Here are some of the biggest rumours doing the rounds, and a rating of how likely we think a potential move is:

DEAD CERTS?

Falcao to Monaco

Chelsea are in the running for the prolific Colombian, but with third party investors to satisfy moneybags Monaco lead the race! Could move on quickly from the French Riviera, however.

Likelihood Rating: 9/10

Ashley Williams to Arsenal

This one looks like a dead cert, especially as Brendan Rodgers appears keen to sign Kyriakos Papadopoulos rather than his former skipper. £10m may be enough to persuade the Swans to part with their captain.

Likelihood Rating: 9/10

Maarten Stekelenburg to Fulham

With Roma set to sign Rafael Cabral from Santos, Dutch stopper Stekelenburg looks primed for a move to England and Martin Jol is a known admirer.

Likelihood Rating: 8/10

POSSIBLES?

Marouane Fellaini to Manchester United

A £24m release clause makes this move likely, although where Moyes will deploy the Belgian raises interesting questions.

Likelihood Rating: 7/10

Christian Benteke to Tottenham

This might have been a nailed on transfer if Villa had gone down, but with a £25m asking price The Villains might be able to hold on to their prize possession. Spurs’ striker shortage makes them the most likely destination.

Likelihood Rating: 6/10

Edinson Cavani to Manchester City

With Dzeko set to leave and Balotelli already gone, City are highly likely to make a move for the Uruguayan hit man. Likely to cost upwards of £45m though, so he would be no small signing!

Likelihood Rating: 6/10

Stevan Jovetic to Arsenal

If Arsenal are splashing the cash this summer they could do a lot worse than turn towards Fiorentina’s forward. Whether Juventus might slide in ahead of them is another question.

Likelihood Rating: 6/10

Iago Aspas to Liverpool

The 25-year-old Spaniard scored 14 goals in 35 appearances last season, and could be available on the cheap. Swansea have also been discussed as a possible destination for the Celta Vigo striker.

Likelihood Rating 6/10

Burak Yilmaz to Chelsea

Yilmaz may have impressed Jose Mourinho in the Champions League this season, but there seems to be a long way to go before this rumour comes true!

Likelihood Rating: 5/10

Scroll down to read our more controversial potential summer transfers!

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UNLIKELY MOVES?

Cesc Fabregas to Manchester United, Arsenal

David Moyes is reportedly lining up a role for the Spanish playmaker, but with Arsenal apparently having first option on a Fabregas could a move to the Emirates be more likely? The Catalans aren’t exactly short of options in central midfield but one still wonders if he would be allowed to leave his spiritual home.

Likelihood Rating: 5/10

Christian Eriksen to Liverpool

Eriksen has been a long time Reds’ target, but a £15m asking price and other interest from the continent could halt any attempts to bring the Danish playmaker to Merseyside. Dortmund are also admirers.

Likelihood Rating: 4/10

Wayne Rooney to PSG

This has been rumbling for a while now, but we’re not sure Wayne would want to move to Paris and sit behind Ibrahimovic in the pecking order. While his relationship with Moyes is a point of concern, we expect him to remain at United.

Likelihood Rating: 4/10

Romelu Lukaku to West Ham

This one has come up a few times, but why Chelsea would want to let Lukaku head off on the back of a quality season is beyond us. A loan move may be possible.

Likelihood Rating: 4/10

Karim Benzema to Manchester United

If Rooney did move, Benzema has been touted as a target for David Moyes’ side. Seems like a bit of 2+2=5 from the media though.

Likelihood Rating: 3/10

OUTRAGEOUS LONG SHOTS?

Vincent Kompany to Monaco

Monaco may be able to offer Belgian silly money, but why club captain Kompany would want to move out of the Champions League is another question altogether.  A paper rumour, but likely a rubbish one.

Likelihood Rating: 2/10

Xabi Alonso to Liverpool

One that tends to be wishful thinking on the part of LFC fans rather than one rooted in any fact, but Alonso has never been quiet in his love of Merseyside. Could the 31-year-old make a shock return to Anfield? We’re not convinced.

Likelihood Rating: 1/10

Any rumours to share? Comment below!

