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We’ve not done one of these in AGES – so here is another addition to our footballing lexicon – the ‘Trequartista’.

A trequartista is a term coined for that mythical ‘second striker’ role, someone who plays in the hole, creates and scores, and is usually supremely gifted.

The Trequartista is not a new advent:

The Austrian ‘Wunderteam’ of the early 1930s had great success with Mathias Sindelar, a centre-forward who constantly dropped deep, and Vsevolod Bobrov did similarly for the Dynamo Moscow tourists who so delighted British crowds in 1945.

It was then Nandor Hidegkuti’s role as a deep-lying centre-forward that so perplexed England when Hungary won 6-3 at Wembley in 1953. If Johnston followed Hidegkuti, he left a hole in the centre of England’s rearguard; if he stayed put, Hidegkuti roamed free.

And is still very much active today – think Baggio and Raul through to currently Aguero and Rooney. Players who are undoubtedly forwards, but drop off into ‘the hole’ to dictate and link play. Think Cantona, think Bergkamp. Think Totti. Think Del Piero.

That is basically a list of my favourite players.

Players who are so good, can be so influential, that a position is carved out for them.They score, they create, they beat players, they link play. They are skilful and difficult to mark.

They are also often difficult to describe, as ‘Trequartista’ has yet to infiltrate its way into the vocabulary of the common football fan.

Hopefully we can begin that process…

‘Trequartista’ – a special type of second striker who plays in ‘the hole’ offering creativity and a goal threat.

I love Trequartistas.

That’s right – we – as everyone else – have written about England’s left back dilemma in the wake of Ashley Cole’s injury. But what about our right back? That’s arguably a bigger issue…

Glen Johnson is the man firmly in possession of the right back berth in Capello’s England side. And there are doubts about him – he has been injured for several weeks, and Liverpool are in horrible form. If they drag down the toilet seat thief, or if he gets injured, or if it proves that he is as bad positionally as many suspect, who do we turn to?

The list… erm….

Wes Brown

He is probably next in line. But he is a centre-back who would be playing out of position, is always liable to make an error, and inevitably is injured. He offers little going forward and does very much look out of position when he plays at full back. Against a genuine left winger I certainly wouldn’t have confidence in him.

Who next? Erm….

Micah Richards

Ability and gift wise he should be challenging Johnson. He is big, quick, and strong, and gets forward well. But again his positional sense is in doubt and he has undoubtedly not progressed in the manner everyone hoped after he burst onto the scene with Man City a couple of years ago.

Gary Neville

Is he knocking on the door? Alex Ferguson, no mean judge of a player, trusted him to track Ronaldinho against Milan and he performed solidly, including a less-than-trademark-but-still-occasional excellent cross for Rooney’s first goal. He has the experience, has been there, done that etc, and probably wouldn’t let anyone down. But he has hardly played for an entire season, and there is a definite feeling that, to employ an old, lazy cliche, his ‘legs have gone’.

Phil Jagielka

A great defender, no question. But again he has been out injured for ages, and again he is a centre back who would be playing out of position. Probably too late to play himself into the side in any case.

Owen Hargreaves

If he is ever fit again, he is arguably England’s best right back. However he is also our best defensive midfielder, and if he is fit he will almost certainly play there.

Luke Young

Has retired from international football. Never thought I would lament that…

James Milner

On great form, and probably wouldn’t let anyone down if shoehorned in at right back. Probably. But he would be out of position as well, and that always raises doubts.

Ummm…. I think that’s it. Have I forgotten anyone?

At left back, after Cole, we have Wayne Bridge (if he hadn’t stepped out), Leighton Baines, and Stephen Warnock. Any of those would probably be better options than all the above (were they right backs) save Hargreaves, who won’t play there.

I never thought I would say this, but Glen Johnson is invaluable to England. Fingers double crossed nothing happens to his form or fitness before South Africa. No doubt Capello echoes those sentiments manifold.

The right back issue is more worrisome than the left back one.

Weve had Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Ronaldo (not ‘had’ had – that would be weird) – the next in our heroes series is Arthur Wharton. ‘Who?’ I hear you cry. Read on…

Looks cool doesn’t he?

