Happy New Year from the Focus team. In a joyous reflection of the season’s sentiment of rebirth and looking to the future, Garth emerged from his pupae on the stroke of midnight on January 1st sporting beautifully iridescent wings several feet in diameter similar, so I’m told by my lepidopterist producer, to those of the Red Admiral butterfly. He has now taken to flitting gaily amongst the studio lights, occasionally extending a long proboscis into the coat pockets of the lighting crew in search of sugary snacks (although after one particularly expensive suede jacket was ruined they have subsequently left a bowl of caster sugar out at night). This glorious epiphany does, however, appear to have robbed Garth of the power of speech. No longer will we hear his dulcet tones over-emphasising some point of minor interest with all the earnest gravity due an impending natural disaster, although his brooding stare is undiminished in its intensity. His principal interview method is now to alight on the subject’s shoulder and emit a kind of keening chirrup, which somehow seems to do the trick.
Talking points this month:[ul][]2004 predictions. Final league positions, Champs League Champs, top goalscorers, whatever. Euro 2004 winners, players to watch, big transfers, managerial carousels, whatever else. What will the footie story of 2004 be?[]FA Cup. Reaction to today’s draw and the weekend’s results. Which teams will be playing near my house in May?[]The Bent Dope. His name is Rio and he prances and grandstands, along with his manager. Hopefully to no avail lest practically any ruling by the FA be met with rattle-throwing tantrums and demands that it be overturned.[]Spurs spurs spurzzzzz. Right now the rumours are Otto Hitzfeld, Roberto Mancini and Roy Hogson, tomorrow it might be Jan Molby, Nikolai Tesla and the little fat one from the Rolly Pollies. And does Kanoute deserve to play for his country like anyone else despite Spurs’ moaning: Rob Mali and the Wailers?[]The Drop.Bottom-at-Christmas Wolves look doomed, but it’s mighty close for the 18th and 19th spots with one win covering 7 teams.[]Straight Dope Fantasy League. Last month’s winner London_Calling accrued an enormous 67 points. Can anyone do better before the month ends on January 11th?[/ul]Plus the usual assortment of observations on the teams of our own personal allegiances, a kind of David Mellor phone-in without having to talk to a conservative who would benefit from surgery to insert a cleft palate.