Despite no trophies in his 11 year tenure Moyes has rightly earned the accolade of Everton legend. Whilst the man himself has some big boots to fill, the boot’s he’s left at Goodison are pretty sizeable too. A few popular Everton FC figures have cropped up in discussion of the manager’s job in recent days, we take a look at their potential here…

Alan Stubbs          Everton Rating 9/10

Stubbs is amongst the favourites to land the post at Everton with odds as low as 5/1 in places. On the coaching staff at Goodison since 2008 the former defender steered the U-21 side to a sixteen game unbeaten run this season, and whilst his managerial CV is far from the most comprehensive you’d be foolish to rule him out.

David Weir          Everton Rating 9/10

Currently a reserve team and academy coach at Goodison Park, a role he’s held for over a year. A commanding centre back who spent over 7 years at the club, he probably needs a longer stint coaching before making such a major step up to management.

Phil Neville          Everton Rating 8/10

The bookies have lowered his odds considerably, to the extent that he’s now just behind Martinez in the favourites to take over. Just a week ago he looked a major outside bet.

Having announced his retirement earlier this year, this opportunity might have come too soon for Neville,  but he’ll struggle to turn it down if offered. Moyes himself has expressed his belief that Neville will be a successful coach, and he already commands the respect of the team having captained the side since 2007.

Don’t be surprised if Phil Neville takes over the reins from Moyes.

Duncan Ferguson          Everton Rating 10/10

The most unlikely of the bunch but Everton through and through (just the other day he zip wired across Goodison Park), Big Dunc has his UEFA license and has been part of the academy coaching set up for a good few years. Can’t see Bill Kenwright opting for him over the others he has to pick from but he’ll struggle to find anyone else as passionate or determined.

David Moyes may well not be replaced by someone already connected to the club. Roberto Martinez is the current favourite and Gus Poyet, who’s currently outcast at Brighton despite performing wonders there since his appointment in 2009, is also in the running.

But the argument is that Bill Kenwright might not need look far for Moyes’ replacement, indeed he may already be on the wage bill.

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Whilst it does still lag behind the likes of the Premier League and La Liga in many ways; in others it far exceeds them. Maybe Obefemi Martins was not quite the mad oracle everyone thought…

Here are eight reasons why you should pay the Bundesliga more attention than you already do.

1. Bayern Munich.

You remember Barcelona; the team with the best player of all time in Lionel Messi and team that have been referred to as the greatest side of all time? Bayern Munich beat them 7-0.

Munich outplayed, out muscled and outran their opponents over two legs, beating them at their own game in terms of retaining possession and fast break aways. This year they won the league with six games to spare and are favourites to win the Champions League to boot. You’d think things couldn’t get any better and to be fair they probably can’t but with the fortcoming additions of Mario Gotze and Pep Guardiola, things should at least stay as good. The future’s in Munich.

2. Homegrown, young German talent.

Reus, Kroos, Gotze, Draxler, the list goes on. The average age in the Bundesliga has come down over the past ten years and German clubs’ policy on youth development is good for the team itself, the league and moreover the national side. Around 85 Bayern youth academy graduates are currently plying their trade in the Bundesliga and Europe; evidently it’s an academy with the right formula and will continue to churn out to players in the years to come. It’ll also mean Bundesliga sides deal with the forthcoming Uefa Financial Fair Play Rules far better than most.

3. Pep Guardiola.

With Fergie retiring at the end of the year the title of world’s greatest manager is up for grabs. Pep Guardiola is certainly a contender. He could have gone anywhere. He chose the Bundesliga.

4. Unpredictability.

Dortmund won the league last year, whilst this year Munich are currently 20 points clear with games left to play. Since 2006 there have been four different Bundesliga champions, this is more than any other high-profile European league; only the French Ligue 1 is as competitive. The remaining European places are also repeatedly up for grabs; Frankfurt, promoted this year, currently sit fifth in the table whilst Borussia Monchengladbach who won the relegation play-off in 2010/11 finished 4th the following year. Not a league to bet big money on, but a league to enjoy.

5. The Relegation Play-Off.

The fight for survival is exciting enough in the Premier League this year, imagine if whoever finished 18th had one more chance to retain their status in an all important play-off against the team finishing third in the league below. The play-offs in the Championship could still be maintained with just this final clash added on afterward; unfair probably, exciting – definitely.

