World Soccer Daily rises from the ashes as World Football Daily? My first thought when I heard about the show’s major sponsor boycott was, “Why don’t they go to a paid service?” Even as a short-term listener, WSD quickly became a must-listen for me; this is even more true now that I’m on the cusp of resuming my commute again! $10 a month doesn’t sound like a deal breaker. More details hopefully coming…

While school is in the off-season, this space seems more dedicated to the beautiful game than ever. So be it.

Before my game Saturday I got to watch all of Spurs vs Birmingham City and oh my word… This game was nuts. Spurs passed Birmingham off the park in the opening half and it looked like Spurs would roll to another big win. But then the team started looked jaded when the goal didn’t come, and things got worse when Modric went down injured. Crouchy was fantastic, an instant threat hitting the post and getting cleared off the line before finally scoring. Then Birmingham leveled through some comical defending and the last twenty minutes the game hung in the balance before Lennon’s stunning winner. Stunning. I sprang off the couch with an epic whoop, much to Grey’s amusement.

Still, not all is well. Modric is injured for at least six weeks and the goalkeeper position is a huge question mark. I wondered how in the world Gomez could keep the starting job until I saw Cudicini play—dreadful! Tentative does not describe it, and Alan Hutton looked absolutely lost for his time on the pitch. There’s no question that Spurs’ defense will be breached by even mediocre teams, but when they’re on, they’re on big time. Man Ure at home in two weeks’ time. Should be good.

Speaking of which, I haven’t seen anything of Man Ure’s win over Ars*nal save for the scenes of Arsene Whinger in the stands. Though it should be clear at this point that I’m not a fan, I have to respect how he used absurdity to give the two-fingered salute to the officials. I also *love* all the Ars*nal supporters talking about how “brave” Whinger was for joining the Man Ure fans in the crowd. If you look at the pictures, most of those snarling, vicious fans seem to be laughing, smiling, and generally enjoying the spectacle. Yes, yes, quite brave.

Due to a DVR snafu, only the second half recorded of Real Madrid vs Deportivo, but that 50% of the game was fantastic. The goals were quality and some of the build-up play was inspiring from both sides. Ronaldo, Benzema, and Kaka are all ridiculously good and whenever this team gets the kinks ironed out, they should be deadly.

Personally, I think people come down too hard on the first Galactico era as it started out with a bang. The side that won the Champions League in 2001-02 was nothing less than brilliant with Zinedine Zidane pulling the strings. The wheels didn’t fall off until ‘03 with the signing of David Beckham and, more damagingly, the departure of Claude Makelele. The fact that Madrid splashed €34 million on Xavi Alonso (they paid €35m for the much sexier striker Benzema) suggests that maybe Florentino Perez understands the need for defensive qualities as well.

Like Man City, I won’t be able to take my eyes off Real Madrid this season. The outlay of that much cash to completely overhaul a squad simply makes them fascinating stories, even if they don’t live up to their hype. I also chuckle at the people crying foul that this means only the “big money” teams can compete. To those folks I simply ask, “And where have you been for the last 20 years?” That doesn’t mean I like the fact that every domestic league in Europe is a two or three horse race, but these two big spenders have at least shaken things up this season. Fascinating, fascinating stuff.

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