But who is he?

That, my friends, is Arthur Wharton. The first black professional footballer EVER. That’s some accolade. Long before Luther Blissett became the first black player to score for England, or Viv Anderson became the first black player to captain England, Mr Wharton was striking a blow for black footballers everywhere.

In an entirely white footballing world he was a trailblazer, playing for Darlington in 1885 when it was more a cataclysmic shock than a novelty to see a black man trotting out for your – or any other – side.

At this point an honourable mention must go to Andrew Watson, the first black man to play international football (bizarrely for Scotland, who don’t seem to have had a black player since. Apart from Chris Iwelumo. And look how that turned out…) But he was still an amateur – it was Wharton who made the first inroads for black people into football as a profession.

That is enough to earn Wharton hero status in our book. But that’s not all. Incredibly he also held the world 100m record for a time, running it in 10 seconds. And he was a goalkeeper!

AND, he played county cricket for Yorkshire.

AND, he died a penniless alcoholic. No wait, that one’s not good.

But for being the the first professional black footballer, and holding the world 100m record whilst being a goalkeeper (although he did occasionally play on the wing), and playing county cricket, and liking a drink, Mr Wharton, we salute you. A true hero.

Yep – for a week, we’re off to snowy France. So apologies in advance for the lack of updates this coming week – we are establishing an ever increasing loyal readership and hate to let them down. But I’m sure you’ll live. Don’t bother clicking this article as there is nothing more in it…

Told you not to click it…

Two questions for you to mull over…

1. Which players have scored the most headers since the inception of the Premier League? We want the top six.

2. Which nine players have reached double figures coming off the bench (goalswise) since the inception of the Premier League?

Answers on a post card please…

If you are desperate for the answers you can email contact@footballsup.com. In fact, if you email us your answers, we *may* give the first correct respondent a prize.

You can read our original longlist of football triva questions here.

You probably know of Darius Vassell’s toils in Turkey. What you may not know is that he documents his mental travails in a blog. Some of which is quite disturbing. Read on for the choicest exerts…

8 December

I feel like there is something stirring, boiling . . . something about to happen. Things are changing, just need to know if it’s for the good or bad. Today i’m shown reports that Ankaragucu fans don’t want me here . . . Now my mom is worried.

15 December

Can’t get any sleep, just thinking about the many problems that i have here and the best solution. Lying there awake in bed, the sound of the air conditioning is like the engine room to a train of stressful thoughts . . . relentless. I need a plan of action.

16 December

Witnessed a car accident today outside my hotel . . . A taxi lost control and virtually wiped another car out . . . Quite a shocking but familiar sight. Now back in my room, i wonder if i could ever fully learn this language?? My favourite sentence is “Bier cay lutfen?” [one tea please] but there is only so much Turkish tea that i can drink before the novelty wears off.

21 December

I watched a goat get sacrificed at training camp a few months back; it was at this moment i realised i am an animal lover . . . I think the sacrificing of goats is normal here but i wonder if some people find it hard to witness like me. Anyone want to comment or elaborate? I know that this is done at Eid, but when else am i likely to encounter?

2 January

Had a much needed break and am proud to announce my engagement to my beautiful partner Amani . . . I also managed to setup a live webcam of my dog’s bedroom . . . His terminal illness may mean it’s the last time i will see him, so i spend extra time saying goodbye and ensuring he will be looked after. It’s almost like a movie and i’m playing the lead role, heading off to war and saying bye to my family in a backdrop of tear jerking music, while the audience eats their popcorn . . .

The cold London air reminds me to wear my scarf as i travel back to Turkey. As i tie my yellow and blue Ankaragucu scarf around my neck i realise it’s too tight a fit, and contemplate whether this is a metaphor or am i just being too cynical.

I leave the scarf in the car. Can one of my fans please send me a new scarf? The one i had was given to me on the day i arrived in Turkey.