6. Reasonable Prices.

At Dortmund, this year’s Champions League finalists, you can get a match-day ticket for around 11 quid and a season ticket for £160, and become part of the Yellow Wall in the process (the largest stand in Europe with a capacity of over 25,000).

Meanwhile at Arsenal the cheapest season ticket on offer is a staggering £985. The cheapest in the top flight is Wigan at £255, still almost a hundred pounds more than watching Jurgen Klopp’s men every other week and becoming a part of the renowned atmosphere at their world famous stadium. I know who I’d rather see.

As a result of these fair prices, in the first half of 2012-13, the average attendance was more than 42,000 per game in the Bundesliga, this is the highest in Europe and more than 7,000 higher than England’s top flight. This is something the Premier League in particular must take note of.

7. A Fan’s League – 50 + 1 Rule.

In Germany members of  a club must retain at least 51% ownership thus preventing any single entity taking over a team. Whilst this prevents scenarios such as Chelsea, it also ensures there are no catastrophes such as that which occurred at Portsmouth. Furthermore it keeps the interests and decisions of the clubs where they should be; with the fans.

There are exceptions to this rule, including Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg, and as Christian Seifert, member of the league board, noted…”If a company is supporting football in a club for more than 20 years then it can acquire the majority. The idea is that a company has by then proved to fans and the league that they take their engagement in the Bundesliga seriously, that it’s not just a fancy toy or part-time cash injection that [could] change from one day to another.”

There have been attempts to challenge this rule; such as one from Hannover’s president in 2010, stating it prevented German clubs competing internationally. He failed with an overwhelming 35 clubs voting against the proposal. After all this year’s Champions League proved him wrong, the 50 + 1 rule is a good idea and one which should be adopted by more leagues worldwide.

8. Refreshments.

The Germans know what they’re doing when it comes to football snacks; whilst a pie and a pint may hit the spot every now and then, currywurst and a pint does every single time, without fail. Half a litre of beer at Dortmund meanwhile is a snip at just over £3.

Yes the Bundesliga isn’t perfect, arrests saw a 12 year high last year whilst the Premier League reported a record low, but in many other ways it’s a league which can teach others a thing or two.

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10. Loic Remy vs Wigan, 7th April 2013

A stunning, pure, first time hit from the Frenchman at Loftus Road.

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9. Leighton Baines vs Newcastle, 3^rd January 2013

Fellaini went down like a sack of spuds to win it but there is no doubting Baines’ strike! Unstoppable. Moyes’ first signing perhaps?

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8. Dimitar Berbatov vs Stoke, 23^rd Feburary 2013

We don’t know how Berba managed to make this stunning swerving volley look so nonchalant! What a hit.

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7. Papiss Cisse vs  Southampton,  24^th February 2013

The latest in a line of unbelievable Cisse volleys!

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6. Gareth Bale vs West Ham, 24^th February 2013

February was a hell of a month for goals! Bale has swept the table when it comes to awards this season but this is one we’re not quite giving him. A truly brilliant last minute goal though, albeit one West Ham maybe ought to have pressed a little more!

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5. Cameron Jerome vs Southampton, 29^th December 2012

Can you hit a ball purer than this? There have been some real goal of the season candidates at the Britannia in the last few years, and this is one.

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4. David Luiz vs Fulham, 17^th April 2013

35+ yards, head down, bang.

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3. Luis Suarez vs Newcastle United, 4^th November 2012

When he is not biting people or falling over, he is some player isn’t he? Three miraculous touches, goal.

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2. Robin van Persie vs Aston Villa, 22^nd April 2013

Van Persie has technique coming out of his ears – this was very close to being number one!

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Scroll down to see our Premier League goal of the season!

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1. Matthew Lowton vs Stoke City, 6^th April 2013

Not only an unbelievable strike but a vital, 87^th minute strike! Lowton’s brilliant chest control followed by an unstoppable volley… and that’s our goal of the season.

Oddslife Premier League Goal of the Season 12/13:

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Perhaps surprisingly, Middlesbrough boast the highest number of players in this list with twelve having turned out for the Smoggies in a fair old culture shock!

Scroll down for an exhaustive look at the rest of the Brazilians in the Premier League!

