Don't worry, this isn't a(nother) football thread - well, not really...

I managed to miss this BBC 5 Live programme when it was transmitted recently: I don't suppose any of you have got a soundfile of it and, if so, are willing to share it?

Thanks.

The Grauniad seems to have gone live blog crazy in recent months, but this one is really worth your time

It seems that, after the head of the FA asked for more transparency within FIFA, he's been roundly shouted down by football representatives around the world. The head of the Argentinian FA has claimed that "Their [Britain's] journalism is more busy lying than telling the truth."

Extraordinary stuff. The obscene amounts of money involved in football may just be a corollary of its growing global popularity, but this is really something else.

In mainstream media land my team do not exist, we are not a fashionable club like Brighton, a so called big club like Southampton and as a result our amazing run over the latter half of the season has gone unnoticed. The highlights, 24 games unbeaten and the last 6 away wins on the bounce; not too shabby. I give you Huddersfield Town.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/video/2011/mar/16/st-pauli-socialist-fo...

I've always been interested in how football chants develop and mutate. Usually, they seem to be based on popular songs of the day - for example, 'Yellow Submarine', 'Guantanamera' etc. More up to date examples include the use of 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' by Man Utd fans. Any more obscure examples out there?

The one that's long mystified me is the clapping rhythm that began ( I think ) in the 60s. It goes :

Clap Clap / Clap Clap Clap/ Clap Clap Clap Clap / Arse-Nal ( or whoever )

I've long maintained to friends and anyone else who'll listen that this derives from an obscure early 60s surf instrumental by The Routers titled 'Let's Go'. This uses the above rhythm but ( obviously ) with the phrase 'Let's Go' at the end. However, I struggle to explain how such an obscure single, which never bothered the charts as far as I know, could have spread so widely across UK football terraces. I first heard the chant when watching Millwall at the Old Den in the 60s ( I was young and foolish in those days ) but I doubt whether it originated there, Millwall fans not being best known for their innovative tendencies ( except where violence was concerned ).

With the flash of 'breaking news' from the respective news sites stating that BSKYB have sacked Andy Grey for his comments at Molineux on Saturday.
I begin to wonder if this isn't a case of the broadcaster finding a scapegoat in the wake of the Culture Secretary's involvement in the News Corp bid for BSKYB.
Walk into any public house or similar 'bloke' domain and the sexist remarks flow like draught beer. No doubt it will suddenly be acceptable for every comic in the land to make capital out of the event without any penalty.
The future for broadcasting is getting bleak in this green and pleasant land. Opinion is being suppressed to benefit those with the control. I am sure Ms Massey is professional enough to know the nature of her working environment.
News Corp revealed their double standards by featuring her in short skirt and hair let down in a more gratuitous pose on the front of today's 'SUN'. A far worse piece of denigrating journalism than Messrs Grey and Keys have ever displayed.

In any part of life or human activity there is a decent way of doing things and there is the other way. By any standards the humiliating slow removal of Avram Grant at West Ham fits in to the latter. Grants life started in tragedy with the loss of close relatives in the Nazi camps, he must now think he is living in a lunatic asylum.I always hope for the best from people, but you are dealing with two men who are self confessed pornographers. Human dignity is not top of their list. On top of which you have a chief executive who thinks its a good idea to spell out each bit of Grants humiliation in a Sun column.
I know Grants on a lot of money, I know he will get a massive pay off. Some things however are just wrong.

Any one care to argue?

It occurred to me as I updated my Fantasy Football team to include Man City's new signing Edin Dzeko, that very few recent pop songs have been adopted as songs or chants by football crowds (can I offer 'Dzeko...Dzeko...Dzeko-o-o-o...Dzeko' to the tune of Peter Gabriel's Biko?). I remember when Steam's 'Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye' was released in the 70s and quickly became a multi-adaptable chant for most teams' fans. Any suggestions for newly adapted songs/ chants?

And did anyone hear that fantastically rhythmic chant by Stevenage fans in their recent FA Cup win over Newcastle?

Of course the best football song is Stoke City's 'We'll Be With You' - written by Jackie Trent and a number 34 hit-ette in 1972 - none of that New Order, Fat Les, Anfield Rap shite; this is a proper tune!!!

Forget HD, 3D, or even travelling to the match, MBM is the way to watch live sport. The Shatt Al Arab River derby is just kicking-off:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/jan/11/asian-cup-iraq-iran-live

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/9302348.stm

I've just walked back from the railway station with a heavy heart having discovered that I won't be watching any football this afternoon as Newcastle's game at Birmingham has been postponed due to the snow; and at least I didn't have far to go, the vast majority of our travelling support would have been well on their way to the West Midlands before the decision was made.

Although clubs appear to have better facilities than ever we seem to have more postponments than ever too.

I only checked BBC Sport for team news never thinking that the game could be off as I'm only 40 minutes away from Birmingham and with a scarf and gloves could barely notice the cold. Is football just going soft?

Ralph Coates died today. Not a household name but an honest-to-goodness, hard working, miles better than average player for Burnley, Spurs and Leyton Orient. Plus England on 4 occasions. He was signed for Spurs by the great Billy Nicholson and "Don't be stupid, no player is worth that" is what Ralph is said to have said when Billy Nick announced he was going to fork out £190k in 1971 money for him. (That's about £1.8m in 2010 cash.) I wonder if there are many Premiership players with that level of modesty / humility / reality left in the game? RIP Ralph.

Carry on.

From The Grauniad's daily football email:

It's not only tax-dodging students who are struggling to find jobs in Britain. Unemployed Argentinian Diego Maradona wants one too. "The only problem is all the teams I like in England have good coaches," he sobbed. "If any important job comes along I will accept it."

Maradona in charge of a Premiership team would be awesome. I really want it to happen!

What would yours be? Here's mine...

G - Jennings

RB - Armfield
CB - Moore
CB - Hansen
LB - Wilson

RM - Matthews
CM - Hoddle
CM - Robson
LM - Edwards

S - Dean
S - Best