The most recent post leaves us on tenterhooks, as Darius reveals he was asked ‘Will you come back?’ but doesn’t give an answer. Only time will tell…

To find out, check here: http://www.vassell.net/Darius/Welcome.html

I’ve been a bit slack with this recently, busy at work/getting drunk etc, but one of my New Year’s Resolutions is to spend a lot more time on it. I’m cutting out the booze as I’m running the Marathon in April, so will have far more time (incidentally you can sponsor me here)…

But New Year, New Start (or restart I suppose) – New Look. I’m pretty pleased with it, more of a traditional blog theme than the magazine one I had before but a hell of a lot simpler and I think better looking (plus it resizes images automatically – that is a pain in the ass and a massive deterrent to writing things…)

The point being – what do you think?

Please comment below or email us at contact@footballsup.com

Happy New Year all

Cheers

Matt

We’ve already tipped Arsenal, and Chelsea – so now let’s go with United to make sure we’re not wrong. And our reasoning? Read on to find out…

It’s not their form – although convincing against an (albeit dreadful) Everton side, United have yet to hit top gear this season. And their performance against Sunderland, where stealing a point was daylight robbery, was one of the worst I can remember United producing.

It’s not their players – they have lost Ronaldo and Tevez and replaced them with Owen and Valencia (and I suppose Obertan) – a bad swap in anyone’s books. Rooney aside they lack invention, and with Owen yet to convince in front of goal, a goalscorer.

It’s not their rivals – admittedly Liverpool are nothing short of disastrous, but Chelsea look as convincing as any side have for years, steamrollering the opposition. And Arsenal on their day can beat anyone – until their recent setback against Sunderland they were really pushing themselves into contention.

Of course their manager is a factor – however much you hate Man United, you have to admire Alex Ferguson and all he has achieved. If you don’t you are either incredibly blinkered or downright retarded. But Sir Alex can only do so much.

No – what could win United the title, is their next ten games. Look how easy they are:

28-11-2009 Premier League Portsmouth (A)
05-12-2009 Premier League West Ham United (A)
12-12-2009 Premier League Aston Villa (H)
15-12-2009 Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers (H)
19-12-2009 Premier League Fulham (A)
27-12-2009 Premier League Hull City (A)
30-12-2009 Premier League Wigan Athletic (H)
09-01-2010 Premier League Birmingham City (A)
16-01-2010 Premier League Burnley (H)
26-01-2010 Premier League Hull City (H)

Incredible hey? Apart from Villa at home, and perhaps Fulham away, you would expect those games to be a cakewalk. And in that timespan, Chelsea face Arsenal, Man City, Everton, and Sunderland.

Alex Ferguson himself has said that if United are as close as one point behind come the New Year, he would be not only delighted but confident of retaining the title for a fourth season.

And there is no side in the world that, once the momentum is with them (a situation these ten games should create) are better at chasing down a lead.

If United get within a couple of points, Chelsea will be looking nervously over their shoulders – and you wouldn’t bet againt them being overhauled.

We haven’t done this for a while – here are our best three picks for this week and the weeks ahead… Although we make no assurances they will be successful.

1. David Dunn

He’s fat, he’s round, he’s only five point seven million pound… David Dunn. By a margin Blackburn’s outstanding performer this season, Dunn has already notched four goals, and in only seven appearances. In those seven he has also received bonus points four times (3,3,2,1) so represents outstanding value. If you have any further reservations, remember he is also Blackurn’s penalty taker. Sam Allardyce’s answer to Steven Gerrard is your answer to the cheap midfielder conundrum.

2. Kevin-Prince Boateng

No lesser judge than Steve Finnan has stated Boateng’s importance to Portsmouth – and they are now a side in form, with successive 4-0 wins following their wretched start to the season. He is central to much of their good work and has accrued bonus points in four of their last five matches. He has two goals and an assist to boot, and at only £5.0m is cheaper even than David Dunn. Pair them for a budget yet potentially lucrative central midfield partnership.

3. Robin Van Persie

Van Persie is on fire. He has scored in each of his last six matches, and has eight in eight. His gameweek scores have been 15, 9, 6, 7, 9, 8, 6 and his total is 78 from just 10 games. In those 10 he has 7 goals and 6 assists, and 14 bonus points. With Wolves to face this week… need I say more?