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Goalkeepers:

Only three Brazilian goalkeepers have actually turned out in the Premier League and they are all currently at Premier League clubs, although Gomes is out on loan at Hoffenheim. Diego Cavalieri never turned out for Liverpool in the division despite his £3m move from Palmeiras (and two full Brazil caps)!

Júlio César is surely the pick of the bunch here after a very impressive season at QPR. Unfortunately he claimed in August it was his dream to win the Premier League with Rangers though, so keep dreaming Júlio!

Goalkeepers: Doni, Heurelho Gomes, Júlio César

Defenders:

Defenders is a bit of a loose term here; in Brazil it seems to effectively mean players who play a bit further behind everyone else but perform in a typically eccentric way. Here’s a couple you might have forgotten about:

Juliano Belletti


Belletti was certainly one of the more successful ones in his three year spell at Stamford Bridge. There he is celebrating a goal rather appropriately against Heurelho Gomes, one of the five he netted for the West Londoners. The former Barcelona player could play across the midfield or the backline and netted a number of screamers, including Chelsea’s 2007-08 goal of the season.

Branco

One of the twelve Samba Stars to turn out for Boro, and not the most decorated. The full-back played nine times for the club, with question marks over his fitness hovering around during his short period at the club in 1996.

Full list of Brazilian Defenders: Alex, Fabio Aurelio, Juliano Belletti , Branco, Caçapa, David Luiz, Fabio, Fumaça, Gilberto, Glauber, Júlio César, Maicon, Bruno Perone, Rafael, Roque Junior, Rafael Schmitz, Andre Santos, Sylvinho, Emerson Thome.

Midfielders:

Some of the best Brazilian midfielders to play in the Premier League are certainly active now – Oscar, Lucas, Sandro and of course Coutinho. Here are a few others to remember:

Elano

Acquired for a measily £8m (by City’s current standards), Elano proved to be a bit of a mixed bag. On his day, exceptional, but those days were sometimes a little far apart. The attacking midfielder has played 50 times for his country and currently plays for Gremio.

Juninho Paulista

It was hard not to love Juninho. One of the finest players to play for Boro and a World Cup winner in 2002, Juninho had three spells on Teesside as well as turning out for Celtic and Atletico Madrid.

Full list of Brazilian midfielders: Anderson, Anderson Silva,  Philippe Coutinho, Denilson, Doriva, Edu, Elano, Emerson, Geovanni, Gilberto Silva, Juninho, Kleberson (pictured above), Lucas Leiva, Mineiro, Oscar, Lucas Piazon, Ramires, Douglas Rinaldi, Fabio Rochemback, Rodrigo, Sandro.

Strikers:

For a country that produced Ronaldo and Pele, they haven’t really provided too many forwards for the English game! Here are a few you might remember:

Isaías

Isaías signed for Coventry in 1995 after a prolific spell in the Portuguese league for Benfica, but never produced the same form at Highfield Road. Having scored 53 goals in 124 appearances for the Lisbon side, Isaías mustered just two league goals for the Sky blues before being moved on to Campomaiorense.

Mário Jardel

Another one who shone elsewhere, Jardel had a brief and unsuccessful spell at Bolton beginning in 2003. The forward scored a quite staggering 130 goals in 125 games when he was at Porto in the late nineties, and found that touch for spells at Galatasaray and Sporting Lisbon after the turn of the century. Unfortunately, the goals stopped at Bolton where he played nine times and failed to hit the net and he went on to play for a staggering thirteen clubs including those in Cyprus, Bulgaria and Australia!

Full list of Brazilian strikers: Afonso Alves, Julio Baptista, Guly do Prado, Ilan, Isaías, Mario Jardel, Jo, Robinho.

Would you like to see any more Brazilians in the Premier League? Which player would you like to see your club sign? Comment below.

I like to think however that this was his reason, and that he isn’t just a bit mental; he is in fact a comedy genius. After all this isn’t the first time he’s had a bite of another player, clearly he thought that his joke warranted another attempt, on the grander stage that is the Premier League.

Hats off to you Luis, football needs a funny man. In response to yesterday’s incident we’ve compiled a top ten of football’s funny moments.

1)     Gazza cards the ref

A Gazza classic; all the midfielder did was flash a yellow card at the referee before returning it and yet he received an (official) yellow card himself for his trouble. Proving once and for all to all watching that referees are cold, heartless robots without a human bone in their bodies.

