did not originate in Scotland.  As I got up to leave my attention was drawn to a youngster, probably only five or six years old, who was wearing a Real Madrid strip.  On the front of the otherwise pristine shirt there was a large dollop of tomato ketchup, and on the back of the shirt was the name Beckham, over the number 23: I have two questions, the first being how much will Real Madrid make per shirt sold and thus recoup most of their initial outlay?  My next question is, how long will it be before Chelskea fans are wearing Beckham shirts?

This is basically a Barnsley FC website, yet there are certain things I daren't write about or even question because of the fear of litigation.  Never mind, the muddied waters may clear over the forthcoming weeks.  Suffice to say that the supporters have lived through some of the greatest peaks and troughs ever experienced by a professional football club over the last five years: here's to a return to the good times!

It's mid July, pre-season training continues in temperatures bettering those of Barbados, players are having to cope with the twin terrors of blisters and black flies, it just gets worse and worse!! 

Every team in the four divisions is sure, at this point, that they could win a title, a promotion, or at least achieve mid table security.  Every team in the four divisions is sure that they aren't relegation material this year: or are they?  Look at two of the big teams from three seasons ago, Sunderland and Leeds United.  Sunderland, with their superb Stadium of Light, fervent supporters, and the PFA looking to bail the club out by renegotiating players' contracts.  Leeds United, with the Harry Kewell affair riding on the back of all the troubles of last season.  Sunderland would see anything above mid table security as something of a success in the coming season, with promotion a major bonus, whilst Leeds need to maintain their Premiership status if they are not to become the first big casualty of football finances.   Enough has been written already about Kewell's 'management team', but the bottom line is that two million pounds has gone out of football for ever - agents take, not give - which a few years ago would have kept one of the 'feeder' clubs in the second or third division afloat for a season.  Can we again take this opportunity to thank Mr Bosman?  I've often said that the lower division clubs needed to generate revenue by selling on their best players to clubs in the higher divisions, but with outfits such as Kewell's mercenaries taking major funding out of the game it has to be only a season or so before the second and third divisions are regionalised: who in their right mind would look forward to a trip to Torquay on a Friday night in February?  Teams such as Carlisle and Plymouth must have huge outlays to cover travelling expenses over the season.  Looking at this season's fixtures, Plymouth's trip to Hartlepool will be a round trip of around 800 miles, a journey of around fourteen hours.  Carlisle's visit to Southend will 'only' involve some 660 miles, about twelve hours travel.  Do these clubs have the finances behind them to afford overnight stays, or do they have to spend a day on a bus?  The only other way the lower two divisions can hope to continue is to go part time, and I wouldn't expect the PFA to encourage such a step.