2)     David ‘Ronaldinho’ Dunn

Oh, David Dunn. A talented player no doubt but just as David Seaman will forever be remembered by most for his flapping attempt at saving a chip from the real Ronaldinho, this clip will probably be Dunn’s lasting legacy. Ronny he is not but tis better to have tried and failed then to have never tried at all.

3)     Bowyer vs Dyer

After the third goal had gone in, it seems teammates Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer decided the game was a lost cause, opting for having a scrap in this clash rather than focusing on a comeback against Aston Villa. Both were sent off though Newcastle chose to only back Dyer, with Graeme Souness referring to Bowyer as “indefensible”.

4)     Di Canio pushes the Ref

Whatever you may now think of Paolo Di Canio (his fascist stance only matters now he’s a Premiership manager after all, in League One that’s fine) you can’t help but love him for this one. A gentle push from the Italian was enough to send referee Paul Alcock tumbling over (for what seems like forever). Di Canio served an 11 match ban as punishment, no doubt there’s more than a little part of him who thinks that it was worth every missed second.

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5)  French Failure

Thierry Henry and Robert Pires, two of the stars of ‘The Invincibles’ Arsenal side in 2003/04. This clip shows them looking a little sheepish after their unbeaten run seemingly made them a bit too big for their boots. Having won a penalty Pires attempts a cocky side pass to Henry but manages to miss the static ball completely.

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6)     Dog invades pitch

YouTube loves funny, cute animal clips and this one, involving a dog breaking the rules and running around the pitch for over a minute during a Polish league game, is a prime example. After gaining the attention he so craved, the dog settles down with the goalkeeper and is led away.

7)    Ref’s Revenge – Savage Elbow

Many match officials must have dreamed of knocking Robbie Savage to the ground over the years but few have ever had the opportunity to follow it through. Step up Matt Messias, the referee who surely became a cult hero amongst his peers for his (apparently accidental) elbow. To his credit, immediately afterward Alan Shearer seized the chance to do a Gazza and card the ref, who took it as a joke, like a normal person. Good work Matt!

8)     Jimmy Bullard Ode to Phil Brown Celebration

Jimmy Bullard is a player you just know would be fun to play alongside. And this has to be one of his finest moments. After manager Phil Brown had sat his Hull side down on the pitch during half-time to lambast them for playing so poorly, in the second half, after scoring an equaliser, Bullard mimicked his gaffer much to the amusement of the whole (or at least Hull) stadium.

9)     Rivaldo’s Oscar Nomination

Rivaldo’s dive at the 2002 World Cup was nothing short of fantastic. Though Turkey’s Hakan Ursal had very clearly kicked the ball at his legs, Rivaldo went down clutching his face. Robert de Niro eat your heart out.

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10)  Joey Barton’s Ultimate Diss

A list of football’s funny moments just wouldn’t feel right without an appearance from the ever controversial, footballing philosopher that is Joey Barton. Here, in an interaction with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, he lets the Swede know that his nose is quite big. 1-0 Barton.

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And one for luck, who said the art of the slide tackle was dead, Sol Campbell’s attempt at longest ever slide tackle can be seen here.

Any we’ve missed out? Let us know on Twitter..

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10. Eric Hassli Gets Shirty

Hassli’s ingenious plan to take his shirt off but escape a yellow card by wearing another one underneath unfortunately won him no favours with the referee, as the Frenchman was sent off by a less than impressed official. We don’t know what is worse here:  the referee’s sense of humour, or the tennis headbands sported by a couple of New England’s players!

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9. Temuri Ketsbaia Goes Completely Bonkers

Temuri Ketsbaia was extremely angry against Bolton, for some reason. It’s one thing showing passion and it’s another throwing your shirt into the crowd, trying to take your boots off and then aiming a succession of kicks at the innocent advertising hoardings. Another one who has made a slightly unlikely manager!

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8. Roger Milla Shimmies

This one probably ought to be higher, but Milla’s little jig has unfortunately subjected us to a plethora of other players dancing around football pitches when they probably ought not to. I’m looking at you here, Boudewijn Zenden. We’ll let Roger off though, as scoring four goals at a World Cup at 38 is probably worthy of this iconic shimmy.

7. Lee Bradbury’s a Knockout

Bournemouth punch themselves into our top 10 with this boxing effort!

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6. Van Nistelrooy Gets His Revenge

For some reason the Dutchman gets a bit extra stick when he misses penalties… here he is being laughed at by the Romanian players before scoring and celebrating directly in front of them!

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5. Jimmy Bullard Tells Hull City Off

Phil Brown’s team talk on the pitch at Eastlands drew plenty of criticism (and rightly so) but Bullard managed to make light of his manager’s team talk with a hilarious re-enactment in the corresponding fixture!

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4. Stuart Pearce Screams at Euro ‘96

You can do all your crazy shirt taking-off, teacher telling- off celebrations, but simply straining every sinew in your body and screaming does it for us. Here’s Psycho after his Euro 96 penalty:

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3. Stjarnan Go Fishing

Perhaps over choreographed, but this is still brilliant. Cheeky panenka penalty too, suggesting that scorer Halldór Orri Björnsson is probably not short of confidence! Check out the teams other celebrations too, which include a hilarious “bicycle”.

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2. Tardelli Screams GOL GOL GOL GOL

Ridiculously iconic but not quite arrogant enough to be our number one! Still, scoring and screaming GOL GOL GOL in a World Cup Final gets Tardelli to number two.

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1. Eric Cantona Admires Himself

And our number one best football celebration of all time…It’s just got to be, hasn’t it? Cantona effectively saying to the world “Yes, I am that good.” Magnificent.

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What would you add to our list of best football celebrations of all time? ‘COMMENT’ below!

It has its good points sure; the recent feel-good tale of Ipswich’s Tyrone Mings responding to a fan who tweeted he couldn’t afford to go the game by letting him know he’d left two tickets for him in the box office is heart warming, and would not have happened without Twitter. But for every story like that there’s five more wherein players have ended up in the bad books of their clubs and football fans due to their 140 character outbursts.

From bad; Michael Chopra posted a picture of a bag stuffed with a sizable sum of money (in response to allegations he was heavily in debt) to worse; Liam Ridgewell was forced to apologise after tweeting a picture of himself wiping his backside with £20 notes, it seems that more often than not football and twitter do not mix.

In this article Oddslife gives you the lowdown on who to follow in the footballing world; controversy, humour, philosophy – you name it, there’s a player who tweets it.

Joey Barton – @Joey7Barton - Marseille

If you follow one footballer on Twitter, make it Joey Barton. When he’s not engaging in twitter arguments with other users, he’s providing his own musical recommendations, quoting  Nietzsche and, more recently, calling Thiago Silva ‘an overweight ladyboy’. Not one to leave anyone out Barton has, in the past, also referred to Gary Lineker as an ‘odious toad’, Alan Shearer as a ‘p****’ and Dietmar Hamann a ‘maggot’ and ‘Tourette’s face’. Follow him so you can catch his next online row as it happens!

Rio Ferdinand – @rioferdy5 – Man Utd

One of football’s most frequent and engaging Tweeters Rio has quite an online presence with over 4 million followers. Rio offers his own predictions and football commentary, as well as letting everyone know what his current tastes in both music and tv are, don’t miss out!

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Leon Knight – @leonknight82 – Unattached

Knight trumps even the great Joey Barton for causing controversy on Twitter. So much so that he is now suspended from the site (follow him if and when he returns..). His crime: he launched a campaign on the site called S*** Alert in which he posted raunchy pictures of women sent in by their ex-boyfriends.

Twitter was also the reason Knight’s previous club; Glentoran in Northern Ireland, released him after he allegedly sent homophobic tweets. Knight also caused a stir after he engaged in an extensive Twitter row with Jamie O’Hara after Knight repeatedly insinuated that O’Hara’s wife, Danielle Lloyd, had in the past slept with numerous Premiership footballers.

If you need something to tide you over until Knight returns to Twitter then look no further than this video of him (yes, that’s Leon commenting on his own past performances).

Emmanuel Frimpong @IAMFRIMPONG26 - Arsenal

#DENCH #Leaveityeah #Frimponged.

Just a handful of his frequently used hashtags, Frimpong’s Twitter page is quite frankly a delight. A page full of pictures of the man himself playing Fifa, retweets from his adoring fans expressing what a lovely guy he is and those hashtags over and over again. See here for a clip of his Fifa talents in which he defeats the mighty KSI.

Adebayo Akinfenwa – @daRealAkinfenwa - Northampton Town

Akinfenwa, a striker for Northampton and a truly modern footballer in that his fame is almost entirely down to Fifa 13, or more specifically, his strength stat of 98/100. His tweets mostly consist of the hashtag #BMO (or Beast Mode On) which has become the 16 stone player’s motto. Follow him for updates on how often he’s in the gym and more than a little promotion of his clothing site http://beastmodeon.co.uk/ .

Phil Neville – @fizzer18 – Everton

No one knows what his next career move is so be (potentially) one of the first to know by keeping tabs on the midfielder on Twitter. He’s worth a follow for his interactions with brother Gary alone.

Maurice Edu – @MauriceEdu – Stoke City/ Bursaspor

If you want something funny retweeted by a footballer then look no further. Edu loves being sent jokes which makes his page more worth a visit than most, he’s also on Snapchat and watches Boardwalk Empire if you haven’t already decided to follow him.

Michael Owen – @themichaelowen – Stoke City

Owen has long been a player who tweets regularly and with his retirement looming this should only increase. His opinions on football and sport in general make him worth a follow, he also likes to keep you updated with his betting tips so you can have the same flutter as Michael Owen!

If we’ve missed any out please let us know, and what better place than twitter to do so…

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Whilst it continues to delight by churning out names of cult ‘heroes’ long forgotten from the decade that brought us Google, the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, this article sets about picking a few gems and finding out where are they now.

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Carl Leaburn

A cult-like figure at the Valley after spending a decade at Charlton Atheltic, during which time he scored 53 goals in 344 games.. though did manage to hit the back of the net against Manchester United in the FA Cup. After moving onto to Wimbledon where his goals to games ratio somehow worsened, he drifted into non-league football with Grays.

Leaburn can now be found working as an occasional match analyst, a radio broadcaster for redstone.fm and as a part-time security guard in Canary Wharf. He also has almost 300 followers on twitter.

Carlton Palmer

Capped 18 times for England and playing in the Premiership for numerous clubs you’d imagine Palmer is remembered as a success. That isn’t quite the case however; Palmer’s name regularly crops up in worst premiership/England players of all time lists and Dave Jones once said of the player; “He covers every blade of grass out there, but that’s only because his first touch is so crap”.

After retiring from the game Palmer seems to be thriving.  He finished first in an episode of Celebrity Come Dine with Me (you can see his menu here), he’s featured in an advert for Paddy Power in a bath (you can see him in a bath here) and he’s currently a TV pundit in Dubai.

He’s also opened his own football academy in Dubai; it features the tagline ‘If you like football, then you’ll love the Carlton Palmer Football Academy’ – Sign up here whilst there are still spaces!

Winston Bogarde

Bogarde arrived at Chelsea with quite a reputation; he’d won the Champions League with Ajax in 1995 and two league titles with Barcelona. Given a £10 million 4 year contract Bogarde rewarded Chelsea’s faith with a total of nine appearances during his entire contract.

Preferring to see out his contract rather than leave he was subject to harsh criticism. This is how he responded..

‘This world is about money, so when you are offered those millions you take them. Few people will ever earn so many. I am one of the few fortunates who do. I may be one of the worst buys in the history of the Premiership but I don’t care.’

And to be fair to him, you can’t really argue with Winston there. Since retirement he bought and sold a successful music company, was a big-name poker player featuring on a programme called Veronica Poker and authorised a biography titled ‘This Negro Bows to No-one’. Now (reportedly) bankrupt it’s anyone’s guess what’s next for Winston.

Matt Jansen

A bit of a sad story this one. Jansen was a player with a very, very bright future. Beginning his career at Carlisle, during which time he turned down a move to Manchester United, he then moved onto Crystal Palace. After a successful year at Selhurst Park his performances earned him a £4.1 million move to Blackburn Rovers and it was here that he became a club legend.

Following a motorcycle accident in Rome (the same summer he narrowly missed out on the England World Cup ’02 squad) he spent six days in a coma. Though he recovered fully he was never able to regain his previous form. Jansen continued to play football, plying his trade throughout the lower leagues and he’s currently player-coach for Northern Premier League side Chorley alongside Gary Flitcroft.

Jansen also earns a living as a part-time currency trader and is involved in stocks and shares but is eager to return to football full-time once more.

Faustino Asprilla

In 1996 the Colombian Asprilla was named by Fifa as the sixth best player in the world. Controversial both on and off the field his later career saw him paraded in front of Darlington fans with the chairman’s belief that the contract was all but signed – Asprilla then took a flight to the Middle East to take up a more lucrative offer without so much as a goodbye apparently. The identity and moreover existence of the Middle East club has never been established.

Somewhat more controversially he was arrested for firing a machine gun at security forces near his home; he was placed under house arrest on charges of criminal damages and possession of illegal weapons. Three years prior to this incident in 1995 he narrowly escaped prison for firing a gun outside a disco in Colombia. He’s also featured in reality shows and appeared naked in a Colombian magazine.

Earlier this year it was revealed that a return to Newcastle in an academy capacity may be on the cards. Tino has always divided opinion amongst Toon fans but they’re unlikely to turn their noses up if Asprilla can help deliver the latest Colombian talent to St.James’ Park.

If you know of any more where are they now tales please let us know!

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That said, I find the whole ‘Di Canio’s a fascist’ storm rather confusing. At Swindon Di Canio was regularly described as a ‘character’ and his braggadocio was somehow endearing. The BBC were quite happy to have the Italian write a monthly column on their website, describing him as ‘colourful’ rather than Benito Mussolini’s disciple. Indeed, his controversial and somewhat ill-defined political beliefs have taken a backseat since his return to English football.

All until now. Comment has ranged from outrage and anger at Di Canio’s appointment, to one prominent blogger for the Telegraph even suggesting that Sunderland as a club should be boycotted as his appointment meant football had “lost the battle against extremism”. For a start, I think ‘boycotting’ people for holding legally permissible views is shaky ground that we would be better steering away from.

Secondly, I rather dislike the fact Di Canio’s political stance (which appears to be based on a vague admiration for Benito Mussolini, rather than the fact he is a dyed in the wool, fully fledged neo-nazi – a view not antithetical to that of many Italians) has lazily led to people suggesting this is seminal moment in history, a la the England team’s ill-fated salute in 1938.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Really if it were such an issue, the fascist problem should be rearing its ugly head every time Europe’s footballing elite make trips to Rome, where hordes of Lazio ultras on the Curva Nord espouse far more radical views than Di Canio appears to have. Indeed, Italy’s culture as a whole (where toxicity towards events in the 1930s/40s is rather less prevalent) is perhaps more of a ‘problem’ than a bloke taking a managerial job in the North East.

Now I accept Sunderland is a town built largely on ship building and later coal mining. I accept that there is a socialist or at least left leaning tendency amongst a lot of people in the Tyne and Wear region, and it certainly appears to be one the football club has been happy to reach out to throughout its history. I totally understand if principled fans decide that they don’t want to go to watch the Mackems while Di Canio is in charge. That is their right.

Yet I suggest all this nonsense and political posturing kicked off by David Milliband’s PR machine (including the Durham Miners’ Association public demand that their banner be removed from the Stadium of Light, for all that is worth) is getting out of hand and based on publicity rather than morality. Perhaps the fact that I even know that the Durham Miners’ Association has taken their banner away is demonstrative of that fact.

Of course, the media love all of this. The fires have been well and truly stoked and every man and his dog is weighing in with their opinion. I can’t wait for the Tolpuddle martyrs to announce they’re boycotting Sunderland in the press. Maybe we can look forward to the Chartists popping back up with a rather different six points than the ones Sunderland will be after against Villa and Stoke before the end of the season.

My opinion though, is that it’s one man with a right to have whatever political opinion managing a football club. The more pressing issue is if he can find some life in a lacklustre Sunderland side and keep them in the Premier League, and I hope that’s the discussion that starts to dominate blogs and football websites over the next few weeks rather than the fact Di Canio harbours political beliefs that a lot of us don’t agree with. We are worse off as a society if it is not enough to simply dislike, disagree and be disgusted with one’s political beliefs and have to hound them out of a job instead.